Or am I genuinely missing something?
Exactly who/what paid for your room & board and gave you your $14 dollars per month? Donations, charity. You were living off others for your accommodation and meals. That's the truth.
Bethelites did take a vow of poverty. Pioneers and Elder's did not and do not take a vow of Poverty.
Since you didn't read my post I was not at Bethel so I got nothing. If you understood Bethel life they worked 5 1/2 days a week for that 14$ a month. I don't know what its up to now ?
Your spinning some Ann Rand bullshit. Your just reusing some crappy political conservative idea that people should not contribute to the religion of their choice or the country of their choice. Or any charity they feel strongly about.
People take their money and decide how and what they will spend it on.
No JW I ever worked with asked for a couple of bucks from a householder or begged for anything.
In the JW world believers shared a little of their money to further the work.
I and thousands of pioneers earned our daily bread...... there were no handouts to pioneers by people who could barely pay their bills. There were no handouts to Bethelites. Those people worked for basically nothing in pay. Free food and board? It was available at homeless shelters around the corner from Bethel.
The reality is that the Society...... the shit heads they were...... was self funded by contributions by followers that believed in the religion. And funds from their publishing company.
The shit heads AT the top of the food change got the perks.
The hardest working apostle (Paul) never expected anyone to support him when he was witnessing. He worked to pay his own way in life.
That's bullshit. When Jesus started his ministry did he ever work a day again as a carpenter? Probably not.
Paul may have set up his tent work when he was running out of money..... but he was too busy writing letters to the faithful and visiting countries by boat which were on the Roman trade routes. How did he manage to pay for that?
Like Jesus...... people who liked his message probably put some coin in his hand.