TTATTelder

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Posts by TTATTelder

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  38

  Who Benefits from the Multi-Billion Dollar Real Estate Empire that is WT?

  by TTATTelder in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this thread is to formally address this subject.

  this is for forum members and especially for lurkers (current witnesses reading this in secret).

  please feel free to post any additional points.. there are a lot of changes happening in wt land.

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  TTATTelder

  JWleaks - perfect - a picture is worth a thousand words

  Lynnie - Sounds like it is quite a nice view from the top for the ole cousins.

  -TE
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  38

  Who Benefits from the Multi-Billion Dollar Real Estate Empire that is WT?

  by TTATTelder in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this thread is to formally address this subject.

  this is for forum members and especially for lurkers (current witnesses reading this in secret).

  please feel free to post any additional points.. there are a lot of changes happening in wt land.

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  TTATTelder

  This thread is to formally address this subject. This is for forum members and especially for lurkers (current witnesses reading this in secret). Please feel free to post any additional points.

  There are a lot of changes happening in WT land. The entire religion is being re-branded. It started with the website and the seemingly sudden embrace of technology and digital literature. The JW.org logo was then pushed and placed everywhere. Now the religion is moving to franchise-like commercial kingdom halls on strategic pieces of invest-able real estate. 

  Here is the thread link to investigate these new construction strategies

  And plans for roll-out

  Let's not even waste time debating what this is. This is big business. This is a multi-billion-dollar international corporate conglomerate with a new business vision. The biggest piece of that vision is in real estate. They are aggressively growing their real estate empire. This empire is no longer just miscellaneous kingdom halls or assembly halls. They have now moved on to other commercial and even residential properties under the label of training centers and "translation offices".

  Here is a thread link to just one luxury residential property that has been acquired as a "translation office"

  Here is a thread link to a recently acquired training center (commercial real estate investment)

  These real estate investments including the new commercial-grade kingdom halls will be built, renovated, or maintained by a volunteer labor force (reduced costs) and easily flipped down the road (10 - 20 years) for a healthy profit.

  These points are-what-they-are...

  ________________________________________  

  Now for the question posed in the title of this thread: 

  Who Benefits from the Multi-Billion Dollar Real Estate Empire that is WT?

  This can be confusing... and purposefully so. Jehovah's Witnesses do not have a payroll that we know of. Local elders do not get paid to be preachers. This is something most people consider a good thing. It keeps the financial-greed motive out of the equation at the local level. There is also transparency at the local level. Accounting is kept of all the funds coming in and out of each kingdom hall. Monthly Accounts Reports are posted for the public to see. This gives an impression of organization-wide openness and honesty. Most JW's only ever see this local level of activity and judge based on this.

  What about at higher levels in the organization? Do people get paid at the NY headquarters? Well, as far as we know, they do not receive a paycheck per-say. Of course we have to go on word-of-mouth to verify this because there is no financial transparency at the world headquarters. There is no Accounts Report from New York.

  Let's consider what we do know.

  Do men at the top of the Jehovah's Witness organization support themselves the same way that elders do at the local level? No.

  Men at the top of the organization receive food, clothing, shelter, security, transportation, full medical care (including chiropractic and massage therapy on site), laundry services, cleaning services, gym facilities, personal assistants, and more. Now answer this question:

  Do the men at the top of the Jehovah's Witness religion make their living as ministers within the organization? Yes.

  To replace this means of living and level of access, they would have to make a hefty salary outside the headquarters. I would put it in the healthy 6-digit category. Most of these men, if not all of them, cannot match their current creature-comforts making their own living in the real world. Most of the men also have wives to answer to that are used to a certain standard of living and security from living at headquarters. 

  Beyond material comforts, men are often motivated by a desire for power. Why do men sometimes leave jobs making 7 figures to run for political office? Why would they pursue another job that pays so much less? ....We all know the answer. Power, control, perks, prestige, backdoor financial benefits, etc. etc. 

  -Sitting at the top of this multi-billion-dollar international corporate conglomerate called Jehovah's Witnesses would be intoxicating to any power-driven man. How would you feel if you served on committees deciding how to manage billions of dollars worth of equity? Would you feel pretty important? Would you feel pretty powerful? How would you feel to serve on committees that made life-altering decisions for millions of followers worldwide? What if you had the power to enforce compliance to these decisions as if they were literally the word of God? 

  Control billions of dollars and millions of lives? 
  

  Please.... for a power-driven man this stuff is crack cocaine... 

  Why do politicians often vote to increase the power and scope of government? To increase their personal power.
  

  Why would Jehovah's Witness leaders seek to grow the wealth and power of the organization well beyond the needs of any ministry work? Same answer as above.

  Greed can show up in many ways. Often those with power want more of it. 

  _______________________________________

  So, Who Benefits from the Multi-Billion Dollar Real Estate Empire that is WT?

  Answer: Anybody serving in a Leadership Capacity at the World Headquarters or other branch location.

  How do they benefit?

  This aggressive business model works to grow the organization's wealth. On a personal level this insulates and potentially improves the Leaders' living and lifestyle, adds to their prestige, increases their power and authority over others, and produces opportunities for backdoor perks and benefits (monetary and otherwise) as millions change hands through the entire empire-building process. 

  If these are the only benefits, it is more than enough. Men have killed for less.

  -TE
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  41

  Upcoming meeting Re: KH Construction

  by pixel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  fresh from the "press":to all bodies of elders in the united states branch territoryre: local design/construction department broadcastdear brothers:the work of constructing and maintaining theocratic facilities throughout the unitedstates branch territory is indeed great!

