Love for the needy in the borg

by LeslieV 14 Replies latest jw friends

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  LeslieV

  Since I am responsible for Financial Services at a very large Salvation Army in NYS, I received a grant that helps the needy in rural areas in NYS.

  I was looking through our large data base for names of people in certain zip codes. Guess what I found!!!! Many JW's that had used the Salvation Army for food and other services. What was the kicker was that most of the JW's that had used our services were widows, elderly, and single moms with kids. Where is the love for the fatherless boy and widows that we heard so much about when we were in the borg???? I knew this was happening, but to see it in a case file with names, dates, problems etc. it was nothing less than appalling!!!

  Obvioulsy, most I work with would never know or would I ever disclose any personal information about these families, but do you realize that if an active JW knew that they had used our services they would probably be counseled!!!! I am so glad that I work for an agency that could care less what religious background you have, if you are in need they are going to help. Thank goodness we saw this religion for what it really is. JMO.

  Leslie
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  Buster

  Lets see, "Trust in Jehovah," "Jehovah will provide," are expressions we all used. I remember doing group-activities for some of the elderly in our cong. But I never once remember doing the first thing for any able-bodied witnesses, financially or otherwise. But I was young, and I may not have noticed.

  Seems to me that ignoring the poor is a corrollary attitude to the 'God blesses the faithful' attitude. Every time we say or think that god has blessed us for our faith and good deeds, we fortify the sense that those that 'have not' must not be blessed. Its almost like we would have been subverting God's will to help someone, as though we expected them to solve their problems by praying harder.
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  Mulan

  My mother has been on the COPES program for several years, but her eligibility ended when she moved in with us. It is a Catholic charity. She had no problem accepting their help.

  I think the congregation will step in if all other areas are exhausted, including anything connected to "Babylon the Great". Who can figure?
• 

  Wolfgirl

  To be fair, I can only speak from my personal experience. Occasionally, our family was helped out, but only by individuals who happened to notice that we were living in poverty and cared enough to do something about it. That maybe happened a handful of times, but never anything organised by the elders.
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  qwerty

  Love for the needy........Inside (depends on the local Elders, depends if they are following Christ or the WT).

  Outside (depends on if they are going to get some converts out of it or not)........who is it who "looks after is own"?

  Any true Christian organisation would look after an Human in need, without looking for something back!

  Qwerty
• 

  shamus

  It is sad, really, the state that people live in. It is even sadder when a religion claims in the name of God to look after his people. Obviously, they do not. I know from first hand experience that they do not. The fatherless boy is not cared for, nor the widow. Indeed, they have hijacked the name of god, which is absolutley disgusting.

  Thanks for your post. Very interesting! We need to keep your anonymity in tact, b/c you could certainly be in big trouble from your work for revealing this. It needed to be told, though.
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  freedom96

  The ones who were able to help others in the congregation, helped because their heart told them to do so. There are no provisions that the WTS sets up to help their people. How sad.

  Problem is, that so many of the rank and file witnesses have little education, therefore little money. They are not in a position to help, even if they wanted to.

  For a organization that claims to be God's, and full of love, they sure don't show it.
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  Brummie

  You work for a good place there Leslie, well done. You just have to pity the JWs, they are faceless people to their Organisation, only their hours are worthy of attention, their hunger & poverty is irrelevant.

  Brummie
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  Maverick

  Thanks for the information. The governing body does not care about the needy. They only care that their needs be met. There is no profit in looking after widows and fatherless boys. You can't even count it as field service. Maverick
• 

  AGuest

  do you realize that if an active JW knew that they had used our services they would probably be counseled!!!!

  Actually, they might get *more* than counseled. The following is a VERY true story:

  When my children were young, a very loving, single sister with two young daughters (twins about 3-4 years old) helped watch mine sometimes. My kids loved her and playing with her kids (she was somewhat like a big "kid" herself - VERY sweet!)... and my daughter sometimes watched her daughters (they were my son's age, 5 years younger than my daughter). I had known the sister for years, from a previous congregation, but at this time she lived in a low-income housing project that I managed (as did a few other families, primarily single moms).

