There is a question regarding the longevity of JW.org given the events of the past few years. The following is just my opinion and observations based on events from the past year.
Two years ago, JW.org implemented a 5-year cost reduction program in which they asked all branches to cut costs by a minimum of 10%, up to 25% as a preferred number.
In the spring of 2015, Stephen Lett asked for donations after stating that JW.org had more money going out than coming in. 6 months later in a private seminar, branch officials announced that Lett’s plea resulted in 30 million extra dollars in donations, but this would not stem their financial issues and would continue with layoffs and cutbacks.
As many of you know, the cutbacks were significant. Aside from the Bethel layoffs, all non-essential branch projects were either cancelled or put on hold. Watch Tower Headquarters asked branches to sell as much equipment as they could liquidate – including heavy equipment, printers, etc. All monies were directed at finishing Warwick, then selling off their cranes and millions of dollars worth of vehicles and other high prices tools, right down to a 5 dollar screwdriver.
Meanwhile, Watch Tower purchased four $8,000.00 scanners. The purpose? To scan all documents located in Brooklyn, retaining only the hard copies they were required to keep by law.
Watch Tower was spending tens of thousands per year to New York City just to maintain their tunnel and air-bridge spaces between buildings. This was not a tax, it was a fee paid because New York owns the underground and the airspace. Moving to Warwick eliminated these costly payments.
Branches around the world are struggling to keep up with their own accounting procedures. In South Africa, over 1400 congregations struggle to file their government mandated tax returns required of each congregation. Most congregations have not filed returns for 2 to 4 years, primarily because local elders do not understand how to file returns, and are quite frankly not interested in the business aspect of this religion. These elders are being retrained, and have been called disobedient by the branch.
JW.org has been spinning the cutbacks as simplification, and have coerced dozens of those who lost their full-time jobs to give testimonials about how happy they were to accept their new assignment in the field. (Translation – they are on their own: no health care, no jobs, no training. They are told to just go and pioneer.)
In Namibia, the government has denied Watch Tower’s plea to remove itself from employer status, since this forces Watch Tower to pay social security benefits to all full-time workers – such as Bethelites. This has happened in other countries as well. Watch Tower must pay these benefits. This raises the issue of whether any benefits will ever be paid to other full-time JWs across the globe, who deserve them equally.
Watch Tower is watching its assets in Russia vanish while paying settlements in the US and elsewhere for child abuse mishandling and other legal cases. Watch Tower has taken over responsibility of all kingdom halls worldwide, but many sit in disrepair awaiting renovations in excess of what congregations can afford.
There is dissent in South Africa right now because of the fixed per capita amount assigned to each publisher who attends a circuit assembly. Many elders have questioned this vocally, and have described the amount of money charged to each circuit as an invoice. This does not sit well with many elders, particularly those is less than affluent areas. Watch Tower has dispatched a team of elders to correct their thinking and their accounting procedures.
Watch Tower is in the process of implementing a new records management program along with a destruction of documents procedure which is designed to ensure that no documents exist which would tie Watch Tower to any legal responsibility or repercussions. The records management overseer related an experience where one hand-written note cost watchtower over $200,000 – simply because a JW elder at headquarters was honest and produced a written document which tied Watch Tower to a major litigation case with a prior vendor. Watch Tower has made it clear these records are to be destroyed according to their new records management and destruction procedures.
Beginning in 2018, JW.org will implement a program in which every single JW will be assigned a database number and their information will be in JW.org’s global database. Currently, in the US, JW.org has just 40% of their publishers registered in the JW.org database system. All Jehovah’s Witnesses will be given a number and tracked unless we can stop this invasion of privacy here in the US and around the world.
Watch Tower is very upset and concerned about all the leaks coming from their headquarters. They use Office 365 now and embed data into PDF files in an attempt to track where the leaks are coming from. They have been issuing subpoenas from the Southern District of New York to various internet providers in the US, along with Google, Inc., in an attempt to track down the source of the leaks and identify the individuals involved in leaking their literature and videos. Watch Tower demands their freedom of speech but attempts to deny it to those sharing their publicly available materials which, by the way, are not being distributed for monetary gain.
Watch Tower continues to try to plug these leaks like the proverbial dam in Holland, but they are running out of fingers – and attorneys – to plug these leaks. We have far more than they realize we have, and there is nothing they can do to stop the flow of information outside of headquarters. It’s not what we post on AvoidJW.org that should worry Watch Tower. It’s what we don’t post.
The cart-witnessing program is finally beginning to backfire. Witnesses are being approached and asked hard-hitting questions about child abuse, shunning, and other matters. When you stand in the public square and represent a religion, it’s just a matter of time before the public connects the dots, and the carts are sent to the junkyard, one at a time.
