Very interesting, Terry. Obviously a new way of looking at things, for me anyway. I can now see why so many say the WT is nothing but a business. I especially liked this comment:
To the rank and file there was no Bill of Rights. The could be worked to death grinding out book and magazine sales. In fact, they had no choice but to comply since their very identity as Jehovah's Witnesses depended on demonstrations of door to door sales and hours devoted.
How many times have I heard, "You can't call yourself a witness of Jehovah unless you witness"? And the Bill of Rights comment--free labor, free advertisement, free money. But as we all know, being a witness isn't free--gas money for service, convention/assembly expenses, donations, etc. It is an expensive religion to be a part of. Mormon's are charged a flat tithe, but how much more do we give by being nickel and dimed every day of the week for our whole lives?
As for your comments re: TV--as a believer I always figured it had to do with dignity. But I think your explanation makes more sense, not only in the monetary aspect but also the exposure. So little is actually known about the WT society. I was sitting in Anthropology class yesterday and we had been given an assignment to pick apart different religions based on various perameters. The people behind me got JW's and they were talking about how surprised they were that JW's claimed they knew how many were going to heaven. I remember being surprised that such a basic part of their belief system was not commonly known.
Thanks again. Do you have a long commute or something that gives you time to think about all these things?
