Jehovah's Witnesses: is your "religion" really just a moneymaking scheme devised by a publishing house?

Question

what better business model than to create a religious literature publishing company and call it a religion. Gather converts by telling them "the end is near, the end is near (1975 or insert the original end of times date)."

Here's where moneymaking comes in: require the converts to purchase the religious literature you publish and lots of it and then ask them to go make more converts for the purpose of purchasing more literature! Give the converts a persecution complex by telling them everyone's annoyance with them will be because God loves them so they'll expect the reception they get.

Keep the converts putting money only in your pocket by telling them they're being unfaithful to their religion if they read any outside religious material other than what's created especially for them (by your publishing company).

sound familiar?

Me, thank you for your response. Al, you should read this with interest, it's about the history of the religion you're considering giving your life to.

I know hard truth is difficult to swallow. Jesus forgives you, conundrum.

listen people, do not use my question to argue about other questions. Stick to the subject!

Island Princess, attacking the group asking this question is not an answer. For future reference, think about what's being asked, answer or don't bother replying. Besides, who besides an ex-JW would ask this question? It makes sense (follows) that it'd be an ex, I don't see anything but congratulatory patting on the back going on with JWs to ask something like this of your own organization.

CarolD, you nailed it.

expositors, that makes real sense. Power = money, also.. but you're right, in the absence of money motivation, power stands.

I wonder what benefit all this power brings the JW upper eschelon?

interesting. we have a hacker. I will speak to Yahoo Answers about this.

Answer 1

One might be led to think the literature is "free," but it's definitely not. Go to enough "service meetings" at the kingdom hall and you'll get the full picture: SOMEBODY PAYS FOR IT. The society and the congregation keep track of how much is ordered and how much comes back in "contributions." There are reminders to contribute as part of one's ministry regardless of whether any householders ever contribute or not. Somebody pays. If one person doesn't, someone else's contribution picks up the slack. If that doesn't happen, there's a "local needs" part to lecture about it.

Additional:
Back in the day when we placed the literature "on a contribution basis," it was a lot more straightforward. For a long time, we would pay three cents for a five-cent magazine. That was supposed to help defray our expenses. At some point, that was done away with and we just paid full price... maybe pioneers continued to get a break... I would vacation/temporary/auxiliary pioneer occasionally. We used to joke that if we couldn't think of anything else to say at a door, we could say: "Watchtower and Awake for a dime."

I have worked in the publishing industry for my entire career. The overhead in putting together a publication is tremendous. The cost of newsprint is huge. Most publishers stockpile as much as they can, making deals for the cheapest rate possible, but it's a very big expense.

Labor is the next biggest cost. As newspaper circulation is dropping -- partly due to the rise of the internet, partly due to apathetic parents not treaching their children the value of it, so that the next generation loses interest, especially among the less-educated -- newspapers are paring back their page count. Historically, they've always been at the forefront of technlogy, so they could streamline their combersome printing processes.

Having free labor would be a publisher's dream. That the Watchtower Society's labor is "free" and that its output remains tax-free is a huge boon to them.

And read up on the history of this process. It was "Judge" Joseph Rutherford who came up with the ingenious plan. This is heavily documented. It's just not what the witnesses want you to read. They want you to follow the mythology of their book "Jehovah's Witnesses, Proclaimers of God's Kingdom," which paints the picture of God directing it all, through these "humble men."

(Read up on Beth-Sarim, while you're at it. "Prophet House" was a convenient place for old drunken Joe to spend his last days in seclusion, as less of an embarrassment.)

Edit:
Oh, and about a "paid clergy"... Members of the governing body travel all over the world giving speeches and meeting with other members of the religion. Their expenses are all paid by contributions of others. They are fed and clothed very well. They see parts of the world that many of us will only dream about. They are slipped cash and gifts when they visit congregations... Not just the GB either... lots of Bethel members are sent out to give "special talks." A few hours of "work" and they are feted with parties, entertainment and gifts. Under the table.

