Posts by TTATTelder

8

Now it’s Definite about the FDS and GB being one and the same and When does Jesus return?

by 7Starz in

it was explained that the faithful slave is the governing body, while the domestics are all those who are fed spiritually, whether of the anointed or of the other sheep..

the july 15, 2013 study edition of the watchtower stated on page 22, paragraph 10: in keeping with jesus pattern of feeding many through the hands of a few, that slave is made up of a small group of anointed brothers who are directly involved in preparing and dispensing spiritual food during christs presence.

throughout the last days, the anointed brothers who make up the faithful and discreet slave have served together at headquarters.

TTATTelder

A thousand years is like a day to god - so the time from 1914 until now is just over a couple of hours. Actually the entire last "days" will be several thousand years. NEW LIGHT !!!!

LOL

-TE

14

How would you respond?!?!?

by DATA-DOG in

an eldub recently said, " sure, we have changed many beliefs in the last 100 years, but christendom has had 2,000 years to clean up their act an they haven't done it.".

this was prompted by today's wt session which mentioned nathan knorr's eager acceptance of rutherford's refinements concerning the 1,260 days.

of course, he also said that he can't really keep up with everything.

TTATTelder

"Are you saying that Christendom's errors excuse the Watchtower's errors? If the WT leaders are really being directed by holy spirit, why do they have to change any teachings at all? Do they really speak for Jehovah and with his authority and blessing, or do they only think they do?" - Ding

ditto

-TE

38

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

by TTATTelder in

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.

TTATTelder

Doesn't their free housing, food, plane tickets, laundry, medical care, hotels etc etc etc count as taxable income? The true real-world value can be easily calculated, so is it? - Tech49

Excellent question. I'm sure it varies from country to country as far as what the laws are. My assumption is that these guys get away with the perks as business travel/expenses and such and do not file any income for taxes unless they receive something like a social security check, inheritance, etc.

An equally interesting question is - do these guys report the green handshake money?

LOL....Of course not!!!!

-TE

14

deliberate deception by org

by Magnum in

there is ample evidence of the jw organizations being deceptive (for example, misusing quotes in publications such as the trinity brochure and the creation book), but a few years ago i noticed one glaring example of deception that is worth noting..

part #4 for the theocratic ministry school for the week of july 21, 2008 was how can false prophets be identified?

the material was the reasoning book beginning on page 132 (there was a similar service meeting part the week of 8-26-13)..

TTATTelder

Yeah...two-faced cons. Made a few billion pretending to be something they aren't.

-TE

3

We are not the only ones who have lost our faith

by Xanthippe in

it is not unusual to lose faith in the religion that you're born into.

i actually think it's quite common to move away from you parents' belief system and find that you are a different kind of person to many members of your family.

i have read in national newspapers of famous people including politicians who have left the faith of their birth and found family relationships very difficult, some of them have even been shunned by family.. quite often in local newspapers i see books for sale from one individual about eastern religions, philosophy, evolution and so on.

TTATTelder

Switching to original thread :)

Jewish families, families of Indian decent, Mormons, Pentecostals, etc. all have stories of hard line black-and -white thinking, family ultimatums, and shunning based on religion. That is one of the things the WT doesn't want people learning from therapists and counselors.

"Go to the elders if you have doubts" - yeah right- just a trick to have you "out" yourself and get hard core one-on-one indoctrination.

There are a lot of people out there with the same struggle coming from a variety of backgrounds.

-TE

26

Counsellor needed please!

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

hi all.. i have noticed that many of our forum members have sought professional help from counsellors who deal with ones like us who have broken free from high control groups or "cults".. my self esteem has been rocked by recent events in the cong, and while i know ttatt it still has taken my joy in life away quite a bit.. as you all know, mentally i broke free from the org several years ago, but now that i am trying to start making the physical break, i feel really unsettled and nervous.. i wonder if a good counsellor could assist in helping me clarify and sort my feelings and emotions , and provide help to take practical steps to cut all ties with the org?.

if anyone can provide ideas of good counsellors, it would be appreciated.. thanks everyone!.

TTATTelder

I have a contact in the states with experience dealing with high control religions. Highest qualifications possible as far as education is concerned. Pm me if interested. In today's world international communication is just a time zone consideration which is easy to work out.

-TE

38

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

by TTATTelder in

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.

TTATTelder

Thanks for the posted comments. Sorry the OP turned out so long.

That video says it all DD!

Oubliette - It increasingly amazes me that nobody asks for an accounting from headquarters. I guess it shows just how god-like they see the GB. It's as if it would be considered blasphemy to dare ask for accountability.

I'm sorry. I don't care how holy you are supposed to be.. If you are in charge of millions if not billions of dollars, there needs to be checks and balances. The people that gave you the money deserve to know what you are doing with it.

It see two things.

One - I see how little respect the GB has for the people actually paying their way (they see the rank and file as children that are beneath them)

Two - I am beginning to better understand what the fascination is that men have in this organization for the higher ups and why they want to be one so bad. The GB are straight up gods. The people in their immediate circle are worshipped also. The elders trying to climb the ladder in this organization want in that club.

They are ok with the double standard partly because they want it for themselves.

-TE

38

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

by TTATTelder in

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.

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

38

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

by TTATTelder in

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.

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

41

Upcoming meeting Re: KH Construction

by pixel in

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.

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