The Watchtower - Making the case for social responsibility

by truthseeker 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  truthseeker

  Over the last couple of years, much has been said about the charitable status of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society. It seems to be more and more the case, that the Watchtower is a taker and not a giver.
  

  They claim to be modelled after the 1st century Christian congregation - yet they can't perform even the most basic of charitable works. They have demonstrated no social responsibility to their members and the community in general.

  But what is charity? What does it mean to be socially responsible?

  Let's look at charity. Dictionary.com defines charity as the following...
  

  1. Provision of help or relief to the poor; almsgiving.
  2. Something given to help the needy; alms.
  3. An institution, organization, or fund established to help the needy.
  4. Benevolence or generosity toward others or toward humanity.
  5. Indulgence or forbearance in judging others. See Synonyms at mercy.
  6. often Charity Christianity. The theological virtue defined as love directed first toward God but also toward oneself and one's neighbors as objects of God's love.

  So charity is an act of giving to help those in need, in any manner possible.

  Now ask yourself the following questions, based on the information that you understand about charity.

  • Does the Watchtower Society really qualify as a charity?
  • What does it have to do to maintain its charitable status?
  • How does the Society help its members?
  • What does the Society do for the wider community?

  Let's address social responsibility. There are a number of defintions depending on what type of organization the watchtower is.

  Google's search on social responsibility lists some definitons...

  http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&oi=defmore&q=define:Social+responsibility

  • An organisation's obligation to maximise its positive impact and minimise its negative impact on society.
  • The concern for the consequences of a person's or institution's acts as they might affect the interests of others including the environment and involuntary customers.
  • The concept that businesses should be actively concerned with the welfare of society at large.
  • Ethical obligations to customers, employees, and the general community.

  Seeing as the Watchtower is a corporation and a religious institution, it should be obligated to do the following...
  

  1. Minimise its negative impact on society
  2. Have concern for the consequences of its acts as they might affect the interests of others
  3. Be actively concerned with the welfare of society at large
  4. Keep its ethical obligations

  And seeing as it has charitable status, it should live up to the following...
  

  1. Provide help or relief to the poor.
  2. Given to help the needy.
  3. Show generosity toward others or toward humanity.
  4. Display Christian charity towards one's neighbors.

  In a series of essays, I will be endeavor to make the case that not only has the Watchtower consistently failed to show real charity, it has also failed to demonstrate social responsibitlity.

  Part 1 - Jesus showed us how to give.

  Part 2 - Acts of charitable giving in the first century

  Part 3 - "To him who calls for the tax, the tax."

  Part 4 - The Watchtower's laissez-faire attitude to the sufferings of others

  Part 5 - How do Watchtower publications capitalize on suffering?

  Part 5 - How the Watchtower absolves itself of social responsibility

  Part 5 - Why "waiting for the kingdom" can be harmful to your generosity.

  Part 6 - The Watchtower and the Environment

  Part 7 - The Watchtower and Charitable Giving
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  stillajwexelder

  The WT is a taker and not a giver.

  exactly - done only for tax breaks
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  alw

  Good reading - looking forward to the next posts with eagerness. Thanks for the research - alw
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  Honesty

  The WTBTS's demonic master forbids charitable works. End of discussion or he'll DF you.
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  Bryan

  Truthseeker,

  If the WT were to follow bible principle and Jesus' example, wouldn't they be taking care of widows, the handicapped and orphans?

  Bryan

  Have You Seen My Mother
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  Bryan

  Lets not forget the, well known, example of the Good Samaritan!

  Edited: You know... helping others even though they don't believe as you!

  Bryan

  Have You Seen My Mother
• 

  truthseeker

  Bryan

  If the WT were to follow bible principle and Jesus' example, wouldn't they be taking care of widows, the handicapped and orphans?

  Exactly my point! And these are the issues I will address in my upcoming essays.

  This is a project I have been meaning to do for sometime. I have been digusted with the Society's lack of charity for not only those outside but those on the inside.

  When I heard how Bethel had shut its doors on 9/11, it hit home just how sick they are.

  The Society is a very large whitewashed grave. They use their disaster relief efforts to promote their journals and they capitalize on human suffering around the world to sell their journals.

  The words of Jesus, "You received free, give free" do not apply to this cult.

  Truthseeker
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  truthseeker

  As a further thought, when 9/11 happened, the Society even made reprints of the earlier Awake! on Terrorism. A lot of congregations were only placing this magazine.

  In a way, to an outsider, it would seem a good thing that the Watchtower Society is warning how near the end is and what we must do to be saved, but it's only as an insider looking through the scope, that their methods come to light as being none other than to make more captives of their concept, and slaves to their system.
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  Tigerman

  As we all know if the WTBTS were to make an effort toward social responsibility then they would be involved in ' worldly ' activities. This ,of course, means that they would be stepping out of the realm of being separate from the rest of us ( the world ) and thus losing some of the power of their mystique that binds the followers.
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  Tigerman

  BTW truthseeker, great post.