12/15 WT: Blondie, Where Are You?

Room 215

Blondie,

Too bad you took a week off on you running critique of the weekly ``spiritual meal'' known as the WT study. This time around you would have learned that JWs are cleaner and less profane when using a public facility (stadium) than a pack of rabid football fans... what a revelation! Do they really believe they comport themselves better than any other large Christian assembly at worship in a public venue, say a Billy Graham Crusade event? But that would be comparing apples with apple... oh well.

And what of the drivel about contributing money to the Kingdom Hall fund so as to puts roofs over the heads of our poor African brothers? At this point in the lesson, one commenter said that at one local Kingdom Hall, the workers who erected a car port over the entrance wre told that it would be the last the WTBTS would evern allow to be built in the U.S. because for the cost of one U.S. car port, a whole Kingdom Hall could be erected in Africa! I wonder what he/she thought of the tons of money lavished on the renovaton of the regional Assembly Hall, where the entire foyer was garishly lined with marble, a tastless vulgarity that made the place resemble a lavatory at a Las Vegas casino. I wonder ho many Kingdom Halls in the Third World could have been built for a fraction of what the Patterson NY retirement Shangri-La cost! But then the GB is not in the Third World, only in a World of their own!

And what of that Kingdom Hall Fund? Am I wrong or do I understand correctly that the money collection from the hundreds of thousands of naive dubbies is pooled and then channelled out to the locals via interest-paying loans loans, NOT gifts? It's a confirmed but little-known fact that there's a team of Bethelites whose function is to monitor the Society's investments and this includes such sophisicated strategies as hedging their holdings in foreign money via currency futures and options.

blondie

Sorry, it must have slipped by you.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.aspx?id=42385&site=3

Blondie

Room 215

Cheers Blondie!

Mea Culpa! I guess I can expect a visist since I'm getting irregular on this board!

justhuman

The WT are clever in getting money

I remember in my country the Congregation I grew up that:

The land that was build was donated by an old brother that had no children...so the land is FREE

The labour was done from us which again we have ...FREE LABOUR

We have contributed with our money for the Building materials..FREE BUILDING MATERIALS

So the WTS actually has not put her hand in her pockets for our Kindomn Hall

So after 22 years(and 2 renovations that we have paid) we pay every month about 100Euros as a rend for the WT.Plus we had 1 congregation when we build it now 3 congregations share the same building...

You don't have to be an accountant to see how much money does WT gets from the "sheep"

Elsewhere

justhuman,

Want to know what the REAL kicker is??? The KH that was built and paid for locally is legally owned by the WTS. Thats right... anytime a KH is built, it MUST be "donated" to the WTS.

(The reason for this is so that if a congregation turns "apostate" the WTS can lock the doors and shut them down.)

City Fan

My old congregation just had a letter from the society asking if they could just keep the money that was lent by the congregation to them over 10 years ago for the Worldwide work. This is about 5000.

Of course the congregation voted to let the society keep the money.

Firstly I never knew that congregations loaned funds to the society. Secondly I wonder what the society did with the money for that 10 year period?

Room 215

Elsewhere, et al,

The ownership of a Kingdom Hall became an interesting issue in 80s, I believe, at Bonham, Texas, where, if I remember the story right, the locals who put up the money to build the thing fought and won their case. Does anyone remember the details of this?

johnny_was_good

A couple of years ago we were saving for a new KH. But then they decided that all the money should remain in one pot until you have your ground for building a KH. At that time we had about 150,000 euro. So all the money went to the Branch Office two years later we got our ground and got our money back, but without interest (just by a regular saving account we lost 7,500 euro.

Now we need the Branch Office again but this time for a loan, well they don't a cent from me!

During last Friday Service Meeting (12/13) a letter was read to be carefull with building material so that they can be sent to Africa were it's a lot cheaper to build a KH.

nelly1

you got a point there about the marble bathrooms because i went to a convention in san bernadino in august at the assembly hall there and honeslty talk about feathering your own nest , you are so right it looked like a las vegas casino, now that u say that its dawned on me, very valid point they should be more modest and be hellping the africans more.....

ironic isnt it?

core

City Fan

The British branch had for many years a 'Deposit and Loan' Fund in which Congregations / circuits could deposit money at either no interest or at a low interest rate. the money was able to be reclaimed within 7 days. Over time, the branch has 'persuaded' congregations to drop the interest on loans and also to 'donate' ""surplus"" funds.

Also the British branch had a KH building fund, but over a year ago, had to ask congregations to pass a Resolution allowing it to spend the money outside the UK, as charity law restricted the use of the funds to the UK. Other society accounts were 'restricted' by charity regulations and the society have sought to have the terms of the charity requirements widened so the money can be used outside the UK.

No reports are ever made to congregations regarding the Societys finances or how much money from UK funds is transferred outside the country.

For a movement that used to promote the slogan 'seats free...no collections' the WTS has moved into the now you donate it - now you dont see it movement effortlessly.

Regarding lavish Assembly halls and the urging to be 'modest' - visit the Briotish branch to see how 'modest' the KH facilities (and others ) are there

Dont do what we do but do what we say should be on the side of the NY Watchtowewr Building as a more fitting slogan that Read Gods Word The Bible Daily

12/15 WT: Blondie, Where Are You?

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