The Watch Tower Society is continuing to hemorrhage information. Hot on the heels of the leak of the annual meeting announcements, yet more details have emerged hinting at growing resentment among bethelites as downsizing intensifies.
JWsurvey has been contacted again by someone inside bethel who this time confirmed earlier rumors of a letter that was read to bethelites at morning worship last Wednesday warning of substantial changes.
Taken as a whole, a picture is emerging of an organization in crisis, increasingly running out of funds, led by a group of greedy, deluded men obsessed with seeing their Warwick fantasy come to fruition at the expense of everything else – including, perhaps, the health of their volunteer work force.
As with all bethel informants I have promised to strictly guard the anonymity of my source. With the annual meeting leak I was able to reproduce an entire letter, but this informant has asked that I merely convey information in my own words (rather than verbatim) so as to minimize the risk of discovery. What follows will, therefore, be my own wording based on what I have been told.
An incriminating image
Those of you who follow JW.org will be aware that Watchtower has been posting updates on the progress at Warwick in the form of “photo galleries.” The latest gallery covered work from January through April 2015 and came under the heading “Warwick Photo Gallery 3.”
My source brought it to my attention that this page has since been removed from JW.org, which indeed it has – although a Google cached page is still available on this link.
This raises the question, why was this photo gallery removed? The answer is – embarrassment over THIS picture…
The picture seems fairly innocuous at first. Some guy, presumably a brother, is working in the lake – probably putting up nets to stop debris contaminating the lake, or to stop wildlife getting harmed.
But if you scroll down the cached page, the caption sheds more light…
A hired diver in Blue Lake replaces an old valve with a new one. With the push of a button, the level of the lake can now be lowered to prevent flooding in the event of a hurricane.
Two things now become apparent. Firstly, this is NOT a brother. It’s a “hired diver” – a so-called “worldly” contractor for Watchtower – presumably being paid handsomely due to the skilled nature of his work and the expensive equipment he’s using.
The second thing to notice is the job he’s doing. This is not an effort at preserving the environment or saving wildlife. The diver is “replacing an old valve with a new one” so that “the level of the lake can now be lowered to prevent flooding in the event of a hurricane” with “the push of a button.”
You might be thinking, so what? Why would Watchtower want this image pulled? Basically, it all falls into context once you read on and learn of the reasons for growing disgruntlement among bethelites. They are seeing branches closed, construction work halted, and face lay-offs on an unprecedented scale in the interests of cutting costs, while the Governing Body is lavishing dedicated funds on outside contractors just so they can have their own remote-controlled lake.
Living on borrowed time
The lay-offs rumored to be in the pipeline are official, and will commence from the winter of 2016, conveniently coinciding with the new Warwick headquarters becoming operational.
Certain bethels WILL be shutting down their laundry, kitchen and housekeeping services to cut costs. The total number of those being shown the door is not yet known, but it is expected to be into the thousands.
Hence, as the Governing Body members begin moving into their plush lakeside retreat, many of their “fellow worker” bethelites will be sent packing into the cold of winter – the majority of whom have forsaken higher education to serve the organization.
Many, my source says, are in their 40s and 50s, with nowhere to stay outside bethel, and precious few qualifications or employment prospects. There are fears that this displaced army will place further strain on congregations as frustrated, let-down, childless and homeless former-bethelites struggle to integrate themselves into the less glamorous fringes of Witness life.
There had previously been an unspoken rule that if a brother or sister accrued more than 15 years of bethel service, they were guaranteed to be cared for by Watchtower for life – deep into their old age. But this rule is out of the window, at least for those who will be axed. Despite many years of loyal service, they will have to fend for themselves – turning to the kindness of wealthy non-bethelite brothers and sisters in their new congregations (who they would have once looked down on to some extent for not “putting kingdom interests first”).
Having announced this hammer-blow news that so many bethelites are on borrowed time, the letter concludes by assuring those who will be forced to leave that Jehovah will care for them. According to my new source, the tone of the letter is eerily evocative of the words found at James 2:15-17:
“If a brother or a sister is lacking clothing and enough food for the day, yet one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but you do not give them what they need for their body, of what benefit is it? So, too, faith by itself, without works, is dead.”
The financial crisis deepens
The letter announcing the lay-offs was read at morning worship on Wednesday 23rd, not just in the United States, but at bethels all over the world. A similar letter was also sent to those in special pioneer service, and construction servants.
The letter speaks of a need to save money, and specifically mentions the May JW Broadcasting episode in which Stephen Lett admitted a shortfall between income and expenditure. (See below)
This is interesting, because comments made by Sam Herd in the August episode seemed to imply the desired funds had since been received, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that this was not so – at least not to the extent needed.
But rather than admitting these drastic changes are being forced on Watchtower simply due to a lack of money, the letter describes the need to speed up the preaching work as being a factor. Thus, laid-off bethel workers are now expected to enter regular pioneer service soon after being tossed out to fend for themselves.
The argument that these changes are inspired by the need to advance the preaching work soon unravels, however, when you consider that special pioneers are ALSO being laid off by these changes. (Special pioneers were receiving a monthly stipend from the organization in exchange for their extra preaching hours.) And it has not gone unnoticed by bethelites that laying-off special pioneers is not a way of speeding up the preaching work, despite Watchtower’s spin. This is purely about saving money by whatever means possible.
An ivory tower on poisoned land
It is becoming increasingly apparent that, despite recent JW Broadcasting episodes heralding its grand building projects all over the world, Watchtower has now frozen virtually all its building programs worldwide so that it can focus on getting Warwick over the finish line.
