Posts by xjwsrock

37

Do You Think 10% Tithing is Coming?

by xjwsrock in

firstly, there are cash flow problems in wt town.

i don't think it's necessary to list all the cutbacks and layoffs, but there have been many.. their thirst for money seems higher too in my opinion.

more entitled may be a better way of putting it.

xjwsrock

All for show - I like your idea of offering up a few concessions as a bargaining chip. An annual meeting could announce birthdays are ok, blood is a conscience decision, and 10% of our income is expected by Jehovah in order to receive Holy Spirit and blessings.

They probably wouldn't send a bill per se or ask to see your tax return, but would harp on it and question your love for Jehovah if you were holding back your "first fruits". Maybe even referring to it as a secret sin. Elders could ask if you are giving your "share" when they go on shepherding calls. They could guilt trip publishers into thinking they are holding back their own blessings by not giving Jehovah what is rightfully his, even implying they are stealing from God.

Wow, it's sad how diabolical you can think when you've been raised in a cult... But doesn't that sound just like something they would do?

37

Do You Think 10% Tithing is Coming?

by xjwsrock in

firstly, there are cash flow problems in wt town.

i don't think it's necessary to list all the cutbacks and layoffs, but there have been many.. their thirst for money seems higher too in my opinion.

more entitled may be a better way of putting it.

xjwsrock

James, I have been in "da truf" for my whole 40 year life. I have never personally known anyone, rich or poor, give 10% of their earnings to the WT. Now they may give something at the end like in a will, or make a one-time big donation for a project, but nowhere near 10% of earnings on a regular basis.

I have done the accounts before in multiple congregations and basically knew who gave the bigger donations (because they were always checks). 200.00 a month was the biggest regular check I ever saw.

37

Do You Think 10% Tithing is Coming?

by xjwsrock in

firstly, there are cash flow problems in wt town.

i don't think it's necessary to list all the cutbacks and layoffs, but there have been many.. their thirst for money seems higher too in my opinion.

more entitled may be a better way of putting it.

xjwsrock

Firstly, there are cash flow problems in WT town. I don't think it's necessary to list all the cutbacks and layoffs, but there have been many.

Their thirst for money seems higher too in my opinion. More entitled may be a better way of putting it. It makes me wonder... Do the GB lie in bed dreaming of 10% tithes coming in from every Tom, Harry, and Sally JW around the world - like so many other churches and religions have?.... Do they have donation-envy?

Can they resist New Light on Tithing?

I know they have ridiculed "Christendom" for years for tithing, passing the plate, etc... But... that could also be said about TV evangelizing, Christian cartoons, Christian music, Christian music videos, and more. All of these are now seen regularly on JW Broadcast or on JW dot org.

Heck, JW's even believe in the Rapture now, they just refuse to call it that.

Another consideration (I learned on this forum) is that they chose to use the word tithe in the RNWT at Malachi 3:10. It now reads like this:

10 - Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house; and test me out, please, in this regard,” Jehovah of armies says, “to see whether I will not open to you the floodgates of the heavens and pour out* on you a blessing until there is nothing lacking.”

The obvious question after reading this new rendering is - why would the WT use a word (tithe) that is so connected to "Christendom" unless the feelings toward the word and concept have softened?

So what do you think? Will we wake up one day and find that Jehovah's Witnesses in good standing are expected to give the organization at least 10% of their earnings?

I mean after all... 100% of the money already belongs to Jehovah... right?

38

Reason of financial problems WTS

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

a non-witness insider told me this week that the wts has financial problems.

that lead to halting down their building plans and lay off the special pioneers and.

bethelites.. the reason of the financial stagnation is beside some bad investments,.

xjwsrock

It's a cash-flow thing.

They have hundreds of millions, tied up in long-term investments (imo based on some of the areas where they have to report financials). When I say long-term investments, I mean 10 or more years till payoff. Things like annuities and such.

They scream poverty, but they will never reveal how much they have tucked away. I guarantee you they didn't put their annuities and such up as collateral for the construction loans. Those loans are based on a certain cash-flow picture they promised to the banks.

Jehovah didn't bless them as expected :) They refuse to collateralize their investments. So they have to deal with the banks shutting down a large portion of their projects.

The WT complaining about money is like a rich person saying "I can't afford it". When a poor person says that, it means the poor person couldn't buy it if they wanted to. When a rich person says it, it just means they haven't budgeted for it or simply don't want it.

28

Brooklyn Bethel Tours Through The Roof

by freemindfade in

was speaking with someone last night who just recently toured the us bethel's.

the brooklyn tour i heard was awful, very limited and disappointing and conducted by a local pioneer and not even a bethelite.

well from what they are telling the folks on the tour since the tm3 bit encouraging (guilting) people about going to disneyland on vacation when you haven't visited bethel, monthly tours went from 6000 to 16000!

xjwsrock

whats the point AM3??

Disney costs thousands to go to for a family. So he was targeting families with expendable income. He wants a 500.00 donation to take a pic with a cardboard Caleb cut-out.

38

Reason of financial problems WTS

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

a non-witness insider told me this week that the wts has financial problems.

that lead to halting down their building plans and lay off the special pioneers and.

bethelites.. the reason of the financial stagnation is beside some bad investments,.

xjwsrock

I also like what Sir82 said about big construction loans being held up because of financial risk assessed by the banks.

Makes perfect sense. If Chase Manhattan tells them to stop construction immediately, they will stop. The next loan draft would be held up until they complyed.

The WT will then tell the writing department to come up with some way to spin it to the sheeple.

38

Reason of financial problems WTS

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

a non-witness insider told me this week that the wts has financial problems.

that lead to halting down their building plans and lay off the special pioneers and.

bethelites.. the reason of the financial stagnation is beside some bad investments,.

xjwsrock

I will add though that in this internet age... secrets are harder to keep.

14

Disfellowshipping Sounds Wonderful to Me Now

by xjwsrock in

2 people were read out last week as disfellowshipped.

of course now the announcement is read "so and so is no longer one of jehovahs witnesses".

they read that statement twice, once for each of the names.

xjwsrock

Vidiot... interesting point. I think from time to time about something similar happening for me.

If there is ever a child abuse case anywhere near me, I will jump on that like stank on poo. My wife would sympathize with the child immediately. I think these child cases "somewhere else" are a bit too abstract for my wife to see clearly. There is the little doubt about whether everyone is telling the truth or what have you. If she knew the child... it would be over. That's what I believe anyway.

8

Reduce the size of your family!

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

the watchtower organization resists the idea that its workforce is comprised of employees.

instead it promotes the idea that these individuals comprise a family.

yet recently there is a directive that smacks a totalitarian tendency.

xjwsrock

It is a sad day when a member of the bethel "family" gets evicted and then realizes that the term "family" was nothing more than manipulative horse shit the whole time.

This is especially sad for those that have no real family or friends and were using the WT as a surrogate.

Just another fine example of the WT exploiting the weak and/or naive.

32

Bethel Layoffs In Australia Confirmed

by jonahstourguide in

yes, last week the number of bethel layoffs was confirmed from 90 to 125. .

and those going in thinking they may be there for some time have been told.

that they may be there for two months rather than 3 years depending on .

xjwsrock

sparrowdown - "They act like a business but without any of the laws that are in place to protect employees of a business."

I would add to sparrowdown's thought that they are also a business where only the business makes any money.

At least a normal employee has a paycheck to show for his/her troubles.

"May God bless you" is their paycheck. Oldest trick in the book.