This is an indeed interesting topic. YES, we all signed that paper, and everytime you open your mouth, you will be reminded that you have signed that vow....the "you are a volunteer"-thing becomes: "you are our slave"-thing.
What-a-Coincidence: right with the figures....in other countries they calculate that a bethelite "costs" 5 US$ a day (the meals are to be kept at rate of 1 US$/each meal, that is worldwide standard even in missionary homes....they have to fill out a report where they disclose every salad they ate and the cost and then the quantity of plates, the branch office checks if they're food costs aren't rising....)
Here is something else that's interesting:
When I was a pioneer, we would use the reasoning that the catholic church did so many mistakes by misunderstanding the words for "elder" and "ministerial servant" (episkopos presbyter) and therefore created another clerical class, called: bishop and another called cardinal etc.
We have done that ourselfes! Did you knew that "Bethel elders" exist? No? Yes, my dear, you can be appointed a second time. First you get appointed as elder in the Hall. Later if you're in Bethel, you can get a second appointment called "Bethel elder" (one elder appointment on top of the other, gives you more power and "privileges".....huahauahauaha, (spooky laughter in the background)....
Circuit Overseer, District Overseer are similar in their ranking as higher priests in other churches (one time I doubted their power and have been told that they are "just elders" like us....well the ones among you that have tried to contradict the local CO will tell me otherwise...)
So, here in short a few parallels between Catholic church and JW:
Bethel elder/CO/DO = Bishop, Cardenal, etc.
Bethel = Order = Monks in Monasteries
Gilead Missionaries = Jesuits (there are remarking parallels that i don't have time to show right now, but very interesting for an topic itself)
Underlining your Watchtower = Praying the rosary.
WHY? you might ask (last point on my list): We always have signed at Cath. church for doing ritualistic, NO-Thinking, repeated stuff (like praying with an rosary). Well, think about this. Many JW (most) will tell you: YOU HAVE to underline the answers in your WT. So here I go with an white WT to my Hall (I still have read EVERYTHING, grasped the main points and even know from memory EVERY scripture - i have a photographic mind and can memorize things and remember them years later - now to my regret....) So, everybody comes hammering at me: hey, dude, you haven't prepared for your WT study. I tell them, yes I have I know what the WT is about, then I ask them what the WT was about (they all have underlined) and nobody remembers. Do the test yourself. Now, if that doesn't have similarities to the rosary....(repetitive task, without thinking and still thinking you're a great guy because you did it.....go figure)
When I was young (not that I'm old now, but for the stories sake), there was this elder that would show my family and me how to study the WT, and he insisted that A answers have to be yellow and B answers green.....so, there I had my mother going to buy yellow and green highlighters....because that's how it was supposed to be. I know it was once upon a time a suggestion, but cute little JW made another burdensome RULE.
Trojan.