Warwick will be Watchtower’s new Mecca, and its completion is now the Governing Body’s top priority even as finances dwindle.
Since its inception, the Warwick project has had more than a hint of controversy.
When announcing the plans at the 2011 Annual Meeting, the late Guy Pierce made the frank admission that the Governing Body were “not yet certain of Jehovah’s will regarding Warwick,” but irrespective of this were “proceeding to develop the site with the intention of relocating the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses there.”
Since then the Governing Body has made no secret of its lofty aspirations for their new residence, even telling those who wish to volunteer in its construction that they will be involved in a work akin to rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem under Nehemiah.
“Similar to the call that Nehemiah made to his fellow Israelites, there is a need to call upon the ‘strengthened hands’ of skilled volunteers to complete the Warwick project,” said one service meeting outline attached to a Watchtower letter dated August 21, 2013.
But far from being an unblemished utopia, ordinary bethelites are aware of a media report that circulated back in June to the effect that the Warwick site was contaminated with dangerous chemicals by its previous owners – International Nickel.
Watchtower never responded to requests for comment by Hema Easley of the Times Herald-Record, but it seems there are concerns at bethel that the Governing Body may have been less-than-transparent with Warwick workers about the contaminated nature of the environment in which they are working.
Easley’s article reports that, according to Watchtower’s suit against International Nickel, the organization knew about the problem as far back as 2012/2013 and have been “cleaning the property under the direction of the DEC.”
But given Watchtower’s own dubious track-record with handling pollution, concerned bethelites would be forgiven for wondering whether the Governing Body have really taken all necessary precautions to stop Warwick workers coming into contact with polychlorinated byphenyls – or PCBs – banned in the United States as probable human carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) as far back as 1979.
Thinking Witnesses would do well to question how the Governing Body could be considered “faithful and discreet” by forging ahead with a project while admitting uncertainty over God’s backing. And if they DID have God’s backing all along, why has Jehovah guided his organization to build its new headquarters despite having a shortage of funds, and on land drenched in potentially life-threatening pollutants?
Another scripture will no doubt come to mind for thinking Witnesses, this time in Luke 14:28…
“For example, who of you wanting to build a tower does not first sit down and calculate the expense to see if he has enough to complete it?”
Exciting times
We are now entering a fascinating phase in Watchtower’s history. Over the next couple of years we will all have front row seats to a bizarre spectacle – a cult running out of money, but desperately trying to preserve credibility regardless.
Previously Watchtower could at least count on its army of die-hard bethel workers to rally to its side and hold the fort, but even this alliance is not as solid as it once was, as these new leaks demonstrate.
The recently-announced lay-offs are, I am told, destroying trust in the Governing Body’s leadership among those at bethel – as well they should. These brutal measures bring to the fore the increasingly-noticeable greed and narcissism of the Governing Body – a deluded group of men who shamelessly put their own needs and comfort ahead of those who serve them.
Not satisfied with lavish accommodation and all-expenses-paid trips around the world to attend zone visits and receive adulation at international conventions, these men are now pouring everything into their lakeside retirement retreat – complete with infirmary and adjustable lake.
Those they have cut loose to help rescue their dream of a potentially cancer-causing cult compound face a more uncertain future. With few prospects, many soon-to-be ex-bethelites will be forced to rely on the already over-stretched resources and generosity of the congregations.
Some ex-Witnesses watching these events unfold remain skeptical that Watchtower truly can be running out of money. Watchtower is, in their minds, too worthy an adversary to ever be vanquished. But I am told my recent speculation regarding possible bankruptcy isn’t that far-fetched. Regardless of how much money an organization may start out with, if income fails to catch up with expenditure consistently year-on-year something will eventually have to give.
And while commercial organizations are usually able to adjust their scope of operations almost on a whim, it is virtually impossible for Watchtower to downsize to a scale corresponding to its income gracefully and seamlessly without people noticing and starting to question its religious claims. In short, the threat of the organization collapsing suddenly under its own weight is very real, and the Governing Body knows it – hence its recent desperate attempts to steady the ship.
This of course does not mean an end to Jehovah’s Witnesses. It simply means that the organization that Jehovah’s Witnesses look to as God’s sole channel with mankind could, in our lifetimes, become a shadow of its former self. And the downsizing has long since started, with Watchtower already well beyond the zenith it reached around 2005 (the last year of full magazine-printing) and 2010, when branch numbers started plummeting.
What lies in store?
The end game is far from certain, but given what we are witnessing, I fully expect Watchtower to eventually be reduced to little more than a cult-compound in upstate New York where dwindling numbers of devout followers flock on occasional pilgrimages for a photo opportunity with their dear leaders.
Nothing will be printed. Everything will be accessed online, with Governing Body members addressing their devotees through videos, assuring them that Armageddon is surely just around the corner because Jehovah’s organization is under attack as never before.
We may live to see the day when Watchtower becomes similar in size and set-up to Scientology, with its 50,000 (or less) followers and a highly-insulated leadership.
There would be no real congregations to speak of, because the vast majority of kingdom halls, having already surrendered their autonomy, would be among the first assets to be sold off. Perhaps a few “ideal orgs” (along the Scientology model) spread out across major city locations might spring up as local focal points for Witness activity. But, as the organization’s woes become more apparent, what were once millions of Witnesses will be reduced to perhaps hundreds of thousands of oblivious, hardcore cult followers who steadfastly refuse to look at objective information on the internet despite the clear evidence that their beloved organization has long since crumbled.
Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, but now that I’m no longer a Witness I’m allowed to speculate. It may not happen overnight, or to quite that extent. But it is becoming increasingly difficult to deny that something is happening in the bowels of this fiercely proud organization, and I for one feel privileged to witness it.
