I am not able to give out too many details without revealing my source(es).
However, the reason(s) for "downsizing" is directly related to recent court cases involving questions of 'employees vs volunteers'. Every business owner & congressman knows the delicate path to tread on these issues. Just imagine if you could have a "volunteer" come to your house everyday and perform any function that you assign. Since they volunteered you are not liable for unemployment insurance, minimum wages, taxes, etc.
WT has for years tried to dodge these issues. One step was by getting bethelites to sign a vow of poverty. In time, even this would not protect them from litigation. How loving it was for god to shine his new light on the legal team to guide the governing body toward such a compassionate decision.
Basically, if your bethel work is NOT clearly related to missionary work (or aligned with the wt non-profit corporate charter), you must be reassigned.
In time more of these facts will be revealed.
Amnesty Vendor
JoinedPosts by Amnesty Vendor
-
51
Bethel Downsizing - Management Discussions
by core in.
the spin on downsizing is apparently "go out into the field" yet when the gb initially considered this it must have been presented as a practical problem - too much surplus hr capacity/ too expensive to maintain - or whatever and yet they turned it into a positive matter by stressing the return to the field - all those in such discussions are clearly able to deceive themselves as much as they try and deceive the "flock" - what do you think - did a discussion on a practical problem have to have a positive outcome and how did they twist their minds so as to sell it as such - for years they begged people to stay in bethel service (make it your home for life) and now they cast them out into the world with the thin veneer of "speedin g up the preaching work .. etc".
all those at the top must have been involved in turning this huge embarrasment (jehovah will provide etc) into a positive spin - they should try out for a marketing award "downsizing - the only way to grow!
-
-
Amnesty Vendor
-
45
Jehovahs (Hidden) Message Revealed (Why no TV ministry?) Terry Walstrom
by Dogpatch injehovahs (hidden) message revealed
by terry
walstrom
-
-
Amnesty Vendor
Randy et al.:
Although I appreciate the ideas presented here, I have wondered about this for sometime myself. Who benefits from this money trail?
Having spent several years at bethel myself and knowing many in other branches, all of the jw top brass live pretty meagerly. It's true that there are benefits to being in the upper crust, but in general all the VPs, GBs, don't live too far above the rest.
To this point, is the fact that when Ray Franz left, he had nothing to fall back on. No golden parachute either in or outside bethel.
I think that maybe the corporation takes on a life entirely its own. Maybe the corporation is the monster & all individuals are expendable.
Just my 2 cents! -
15
Heading to Maui for vacation
by Champion inthis will be our first trip to hawaii and we are flying from the northeast usa.
we will be staying about 8 days only on maui.
if anyone has any suggestions or info about resturants, places, or just fun stuff, i would love the input.
-
-
Amnesty Vendor
Why the heck are you going 'To Maui'?
If I were you, I would leave ToDay!
(corny, but I just couldn't resist!) -
20
Ok, so I'm going to my first church service this Sunday.......
by WingCommander ini thought it appropriate that my 100th post be about the attending of my first "worldly" church service this sunday.
it is at a friends methodist church.
they are having an open house, so i thought it the best day to go.
-
-
Amnesty Vendor
Are JWs the only religion to punish you for just attending another service or reading other religious literature?
-
13
When i was a JW
by KW13 ini remember i was in high school and i really wanted to get on the theocratic ministry school.
i was making progress, started getting responsibilities like the microphones, helped do little jobs e.t.c and slowly i was being brought into the center of the congregation.. i went for my "interview" to get on the theocratic ministry school and...... they knocked me back.
told me 'someone' had told them i was swearing and even if it wasn't true they wanted me to spend more time upbuilding my faith.
-
-
Amnesty Vendor
Isn't amazing how little (absolutely nothing!) all of that means in the real world?
-
35
Do you think the real reason why Elders don't make shepherding visits is...
by XJW4EVR inthat they can't count the hours?
-
-
Amnesty Vendor
You guys are making such good points!
Just imagine how pitiful our lame 'elder schools' were.
We sit reviewing the most obvious material from the society.
It's a sad, vicious cycle.
Eventually, those few sincere elders get frustrated, quit and are replaced by incompetent glory seekers & everyone suffers even more! -
35
Do you think the real reason why Elders don't make shepherding visits is...
by XJW4EVR inthat they can't count the hours?
-
-
Amnesty Vendor
Come on have a heart folks!
Although there are many, not all elders are jerks. When I served as one, it was not an easy job, if you tried to do it right. I'd come in from work, catch hell from my theocratic wife, work on talks, have to go out in service, study for my own meetings, go to an infinite number of useless, unproductive elder meetings, take private calls from lost sheep, pick up the slack for the lazy, jerk elders, catch more hell from my theocratic wife complaining about all the other stuff I'm doing instead of focusing on her, ... you get the picture!
No wonder I left all these wonderful blessings behind! -
29
Rank and Baseless New Light speculation
by FreeWilly inwarning, conspiracy theory ahead!
in the past few years we've seen a few of the old-school anointed gb members pass away.
given the fact that major organizational issues are decided by a vote within the gb, i wonder if the balance of power is shifting.
-
-
Amnesty Vendor
Aren't we placing way too much emphasis on the GB requirement?
They have been setting JWs up for a powershift since the Given Ones doctrine. Now that the individual members of the GB are safely protected by a melange of corporate structures, they can delegate decision making power to whomever they please. Ex-bethelites know well of 'powerful' non-anointed heavies, like Larson, Couch, Peloyan,etc. They have just made it more official with these new corporations. They will always be able to find some anointed figure-head so that the R&F will believe that JC is communicating with some old guy in a holy white room @ bethel.
Apparently, true apostates believe are sure that changes will be driven by the non-anointed, new corporate leaders. Would you not agree? Of course you do, as true apostates in the final minutes of this organization! -
10
german branch news
by gerry inanyone know anything about this info i received.
short report received from german branch on april 2nd, 2006:.
we are pretty busy with all of the preparations for the special conventions in 5 cities in germany.
-
-
Amnesty Vendor
This is definitely NOT an official WT report.
-
15
Please explain: Faithful, Discreet & Slave
by Amnesty Vendor ini am not trying to vent here, however i have somewhat of an internal dilema.
having been a very faithful, committed jw for many years, .
i do not understand how the (current) gb justifies applying the title fds .
-
-
Amnesty Vendor
Excellent point GD!
I remember discussing this topic in detail with AD Schroeder, several years ago.
He then, pointed me to an older WT article (I'll try to find it later) which basically explained it this way (this totally me paraphrasing from memory):
'In a farm family, the father plants, the mother maintains the house, the son harvests, etc. In the end, who provided the food? Well they all did, either directly or via support. In a similar way, the entire FDS provides food in various ways.'
That calmed me down for a while, until they came up with this 'given ones' doctrine. To me, this was manufactured to keep 'their buddies' in prominent positions. Why didn't JC just inspire his other anointed brothers to take on their responsibilities?