SFS’s = Special Fulltime Servants (“stipenated”😸)
ThomasMore
JoinedPosts by ThomasMore
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ThomasMore
Also for consideration
Many are aware that WTC had all KH's appraised several years ago. There are only 2 reasons to appraise a property: 1) To sell it at market value 2) To leverage it as collateral for debt
It is falsely assumed that WTC has never had debt. That is not true. I personally knew the GB member who used to go to the bank regularly to take loans. They used the headquarter buildings as collateral and it worked, until it didn't. They sold everything in NY city, paid debt and built Warwick. Bad times came and now the money is not there for Ramapo. They must rely on extra money that can be squeezed out of the R&F.
Don't they have billions in offshore accounts? I remember when they absolutely did. Where did it go? They hemorhaged cash as they paid debt, settled CSA cases, succumbed to health care costs for an aging Bethel family and SFS's, watched giving decrease, lost Regional Convention revenue streams and on and on and on. In discovery only 3 years ago, they disclosed the cash they had - it was just enough operating expense for a few years. Things have not improved since then.
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ThomasMore
An attorney for a CSA plaintif told his client that it would be wise to take the settlement offer. In discovery, his firm decided that WTC could not last 3 years before chap 11. That was roughly 1 year ago.
Since then, WTC has shifted it's position on adjudicating in courtroom venues. It now desires to settle out of court with negotiating tactics and a tight NDA. So what changed?
They were losing cases - almost every case they fought. Why? Plaintifs attorneys had a large amount of harmful evidence that swayed juries and judges. What did WTC do? WTC hired the same legal firm that represented US Catholic dioceses. Why is this significant? All the dioceses they represented declared chap 11. That firm immediately told WTC to stop wasting resources in court battles. Their solution for the dioceses was to protect assets by filing chap 11. Chap 11 is closer than ever as WTC aligns their assets to prepare. Like the dioceses, they know that chap 11 is not the end if they can limit the bad PR among the R&F.
So back to the original OP question. Is WTC broke? Not exactly, but they can see themselves being broke if they don't seek debt protection soon. CSA cases are still flooding in, and a new batch of hybrid CSA cases is forming in PA. Reports from inside Warwick are not flattering as the intensity of CSA cases intensifies.
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Did The Australian Royal Commission Actually Achieve Anything?
by NotFormer ini've been going through past threads on here during the period i was not very interested in what was going on in jw world.
the australian royal commission era caused a great deal of excitement and inspired some hope, but did any good come of it?.
the 2 witness rule in child sexual assault cases still exists, and elders still don't call the police and try to handle things in house.
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ThomasMore
Not Former, you make valid points. The ARC was a disappointment overall. They had the "goods" on WTC but let them slip away. Even if that is not the end of the attention they give WTC, it is indeed frustrating to see that they basically did little to nothing in stopping the abuse of children. In their defense, I suppose one could argue that the problem was much larger than the problem in JW congs. They have a lot to address with other religions, anf the political capital it takes to do that is enormous.
WTC's demise could be almost immediate if they lost their tax exemption in the U.S. alone. However, I suspect that it will be a slow death by attrition due to CSA lawsuits, apathy among the young, and inability to recruit fresh new members.
Having served at WTC headquarters, I can tell you that the inside view is dire. They joined the UN so that they could hobnob with the BIG BOYS (catholics and other mega religions). Now they have employed the same law firm that is helping the Catholic dioceses declare chapter 11 in one location after another. This is no coincidence. That should tell you what the near future holds for WTC. It will not be the end, but you will be able to see the end on the horizon when that happens. They may even relocate the headquarters to a friendlier nation (like Argentina), but that will only postpone the inevitable. When the faithful stop traveling to tour headquarters and worship the GB, in practical terms, it will be over.
Don't take me wrong - ALL of the faithful will NOT abandon WTC. Decades from now, some will still be holding their breath for the Great Tribulation to start. They will be inconsequential - does that make you feel better?