Click here for a Spanish translation
Further reading…
- Theocratic Ministry School GONE as 2015 Annual Meeting announcements leaked in advance
- More downsizing on the way? Multiple sources report bethel letter warning of further cuts
- Is Watchtower imploding? 10 reasons why the end could be nigh
- JWsurvey articles on Warwick
- JWsurvey articles on downsizing
Related video…
I dont think the average r&f will care to much. My mum & elder dad both know for a fact all consruction has stopped here in UK. They didnt bat an eyelid. Go figiure.
well isnt this a pretty picture! who’s speeding up what at the moment then? Yesterday we had a bro hijack the wt to drum up more funds for the greedy org. We were also informed our KH passed as being in good repair by a new (appointee). I cannot remember the official title of the dude but he goes aroung the Kh’s assessing their state of repair. I’m a bit skeptical I think the assessment is to see how much everything is worth for a quick sale. Is that too cynical? on a side note as some of us have songs in our heads ,mines a little premature here goes. “Ding dong the witch is dead”. ruth lee
ruthless,
I think you’re on to something there. I would say that would be what the assessor or whatever his title is doing. Watch out for a “for sale” sign out front of your KH!
Either that, or watch out that the ROOF doesn’t fall down on your head! With the GB’s new allergy to spending money, they’re probably wanting to make SURE that none of the Kingdom Halls out there are getting any “unnecessary” repairs, like functioning toilets and lights that come on when you flip the switch.
“ruthless”– That was cute Grace. I don’t know if you meant to do that, but it gave me a chuckle. :)
Oops! No I didn’t mean that to happen. Damned automatic spelling.
Dear Grace…. disgraceful!!!!! when we meet up i might just adopt your new handle for me. I just love being an aposty right now the new kind of miracle wheat. (those with long long memories will know my reference). any way ruthless or ruthlee i WILL print my thoughts on this site when allowed of course and all the regulars keep up the sterling work. Thanks Cedars once again you can’t begin to really imagine how valuable your work is and continues to be. ruthlee
Ha ha funny you said that because I was tempted to go buy a FOR SALE sign and put it up on the fence during the night… naughty me…
Haha Tara,
You & I have a similar sense of humour. Make sure it’s one that says “quick sale” or “liquidation sale”.
Or better still, one that says “Business for sale”.
Yard Sale springs to mind.
Excellent info Cedar. Can’t wait to see the Watchtower put out of action.
The society’s emphasis on videos (as per your video) during the meeting is just Watchtower having more control on what’s said. The elders are idiots, so they have to deliver the talks the right way. I remember a number of years ago when we were discouraged from using outside sources for talks. Apparently, the Society’s publications have everything we need. Again, control. Lloyd, thanks for the information!!!
Down, down, down…in a burning ring of fire! :)
After everything we have all gone through; I know nothing would make me happier than to see this cult crash and burn.
Sing it Johnny Cash!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhWJF35Q81k
J*L*C*R,
Good one, now I have that song stuck in my head.
I didn’t realise how much I actually dislike this religion for what it has done to so many peoples lives. My mum always taught us not to hate because it rots you inside so I have tried not to hate but every now & then I get these thoughts of absolute disgust in my head & feel a hatred towards the cult.
@Grace,
Yeah…LOL, sorry about the tune. ;)
As an ex JW I also feel anger towards this religion/cult because of the many years I wasted in it; most of which were my childhood and young adult years.
I try not to let anger and hatred in though, for anyone or anything. In the end, the only person that such feelings hurt are ourselves.
The best thing that any of us can do is live our new lives to the full and in freedom.
Good luck to you.
Thank you J*L*C*R.
Actually I like that old tune, it was always one every one sang after a hot chilli dinner.
we don’t need no Gov-ning body,
we don’t need no thought control,
no dark sarcasm from the elders,
Jackson ‘leave those kids alone….
Hey Watchtower… leave those kids alone!
All in all your just another brick in the hall.
WOW!! Your closing on the video is powerful. Shunning is shameful. The 1/8/1947 Watchtower blasted the Catholic Church for its excommunication policy, even saying it’s “foreign to Bible teaching.” Fast forward only a few years and they adopt the Church’s policy.
Ruthlee, the gov bodys song must be, rage against the machine, ”killing i in the name of”.I dont know if you know the song,hell you would probably face a jc, just for listening to it.lol.
sure hell yeh! ima muso, any Warhead anyone? thats directed at you JB Reezer. Sorry all off topic to bring it back.My hammerheaded hubby finally had the penny drop in his dear ol brain He was referring to the broadcast about all the new KHs needed and now all work has stopped He got that dawning moment. Funny really, IM disgusted over Biblical things and doctrinal differences.He is glimmering awake over money. So my thought is that these throwaway bethelites will not wake up unless they are hit in the empty purse. There is no way they would give up that ivory tower lifestyle. Maybe this cull is God’s way of making an escape route out of the tower.One more thing and I have said this again and again and I am not popular MY drop comment is “How is it as soon as you make the little ones pioneer, you steal them away to play with bricks and buckets? I thought the preaching was the most important thing.And we NEVER see them preaching on a Sunday “it’s their day off. Funny that it’s worldly peoples day off too but from a proper job.I can’t count the many hours i do helping the forgotten sisters the widows with no real estate so not courted by the CO.I don’t want to record the damn hours it’s my honour and joy to help our dear abandoned ones who already have been shunned in the nicest possible way.Guess what we sit and read the Bible together just like the good ol days Bible students but of course that would be frowned upon.My conclusion no win no fee cant win with this cult dont care. Any one know The Cult we serve a hollow man waiting for a revolution but i remain your sweet soul sister ruthlee
Warhead? Naw, you got me stumped with that one, ruthless! ;)
Well I hope hubby will completely see the light, no matter which thing gets his attention. From the looks of it (thanks to this awesome site), we know there will be MANY more things in the future to stir up a lil’ doubt for anybody with an open mind!
