Posts by OnTheWayOut

20

My first Halloween Party

by 3rdgen in

warning!

long post ahead!.

i didn't know what to expect but i was really excited to be invited to accompany my daughter and her closest friends to a large (300+) party held at a famous hot spot.

Stephen Lett will be present at our next assembly.

by StarTrekAngel in

a letter was read to the congregation last sunday.

i wasn't paying much attention until i heard stephen lett will be delivering a talk.

at first i thought it would be as a recorded video, as it was in the last assembly.

OnTheWayOut

When you go, I would like for you to listen well and approach him.

Listen to his experience or position with an open mind, expecting to hear or find something new. Entertain the possibility that you may be misinterpreting him. Maybe he will try to say one thing but you end up understanding something completely different.

Allow him to discuss his ideas with fellow believers. If you have a question for him, then ask. If the answer does not fit your realm of reasoning or education, then good for you. If it does, well you just found a wonderful new group of friends.

Allow him to offer more detail when his opinion goes misunderstood. Not clinging to the first three words of his statement. You never know what was in his mind or what drove him to his choice of words. Maybe it was a fear to offend someone or maybe he felt the majority was not going to understand if he used the terms that they are accustomed to use.

It was probably stated on your other thread by others, so my thought won't be new- I can respect a person's right to believe nonsense, but I don't have to respect the beliefs themselves.

48

Where has all the money gone?

by gingerbread in

jw
friends

a number of years ago when i was still active, our service group was having a coffee break with the visiting circuit overseer.

during the conversation he mentioned that the "society" was now being run like a business.

being raised in the "truth" i thought that rather odd (and my eyes began to be opened!

OnTheWayOut

I will have to go back and read other comments as I am sure there are great insights here.
As far as my understanding goes, Watchtower was a giant printing corporation. They sold literature. Their conventions were huge sales seminars for their unpaid sales force, who also happened to be big customers. So they were like Avon or Amway in that the customers went out and sold the product, but they had a huge advantage in that it wasn't a pyramid. The sales force were not taking a cut. I am sure it was awesome.

1975 was a huge push to sell more and pay for the modernization of the printing company. It worked no matter what happened to the membership when the end didn't come. And more new members stayed rather than left anyway compared to their slower growth if they didn't have the 1975 campaign.

So the trouble comes from the printing company mentality set in those days lingering today. Selling more literature seemed always to be better for the company than selling less. When they were going to have to pay taxes if they didn't switch to donations, they chose donations. And the slow death of Watchtower started. It was slow because they had modern efficient presses and a volunteer (below minimum wage cost to them) work force. They still made money with their blatant disregard for the laws concerning "donation-only" standards and they told congregations what inflated amounts they SHOULD be paying for the literature.

As time went by, the lawyers told them they couldn't keep insisting on given amounts from congregations for literature. They eventually switched to insisting on given amounts for all other things- C.O. expenses, donations for the worldwide work, yadda yadda. The bulk of the donations in the 1980's switched from nonmember contributions (for literature) to member contributions. If money is chiefly coming straight from hardworking members, then no matter what changes were made over the years, all they were doing was shifting profits from literature to something else- donations at assemblies, donations from the congregations, donations from the buying and selling of properties including Kingdom Halls.

Once you've taken all the money from the congregations and told them they aren't donating enough monthly, all they will do is take their "Worldwide Work" money and money normally dropped in the box at the Assembly Hall and drop it in the local contribution box at the Kingdom Hall to meet the monthly demand. So they just robbed Peter to pay Paul.

The problem would be self correcting if the printing corporation recognized the drying up of money for literature and reduced spending. But it could not reduce it fast enough. There were lawsuits. And there were huge leftover facilities and personnel from the days when they needed that to produce the literature. The facilities are being sold, but in an economy that fetches far less profit than it would have a decade ago. And waiting for the personnel to die wasn't fast enough.

I doubt today's average JW donates as much as members did in previous decades. It's not that they don't want to, but it's just that they don't have it. The mentality of JW's has always been to give time more than money, but they gave what they could. Now, these people who did not go to college and did not accept all the overtime at work and may have turned down jobs that caused them to miss meetings- they just don't have the money to give. The cost of living has risen, taxes have risen, the demands of Watchtower have risen. But the collections are still anonymous and, just like I did at one time, members (rightly so) assume that Jehovah will provide for "His" organization if that is His will, and they give less.

20

WT Mtg "read scriptures" are only to be read by a 1 brother???

by Olivia Wilde in

we had co visit recently & it appears that the co told the elders of the congregation that the scriptures indicated on the wt to be "read" on the watchtower study are only to be read by 1 brother in the entire study.... the elder conducting the watchtower announced that at the wt mtg... i was like what???

only men?....

has anyone else had this occur in their congregation?

OnTheWayOut

I , an old geezer, find the the practise of having different people read very distracting, degrading to the comprehension of the material, how can you analyse and tear it apart, if the thing is not clear.

