Where's the payoff? (page 2)

hillbilly

Milliions of members dontating millions of dollars. Plus, they have a finance scam that lets local congregations pay for local real estate...and never get title. Churn, churn, pay, pay.

And to make it look really legit NO ONE MAKES THE BIG SCORE...The cash trickles and wafts throught the org...but never directly benefits the rank and file.

The really baffling part is the TOP Banannas are not slick enough to benefit... A bunch of old men and their cronies live in some of those NYC buildings...They do get to travel a bit and get housing and care.

The Middle management like Distric and Circuit Overseerers have to travel to various locations year round...as a route of sorts. They get to shake down the 'flock' a bit more directly. These guys supplement their stipend with cash-outta-hand given by lay members who "feel the need" or need a edge with orginizational influence.

On the local level the Body of Elders doesnt make much of the cash flow. They get raw power... some folk need to lead others...what a place to do it.

~Hill

MidwichCuckoo

Garybuss

They claim their published work is the direct communication from God to all the people of the world but if they see someone reproducing some of their literature, they send in their lawyers to put a stop to it by invoking copyright laws.

as we have to ''wait on Jehovah'' for everything - maybe THEY should wait on Him to do the 'suing'!!

I was thinking earlier today (not something I like to make a habit of) - I know of a few JWs who, after a lifetime of Dub-devotion have ended up alone and in ''WORDLY'' retirement homes. With all the property the Society owns, have they ever set aside properties for use as retirement homes for these members? They would be among Spiritual brothers and sisters ''apart from the World''..........am having cynical thoughts here - better I don't verbalise them...?

sonnyboy

Since the organization is basically a magazine-selling corporation, they don't need to ask for tithes.

diamondblue1974

Midwich.

A really good point here...there are some JW orientated residential homes for the elderly run by and for JWs...however they are (or were) profit making businesses; although many do not realise it.

I am surprised that the WTS hasnt cashed in on this....perhaps its because these poor elderly people are no longer able to peddle their books and literature.

DB74

rebel8

I do believe most of the members' main goal is to get more members, not $.

However, don't think they're not making a profit on the magazines. No labor costs--they're staffed by volunteers.

Costs such as building new halls are covered by voluntary labor and donations as well.

The "no collection" plate thing is meaningless to me. Contributions are voluntary but members give in to pressure to donate. Congregations are billed for their share in traveling overseer salaries and other stuff.

As others have pointed out, they also have real estate holdings and other assets.

sf

I do believe most of the members' main goal is to get more members, not $.

Mo' members MEANS mo' money. THAT is The Goal.

Respectfully, sKally

jgnat

They keep the overhead low. I think the average JW would be shocked if they knew how little it costs to produce a magazine or a softcover book.

The sales and distribution force is free.

Lately I have seen more direct requests for donations, so perhaps the congregational source is dwindling.

AllAlongTheWatchtower

Everyone keeps saying the labor is free, that's how they make money. I didn't get this, because I assumed the literature stuff was free. Now I found an item on the net that says members have to pay for the literature, then they in turn sell it? Is that how it works? That would certainly explain the economics for me, if so. I was going on the assumption that the mags couldn't be turning a profit without ads in them.

"Members buy Witness literature from their local Kingdom Hall building at a small discount and then sellit door to door. In1984, British Witnesses made 3.3 million [pounds] from street selling." - http://www.skepticfiles.org/cults/j_cults.htm

Nobody answered the other part of my question, is the organization legally counted as a non profit group? (Within the US at least, where I know that churches are usually tax exempt, I don't know what status churches may have in other places.) Or are they actually legally a business? Awfully hypocritical of them if they are really a business, with all that talk about 'worldly' etc.

Also I saw at least one post somewhere on here (lost track of what category it was under now though) and on other sites about JWs and Mormons teaming up to sell something called noni juice?

MidwichCuckoo

AllAlongTheWatchtower - here in the UK, The Watctower is registered charity number 1077961.

Alwayshere

AllAlongTheWatchtower, The Watchtower Society is a very rich organization. Every Kingdom Hall that is built the Witnesses are used for free labor. The WS loans them the money for land and material but they have you make a vow to pay so much a month and the WS gets their money back WITH INTEREST.They also own 51% of a company that makes War Weapons and they invest in the stock market. They will disfellowship a person for smoking and yet one of the things they invested in was Philip Morris cigs.You have to pay for the litature and go get donations from door to door.They own land and Kingdom Halls world wide.I think they rank number 34 in NY as owning the most property. They have Witnesses who work and put out all the publications And labor on their farm is done by Witnesses. These can't work outside the organization and are only givin the necessities [toothpaste. and other personal things] [I think they get $14.00 a month]. Yet they call themself a non-profit organization.Have your wife to check their background. They teach lies and say God says things, like "the end of the world would end in 1914, 1918, 1925 1975 and other times. If you can get a copy of an Awake mag. from march 1988- October 1995 and look on the inside cover where it says"The purpose of this mag. It goes on to say the CREATOR PROMISES the end BEFORE the generation that saw events of 1914 passes away. When it didn't happen they said 1918 and it didn't happen so they just keep giving dates to hold the poor people in.They also had to change the so called purpose of the mag. It is a cult and they will take your family and friends away from you if you disagree with them. You can not think for yourself, it is not allowed. They think and you do. Of course when you are only studying and not yet baptized it seems like just a loving organization but once you are baptized you belong to them , not to God Hope you can help your wife to see she does not want anything to do with JWs.

Where's the payoff?

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