I read recently that a few Shakers still exist. I don't care and neither does anyone else I think. JWs will eventually be so few that no one will care - and neither will I.
Their demise is death by a thousand cuts - some cuts are deeper than others, but they are hemorhaging money and support as I write this. I don't personally think that any emergency efforts can save them. They want to stay out of court to avoid bad PR and unpredictably high settlements. So, they have chosen to negotiate and settle with tight NDA's in place. This is nothing more than a calculated strategy to give them time to get the ducks in a row for chapter 11. Follow the money my friend. Don't believe wildly inaccurate reports they publish. They are the king of the lie - why should they change now.
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Did The Australian Royal Commission Actually Achieve Anything?
by NotFormer ini've been going through past threads on here during the period i was not very interested in what was going on in jw world.
the australian royal commission era caused a great deal of excitement and inspired some hope, but did any good come of it?.
the 2 witness rule in child sexual assault cases still exists, and elders still don't call the police and try to handle things in house.
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ThomasMore
Totally agree with Vidiot! Tax exemption is WTC's achilles heel. If they lose it, they will wither faster than a hollywood teen idol. -
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Watchdog reports on investigation into Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.gov.uk/government/news/watchdog-reports-on-investigation-into-watch-tower-bible-and-tract-society-of-britain.
press release.
watchdog reports on investigation into watch tower bible and tract society of britain.
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ThomasMore
Blue Brother asked what are the consequences?
None. At least at present. However, behind the scenes, WTC is wearing out it's good will with the governments. It now appears that they are getting less leniency with violations.
In civil matters before the courts, they are getting the stuffing kicked out of them.
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'church elders are told to report any allegations of child sexual abuse to the authorities immediately'
by was a new boy in'the spokesperson also said that church elders are told to report any allegations of child sexual abuse to the authorities immediately, even if there is only one complainant.'.
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/rebekah-vardy-sexually-abused-child-jehovahs-witnesses/.
is this true?
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ThomasMore
Reading the timeline of how WTC obfuscated in Wales and England over child protection guidlines reinforces to me that they JUST DON'T CARE about the rights of children. It was clear that they do not acknowledge that children actually have any rights at all.
They delay and delay in an effort to run out the clock.
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Breaking News: Autism, Vaccinations and Jehovah's Witness children
by sf inthe age of autism: question of the year
science daily (press release) - 50 minutes ago .
... the truth, it would commission epidemiological studies of cohorts who escaped vaccination, most obviously the children of jehovah's witnesses, christian ...
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ThomasMore
How did the Minnonites fare through Covid? Other isolation groups exist as well so how did they fare?
I am not saying Dr. Kirsch is wrong, but I struggle with comparing isolationists with the general population when it comes to infection rates for anything.
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Secret Elders Book? Bwahahaha!
by NotFormer ini remember a couple of decades ago when the internet was relatively young and the wt was at war with it, that they were battling to keep the pay attention book secret, commencing legal action against anyone who published it online (and of course, trying to out anyone who leaked it).
i think it was a norwegian skeptics organisation who had it available for download and dared the wt lawyers to come after them.. so i guess the new shepherd the flock book came out to try and put the genie back in the bottle and reassert some air of mystery and secrecy back into the equation.. so i typed jehovah's witnesses secret elder book into google.
colour me gobsmacked!
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ThomasMore
The book has always been about how to deal with transgression. I recall my father's copy before it was re-written, was also about how to punish transgressors. It has never been about Shepherding and never will be.
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Can the org's finances be viewed?
by BoogerMan indoes anyone know where to view the wtbts of new york and pennsylvania's financial records?.
i mean, they are registered charities aren't they, so surely their income/expenditures must be open to scrutiny?.
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ThomasMore
Thanks Barbara!!
i recall that it was lower than the spectacular estimates floated by many. If they used KHs as collateral for loans, it may be much now.