The translation in french of this page
http://www.jehovahforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1013&p=5877#p5877
“Purge” is what I can see in the game the GB has played for now years.
Their irrational teaching gives them opportunities to “purge” the organization where reasoning people leave and the GB ensures it is followed by spiritually traumatized “blind led by the blind”!!
Believe me, such people are found everywhere in the world!!
*** w99 3/1 p. 24 Over 40 Years Under Communist Ban ***
The Watchtower of April 1, 1956, reported that “a great purge” of Jehovah’s Witnesses was carried out on April 1, 7, and 8, 1951. “These are dates unforgettable by Jehovah’s witnesses in Russia,” The Watchtower explained. “On these three days all of Jehovah’s witnesses that could be found in Western Ukraine, White Russia [Belarus], Bessarabia, Moldavia, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia—more than seven thousand men and women . . . were loaded in carts, carried to railroad stations and there put in cattle cars and sent far away.”
Okay okay Lloyd, I’ll stop saying that they have a fortune, lol! Interestingly though, under your “What lies in store?” section, you state almost EXACTLY what I suspect the ultimate fate of the Org will be– possibly even giving them a little more benefit of the doubt than I do.
Given their substantial worldwide holdings–including every single KH on planet Earth–I simply expect that they will end up with enough bucks in the bank to easily, VERY comfortably sustain a half-dozen or so cult leaders and their efforts to maintain a meager following of either completely brainwashed people, and/or completely brain-DAMAGED people for quite awhile. The dumbing down even further of the main offerings seems to indicate that they’ve already resigned themselves to that eventuality.
Another minor point (since you asked): To say that those who believe the Org is unlikely to go from billions to zero in a few years see the Org as “too worthy an adversary to ever be vanquished” is a little bit creepy. I would say the situation is more of a Brewster’s Millions thing. That is to say, it can be fairly hard to blow a fortune in a short amount of time. If you haven’t seen the picture, I highly recommend it. It’s a documentary featuring R. Pryor, once one of America’s leading financial experts. ;)
Having said all that, I’m not actually presumptuous enough to think you had me in mind at any point during the writing of this excellent article. It just seemed a more fun way to approach this comment. Thanks for all of the new hope-inspiring info!
I have really failed to understand who is behind this organization! Satan or Jehovah, I can’t tell the difference!
Consider the following:
*** w97 1/1 p. 24 Giving Up Much for Something Greater ***
One day I began to read an article in The Watchtower that described the brutal persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Malawi. It told of a 15-year-old girl who was tied to a tree and raped six times because she refused to compromise her faith. Deeply shocked, I dropped the magazine, but I kept thinking about it. I realized that no girl in my church would show that sort of faith. Later that evening, I took up the magazine and read the page again.
@Tara
Thunderbirds are awesome!!! Of course, the WTBTS are NO Thunderbirds! LOL — Case in point: I recently viewed some Youtube clips of the Australia Royal Commission, and was surprised to learn that Geoffrey Jackson (Mr. “This is our Constitution”) dropped out of high school (at 15, if memory serves) to “pioneer”. So here is a high-school dropout who believes he is qualified to sit on a panel of individuals who believe THEY are qualified to dictate to 8 million other individuals, how to live their lives!!! INTERESTING!!!
Consolidate into one compound. Close branches, stop all construction, divest of human capital and then start to sell off properties worldwide. No explanation given and no accountability for these actions. Everyone accepts and follows with no questions asked.
Create urgency, tell everyone that for sure now the end is so close.
Then just sit back and enjoy the cushy life in a cushy resort in upstate New York with lots of money in the bank.
They really have it all figured out.
But God is watching.
There’s always a bigger fish. lol
They would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for those meddling apostates.
Rob, I think it is part of the delusion that God is watching. He does not consider them any different than other similar sects. He never was with them. They don’t really matter to him it is just the witnesses that are affected by them. The other people in the world doesn’t even care. I once thought he will get THEM! but was a fool for not thinking for myself once I got 18. But we can be happy to say we saw it in time and got out. Take Care
I think God is watching as He does all
cults. sects, religions (and not) worldwide and sees those individuals who honestly want to worship, serve Him in some way, those who would like to believe but are too disappointed with what they see. People are precious to Him.
I am convinced that for those who did and do what they believe is right in the matter of religion, whichever the group, it’s ok.
I don’t want to think that the past 50 years
We’re an utter waste.
were
Lloyd, you are not “getting ahead of yourself” re the demise of the Watchtower Society. I recently had a conversation with a (current) active Witness about the “1914 overlapping generation” and he agreed with me that the Society cannot get away with claiming that someone born a few months before the last person who witnessed the year 1914 passes away, “counts” as part of that overlapping generation. He estimated that Armageddon must come within the next 20 years. When I asked him what he would do if it didn’t come and showed no signs of coming… he shrugged his shoulders and had no answer for me.
My guess is that long before 20 years the game will be up. The G.B. will be bleating that it “misinterpreted” that 2010 overlapping generation “increased light” from Jehovah. But, if they admit they got that light wrong, what about all the other “increased lights”? What about the no-blood “light” revealed in 1945? And if they truly did misinterpret the overlapping generation light, why didn’t Jehovah immediately correct them? According to the Feb 15 2006 Watchtower Jehovah uses that “increased light” to constantly “refine” His people, “organizationally, doctrinally and morally”. How moral would it be of a perfect God to allow His people to continue preaching a lie with regard to the timing of Armageddon?!