I've been in several "host" congregations. Had foreign travelers stay at my house. Seen the gifts. Gone to the parties. Shared the food. Seen the elders slip them the money.

Suzanne

Answer 2

Mr John misses the point that though Jehovah was speaking to his faithful worshipers. The nation of Israel were just the ones in attendance at the time. The US President gives a speech to the nation. Those in attendance are reporters and film crew. The speech however applies to the entire nation. So Jehovah"s message applies to us today. Now to the questions: Memorial tomb can be located anywhere. Below, level, or above ground. Questions 1-4 all mean the grave no matter what method is used across the world. #5 The Bible is of course, true. Simple declarative sentences. Though it can be deduced that except for JWs, no religions have allowed their people to read these verses. As it conflicts with their own long entrenched beliefs, they will assume it must be the Bible that is wrong.

Answer 3

This is an interesting question. I will answer it NO. Now, that may seem strange to a few who expected me to say otherwise, but bear with me while I qualify myself. I promise it will be good. First, I just have to say something about the guy who down the board said JW's have 'no collection plate' yada yada yada... This kills me. Go into any Kingdom Hall. Look around. The room has four corners and there's a "contribution box" in every one of them. Wait till the speaker opens his mouth and rants about how you gotta fill it. Stay for the study and hear gawd tell ya via the watchtower how you gotta fill it. It's a sigh of relief to go to a church and have to deal with a single quiet plate going by.

As far as watchtower and money, it's not the money. Money is only a means to an end. It's the POWER they want. Money is how you buy it. A rich guy doesn't care about how many dollars are in his bank account, he cares about how he can tell people what to do. Money does that for him. The rush he gets by controlling other people's lives. The feeling of superiority he derives from the power his money buys him. So, do they claw for money. YES. But it's what the money brings that the pseudo Governing Body is after.

PS: When there's an opportunity to grab for power that doesn't involve grabbing for money first, the GB skips the cash stage and goes for it whole hog.

Answer 4

When I was a JW kid coming up in the 80s, I believe we were asking 25 cents per issue at the door, which was what we paid for it, when we had to purchase our supply at the KH. The sad thing is that, if we didn't place the mags. at the doors, we were stuck with them, having paid for them already. Same with the books, which were quite a bit more costly than the mags.

Two weeks later, new issues would come out and the old ones would be outdated. Now, we were giving the old ones away for free, just to get rid of them, to keep them from adding to the stockpile in the house.

That's not all: we were also encouraged to donate back to the WT, the money we got for the publications we placed, so
the WT made out twice: first, when we bought the publications, and again when we donated the $ back! I always thought we were getting the short end of the stick.

Let's not forget, too, the use of time and gas money we used, going out in field service. I always feel badly thinking about my parents, now retired and on limited pensions, slaving away for the org. like that. I just wish they would wake up and get out from under this merciless yoke of bondage, and I thank the Lord everyday that I was shown the light and rescued from its clutches.

Answer 5

They don't release the official income, but I've read a few places it is over a billion or so which makes sense. Most religious churches give to charity or do things for the neighborhood, but Jehovah's Witnesses don't do any of that so I can imagine how much money they have. The Governing Body just sucks it up for themselves. But they had to fork out some tens of millions for the child molestation victims that they tried to cover up. Sadly, one of the settlement requirements was that the victims keep quiet a bout their experience. The organization actually won because of that.

Answer 6

No.

If it's a front to make money, tell me, who gets it?

The Governing Body and the other brothers that take the lead live like every other Bethelite, in a modest apartment at Bethel. They eat what the other Bethelites eat, they have the same standard of living.

If the brothers taking the lead lived like other religions' clergy, your question might have some merit.

Money is needed to support the printing of literature, the building of Kingdoms Halls and branches, to organize conventions and assemblies, to provide relief in the the event of natural disasters, etc. You're naive if you think these things don't cost money.

The brothers are always up-front with us and tell us how many donations were received and how they were spent. There are accounts reports read all the time at assemblies, conventions, and local meetings.

