Bethelites get $90 (in the US) per month for their personal expenses. How much do clergy from all other religions make?
Where churches can afford it, some clergymen make a decent living. As they should. 1 Corinthians chapter 9 has a lot to say about how those who do the Lord's work should receive material support from it. If read in context, I mean. The Watchtower generally ignores that whole chapter except for the verses that speak of Paul - in an exception to the rule - working with his hands to support himself so as not to be a burden. So, if a church can afford to pay a fair wage to its ministry, then it shouyld do so. But you should be aware that there are many, many small churches where the minister serves either largely or completely at his own expense. Jw's are far from the only group with volunteer ministers.
How much does the Watchtower pay local elders?
Nothing, of course. If a minister is going to be paid, the arrangements should be made by the local church. There was no all-encompassing organization back in the first century that handled everything centrally. But, according to 1 Corinthians 9, ministers should be paid for their work, so the Watchtower's system is unscriptural on two fronts.
By the way, all CO expenses are paid by the World Wide Work fund, if you're going to throw out stupid accusations, get the facts right. The circuit no longer pays for their insurance, cars, etc...
God forbid that anybody except the Society gets to hold the purse strings. Where do you suppose the money in the World Wide Work fund comes from? Is it not the circuits, and the congregations within them, and the individuals within the congregation? JW's love to pick apart arguments over technicalities while ignoring the heart of the topic.
And why can't the body of elders hold meetings in private? You're so stupid, you want to be there to snoop and listen in on them. Do you do that at work with managers, vp's, or the ceo when they have meetings?
Obviously, any time two or more people want to have a conversation, they are entitled to do so in private if they wish. But any reputable organization does not hide its affairs in secret backroom discussions. Whatever is being done that is official congregation business is the business of every member of the congregation, and the information should be accessible to each member. This would be true whether the matter is financial or spiritual in nature. Elders are supposed to be servants to the brothers, remember? Instead they lord it as masters over the faith of the brothers, and deny them information that they are really entitled to by conducting their business in the shadows, while they expect all the individual members of the congregation to live their lives under a spotlight.
Also, when you walk into a Catholic church, how can you tell who the pastor or priest is?
In a Catholic Church, generally yes, because the clergy dress in special garments. Not so in many Protestant groups, where the Pastor is just as likely to wear a suit and tie.
When you walk into a Kingdom Hall, can you tell off the bat who the elders are? There's your difference.
No, not right off the bat. But if I walked into a Kingdom Hall, I'd know within 5 minutes who the elders were by the air of arrogance with which they carried themselves, and the deference shown to them by the "lower classes" who make up the rest of the congregation. Now, that's a real clergy class distinction, one far more severe than what is found in most of Christendom!
YoYo, your problem is that you think you know what goes on in the churches because you read what the Watchtower says about them. Repeat this several times: The Watchtower lies a lot! And when they don't lie directly, they slant facts and omit information to make themselves look good. When you have visited churches of numerous denominations and observed for yourself what goes on there, then I'll be willing to hear your reasons why you think the Watchtower is superior. But your comments make it clear that you don't have a clue what goes on in the churches, other than what the Watchtower has fed you.
Tom
"The truth was obscure, too profound and too pure; to live it you had to explode." ---Bob Dylan