Good stuff. Interestingly, a Nigerian jw recently lamented on Facebook that work to build halls in Nigeria had been stopped. This dovetails with what your bethel sources have reported.
I can see Warwick with its luxury accommodations.
sports facilities and acreage, as ideal for renting out
to big corporations. For conferences and team building.
Other than that it seems to have little practical purpose.
Just a grandiose scheme, born of vain, pompous, self
Important and deluded minds. I just can’t connect it to
spreading the Gospel, or to Christianity in any way, shape
or form.
So it’s the JW version of Vatican City. Where all the wealth of the JW church will be hidden to get them through Armageddon. Or the huge ‘arks’ that are being built to store vast amounts of seeds etc for the coming Apocalypse. Sorry vast amount of faithful minions you have been found wanting and you shall not enter. This wretched hive of scum and villainy built to carry the chosen 7 through into the new world…. and a finger poked out of heaven and a searing blue light was seen to emit from the finger and all that once was Warwick went ‘POOF’. and the finger was raised back unto the heavens and a nose like someone blowing down the barrel of a gun that had just been discharged was heard by all the minions of the earth and there was great rejoicing in the land.
or even a noise
@Tara . Warwick is Maybe 7 MIDGETS Version of Rutherfords Version of BETH SARIM ??
Oh ya! with more rooms and a Tracy island lake!
Tara,
The big difference between the Vatican and Warwick is that the Vatican is a separate country!
I also love your quoting of Obi Wan Kenobi! The WTBTS is a wretched hive of scum and villainy indeed!
Peace be with you, Excelsior!
Ceders, i think the term ”fire sale” comes to mind. ( Im not sure it might be ”fire cell”) If in doubt watch diehard 4.0 This ones for the gb. Yippie ki a, mutha ,better stop there.lol.
I am vey interested in all that has been said so far, and this might have been mentioned already but I believe the reason the Warwick progress photos were pulled was not because of the diver photo but more importantly the pictures of the apartments and the associated caption. Just my opinion but the idea of getting kicked to the curb while the headquarters staff pick their personnel residence out of the beautiful apartments shown might be too much for some bethelites to handle.
Something for all of us to ponder.
If we appreciate Lloyds hard work ….
Are we making a contribution to him?
I sent in a donation for the first time last week.
It will be the first of many.
Lloyd spends sick amounts of time dealing with all of this stuff. He has a family, bills and a house that never seems to get any further on in progress. Those in Bethel have someone to share insider info with ONLY because Lloyd so selfishly puts himself out there to have a website and deal with all this crap that he would just like to be done with.
Let me make sure we are all givers as well.
I say this as my own reminder as well.
If everyone chips in he won’t have to choose between feeding his family and doing activist work.
Best of wishes to all of you my kin.
One day we will all celebrate the WT downfall together. Heads up. Our deliverance is near.
@Garret. REALLY REALLY EXCELLENT COMMENTS You have made!!!
JWsurvey is indeed a worthy cause which certainly deserves all contributions it receives. Since its inception in 2011, this site has provided a library of nearly 200 in-depth Watchtower topics.
After providing a long list of negative factors affecting the Watchtower cult, Lloyd provided the following summary:
“Not only is the Society unable to function in the longterm with this state of affairs, they are already experiencing a negative impact as the money starts to dry up. This has resulted in drastic measures being taken to reduce costs, abandon expansion plans, and gather in funds from anywhere they can think of.”
This accurate statement came from Cedar’s blog, posted on April 23, 2012.
I would advise everyone to go back to the beginning and browse through the wealth of information provided by JWsurvey:
http://jwsurvey.org/category/cedars-blog/page/17
Garrett,
I gave him 20p for a lolly when I worked with his Mum and himself in service, he was about 8 or 9 at the time, I’m sure that counts.
OK, OK……I’ll send him another 20p.
Money poisons the well.
This is what we do for love of our fellow man.
What we give our lives for in war.
its called self sacrifice.
@Garrett, great point you made. I will start contributing myself.
@Garrett,
Agree and will do. If/when we benefit from so much effort on Lloyd’s part, we need to fund this benefit
we are receiving.After all, he is not a Bethelite, he has a life,a family,one of us, and needs to be compensated for his work.
Garret,
So true, I was only thinking that myself the other day. I only have PayPal though. Might have to get a Visa card.
I live in California and I used the PayPal option to donate to JWsurvey. This can be found by clicking the DONATE button near the top right side of this page.
I don’t know how PayPal works in other countries. Also, if you buy a prepaid VISA card, you may need to make sure that it can be used worldwide.
Thank you Scot, that was really easy.
You are very welcome Grace.
You are most welcome Grace.
A brilliant article Lloyd. You aced this one! Recognition/appreciation also goes to the bethelites who are Disseminating this information from the inside
I still find it hard to believe how these greedy b@$€¶#£$ can throw everyone and there hopes and there halls under bus, after robbing all the kh savings and stand there smileing. You can bet the money grab gets worst.
Regarding: “They are seeing branches closed, construction work halted, and face lay-offs on an unprecedented scale in the interests of cutting costs, while the Governing Body is lavishing dedicated funds on outside contractors just so they can have their own remote-controlled lake.”
On the other hand, the Watchtower Governing Body would have cult members believe that their contributions are not being devoted exclusively to construction of the Warwick palace and grounds:
From the JW dot ORG website: “In each congregation, there are boxes clearly labeled “Contributions for the Worldwide Work—Matthew 24:14.” These funds are used in a variety of ways according to the need, including the construction of Kingdom Halls. Such funds are not used to pay salaried executives because Jehovah’s Witnesses have none.”