  (1 chron.

  29:1) with this in mind, we are pleased to informyou of a special meeting to be presented on saturday, january 31, 2015, at 3:00 p.m. easternstandard time (est) to all elders and circuit overseers in the united states branch territory.the meeting will be approximately two and a half hours in length and will includepresentations by members of the local design/construction department, the united statesbranch committee, the worldwide design/construction department, and a member of the governingbody.

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  TTATTelder

  Why such a push in the marketing department? Isn't the organization above that? 

  I understand Starbucks doing this. They want a fresh image to sell their high priced coffee. But Starbucks doesn't have legions of angels behind them nor do they have the most powerful force in the universe - holy magic spirit.

  Herein lies the problem with any religion that turns into a business. You forever wonder which is more important to the organization - the business or the faith? I think it's obvious what the answer is for WT. It is also obvious they do not believe nor do they have faith in what they teach - that they have God's backing and blessing. 

  -TE
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  32

  Freedom Post # 1 - First Timer

  by 7Starz in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  synchronicity - the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection.

  today is the first day of the rest of my life.

  freedom.

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  TTATTelder

  Welcome... enjoyed the quotes. Look forward to your future posts.

  -TE
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  13

  Is the Watchtower Shifting All Financial and Legal Risk to Local Elders, are they 100% liable for Negligence?

  by Trailer Park Pioneer in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  what is the watchtower organization leaving behind for all the kingdom halls after their done siphoning them dry?

  who is going to pay for a lawsuit or damages when some incompetent elders or three are busted for something very bad?

  will the watchtower help or leave them alone for the sharks to shred to pieces?

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  TTATTelder

  OTWO,

  I agree. It also is a deterrent to people suing. If the WT can convince dubs/former-dubs that the WT is untouchable, the dubs may not pursue a case. 

  -TE
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  27

  Experience in a talk

  by Da.Furious in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  last week we had an elder giving a talk, cant remember the title.. the thing that was of interest is the experience he gave:.

  "a brother who was working in a hospital had to leave his job which was paying him good money because the nurses wanted to sleep with him and they kept putting notes for him on his desk!".

  this is not the first time i hear similar experience.

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  TTATTelder

  I know one former elder who would give experiences that started out with "I know one brother who..." or "I know one brother that would say..." and he was talking about himself every time.

  Also my wife was used on an assembly part to give an experience when she was a teenager, and the brother handling the part asked her to rephrase things and add to the story. He changed her story so much that she felt like she was lying when she gave the experience.

  You barely scratched the surface of what really goes on inside a JW circuit. - Honesty

  I know a pioneer couple that went to pioneer school about an hour's drive away from their home. They stayed with a family from the host congregation. Well the husband and wife that they stayed with served the pioneer couple wine and stayed up late with them telling them how they got in trouble a few years back for swinging!

  Uhh.... baiting much?

  It's crazytown out there in JW land.

  -TE
  
  
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  20

  "You are still married, and still happy ?"

  by Phizzy in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i met an aging, well, late sixties, pioneer sister a few days back, from a congregation four removes away, and a different circuit to my old congo.

  i have known her since i was a kid.. i wasn't quite sure at first if she knew our "status" as we exchanged pleasantries, but it soon became clear she knew exactly our situation, that we walked away a few years ago.. she asked me about my views on life now, and listened respectfully, and said she appreciated my view, but a couple of questions that she threw at me, as in the thread title, showed that she was surprised that mrs phizzy and i had not gone off the rails after we left.. the mind control goes so very deep does it not ?

  she was surprised that our marriage hadn't failed, and that we were now happy.. i wonder if she will ever make the connection that the jw org has lied to her about those of us who leave ?.

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  TTATTelder

  Living well is the best revenge :)

  -TE
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  2

  Oh my, I just visited jw.org and saw that they are broadcasting video. Education was certainly under a fine attack!

  by UnConfused in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  how long have they gone back to the photodrama days?.

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  TTATTelder

  I know. It's ugly. They threw rocks at tele-evangelism forever and then start a web channel. Oh yeah and the internet is from the devil...new light just in....internet is from God to get the preaching work done. lol

  -TE
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  21

  Governing Body Helpers ----- Who are they? Are they future GB in the making?

  by adjusted knowledge in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so after nearly 15 to 19 years of not attending a convention, i can't recall exactly, i went to one last year.

  the brother giving the talk was from bethel and was introduced as a helper of the governing body.

  it was a title i never heard of before.

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  TTATTelder

  GB = gods (everybody bow)

  GB Helper = people that are regularly in the presence of gods (bow just in case)

  
  

  What's strange is they do not allow a regular speaker to be announced as a "pioneer and coordinator in the so-and-so congregation" - but spout off titles of any man from the branch. They always open their talk with "love and greetings from the governing body and the blah blah committee at blah blah branch" - followed of course by obligatory clapping.

  Management on a pedestal. Also a reminder that Big Brother is present.

  -TE
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  18

  Circuit Assembly outline

  by jdubsnub in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i've been out of the religion for a little while now but my family is still "strong in the truth".

  i got a call today asking if i could stop by to have a discussion.

  they just had their circuit assembly and this is typically when they decide to talk to me, while they're spiritually energized hah.

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  TTATTelder

  The program is on the borg website also. You know the ones they pass out when you walk in? You can get the digital version on their website under "publications".

  -TE