Thanks Splash.
A serving elder's take on the new "tithing" arrangement
by TTATTelder 120 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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JW GoneBad
The letter specifically states:
"This letter should be read to the congregation during the local needs part on the Service Meeting for the week of May 5, 2014."
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Laika
I for one am very amused by this whole thing, they've given away the moral high ground they thought they had over other religions on finances.
Not that they won't still claim it anyway, mind.
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St George of England
@blondie
The Monthly Congregation Accounts Announcement (S-30) is read to the congregation at the second Service Meeting of each month by the brother handling the first part that week.
George
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The Searcher
For the first few months, non-payers will be reminded via Local Needs that breaking their vow is a SIN by reading Deuteronomy 23:21 to them. But I'll bet they won't read out what verse 22 says!
After the first few months of the expected failure of payments, a letter from the Org informing the sheep of a "new arrangement" to simplify the collection of the filthy lucre will be read out - direct payment of contributions from the publishers own bank accounts!
Cries of, "Oh that makes sense", will resonate around the Kingdom Halls worldwide, quickly followed by the sound of many feet heading for the exits!
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objectivetruth
Jehovah’s Witnesses commonly meet in modest buildings called Kingdom Halls. How are expenses covered? They never pass collection plates, nor do they send out envelopes to solicit donations. Rather, any who appreciate the spiritual program can discreetly place a donation in a contribution box at the Kingdom Hall. - http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/lv/r1/lp-e/0/12165
Giving Until It Hurts
“YOU can call me a beggar; that doesn’t bother me. I’m begging for Jesus.” Those telling words of a Protestant minister underline the controversy that swirls around religious funding. Organized religion seems to be able to survive only with sizable financial support. Salaries need to be paid, temples need to be built and maintained, evangelizing campaigns need to be financed. How is the necessary money to be found?
For many churches, the answer is the tithe.* “Tithing is God’s way of financing His kingdom on the earth,” claims evangelist Norman Robertson. “It is His system of economics which enables the Gospel to be preached.” Not shy about reminding his followers of their responsibility to give, he emphatically states: ‘Tithing isn’t something you do because you can afford it. It is an act of obedience. Not tithing is a clear violation of God’s commandments. It is embezzlement.’—Tithing—God’s Financial Plan.
Most likely you agree that giving should be part of Christian worship. However, do you find insistent appeals for money disturbing, perhaps even offensive? Brazilian theologian Inácio Strieder accuses churches of resorting to tithing to “solve their institutional problems” and labels such practices “illegitimate, abusive, and a theological aberration.” The result, he observes, is that “unemployed people, widows, slum dwellers, and those who are incapable of critical thinking conclude that God has abandoned them and that they are obliged to give so much to ‘the preacher’ that their own families go hungry.”
You may wonder: ‘Are churches that enforce tithing correctly applying Scripture? Or could some religions be invoking the fear of God to fleece the flock? Really, does God expect us to give until it hurts, as some would say?’
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Ocean1111
Wow. A miracle! They are producing blood from a turnip!
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KateWild
TTATTelder,
I also think you should pledge an amount that you are not going to pay. This will cause internal problems in the hall and raise red flags to the body, hopefully you could wake up some sleeping elders. Have you thought about the consequences of pledging zero?
Are you in for family for good or are you planning an exit?
If you put zero on the the pledge slip the elders will try and find out who is being contentious, and possibly disobedient. The body will not openly discuss how awful this pledging procedure is. Most will not stick to their pledge amount, it's here that the elders will discuss the practiclity of the procedure.
If we think about the situation logically, most hobbies and activities cost money, and to be a member of an organisation and pay a monthly fee is no big deal. They provide us with entertainment or exercise They have overheads to pay and a business to run.
WT is a business masquerading as a charity and religion. Membership fee's are a logical step forward for a business.
Kate xx
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konceptual99
I like the sentiment behind putting a £0.0, £10,000,000 or even the references used above on the slip. Sadly, I don't think anyone will take any notice. The elder processing the slips will chuck it away as simply the petty moan of someone probably on the edge of the congregation. Unless they have good reason to suspect it's an appointed man there will be no witch-hunt.
Now, if a whole congregation did it then that would be more interesting, but not very realistic.
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KateWild
Now, if a whole congregation did it then that would be more interesting, but not very realistic - K99
Lol! That would be just as funny as the whole cong partaking at the memorial, but just as unlikely. Kate xx