Perhaps no Watchtower “salaried executives” are being used — just salaried outside contractors.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2002362#h=21
Haven’t they recently changed the boxes at the back of the halls… I wasn’t paying much attention but I think ‘Local contribution box’ has gone and now it all goes into one with some fancy name. I could be wrong but I’m a woman so probably not ;)
@Tara .. I think You are RIGHT.. My EYESIGHT isn’t too good these days But I am sure the NEW CONTRIBUTION BOX is Labelled … ‘LUNCH BOX for 7 MIDGETS of BROOKLYN ‘
You funny ;) The song ‘Charities fine, subscribe to mine’ springs to mine, get out and pick a pocket or two’ springs to mind.
@Tara . Which One is FAGAN?? LETTS or MORRIS or JACKSON !!
@Pickled Brain
PRICELESS!!! LMAO!!!
But I would add “MENTAL”, as in “7 MENTAL MIDGETS of BROOKLYN”. Still hilarious though.
@Awake . Sorry my friend .. A slip of my MENTAL TONGUE or Should I say MENTAL FINGER??!
Ooohh !! …this is beginning to sound ‘ X’ RATED ??
The WTBTS is doing what it supposed to as a corporation, that is, cutting costs, streamlining, laying off, and optimizing operations in the name of profit. All things point to a corporation and not an organization led by God.
With the bad press on JW’s and notions of cult like activity, the bethelites better think twice about putting the WTBTS on their resume if they want a job in society.
Getting let go is a hard pill to swallow and resentment will run rampant. This will lead to ‘BOSTATES’ that is Bethelites turned apostates (first to coin the phrase). Jw’s will then follow the lead of the bostates.
@Vince.. REALLY LOVE the Terminology ‘BOSTATES’!! .. Brilliant … But you are right !! Young JWs who have SACRIFICED a GOOD EDUCATION to work at BETHEL & SACRIFICED Good Job Prospects only to be THROWN OUT on the SCRAPHEAP & Told to RELY on JEHOVAH will not go down to well Because that is what they did by going to Bethel!
How about CHUCKING the 7 MIDGETS of the GB out of WARWICK to Get a Job & Rely on Jehovah! .. I have seen 7 VACANCIES at our Local MACDONALDS they could Apply for !!
@Pickled Brain
Re: 7 vacancies at McDonalds — I doubt the 7 mental midgets would be qualified! Plus, they could never handle the stress. I’ve seen how some of those McD’s servers and frycooks hustle!!
I prefer the anti-typical bethelite. ;)
Ready 4 to Fade. Good comment . Wasn’t FRED FRANZ an Anti- Typical Bethelite or Maybe RAY FRANZ?? as they Practically Chucked him out of bethel !!
I haven’t seen the Splane video on the “overlap, and don’t want to, but the issue of the 144 000 is an interesting one. The bible gives no time frame for the selection process other than it began after Christ died and concludes sometime before Armageddon. Meaning that Christ would offer that offer to those that wanted it and met his criteria of that group, until the number was filled. Unlike the WT’s view that it more or less stopped in 1935 is unsupportable.
Which brings us to Math 24:34-35 which says, “this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.” He adds that “heaven and earth” would pass away but his words wont. The first question might be is there anything there that says the “generation” is referring to the anointed? Not as far as I can see. It was just humankind in general.
So logically who would comprise that generation? I need to say many on this page if 1914 is the correct time. I think it is, not because of the WT, rather in spite of them, but others will draw their own conclusions.
In the Awake article of April 1988 the WT quotes The New International Dictionary of the New Testament of Theology, (I like it when they quote from external sources, it avoids spin) which discusses the Greek word “genea” (generation)and defines it, Those born at the same time… associated with this is the meaning- the body of ones contemporaries, an age. A Greek English Lexicon of the NT states- “the sum total of those born at the same time, expanded, to include… all those living at a given time generation, contemporaries.
What all that means is all those who were “alive” during the year 1914 whether they were 8 or 80 yrs old or a new born child, comprise that generation.
Thus when I first became a witness in the late sixties the discussion always centred around how old you had to be so that you could understand what was going on around you and so be part of that generation.
Looking back, it was a silly question. The operative word according to the dictionaries above, is, were you “alive” not were you anointed, or did you understand.
Understanding the events was not needed you just had to be alive. A contemporary.
Because the GB have sought to justify their “calling” as anointedin view of the verses mentioned and because of their erroneous/ false view that the generation had to be anointed, they suspended belief in the Master’s words that generation would not pass away and invented the “overlap theory” to explain what they see as a fault in the prophecy. How cynical can they be?
But is there a fault in the prophecy? The reader has to make up their own mind. But if you Google the question “how many people born in 1914 are still alive” you may very well be quite surprised. I checked a few months ago and around the world it is estimated that there is over a million still going. The rate of decline is fast though.
Also I point out the obvious was Christ crowned as king in 1914 since no human saw that and neither were we meant to? It is a personal matter of individual faith. We will all find out one way or the other as to who gets it right, time decides.
While talking about Greek words, I often see the WT refer to, “the great tribulation.” A careful look at a English interlinear of a Greek text shows that the definite article “ho” (in English, the) does not appear in front of the words “great tribulation” in Math 24.
What this means is, that great trib’n is a period of time not an event in time as the WT claims. The reality seems to be that we are having great trib’n now, beginning 1914. If we aren’t try telling some of the Syrian refugees fleeing for their lives that they face a GT somewhere future. They would laugh. What worse things could a Gt do to them than what they already have?