In Canada, United States, Ireland, Australia, the Netherlands and multiple other countries, the government and media are taking notice of the public outcry for justice – justice for abuse victims to victims of imposed and mandated shunning. The Supreme Court of Canada will rule this year in a case involving shunning and discrimination, and if Watch Tower loses this case, the repercussions will be felt worldwide.
Yes, money is a problem for Watch Tower. Yet Governing Body members like Samuel Herd have publicly stated how beautiful their new surroundings are at Bethel – how they hear the birds chirping as they observe the serene landscape of upstate New York.
Meanwhile, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia have been imprisoned for following Governing Body directives. Young Korean Witnesses languish in prison for no reason. JWs in Eritrea have been rotting away in prison cells – some for decades – while the coalition of overweight, business-class-flying governing body members feign tears for the men and women who are effectively their slaves.
Like Stockholm Syndrome victims, Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to support the only organization they think has the answers, identifying with and revering their captors – men who have little sympathy for the victims of child abuse, shunning, or death by blood policy.
Governing Body member Geoffrey Jackson callously stated in 2015 before the Royal Commission in Australia that he had not even read the details of the victims who had testified before the Commission. He focused on his defense, like a narcissist who believes they are the center of the universe, unable to empathize with real people with real problems.
Tony Morris declared on multiple occasions that he was incensed with European trousers for men, designed by the homosexuals he hates so passionately – and followed this tirade by producing a side by side photo of what proper trousers look like versus “tight pants”. In a recent private video for Bethel members only, this war against questionable pants, socks, and tights was restated, with Watch Tower doubling down on matters which would baffle Jesus himself were he to walk the earth today.
The lawsuits are piling up, the fines are compounding, the public awareness of Watch Tower’s dangerous and controlling cult influence on followers will become a spectacle in 2018. With multiple documentaries being filmed, protests being organized, news reports being written and lawsuits being filed, Jehovah’s Witnesses can choose to buckle up and attempt to survive the crash – or they can release that belt and get the hell out of the vehicle which is about to catch fire.
How long will all of this take? It’s hard to say. But I will say this – each one of us can play a part in sharing what we know with the public. Find some websites which you believe are honest and accurate – and share them. Find some books which are truthful and sincere – and share them. Tell your story. Show your compassion for those still trapped.
There are millions trapped inside a mental prison, but we can help them. Let’s make it happen.
It is a great article!
In more recent news concerning the Watchtower organization, Steven Lett made a really shocking and quite frankly damning statement concerning babies. Steven Lett said that when people walk up to admire a little baby, they often would say, “Look at that little angel!” Steven then went on to say, “more accurate, look at that little enimy of God.” This statement has circulated round the Internet and has appeared in many YouTube channels and so on.
Clearly, this organization is a satanic religion posing as Christian. For what Christian would ever call somebody’s baby a little enimy of God? This just comes in a long line of brutal, evil statements that were made by the governing body over the years, and it also proves that this organization in no way is being backed, or supported by God in any way shape or form.
With all of the publically displayed lies and deceptions that this organization has dished out over the years, people are finally waking up to the real truth about the Watchtower organization and it’s agenda. They’re currently in damage control which means that they’re trying to wipe away their history in the hope that future Witnesses will never find it out.
However, it is too late because it is all laid bare for everybody to see online and it will never ever be erased or taken down. It is quite funny when the Watchtower wants to shut down somebody’s YouTube channel because they said something bad about Watchtower, but at the same time, Watchtower sees absolutely no problem bashing other religions out of their mouths online during their dramas, talks and other programming that they put out. Truly the Watchtower organization has absolutely nothing good to say about any other religion because they’re too busy puffing themselves up over them.
The rules just keep right on getting tighter and tighter due to the fact that they’re in full damage control, and they want to keep as many people in the organization as they possibly can. However, none of that is really working and people are still waking up from this brutal North Korean type religion. Growth is pretty much stagnet in America and other countries like Great Brittan, Austrialia and other English speaking nations. Much of their growth from these nations is from people being born into the religion.
And now with other countries finding out the harshness of their rules and their inhumane practices of shunning, and not turning child sex abuse cases over to the police is really causing a huge problem for Watchtower. If all of this keeps up, it might not be long before you will see jw.org gone from the scene, as well as other things tied to this diabolical evil religion. If the religion continues to have to pay out millions of dollars to the victems of child abuse, and it they continue to loose new converts simply because they’re finding out the real truth about the religion, then there’s no way that it will be able to remain standing.
It is already collapsing under its own weight. Basically it is in the process of imploding. The major damage has been done and it will only continue to spread throughout the organization as more and more proof of this religion’s terrible practices are leaked out and spread all over the Internet.
The Internet is what is really hurting the Watchtower organization bigtime because in the past, information could be controlled and managed. However, today, information is in the form of aTsunami which can’t be stopped. Not even Watchtowers huge lawyers can stop it. It is just too much even for them to handle.
