Can someone help me with a question?

by Angelgirlnr1 9 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  Angelgirlnr1

  I am not a Jehovahs Witness, but I have family members who are. And one of them is my cousin. We talk now and again, and I love him very much, both him and his wife, and also my aunt and uncle, his parents. For as long as I remember, they have been JWs, and I have usually tried NOT to discuss their belief with them, as I am a Christian, and see JW as a cult where things are not at all nice. My cousin have, since childhood, had lots of anxieties, and are still sick. I blame the religion!

  Anyways, we were talking the other day, and sadly came in to the 1975 "harmageddon", we all know that never happened.....again.....as it is not the first time this have been talked about. I mean, the socalled harmageddon......

  I used to study JW, ( only because I needed to know what to say to JW when they came knocking, not because I wanted to become one!!!) and I have read a lot of stories and books about what happened in 1975. One thing I remember, was so many went bancrupt, or sold their properties, giving the money to the WT

  Can anyone tell me if the WT told their members to sell, and give them the money? I can remember I was angry when I read about the WT getting so much money, having told the members they did not need money after the harmageddon, since everything would be new, and no money were needed. I remember saying to my husband that " why do the WT need that money, if money was not to be an issue after the socalled harmageddon??"

  I am truly thankful to anyone who may have an answer. Because I said to my cousin that so many sold their properties, giving the money to WT, and he of course said that was not right. He may be right, and that is why I ask.

  I will be reading here, and hope to get back all the info I once had. Life came in the way, and now I need to refresh my memory, so I can talk about things I KNOW, not just hardly remember :)

  Thank you.
  
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  bsmart

  They did not say it precisely in their literature but encouraged it in talking about devoted people who had done so and praised them. At the conventions it was encouraged and there were examples given of someone who decided to pioneer or be missionaries and to go where the need was "great".
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  Earnest

  In the Kingdom Ministry of May 1974 there was an article, "How Are You Using Your Life?"
  

  Yes, since the summer of 1973 there have been new peaks in pioneers every month. Now there are 20,394 regular and special pioneers in the United States, an all-time peak. That is 5,190 more than there were in February 1973! A 34-percent increase! Does that not warm our hearts? Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world’s end.—1 John 2:17.

  There was not the suggestion that the money be given to The Watchtower, but that it be used to enable Witnesses to go preaching full-time.
  
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  LV101

  Yeah, it was "used" to serve the clergy class at the top of the echelon in charlatan splendor. It's like an MLM company starting with those at the bottom of the rung in the peanut gallery (publishers) and is quite a pecking order. Some heavy cliques inside each hall and many don't walk away because of friends/family to face the severe consequences -- think NOKO (North Korea). It's actually like NOKO when a devout member -- spying, shunning, backbiting, conniving -- but god takes care of everything in due time so it doesn't matter - more fantasy.
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  stillin

  Earnest is correct. The WT did not ask for money during the 1975 mess. They did suggest that people's lives could be re-organized to enable themselves to spend more time warning the public that they were about to die. So, some, to prove that they were true believers, sold their houses and businesses and found themselves facing 1976 making a fresh start on life.
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  Giordano

  There are a couple of things the Society really excel's at. You have to hand it to them.

  They have gone on the record 11 times with their end of the world predictions. The two dumbest predictions being 1925 and 1975. The Bethel Brothers were laughing at Freddy Franz who thought he had worked it out.

  The Society excels at painting themselves into a corner with their doctrine's. This generation may never pass away had to be changed to Overlapping Generations. This generation did die.

  Rutherford's embarrassing letter to Hitler. Where he told Hitler that Jehovah's Witnesses held the same beliefs about the Jews as the Nazis. Google it.

  They excel at shunning.......... they have approx. some thirty reasons a person can be shunned not counting many made up reasons. 100,000 are disfellowshiped every year. Which entitles every JW to shun them for life.

  They excel at killing off their members before their time or causing great suffering by enforcing the No Blood Ban. How many die each year no one knows.

  They have historically discouraged higher education........ unfortunately they recently sent out a request to their congregations for college trained volunteers.
  

  They named their God Jehovah which is not the real name of god. To make matters worse it was invented by a Catholic Monk in the 12 or 13th century. For some reason they over looked the NT telling Christians to be witnesses of Jesus close to 2 dozen times preferring the one time mention in the OT. To this day they have to tell people that Jehovah is God.

  But the one thing they really got right is that they are training their followers to be ready to live in a world that will never exist. Living life as a loyal JW means you are living a lie.
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  days of future passed

  Yes they praised witnesses who had sold their businesses, houses etc. in order to preach more. When 1975 came and went with out Armageddon coming, for a few more years they still had a lingering hope. But the reality kicked in when the money they had gotten from those sales ran out.

  There must have been many that wrote to the society about this. The society countered by mocking those who had followed their encouragement. I remember an assembly talk where the society said "there were those that in thinking that Armageddon was soon to come, ran up their credit cards thinking they would not have to pay it back. Hahaha." Then they chided the ones that had sold their houses etc. by saying "we aren't serving God for a date are we?"

  Lately, they had a video that called the sincere followers in 1970's "spiritually weak" because they looked forward to a date. Yet it was the WT that published dates.

  I was there in 1974 at a convention and remember the talk given on Sunday's keynote address.

  "It has been 6,000 years since Adam was created. How much longer after that did Adam finish naming the animals? Not long (because supposedly there weren't as many animal "types" to name) How long after that was Eve created? We don't know, but certainly it wouldn't be long after Adam noticed that the animals had their mate, that he would feel lonely. How long after Eve was created, did they sin? Not long (because otherwise Eve would have gotten pregnant) So Brothers and Sisters, whether it is days, or months these things occurred, we know it won't be long for God to act and bring an end to this old world."

  Of course, this isn't word for word, but it is how I remember it. The whole stadium was silent at the end of this talk.

  The last push the society did like 8 years ago about the world being so close to the end, the owner of the sign shop I worked in, sold the business so she could pioneer. So they are very persuasive in getting people to follow their directions.
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  Atlantis

  To All Dedicated Servants of Jehovah

  
  

  September 8, 1974

  Kingdom Ministry 1974/August

  
  

  https://docdro.id/Fwz8Pl6
  
  
  Atlantis!
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  Atlantis

  Back in 1974, the Watchtower Society was still selling literature from the literature counter. They were encouraging JW's to increase their time in the ministry work and even pioneer if at all possible.

  The more preaching that was done, the more literature at the literature counter was sold, which would bring a financial gain for the Watchtower.

  The Watchtower has always had some sort of trick up their sleeve to make more money.

  That Kingdom Ministry letter suggests all kinds of ways for families to change their circumstances to get out into the ministry work.

  They are still doing this today in one way or another.

  Now the Watchtower is making mega bucks on real estate and making hardships on JW's to get to a KH.

  But the Watchtower doesn't care about JW's! They care about the $$$ MONEY.

  Atlantis!
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  benny

  Look at the confession in the 1980 watchtower pp 17-18 pars 5-6. Choosing the best way of life. Google it or do yourself a favour and download the watchtower library from JW.org. Gives literature back decades.