how many of them truly believe in God - Venus
I did. One hundred percent genuine.
Why dont practicing JWS cant accept the fact that the Watchtower Corporation is a commercialized false prophet ?
by Finkelstein 41 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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cofty
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Finkelstein
I did too, I really thought at one point in time that this organization was chosen by god's and was the only true Christian faith, information upon information eventually changed that viewpoint.
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Disillusioned JW
The Qualified to Be Ministers book (1955 edition) on page 354 in paragraph 5 says "The Society is nonprofit and noncommercial ....". They don't sell literature but instead asked for donations. The donations that were directly received for literature don't cover the cost of producing the literature. The donation amounts such as 75 cents for a 192-page book in 1983 were dirt cheap. How someone who had been a baptized JW could think the WT was about for-profit commercialism of literature is hard for me to comprehend.
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Rocketman123
How someone who had been a baptized JW could think the WT was about for-profit commercialism of literature is hard for me to comprehend.
Well because your ignorant plain simple.
Questioning again my activity as a JWS is just another foiled argument to your stupidity and ignorance
Were you a JWS back in the 1960's and 70's ?
Did you know that the WTS once sold the WT. AW. on a yearly subscription ?
The WTS once sold and marketed cassette tapes and dvds on the back page of Aw. or Wt. which had a huge mark up , why do I know this ?
Because I was at the time in the music retail business.
Of course there was a mark up to the literature they sold, not much but it was there.
They essentially had to, when you think about it.
JWD members here who actually worked at the printing presses in Brooklyn even said so.
Add in the constant asking for donations, arrangements for JWS to hand over their personal legal Wills upon their deaths. etc .etc.
The WTS. pressure and persuasion for trustee holders of Kingdom Halls and land titles to legally hand them over to the WTS. is another reason to claim its active commercialization
Now asking children to give up their candy money that their parents have given them is indication of its commercialization or money cultivation.
If your so dam adamant to protect the image of the WTS/Jworg , why dont you return and get the fuck out here, I'm sure you would be a lot happier ?
......and yes asshole I was baptized in 1973 and permanently left approximately 10 years latter on.
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Disillusioned JW
Rocketman123 you sure do have a foul mouth, calling me an a***** - or should I say "foul hands" instead of "foul mouth" since you typed the word instead of spoke it.
Furthermore, that post you are referring to doesn't name you, but I guess you recognize the shoe fits you (figuratively speaking), since trying on the shoe (figuratively speaking). Prior to my post in this topic thread you hadn't even made a post in this topic thread, yet you felt I had singled you out. My comment of "How someone who had been a baptized JW could think the WT was about for-profit commercialism of literature is hard for me to comprehend" applies to anyone and everyone in that category, not exclusively you.
I joined the theocratic ministry school and gave my first Bible reading in the Kingdom Hall before the year 1975 (before age 10 and several years before I got baptized), thus I also became active in the WT religion a long time ago. I later had a subscription to the WT and the AW for several years. I obtained much literature and made contributions for them when obtaining the literature - but the literature was not sold to me. The contributions requested for the magazines and books were dirt cheap. The back of a 192-page book (United in Worship, for example) in the year 1983 only asked for a contribution of 75 cents for the 192-page books. That is a dirt cheap price - no room for a net profit to the WT for it. Yet you are saying I am ignorant on this matter. Good grief. In the Kingdom Hall I was a servant in charge of the magazine counter and the literature counter for a number of years. I am thus very aware of the WT asking contributions for the literature and how much was requested for them.
The literature was not SOLD by the WT, instead a contribution/donation was asked for them and usually obtained for them. That is an important distinction I am making. There is a difference between selling for profit as a commercial for-profit business and asking for contributions as a non-profit entity distributing items. You don't seem to see the distinction, but the WT clearly stated to the JWs that a contribution/donation was requested for them. The WT's Our Kingdom Ministry/Service even told publishers that householders could obtain the literature without giving money for it, if they sincerely said they couldn't afford it. (That was stated in at least one issue, and the last time I read it was only about a week ago). As a result, there were times when I gave the WT and AW issues to householders without obtaining a contribution pertaining to them for the WT Society. Yet, you claim to not know that policy, despite claiming to have been a JW. Eventually the WT religion (through JWs in the field) even stopped asking money when offering the literature. These examples show that literature was not being sold! Sometimes I met people (non-JWs) who said the WT/JWs sell literature, but told those people that is not true. I told them that instead a donation/contribution is asked for the items, but if people can't give the money they can still receive the items (at no charge). I also told them that the amount of the requested contribution doesn't produce any net profit, but rather only covers the cost (maybe not even the full cost) of producing the literature.