All things being equal I try to keep an open mind and think for myself.
I apologise if this comment causes offence to any of our U.S. posters but I have to say it.
Watchtower work and business ethics reflects the American Hire and Fire culture. If you are broken cog in the machinery or surplus to needs…you are disposed of. Time and again I hear stories here in the U.K of men and women who are laid off, redundant, three weeks or so before Christmas so that when the Stock Exchange bell tolls on January 2nd, the Accountants can present a healthy report on Company assets and funds. No feeling for the poor bu**ers who have put their heart and soul into their career and family!
Same applies to American Foreign Policy…as long as the Yankee Dollar is safe… sod the consequences for those in its all invasive path. Makes my blood boil!
@Gem . You Don’t need to Apologise . I feel the same way . The 7 MIDGETS in their BUSINESS SUITS, FLASH WATCHES & RINGS . .. NOT to MENTION the EXTRAVAGANT LAKESIDE HQ at WARWICK & FANCY PLUSH TV STUDIO & WEBSITE …. ALL COSTING TENs of MILLIONs of DOLLARS !! These 7 PYGMIES are COPYING their IDOL… JUDGE RUTHERFORD & BETH SARIM & FANCY CADILLACs he Drove & Flash Suits he wore!!…. Now Contrast that with JOHN the BAPTIST & what he wore & ate … Simple Food & Clothes & What about Jesus who had nowhere to Lay his head or Apostle Paul who worked as a TENTMAKER so as not to be a Financial BURDEN on the Brothers!! … HMmmmm !!!
I’d love to see the gb eat a plate of locusts. lol
@Awake .. I would LOVE to SEE them EAT a ….’FIELD of LOCUSTS’ !!!
Waco, sorry Warwick.
I Shared some of the “Secret” information Lloyd gave us about the changes coming to the WT etc with my Pioneer wife who is off to the annual meeting in NYC. She received tickets from the GB and she is so PROUD that she was “chosen” to go. When I told her beforehand what was going to be happening she was stunned! She demanded to know where I received that information so I told her I have a friend at Bethel( Theocratic Warfare! lol) who was sharing information. She said what is his name ?
She wants to KNOW so bad where I find out this info from!
I felt like she wanted to snitch on him/her to the GB connections she has. SO I said ok his name is Steve Hansen ( made up name ) of course she did not believe me. I Said what difference does it make if you know his name or not? She said you should not have that information before it is announced! She is a very delusional JW who believes the WT an GB can do know wrong and everything they do is for the Kingdom etc.
Anyway she is off to WT land and will be in her own Nirvana for a few days. I hope she doesn’t drink the Cool-Aid when they pass it around at the Annual meeting.
@Holy Connoli .. DITTO .. My Wife is like yours!! Show you how the GB DIVIDE FAMILIES !!
My parents Hall has been sold. They were given talks by The Society showing JWs in Africa meeting in tents & under trees etc. then they were told the proceeds from the sale of their hall would build 10 halls in Africa. Does anyone know if there is a large building program in Africa?
I don’t want to upset my elderly parents, but they keep on saying that once The Society showed them how happy the African brothers are with their new halls how could the congregation say no to selling their hall.
I just feel like they have all been duped, they are an elderly congregation in a working class suburb who all worked and saved very hard to pay off their hall many years ago.
@Wanderer: where did this selling occurred?
I am in Scotland, UK and so far we have not heard anythung like this happening. Although I can see it coming if the WTBTS need more funds to pay lost court cases and building project(s). We are indeed living in interesting times for the Org. let’s and wait and see.
The WTS is a corporation passing off as a religious organisation. That is why after perpetrating advance salvation fraud on us witnesses, and we are now seeing through it, the self-appointed, self-styled FDS aka GB is adopting a corporate business strategy to downsize, and enjoy the booty they fleeced us of with their few cronies.
Just a quick question to those of you in the know…
Do hurricanes occur frequently in New York state then?
I wonder where the water goes to once the level of the lake has been lowered with their fancy new valve replacement? Hmmm
@Average Joe… I had read this off there site about the new valve, and thought at the time about the mentioned hurricane how odd that was…
Hi average Joe, hurricanes Irene and Sandy both hit New York. Major flooding especially in the Catskills when Irene hit.
Although I come from Africa I was kinda wondering the same thing !
@Lloyd… I like how you compared them to Scientology. I actually had this same thought the other day reading something off your blog….
Hello,
But picture is always :) … not directly , but always here
http://assets.jw.org/assets/m/ijw16ac/502016504/ijw16ac_id-502016504.art/502016504_univ_gal_20_lg.jpg
So, close…Lets see if we can chip a little further into the psychological torture that millions are submitted to
https://www.change.org/p/launch-an-investigation-to-determine-if-jehovah-s-witnesses-have-a-right-to-use-coercion-forms-of-mental-torture-to-force-its-members-not-to-leave
It already has a little over 6,000 signatures and needs 7,000 for an official investigation to begin. Hopeing for something similar to the Australian Rotal Commision here in the states.
I agree with most who are also blogging here. This is typical of a large corporation downsizing, selling off, and then enjoying the profits. The GB and cronies at Brooklyn are basically getting ready for a trade-in and up-grade in living. Of course you have to pump it up and then dump the hapless worker bees. That’s typical of a corporation’s PR before the axe falls.
I really feel for the rank and file of this organization. They are the ones who get it in the end. Just like the underlings of the Pharasees in Jesus’ day; sheered and thrown about.
