WT Ruining Members' Futures

HiddlesWife

What I mean by the title of this thread is what has happened to a relative of mine, one who is really UPSET about this factor:

This relative is a distant cousin on my mother's side of the family. She studied as a child and got baptized at 14 1/2 years old. After graduating high school at 17, she took a few business office courses, so that she could after Continuing Auxiliary Pioneering, she could eventually become an RP. Due to the financial circumstances she and her family [mother and 3 siblings (1 sister and 2 brothers), as the eldest child, she searched for jobs in which she didn't have to continue any schooling. Apparently, this didn't work out. So, she ended up returning to the business school she took the earlier courses at and had to apply for a student loan. As time progressed, she enrolled in the full one-year course--the first time was for three months--and graduated with a certificate. It was enough for her to be hired as a receptionist with some extra secretarial duties at banks, insurance companies, and the like.

Now, throughout the course of time--because this all occurred since the later 1980s--she became an RP plus got involved in other VOLUNTARY Borg activities [Need-Greater F.S., Unassigned Territories, various Kingdom Hall Constructions, CAH Tour Guiding, cooking food for various Pioneer Schools, getting parts on her cong's service meetings, CAs and twice in RC dramas, to name A LOT!]. She was happy for a long while (her popularity was skyrocketing to a certain degree as well). However, she realized that as she was aging that her financial status was faltering: The jobs she was employed had given employees opportunities to apply for 401K retirement system plans in addition to more schooling at matriculated colleges/universities! She didn't take advantage of these at all!

Close to conclusion=> She now at age 55 doesn't have a retirement plan, and she has very little savings in her bank account. On the other hand, her siblings (her other sister and one of her brothers who were VZs--Visitors: Persons who studied but did not get baptized) attended college and were hired at jobs with excellent medical insurance plans, great salaries plus retirement plans! (Her other brother, who got baptized, became POMO and followed suit just like his other 2 siblings did.) She is now crying plus very worried about her finances. The real kicker is: She is now WAKING UP, seeing that ALL of the things she did for the Borg and the DONATIONS she gave to it, THEY HAVE NOT HELPED HER IN ANY SHAPE, FORM, OR FASHION regarding her life at this juncture in time. My now exdub family plus NI family have to from time to time help her since she is really in need.

I know that I always have a plethora to say! Has anyone had a similar circumstance? Plus, what are your views about this?

joao

That's sad, so sad! But that's the result when we put our faith in men, as the GB always warned. They were always honest about this!

LongHairGal

HIDDLESWIFE:

My favorite topic..As somebody who was criticized/shunned years ago in the congregation because I refused to quit my full time job, stories like this interest me.

I was treated badly in the religion and hardly invited anywhere. In contrast, you mention your relative ‘was happy for a long time and her popularity skyrocketed’. Now, she is waking up.. As you say, she now sees that all the things she did, activities and donations, etc.. “have not helped her in any shape, form or fashion”. You mention that family not even in the religion have to help her financially!

If I had listened and caved in to all the pressure years ago by the religion to quit my full time job, I would not be retired..This is a very sobering and scary thought.. When you really think about it, of what value were people’s opinions there or if they cheered her on or patted her on the back?.. What value is it if she got invited to gatherings that I was not invited to?.. All this means ZERO today.

I’m sorry for her and I am sure there are many Witnesses in the same predicament. She did ALL that work and knocked herself out for a handful of wishes.

I hope that she is able to do a little something towards retirement income. It may be too late to totally catch up but every little bit helps. Good luck to her.

Biahi

Unfortunately for her, you reap what you sow.

Ding

Russell taught that the end would come in 1914, following a 40 year harvest period after Jesus' (supposed) invisible return in 1874.

Since then, the organization has speculated on numerous dates for the end, all of which came to nothing.

They said there was no need to go to college or plan for retirement because the "new system" was so close and because "you will never grow old in this system of things."

Despite seeing many brothers and sisters like HiddlesWife's cousin grow old with no savings, no retirement plan, minimal (if any) insurance, and no chance for improvement, most JWs continue to believe that the end is just around the corner and that they have no need to plan for their own futures.

RULES & REGULATIONS

LongHairGal
I’m sorry for her and I am sure there are many Witnesses in the same predicament. She did ALL that work and knocked herself out for a handful of wishes.

Exactly! This was her investment. She was happy in what she was doing! Paradise earth was her return for her investment. We all wasted years and got nothing in return.

HiddlesWife
Now, throughout the course of time--because this all occurred since the later 1980s--she became an RP plus got involved in other VOLUNTARY Borg activities [Need-Greater F.S., Unassigned Territories, various Kingdom Hall Constructions, CAH Tour Guiding, cooking food for various Pioneer Schools, getting parts on her cong's service meetings, CAs and twice in RC dramas, to name A LOT!]. She was happy for a long while (her popularity was skyrocketing to a certain degree as well).

BluesBrother

That is the way of us all. I am lucky to have a modest pension from employment that augments the state pension but I know of many Witnesses that just get by on the basic. They gave their all in service, many were self employed and never bothered with a pension plan. They totally believed the false promise that “ you will never grow old in this system “

The ones I know still have their faith. They just keep going. I don’t know how....

joe134cd

I know of a long term serving CO, who a few years back got kicked to the kerb. To be fair he was an unusual type of guy. I heard from a relative that she was concerned for him as the rented house he was living in had rat problems. Fuck you Wt.

smiddy3

Maybe it all depends on the area you live in whether or not the borg counselled you or the R&F looked upon you as to whether you had a full time job or not and received benefits from your employer or not.

I`m from the east coast of Australia and never had such a problem and am now well and truly retired living in my own home which I own outright.

Ironically now that I look back to the first cong I attended the presiding o/seer and his flesh bro,the assistant o/seer were Life insurance sales people. LOL

And I still didn`t wke up till many years later

Beth Sarim

You see long-time dubbies still going 5 or 6 decades doing the same thing. I just don't know how they do it.

WT Ruining Members' Futures

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