You won't succeed in intimidating me to get out of this site. I stand up to bullies who imitate the figurative 'father of lies'. Truth is important to me and I hate lies. I thus speak out (and write against) lies, including malicious lies about the WT.
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Rocketman123
bla bla bla sounds like your trying to white wash over the matter in a attempt reduce your probable guilt .
Where is your rebuttal of the Cassettes packages of Kingdom Melodies or the DVDs ?
The pressure and deliberate persuasion of transferring over building and land Titles of Kingdom Halls ? etc etc.
The evaluation I'm referring to is the overall accumulation of money from various items and endeavors, not just literature sales and proliferation.
Of course there is a commercial aspect to this religion (religious publishing house) as there are to most religions.
Sounds like your still on the fence about this religion and aren't ready to be accurately truthful to its operations.
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Disillusioned JW
By the time (or shortly after) the WT started offering DVDs they had stopped asking for a specific contribution amount for them and all other items. [They still asked for contributions for them, for several years, but they had stopped stating a specific amount. Except, I remember one overseer (and/or a KM) saying when making a contribution to keep in mind how much similar products cost (namely those sold by for profit businesses).] Furthermore, cassette packages and DVDs have production costs. I don't specifically recall them being advertised on the back pages of WT literature, though I know that books were.
I have no disagreement with the accusations of "the pressure and deliberate persuasion of transferring over building and land Titles of Kingdom Halls", hence I did not say those accusations were false.
I don't bother to make posts about every action (bad or good) the WT does.
If by "on the fence about this religion" you mean I am not sure whether or not to stay out of the religion, you are wrong. I desire to never again become active in the religion. I am an atheist and I won't become a theist again (unless perhaps I loose my mind). If the religion ever ends its shunning policy of ex-JWs in regards to their JW family members, I will immediately officially disassociate from the religion. I see many flaws with the religion, but that doesn't mean I think there is nothing good about it. It also doesn't mean I think they are dishonest in everything they said, instead I see they were dishonest in many things and honest in many more things they said. If you mean I am hesitant to get rid of all of the WT literature I have, then in that respect you are correct. I appreciate some of their literature, to varying degrees, whereas I have extremely low appreciation for most of their other literature.
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Rocketman123
But you have the gull and arrogance to say hey guy you probably weren't a baptized JWS.
Is this just a wisp of power you might have at one time as a JWS ?
We are all aware of the donation arrangement by the WTS/Jworg which started in the early to mid 1980's.
The past leaders of the WTS/JWs were false prophet apostates who propagated doctrines which were no doubt advantageous to the proliferation of the literature they published themselves.
Right DJW ?
...and that made them corrupt and devious religious charlatans
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Disillusioned JW
I just know (have intense conviction) that active JWs knew the WT was not selling the literature for a profit, thus it is shocking to me to that any person who had been an active JW would sincerely say the WT had been selling literature.
I've already stated my comments about whether or not I think past leaders of the WTS/JWs were false prophets (and regarding their intentions), and I thus see no reason to answer a question again about that matter.
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Rocketman123
The American Constitution availed men to openly and freely propagate their religious expressions without government regulatory control.
The men of the IBSA and the following JWS organization knew and accepted that available openness.
The men of the WTS made doctrinal proclamations through the literature they sold then were eventually forced to ask for a donation due to tax laws in the US.
I'm in the belief that these men partially believed the doctrines made by past WTS leaders such as the pivotal year of 1914 and partially in acceptance that they were advantageous for their own literature proliferation.
Sometimes to get at the truth you have to use a sharp knife, uncomfortable as it may be.