With all of the new doccumentaries being produced about this organization, YouTube channels and other types of media being produced, Watchtower doesn’t stand a chance at survival. More and more people each day are posting YouTube videos about their terrible experiences with this organization. People are finally not afraid to talk, and the very massive Ex-JW community is really having a huge affect on Watchtower and on those still inside of it. Once more and more world wide governments either ban Watchtower from their nations, or make them pay for all the evil that they have done through their evil practice of shunning and other terrible things not mentioned here, the Watchtower organization may be forced to shut it’s doors. Already, members of the Watchtower are already being asked to donate money. The reason for this is because they’re on the verge of going totally belly up, and they need money to be able to handle all of the child sex abuse cases that they have under their belts and so on. And, it doesn’t help the organization at all when governing body members like Jeffery Jackson get onto the stand in court and lie about their organization saying that it would be presumptuous to say that they’re the only spoakspeople for God when in fact, it says just that very thing in their literature. Clearly, these eight men will lie just to protect their money because that’s their first love. It isn’t about the children. It is all about their money.
The organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses is not God’s organization and never ever will be either. Just because they make the claim doesn’t make it so. They really have no proof of God giving them this high and mighty position of being God’s only spoksperson on Earth. No religion can claim that.
This religion is indeed a cult and a terrible one at that. it is one to really be avoided at all costs and it is really dangerous. While they may appear nice and friendly, once you get into the inner-workings of the organization, you quickly discover that the niceness and friendliness is very short lived unless you follow everything to the letter within the organization. There’s absolutely no room for error within the organization.
Shunning seams to be one of their favorite topics and favorite things to do. You can get shunned just by reading literature from another church, and you can even get shunned for smoking a cigarette. And instead of just forgiving you of your sin, this evil shunning practice is what they do to you until you’re reproved and brought back into good standing which by the way can take a very very long time. Simple forgiveness isn’t in their vocabulary. However, disfellowshipping is.
There is absolutely nowhere in the Bible where Jesus disfellowshipped anyone. There’s absolutely no evidence of that at all. A typical Jehovah’s Witness’s life is basically consisting of work or school and field service along with several weekly meetings and Bible studies, or should I say, Watchtower studies.
They rely upon the Watchtower more than they rely upon the Bible. And they actually tell you that you can’t read the Bible alone that you need these other publications written by them to be able to understand scripture because it comes down from the governing body, and what they say goes. It is law according to the Jehovah’s Witness.
With all the false end of the world predictions that they have done in the past, they’re still crying that Armageddon is coming soon, and that they will be the only survivors of the battle. They still teach that everybody else is doomed except for them. However, the Seventh day Adventists say that they’re the only true religion, the Mormons say it and so do the Catholics and so on. Now if they all say this, surely not all of them could be the truth huh?
Well here goes. I have just loaded my spiritual cannon, and I am about to fire away! Boom Boom Boom! None of these religions are the true religion. Jesus said himself that he was the way, the life and the truth and that nobody comes to the father but through him.
So if Jesus said that, then that means all of these cultic religions are not the truth as they claim that they are. As a matter of fact, there’s absolutely nowhere in all of scripture that even remotely leads to anything that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are the true faith. Jesus himself is truth, not those club-like religions.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses have a bunch of rules, regulations and policies much like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day had. They tell you that you need to follow these rules in order to receive salvation and so on. They make up these rules simply because they can. They put people’s lives in bondage to the religion. This religion contains more rules on what you can’t do rather than what you can do. It is all about the rules and their governing body. They worship the organization in which they’re a part of. Those eight men up in New York are worshipped because they follow every single word they say.
This is definitely one organization that you need to steer clear of at all costs. It isn’t Christian and it isn’t God’s organization. It is more like Satan’s group simply because of the harsh and inhumane rules and regulations that they harbor in their midst. They don’t bring salvation to your door when they come but instead, they talk about a paradise Earth and so on. They have their little pet scriptures that they have taken out of context of course and they use those to try and convert you to their brand of religion. Their whole going out to knock on doors sounds commendable, but truth be known, the reason why they do it is because they’re trying to earn their own way into Jehovah’s new world; paradise Earth. It is all about how much you can do in the organization that earns you status and salvation. It is truly a heavily works based religion.
When a religion starts telling you what to wear, what you can and can’t do, whether you can vote, join the military, play sports, read literature from other religions and whether or not you can do certain things within marriage is a religion that is a pure cult. They govern every aspect of your life from cradle to grave.
Left In 1977. I’m astonished at the totally creepy nature of the GB Videos I have seen lately. I don’t remember feelling that way 30yrs ago, but perhaps I am starting to get back to normal? . . .