What's the deal with not needing Bethelites?

by blacksheep 33 Replies latest social current

• 

  hillary_step

  Downsizing and cash-cutting measures has been an ongoing world-wide process for the past 18 months.

  A halt has been put on Bethel expansion projects, though simultaneously the upgrading and building of local Kingdom Halls has been heavily encouraged. It is not hard to see why this is happening, the switch in asset 'ownership' is a great protection to the WTS.

  The WTS is just not receiving the donations that it used to. Even those who would describe themselves as loyal JW's are not being as generous with their funds as they used to be, due, according to a CO I spoke with recently to such monstrous money gobbling projects as Patterson, and the growing realization that hard earned money is being spent on training lawyers and floating expensive corporations instead of helping the rank and file JW's. It is also important to note that the most loyal JWs are now reaching retirement age and simply do not have the disposable income to contribute. This theological scenario is a long, long way from the simple standards of C1st Christianity and this is being noticed by many, if only on a sub-conscious level.

  As to cost cutting measures, the Branch kitchens are not serving the standard of food that was once expected by the inmates, light bulbs are being dimmed, expenses being very carefully assessed in all Branches by decree. In the UK and Canada many Paralegals were sent home, disgruntled and jobless last year.

  Outsourcing is already taking place in some of the Branches where printing of some of the Literature is concerned, I am told that this will be a growing trend.

  Motives? As with the WTS it is always hard to be totally clear. Either they have recognized that they have no right to squander the money of millions of hard-working people on frivolous and unnecessary projects, or they are pulling up the drawbridge as they recognize that they will be hit by costly compensation payments along the way, or perhaps a mix of both.

  One thing is for sure, whatever the motive, the WTS will always seek to protect the interests of its Mother Organization, its very own Golden Calf, as its primary objective, rather than the interests of the adherents it purports to serve. As its most loyal generation pass from view, the WTS is burying its mistakes, but the legacy is that it is now having to deal with, are younger, more cynical and less trusting generation. It has not planned for this.

  HS
• 

  JeffT

  I see several possibilities here. And one move that might solve a raft of problems all at once. What we are seeing may be an Enron in progress. (BTW I'm an accountant and I've been in business for a number of years).

  The best trick for them would be to set up a shell corporation to do the outsourced printing for them. A big slice of the Brooklyn properties would be sold or leased to the other corp (bringing in money). That company would then print the mags etc which will be paid for by the R&F.

  Problems solved:

  Assests sheltered from future lawsuits.

  They may be running afoul of some Labor laws, ie, some government agency is about to declare the WBTS a printing plant not a religion. In this scenario the free labor is going byebye no matter what they do.

  And/or they may be about to have a tax exempt problem, for the same reason. This would make "donations" nonexistent.

  They could cut some administrative headaches at the local halls. If you plan on selling ten watchtowers this month you order them directly from the plant, and pay the plant directly. The money never touches the society. And those reports you turn in become a measure of "spiritual activity" not a sales report (if you buy that one I have a land deal for you).

  The shell corp can attract people that actually know what they are doing.

  I have to go to an appointment. This is an interesting thread, I'll look in later
• 

  Farkel

  : Sorry for the absense of punctuation (particularly apostrophes) in the last post. I swear they were there when I wrote the message in a Word doc. Sorry for the annoyance.

  It's not your fault. I saw the same thing happen to a post I prepared in Word. Whatever script Simon is using removes apostrophes at least from Word documents.

  Farkel
• 

  blondie

  Thanks for the insight, Hillary. The KHs in my area of the US are still owned by a KH corporation made up of the 3 brothers on the service committee. WTS ownership is not heard of in this area. I wonder why the difference?

  I know several JWs here have commented on the cost of Patterson in light of the overwhelming need for modest KHs in the third world countries. Generous spirits are dimming around here. People don't even want to help local congregations with money for building their KHs, especially if their lack is due to bad money management.

  When the money gets tight at my house, we aren't having steak or lobster. We make due with simple fare. So many regular pioneers work and serve full-time without being underwritten financially by the WTS. If the FT servants at the branches have to leave and get a job, they will see what the real world is like.
• 

  hillary_step

  Hello Blondie,

  Thanks for the insight, Hillary. The KHs in my area of the US are still owned by a KH corporation made up of the 3 brothers on the service committee. WTS ownership is not heard of in this area. I wonder why the difference?

  I think that you may find that some clever legal positioning has taken place the past couple of years with regard to KH ownership. The three Bros. who are trustees only of the property in behalf of the WTS have been gradually stripped of having any authority over the property. This took after a couple of scanadalous cases in whcih 'apostates' and other malcontents sold the KH's in their possession.

  Alan may have some paperwork shortly to verify the most recent changes in KH ownership.

  Best regards - HS
• 

  blondie

  Hillary, that could be in some areas but I don't think they have shifted the ownership here. I asked specifically and was shown the documents. I have a background in the legal system and could see that they still retain individual ownership. I was given this insight due to an upcoming sale of part of the land owned by the congregation and they needed my legal and financial expertise.

  Edited by - Blondie on 17 June 2002 16:44:18
• 

  hillary_step

  Blondie,

  Very interesting. When you get a chance please mail me, I would really like to hear more about this.

  Best regards - HS
• 

  Yerusalyim

  I still remember going through some of my wife's papers from her marriage to her ex, a former Bethelite. There was a 40 cent receipt for an X-ray. They charge for medical services at Bethel?
• 

  abbagail

  My thanks, too, to all posting their insights and knowledge on this topic. Fascinating, as always.

  In reply to a similar topic at the other forum, the moderator posted this link, copies of WTS letters (India Branch) from the year 2000. It pertains to this $$ subject, downsizing, etc. If you haven't seen it before, it's worth taking a peek:

  http://watchtower.observer.org/apps...r=216003&Ref=AR
• 

  abbagail

  Ooops, that other link didn't work. Use this one for the India WTS Letters: