I want my donations back!

by Hortenzie 38 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  kurtbethel

  If you want your money back, you need to keep in mind that they use crafty words and never promised you anything or any performance for your donation of money, time and labor.

  At best, they offer you a prospect of living forever on Paradise Earth. There is no was to disprove that offer. When you go into a casino you have a prospect of winning a jackpot. If you don't, you can't get a refund for that. You were a member of the casino religion.

  Perhaps you can write a book and recover your money from revenue. Best wishes.

  
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  4thgen

  Hello Hortenzie, I wish you well with this, but I doubt you will see a penny. After all it was a 'voluntary contribution'. What may happen is that a letter maybe sent to the local conregation about your request and you may end up with more trouble than the donation was worth. Best to you...4thgen
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  StephaneLaliberte

  ShirleyW, you say that buying a product and placing faith in religion are totally different. Well, I believe that in this 21st century, we can argue just the opposite in court.

  For instance, the society pushes the concept that we are in a spiritual paradise where, among other things, we have significant less chances to divorce or get sexually abused.

  So in order to help foster such an environment, I make regular donations. But then, upon searching for hard facts, I get none from the WT. Instead, I get numbers telling a different story from the country’s census. The WT obviously knows the real number, but are not sharing; I see no other way of describing this then being deceitful.

  I believe when there is deliberate lies, there should be room to argue this out in court. Heck, this could be argued in both the civil court and a criminal one. I think that the judicial system is ready to stop the propagation of deliberate deceitful lies.

  *** sl chap. 11 pp. 203-204 par. 51 No Harming nor Ruining in the Spiritual Paradise ***

  51 The spiritual paradise is not an imaginary thing. It is real and exists today as the spiritual estate of the restored remnant of spiritual Israelites and those already gathered of the “great crowd,” all of these together being the Christian witnesses of Jehovah. (Isaiah 43:10-12; 44:8) In sharp contrast with the style and quality of life lived by the earthly human society of this present system of things, life in the spiritual paradise is blessed indeed. Here there is a freedom from any such thing as harm being done or ruin being caused by the Christlike residents who are filled with the “knowledge of Jehovah.” Here, too, there is spiritual security, such as is described in Psalm 91. The spiritual and moral plagues and dangers that infest this degraded world of mankind are not permitted to invade the spiritual paradise and make the divinely protected residents religiously and morally sick, diseased and subject to God’s disapproval and disfavor. It is a spiritually healthful place, in which the fruits of God’s holy spirit are produced in abundance.—Galatians 5:22, 23.
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  WhoYourDaddy

  That's pretty funny. Probably a cold day in hell WT will give your money back.
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  StephaneLaliberte

  Of course, the WT would never give it back on its own. If it ever does, I would be unbelievably surprised. But I think there is something to be done as in court.
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  ShirleyW

  Hey Ecan6 you're a positive thinker, HOWEVER, all that positivity will get you nowhere with all ALL RELIGIONS. You donated on a VOLUNTARY basis, case closed.

  To put it in a case closed analogy, you give the bum on the street a some money because he says he's hungry, he takes your money and goes to the liquore store, you volunteered your money, it's not mandatory that you give to beggars, and he gained your money under false pretenses, like all religions do.
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  StephaneLaliberte

  Shirley: There is a guy that isn't handicapped but pretends to be and begs for monney; he makes in average 60k to 100k per year.

  http://www.inquisitr.com/550456/bogus-beggar-gary-thompson/

  Even if it isn't much, he has been arrested twice for theft by deception. I believe that we could reach the same conclusion with the Jehovah's Witnesses, and indeed, with most religions who lie about themselves. If the GB could see the inside of a jail for lying, the sin obviously the most hated by Jesus Christ, I'd be very happy.
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  RottenRiley

  The biggest waste of money I ever spent were donations to the WitchTower, I want my money back too! The Watchtower should be sued for willful misconduct and deceptive business practices, they knew the End was not coming in 1975 or 2014, they only sell fear and cowardice like the Sith Lords!

  Ginger, the money I spent on the Lottery and Scratchers, Slot-Machines and Black-Jack was more enjoyable and I got free drinks by pretty Vegas waitresses. I think we all need our money back because the Tower misrepresented it's business practices with highly unethical methods. Why don't we deserve better entertainment than those crummy End Time Scare Rags? I am happy I am young enough and did not spend all my time around the Borg, feel pretty bad for a Pioneer who wasted their life as a Magazine Pusher or Book Pimp!
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  gingerbread

  ecan6 & RottenRiley - I appreciate your lines of reasoning. Here are some thoughts to consider regarding this particular situation.

  The leadership of the Watchtower believes that they represent god on earth. They know that they are speaking the truth but, as we all know, the 'truth' is adjustable. They believe that they are going to heaven to rule with christ over the earth. They believe that this organization is mankinds only hope for a successful and happy future. They tell you that the money is needed for building projects, support of full time staff and travelling representatives, and for the production of literature. No deception here. In their minds (and in yours when you gave your money away) giving freely shows that you are a good christian.

  They are like the Wizard of Oz - the man behind the curtain. The difference is that the GB believes that the scary, smoky 'wizard' that they operate is real. They are 100% in. They are not deceiving you when they ask for donations - god needs this money. In their minds, you gave back money to god by donating it to the organization.

  Proving deceptive practices in a court of law is possible. Proving unethical behavior is much more difficult.

  ginger