I mean no disrespect, but I laughed and laughed at that comment. You are not supposed to analyze and tear it apart. I know you try to do that, but they don't care for you to, anyway.

Thanks. I know why people wonder about such practices, but really- do you want to have children reading and getting all proud of their participation? Let the guy read it.

96

Special Pioneer Couple Living at a Kingdom Hall In Miami FL, get the dreaded Letter

by James Jack in

just got a phone call from an older sister saying that a couple that got re-assigned from bethel 4 years ago to live at their kh apartment as special pioneers, just received a letter saying "as of january 2016, your special pioneer assignment will be discontinued".. they live in a south miami kh(snapper creek congregation).. this couple had only served in bethel for 15 years before they were sent out into the special pioneer work.

they are now in their mid 50's and the sister said that they have to find part time jobs to support themselves.. the older sister (does not have a pc or internet), says that the couple are just devastated!

.

OnTheWayOut

Here's why I originally started commenting on this forum. I thought (back in 2005-6) that it was especially sad that Watchtower would take the best years of young adults' lives and then toss them aside when they lay off Bethelites. It doesn't matter that it's Bethelites or Special Pioneers- Watchtower acts like it's such a high privilege with great rewards to be part of their "family" and it's just good business when they want to get rid of paying them.

These people sacrifice everything for a promised paradise around the next corner, being told they will never grow old (okay, say being misled to believe such) and short of reaching paradise quickly, they expect Watchtower to keep them on as poverty-wage minions for the things they have done.

I am imaging the worst one- the double stab in the back. A Bethelite couple laid off in 2005 after a couple decades told that they can remain Special Pioneers in some jerkwater rural area for the rest of their lives, and now that's been taken away. They joined the "family" young and have no current chance at receiving Social Security because they aren't even in their 60's yet, just their 50's, and there isn't much there anyway when they do reach their retirement age. They have actually worked their asses off for Watchtower but live off the generosity of some congregation and whatever parttime work they scrapped by with.

211

Where are you from?

by BeautifulMind in

jw
friends

i know we are all anonymous for our own personal reasons, so i understand if you would rather not say.

but if you don't mind sharing that would be cool.

i currently live in georgia, usa.

OnTheWayOut

I am either from a region of the United States shown below:

or I am from the Greek Island of Lesbos.

79

So this Cute Chick at the KH ...

by brandnew in

jw
friends

thought she was gonna take a pic of me on the sneak.

im df'd...been df'd for over 19 years already.

so she probably would have gotten away with it without anyone knowing.....except that her flash was on.

OnTheWayOut

I cant speak to anybody, but really wanted to tell her it was ok.

Wrong, just so you know, You are free to speak to anybody. They are supposed to shun you.

32

What more do they need to see?

by stuckinarut2 in

so bethelites are being decreased...bethel homes even sold off.... special pioneers no longer being funded.. magazines getting smaller and published less frequently.. building work stopping or being reduced.. no large conventions and renting of venues.. etc.... so, money is not coming in anymore to cover the "expenses"??.

didnt the first ever watchtower said that when this occurs, it would be evidence of god no longer blessing the activity....

oh, and throughout the years, we have constantly been told that the "growth of the org and the projects such as buildings and contributions" etc were evidence of gods blessing.... .

OnTheWayOut

There's always a way to spin it. How about this?---

Jehovah's organization is faithful, but so many members are not as spiritual as they should be and are not seeking the kingdom first, yet Jehovah's organization is doing awesome with the reduced amount these members are contributing.

That and Satan is really putting the pressure on now, so he knows how the end is so so so so imminent. Just hang on a few more years at the most and don't let these things discourage you. That's what Satan wants.

30

Lets start a "Go Fund Me" for those special pioneers being kicked to the curb by the GB,.

by notjustyet in

lots of great potential to help those sp that are being sent off without any financial help from the wtbts.

i think that it would be a great way to get some exposure on this topic and how the wtbts thats those that dedicated their lives to the wtbts only to be sent packing at a late age.

then someone can take the funds to one sp couple, possibly, and give it to them in honor of the apostates that know what is really happening.

OnTheWayOut

What you say?

Go get a job and fake your pioneer hours. That's what I say.

10

now we know why the org bought those luxury apartments for 57 million

by nowwhat? in

it's for all the laid off bethelites!

see jehovah provides!

OnTheWayOut

They will house the elderly Bethelites and "retired" C.O./D.O's and many others who, upon retirement and getting sicker in their senior years, donate their life-savings to Watchtower in their will.

At those apartments, they will sing "Kumbaya" and Kingdom Melodies every day as they set up their literature carts at the sidewalk (for really nobody walking by) so they can each get their 15-minutes in.

Some younger elder will pick them up in a bus to take them to the Kingdom Hall on Thursday and Sunday, probably having a special midweek meeting at 2 pm just for them so the bus can take them right to Old Country Buffet and get them home by 5:30 pm in time for Wheel of Fortune.

It will be mandatory to never let unbaptized or disfellowshipped relatives stay overnight for any reason whatsoever, if they visit.