However, I agree with JR and conundrum. Nothing a Witness says will placate you and others like you. We are wasting our time answering you as surely as you are wasting yours by making these baseless accusations.

simon61161: The magazines you didn't place weren't free to print. It's not the brothers' fault you took more magazines than you needed.

Answer 7

Wow, what a vast array of answers we have here. Good question by the way.

Some one above stated that it costs money to make the publications. Yes it does. They continued that book stores were selling bibles for something up to $50. Yes they did. WHY??? The book stores' publishing company had to pay for the following: LABOR (that's a big one), the printing factory land, buildings, upkeep, maintenance, insurance, legal fees, TAXES (now THAT'S a BIG one too), delivery fees, writer's fees, salespeople commissions and travel expenses, training expenses, etc, etc, the list goes on and on and on. Now, let's look at what the WBTS has to pay for out of their own pockets???? HMMMM NOTHING!!!!!! The bethelites work for wages much less than the sweat shops in 3rd world countries. Yes, they receive room/board, but who pays for that??? The individual JW in each and every congregation around the world. None of their "sales people" earn a commission. In fact it is their gas, their car, THEIR own money to get out that and "place" those magazines.
Last time I got literature from the literature counter at the local KH, I did not have to "pay" for them. Yes, that is true. BUT, it is ENCOURAGED (ok encouraged at the KH means that God is telling your through the governing body that you SHOULD) that the publisher DONATE for the literature at the time it is picked up, then when you come back to get more, whatever was "donated" by the householder (whether it was above and beyond or not) was to be donated also. Back when they stopped placing publications for a set price (which by the way was stopped to AVOID PAYING SALES TAXES) they devoted many service meetings explaining how it would all work, explaining what was to be expected of the JW and how it was their responsibility to support this big change.

Collection plate???? no, they do not pass a collection plate. This is true. But they do have the "donation box" PROMINENTLY placed at each KH. Personally, I prefer the collection plate. I have heard less discussion about donating at my church than I use to hear at the KH. The passing of the collection plate is ALWAYS preceeded by a prayer to bless the efforts towards which the monies received are to go to and a blessing for those that give. NO ONE has EVER pressured me into giving, I let my heart led me. But I do remember hearing at the KH how much pressure is given at churches on giving (usually this "talk" was being given by someone who NEVER even attended another church, so how did he know what happened there? He was TOLD by the WBTS, so it MUST be true......NOT!!!!!!!)

I also agree with the answerer above who said it is about power that is gotten because of the monies received. Do any of you actually know how much land is owned just in New York City, not to mention the properites around the world owned by the WBTS....each KH, each Bethel, each farm, each assembly hall?????

NONE OF WHICH IS TAXED!!!!!!!!

It is alot to think about, and no matter what I or anyone else says, JW will be blinded by the WBTS.

Answer 8

I am absolutely ASTOUNDED by the JW answerers who state that money isn't collected and that "all" publications are free. This will come as a huge shock to my JW ex-in-laws, who spend a substantial amount of money each week to purchase the publications they dutifully give out while they go door-to-door! If they are supposed to be receiving these publications for free and aren't supposed to give to a collection, then where is all the money going?

I suspect that, if they walked into their Kingdom Hall and refused to pay for these publications, they'd get a "nice" visit from an elder or two ...

Answer 9

Wow, I'm saddened by the fact that you've received such poor information. Jehovah's Witnesses have never and will never solicit people for money, unlike say...Catholicism or Baptist? As for our publications, we use voluntary donations to get the money to do that.

Just some advice: next time, if you have any question about our faith as well as anyone else's faith, ask a member instead of coming up with your own reasoning.

Answer 10

Dear Pedi,

I saw your question yesterday and added it to my Watchlist but did not intend to answer it.

I only had a chance to skim through Me's answer because my grandson wanted me to play with him.

When I tried to read her answer this morning it was GONE!!!

I went to Me's profile to email her but it is closed and her network is private. So this is a request for the info that she provided in her answer.

I have read the many comments about the jws not having offering plates and I say So What. My church doesn't pass an offering plate and that fact is neither here nor there.

For His glory,
JOYfilled