  Because she was a stay-at-home mom (her daughters were not yet school age), she was also on welfare. Well, she had the *bright* (and very honorable, I thought!) notion... of pioneering! Her logic: how much could one do at home during the day, why not teach her daughters from an early age to "love Jehovah" by pioneering? Pioneering with two small children (twins)?! Everyone was, "You GO, girl!" Yes, she was the "darling" of the congregation.

  That is... until one day... she was on the news:

  Seems the local food lockers were having trouble maintaining a decent inventory because of city/county budget cuts, and on a particular day, as she was coming out from getting her once-a-month-to-get-us-through-until-the-first-of-the-month-when-the-food-stamps-are-issued 1 or 2 bag of staples (cereal, bread, pasta, beans, canned goods and the like) a local news reporter stopped her to ask what she thought of the budget cuts and resultant shortage. And there... on television... the 5 O'CLOCK NEWS... before GAWD and everybody, she said: "I think it's terrible! Some of these children are starving and the food locker's their only hope to get through the month." And then she went on her way.

  The statement lasted all of 10-15 seconds. She didn't smile or pose for the camers: she made a brief (VERY brief) statement, gathered up her bags and her children, and moved on.

  BUT... you can imagine the "buzz", not just in OUR congregation, but in a good number of others, as well! Yes, the "mover's-and-the-shakers" in the congregation(s) (which translates into elders and their pioneer wives, and primarily those WITHOUT children to feed!)... were UPSET!! Why? Because she (oh, my!) had the audacity to be on television and, dear 'Jehovah', where is the "discreet" in that!)?! Yeah, that too! But PRIMARILY... because she was a WITNESS... and... OMIGAWD... a PIONEER! What would people SAY?!

  (Now, I know what *we* were AFRAID they would say: "Those $##@! Jehovah's Witnesses!! How can they let ones among them even NEED to go to a food locker?! They're always telling us about the "new world" and showing us pictures with gorgeous fruit and bounty... and sayin' how they've got themselves a "paradise-like state" right NOW... so how come...???? )

  And so, the very *kind* and *loving* elders (via the P.O.) told the dear sister that she could no longer pioneer. Why? Because, he said, "the congregation felt" that it was HER fault that her children needed food from a food locker and that rather than pioneer, she should put them in daycare and get a J-O-B... and that if she chose not to do that (it was, after all, still her choice, if she *wanted*, to stay at home and raise her children, and, in fact, it was the preferable thing to do because "sisters" should really learn to be "workers at home", especially if they were single and wanting to *get* a *good* husband)... her CHOICE... and the fact that as a result she might still need to visit the food locker from time to time... precluded her from the *privilege*... of pioneering!

  Needless to say... she was devastated. The result? She soon "committed fornication"... and was, of course, disfellowshipped. How convenient! (Of course, the "word" was that such was "inevitable" because she had a "history" and if she was "real" sister... she'd have had a "good" JW husband and none of this would have ever happened... 'cause we all KNOW that ALL JW husbands are "good" and take care of their families... so that *we* don't have to...)

  (Yes, yes... I am "venting". I truly am. This thread just opened a "wound" I thought closed long ago! Oh, and you might want to know how I know all of this. Well, besides the fact that the "sister" and I were VERY close at the time, I was also VERY close with the P.O. He was... like a "father" to me at one time, truly. He told me what his thoughts were... as well as the "thoughts" of the congregation(s). He did not AGREE with it, but saw no other alternative, as he, of course, needed to keep HIS position, didn't he? For who would save the "sheep" from the hard-noses? Sigh!)

  Final thought: Did anyone (besides myself... the other single sisters who lived in the complex and who ALSO got food from the locker from time to time... and some of the "elderly" sisters) ever do anything to this sister and her girls get through a month? Well, what do you think?

  Peace to you all.

  A slave of Christ,

  SJ (who wonders WHY some JWs just don't GET it!)