by raymond frantz 20 Replies latest watchtower bible
They have a safety meeting before cleaning toilets nowadays. Hard hat, goggles, gloves, vest. Prayer? Any injuries are supposed to be covered by your own insurance.
There are still the pompous bosses. The tightened perimeter does cut down on the "just in time for dinner" crowd.
The old days of locals building their own hall with local pride are gone as is the quirky repurposed buildings. It was fun.
Obviously God wasn't with the project.
This is the kind of thing which stirs up " cognitive dissonance "".
You have two conflicts.
You have someone building Gods house. And then time & unforeseen occurance happen to us all.
Which one is it???
This stirs up cognitive dissonance. Leads to doubt.
I know it was with me. My earlier awakening process.
Well, there's always the ressurrec... oh, NEVERMIND.
Nathan ,,,, Right !
I almost forgot. Thanks. Of course.
In regards the safety meeting - yes they had those about 10 years ago as well. But what good is a safety meeting when you have nobody that knows how to use the tools.
My point was that they pretend to know what is going on, have some halfwit in charge of safety, not based on his qualifications as a construction engineer but on whether his belief system is agreeable. Safety meetings are not coffee, prayer and hope all goes well out there. They are about specific topics, what kind of things are we doing today, what are others doing, what products and what chemicals and equipment will we see today, what went wrong yesterday.
And the majority of those questions can’t even be answered because, as others say, they don’t report them internally or externally, and they are volunteers that just showed up, how would they know. And the problem with quick builds is there are way too many people to do safety in the first place. You shouldn’t walk under scaffolding, except, how will you roll out the floor while people are still putting in windows, and if you don’t do that, you can’t make the claim that the building only takes 3 days. I’ve seen in one quick build, they were still closing up the roof while the dedication meeting had already started - basically a building full of people while someone is shooting a nailgun pointing down towards their heads.
It takes weeks and months to set up a building, not because any contractor couldn’t surge 300 people, it just becomes incredibly unsafe and inefficient.
An actual builder would require at least a 2 week training for each volunteer on their assigned section, or more for some like plumbing and electrical.
The volunteer, who suffered injuries and was hospitalized, reportedly expressed a desire to return to the site—a sentiment born not from personal motivation, but from a culture of indoctrination and guilt.
How do you know? I’m tired of snide comments like this. They add nothing to the analysis whatever.
these volunteers are driven by a mixture of fear and obligation. Many Jehovah’s Witnesses know that refusing to volunteer could result in social ostracism, or worse, a mark against their standing in the congregation.
I believe in personal accountability, and this situation is a good example of that. I’ve never seen anyone forced to do something they felt was unsafe. In fact, I’ve seen the opposite: people sometimes take unsafe actions even after others have advised them not to!
Regarding the lack of insurance coverage, everyone is aware of this beforehand. Is it right? I say: Why not? Are you insured when you hike a mountain or go downhill skiing? Heck, even riding your bike without a helmet? People make a lot of choices in life fully aware of the risks involved.
On the idea of people being "forced" to help with Kingdom Hall construction—well, technically, it might be true to some extent. After all, how would it look if you didn’t assist with building your own Kingdom Hall? But honestly, from my personal experience and observations, these projects are some of the most joyful experiences, especially when it comes to your own Kingdom Hall! Everyone takes pride in sharing which part they helped create. "I worked on the roof, I helped with these walls, I did these tiles," and so on. Yes, it’s hard work, but honestly, it feels more like a big party with lots of friends.
As for construction projects at other locations—such as Bethel or other Kingdom Halls—participation is entirely a personal choice. Like others have mentioned, JWs have plenty of construction workers among their ranks. Sometimes, it’s even competitive and serves as a form of promotion for their business! I’ve even seen one brother bring his own crew to a construction site to handle the interlock entrance of an assembly hall. The quality of that work was so high that it’s still in perfect condition 30 years later.
The point is this: While many JWs may feel pressured to shun close ones, refuse blood transfusions, avoid higher education, or, sadly, even keep silent about certain issues, "feeling forced" when it comes to construction is new to me.
Honestly, I could go on and on about things I dislike about Jehovah's Witnesses, but forcing people into construction work? I don’t think so.
A better angle might be the fact that many Kingdom Halls, once built, were later sold, with the proceeds from the sale not staying within the local community of Jehovah's Witnesses. That is truly reprehensible.
Honestly, I could go on and on about things I dislike about Jehovah's Witnesses, but forcing people into construction work? I don’t think so.
A better angle might be the fact that many Kingdom Halls, once built, were later sold, with the proceeds from the sale not staying within the local community of Jehovah's Witnesses. That is truly reprehensible.