This my assessment of the situation. They need that check for the rest of those properties in Brooklyn real bad so they’re putting all their effort into Warwick. Remember they haven’t moved out of Brooklyn yet. So they haven’t got paid yet for them. Gets call robbing Peter to pay Paul.
That makes sense that they need to rob Peter to pay Paul to try to get the lakeside retirement villa ready to move in to but what gets me is that they spin it to sound like they have to now “urgently preach” to distract everyone from questioning their decisions.
So when they start their grand rebuilding projects again what will they tell everyone about the preaching work being urgent?
They’re just full of stinky gas that’s blowing out of their backsides.
Watched the “Shawshank Redemption” last night, and the
scene where the old lag ( con,) paroled after 50 years of
Institutionalisation was unable to deal with life outside.
He ended up hanging himself .
This put me in mind, particularly of long term Bethel servers.
Who after living for many years, in a centrally heated,
every thing provided, and insulated system, are to be thrown
out, without any support, into the real world.
Am I being too dramatic? I don’t think so ! An elderly bro,
gave a talk to a class of elders. He was extolling Bethel life,
then he said, ( with great passion and fervour). “I’d sooner
be DEAD than out there” ( Meaning in the world.)
Suicides? I certainly hope not! but there will be plenty of
problems both practical and emotional. What a reward for
years of free labour. They stand condemned by standards
of human decency, and by the book they claim to follow.
“By the book they claim to follow”. You did it again Ted! those words sum up what we see before us. They have totally forgotten The Good Book and what it stands for .It is very shameful.Some will be lemmings and casualties others maybe lucky and scooped up by friends and relatives.Is it me or have they really not taken God into account at all? Surely the bethelites have tiny brains that work they cannot all have come from stepford.It’s getting crazy now whilst we wait. Blessings to you and yours ruthlee
Very interesting point Ruthlee. I do recall a few years ago we recieved one of the previously laid off bethelites as a special pioneer at our congregation after having served 20 plus years in his assignment. Well, if you’ve ever seen the movie Jack with Robin Williams you’ll understand the kid in a grown ups body, trying his very best to pretend to be a grown up. He was absolutely clueless as to the actual hurdles witnesses in the real world have to go through in order to survive and put food on the table, keep their homes, manage teenagers. I believe what really changed him was one of the judicial cases that most impacted me. A young boy of 13 years that was baptized in full love of Jehovah and with Bethel in his sights was seduced by a 17 year old relative of witnesses and committed fornication. We had just viewed the video that traveled with the overseer a few weeks prior on how to deal with the situation and damned if senior elders didnt insist on ignoring the kid and his good standing families pleas for mercy in order to just stick to what Jehovah showed he wanted in that video. This bethelite to his credit did state that the whole thing was wrong. He couldn’t understand that these line manager elders were completely incapable of sticking with scripture for any decision. You have no idea the anger I feel at myself for not having told that family what I wanted to say. Like a good pos elder I supported what the majority pushed for. Never again.
@Ted . NO I don’t think you are DRAMATIC at all. I Think you are SO RIGHT after being COSSETTED for so long having everything done .., WASHING,IRONING,COOKING, BILLs PAID,NO TAXES, JOB FOR LIFE Until Armageddon??… NO REAL TESTS of FAITH as SURROUNDED by People who Believe the Same Things, Etc …, such a SHELTERED & ARTIFICIAL LIFE… You Mention Possible SUICIDES!….. WELL I Think you could be SO ACCURATE in your Assessment !! … The SHOCK that maybe the MAGNIFICENT SEVEN’might not be SO MAGNIFICENT after all!! & NEW LIGHT might be no better than a LIGHT BULB Hanging from the Ceiling !! VERY SAD for ALL Those WASTED LIVES of what could have been ?
Any Bethelites on this site, tell your friends (the ones you can trust). It will give you at least the psychological bracing you will need if the unthinkable happens and you end up on your a** out in the cold, cold world — Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as you’ve been led to believe. But you WILL need new life skills, as well as marketable employment skills. Take advantage of ALL financial resources, including family, friends, and Biff Brother (government), to acquire said marketable skills. Be smart. Plan ahead. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it!!!
When I was a bethelite, a group of us once watched the Shawshank Redemption and were blown away by the similarities.
Sorry if this comment duplicates. I left it yesterday but can’t find it.
I just wanted to throw a prediction out there: eventually, the Watchtower won’t be able to use the “consolidation” or “streamlining” excuse. People will wonder why the Watchtower, who once bragged of their global footprint as evidence of God’s backing, no longer have that global footprint. If they lose significant numbers of members and properties, this is what will happen:
The Governing Body, probably through a video, will address their masses and drop the bombshell that we are, now, in fact, living in the GREAT TRIBULATION!!
This will affect JWs in different ways. Watchtower imagery (especially since the “Revelation” book) has portrayed the Great Tribulation and subsequent Armageddon as a Hollywood-disaster-movie-esque event with intense persecution around every corner, having to meet in secret, etc. Basically like a Holocaust with “true religion” members as the main victims.
So if the GB announces that due to “new light” and the “obvious” signs in the world that we are in the Great Tribulation, thinking Witnesses won’t buy it, hopefully.They’ll look outside and see that things are pretty much the same as they always have been.
And I can’t believe that the JW religion is turning into a video production company posing as a religion, instead of a printing company posing as a religion!
I had to leave class while the ‘flag salute’ happened. I had no holidays as a child. I turned down a lot of great women because they weren’t JWs. I have lost 2 sisters and lots of great friends to the JWs. Its poetic justice to see the GB exposed for all of their spiritual crimes. Maybe now I can read Crisis of Conscience with my mother and laugh…I just went too far!!!!! Good article.