So essentially this congregation used donated funds to buy a property in 2008 for $265k, then six years later sell it again for $110k.
When it was sold by the trustees (BoE) for $110k they sold it to a holding company owned by one of those same trustees.
I'm pretty certain the charity regulators there would have something to say about this.
Splash.
the ibsa spent 6m buying two plots of land near wt house and spent another 10m on building and fitting out the flats.
since there are only 15 flats there, that works out at over 1m/flat - and these are 2 bedroom flats only.
similar flats nearby are marketed to the very top of the market.
dozy Selling the New Zealand Bethel to another religion (AKA part of Satan's Babylon the Great ) must be especially galling.
And this, after dedicating it's usage exclusively to Jehovah.
I didn't realize dedication was such a trivial and fickle thing.
Splash
please don't attack me if this is the wrong place!
i know that i definitely shouldn't be on this website, but i am to embarassed to ask anyone at my hall!
everyone would be so nice, but i just feel like i should know the answers already.
Hi moSIS, nice to see you here.
If the CO has a theme going for the week, he may tie his Thursday talk into what he gave you on Tuesday.
I find the CO talks more interesting than the regular Sunday talks - he's normally a much better speaker.
Splash
some have wondered if "captives of a concept" had anything to do with why the governing body changed their interpretation of the most important scripture in their theology at their annual meeting on october 6, 2012.. this is because the book places great emphasis on the societys interpretation of matthew 24:45-47 and then holds them to it while examining the organizations history to make sure that went on in its history fits their interpretation.
this comparison is essential to the societys claim to being gods organization.. their previous interpretation came from their former most imminent bible scholar president frederick franzs in his "gods kingdom of a thousand years has approached.
" their history comes from their "jehovahs witnesses proclaimers of gods kingdom.".
Even huge U-turns like this are news for only a couple of months before the new ideas are subsumed into the collective mindset.
I don't know if there is anything that would startle the majority into thinking for themselves.
Splash
how much did your congregation and its bank account get taken for?
share your horror story!.
We haven't even had the letters read yet.
No one off payment and no resolution.
Splash
i've been wanting to ask your advice for ages on this subject and here goes.. my mum is a jw fanatic, she just reads the bible and the publications, no other books at all.
she is a functioning alcoholic.. she is so disappointed in me.
i married out of the truth, you see!!!.
As soon as she knows you're going to a different church she'll report you and shun you.
Better adjust your life now to deal with that eventuality, so when it happens things can carry on as normal for you.
Splash.
woke up this morning to my cnn app alerting me that popel francis has called for peace in the middle east, and is making arrangements to meet with leaders in that region to promote tolerance and acceptance.
i've been out for almost a year now, inactive for almost two, but in that moment all of the jw teachings about the signs on the end, the cry of peace and security, and what would happen to those that aren't serving jehovah returned to me.
24 years of teachings are hard to forget, and reading the story on cnn.com didn't help the situation.
Right-minded people around the world wish for peace.
Some have more power than others to try to bring it about.
So long as there exist right-minded powerful and influential people, there will always be peace talks.
Splash
the year is 1969. faithful followers of the watchtower society are gearing up for the imminent end of the system of things just as they had been for the previous ninety years.
a young witness named andrew is trying to decide what to do with his life.
andrew is a smart kid and he has an entire lifetime ahead of him.
Coincidentally, the last WT (March 2014) studied at the meetings was all about how grateful we should be to have older ones in the congregations, and how you have a responsibility to care and provide for them.
Of course, the primary repsonsibility lies with the family of an older one - we wouldn't want congregation funds being used for such a thing now would we!
When it describes the help the congregation can give it says that for those "who qualify" and are "exemplary", a "temporary arrangement" can be set up to help the older ones to "benefit from government and social programs", and notify their children of any need (if the children live some distance away).
"Some Christians may volunteer their time and energy" if they choose to do so, again removing any responsibility from the congregation itself or the elders to part with any cash.
You can also help the older ones with "strengthening words" and laughing about things instead of getting depressed. Don't they say that words come cheap?
The counsel to the older ones is to not be demanding but to have a happy disposition.
I don't think the WT thought they would ever have to write an article about how to care for the faithful, exemplary older ones in the congregation, when 45 years ago they were telling everyone that they would never grow old at all!
Splash
I just had to do a double take!
As I skimmed the picture it looked like the main article was "Should You Pay?"
Seems more fitting lol
Splash
"the rnwt replaces "kyrios" (lord) with "jehovah" in translating romans 14:8 as follows:.
"for if we live, we live to jehovah,*+ and if we die, we die to jehovah.
* so both if we live and if we die, we belong to jehovah.".
A confusing quote from a WT:
*** w51 5/15 p. 296 par. 11 Healing for Life in the New World ***
"Therefore both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah. For to this end Christ died and came to life again, that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living.” (Rom. 14:8, 9, NW) So the faithful Christian who fails to recover and dies still belongs to the Lord Jesus."
I guess if you can't make up your mind, choose both!
Splash
