Jws and poverty

Julia Orwell

When I say poverty, I mean not knowing where your next meal is coming from or being unable to pay your bills or afford necessary medicines poverty. I'm talking the kinds of poor people who have to get food from charities kind of poor, or long term unemployment living in a trailer/caravan kind of poor. Holes in clothes poor. Shabby underfed poor. Now I admit I've seen these kinds, even in Australia which has one of the highest standards of living. strangely enough, while I've seen a little poverty, I've never seen jws in that destitute kind of poverty I've listed above in Australia(except for a severely mental ill guy who was in and out of the jabooba home, and some who lived in caravans but worked full time and weren't povo). And where I've seen them in that kind of poverty in Asia, well, everyone else was too.

So have you seen any genuinely destitute jws? Like living in a car jws or ones with no food and unable to pay for basic necessities? Have you ever seen the really down n out, dirty, smelly or homeless kind of poor jws? Or ones who lived in hovels and couldn't afford basic necessities, but who didn't impose it on themselves by pioneering? Genuine charity cases?

designs

There were a few families that showed up in our KH parking lot and camped in their vehicles. They claimed to be JWs. Sometimes they had car trouble, or other stories on how things got that bad. We ususally gave them meals and a few bucks, fixed their cars and they were gone.

Simon Templar

I agree. I have never seen that kind of poor in the JW religion.

2+2=5

JWs are immune to poverty because "Jehovah provides".

Just make sure you attend those meetings and get out in service, the Big J will take care of the bills.

zeb

Have seen some who were close. But, as individuals they didnt blow their $$ in smoking or booze. didnt go to the TAB (back horses) owned one vehicle that they kept together by string and bruised knuckles. It is this discipline that made the difference. Their diet was simple and basic.

Julia Orwell

I think that was part of it Zeb. My wages have halved from 2006 til now due to illness and that and hubby can only work 30 hrs a week at retail due to injury and people wonder how we survive and even manage to save money sometimes. I must credit jw lessons in frugality partly for that.

DesirousOfChange

Julia, I agree. I've seen some JWs who lived very simple lives, but none who were destitute or going hungry. I really do think that if one is a mainstream active JW, the Cong would volunteer assistance to a family in need as long as the breadwinners were not lazy bums.

Doc

Laika

When I was in Kenya I visited a congregation where a lot of the brothers didn't have running water and electricity. The person I was with (British) answered on materialism. Embarrassing.

Crazyguy

met a couple at a distric convention that was down on their luck lost it all and were living in a motorhome. Another friend got very sick lost all he had too and also was reduce to living in a small motorhome. People have it bad at times but again JW's think that jehovah will just provide so alot of times theres not much effort put forth. I just went to my first church and they raised over 4000 pounds of food for the local poor. Never have I ever seen a congegation and i have attended over a dozen ever raise this kind of food or even put forth the effort. In the hall I grew up in, a family was having it bad and the hall got together and got them alot of food but thats it, always helping out that one family that happens to have a need but not much else.

wearewatchingyouman

In my experience there is always a job for JW's. Whether it be doing yardwork or working for a brother who owns a business.

Jws and poverty

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