Jehovah's Witnesses - how did they get so much money?

[asas]

FWIW....this is how the JW's gather their monies......


Instead, we follow the admonition of 1 Corinthians 9:7 when it comes to giving money to our religious organization: "Let each one do just as he has resolved in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." So, each one of Jehovah's Witnesses gives as he has the means, and as he has resolved in his own heart.

The contribution boxes are also placed in inconspicuous places in the Kingdom Hall so that contributions can be private matter. Jesus gave the principle at Matthew 6:4 where he said, "...that your gifts of mercy may be in secret; then your Father who is looking on in secret will repay you."

Rather than the practice of tithing, these Biblical guidelines are what Jehovah's Witnesses follow.

PS... for the hatchet types...no I am not a JW.

[Glacier]

That makes sense to me, and I'm not a JW either. I can't help but notice how some of the "critics" on here sure don't hold back when leveling their vitriol toward JWs.

[asas]

Best to wear body armour and dodge the flak!

[concernie]

so here's the deal:

Jehovah's Witnesses don't get paid, supposedly.

Yet the organization is worth $1 billion, worth or New York's best
real estate. How did they get all that wealth, if no one gets paid?

And don't tell me the top guys of the organization don't get paid.
Every religion pays their top guys.

Not sure today but major New York financiers like JP Morgan got the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society going in its early days. Founder Charles Taze Russell was a devout Zionist and ardent denier of Christian orthodoxy.

Here's a possibly interesting book that might have some more answers:

Pastor Charles Taze Russell: An Early American Christian Zionist

[Thinktank]

:smt024
Jesus gave the principle at Matthew 6:4 where he said, "...that your gifts of mercy may be in secret; then your Father who is looking on in secret will repay you."

Almost all churches in Canada don't go by that 'secret' thing when it comes to giving money to them
because the government knows when people donate big amounts of money, and it's all recorded
for tax purposes. So mmost churches in Canada including JWs care more about taxers, than obeying
the bible and doing things in secret.

But I found a lot of Christians do keep a lot of secrets. I think being secretive is a bit evil, but
that's what the bible tells us to do.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/haip/srch ... =+&y=+&p=1

^ that website shows the income opf churches. A big church in Canada can make $1 million or $2 million dollars.

[concernie]

Forgot to mention that Russell was not only a Zionist but also a Knights Templar fraternal brother, so his backers had a lot of money...and power. There is also evidence that the B'nai Brith funded him and the WTBTS.

[grammafreddy]

Ummm ... did the common person "back in Jesus' day" know how to read and write? How did the disciples learn to record their "biblical books" and what did they use to write with and on?

[Thinktank]

How did the disciples learn to record their "biblical books"...

You wouldn't know the answer to that.
I wouldn't know it.
No one on Castanet forum would know it.
No one in BC or Canada or the world would know it.

The only person who would know something like that is Charles Taze Russell- God's only true religion on earth.
If you look at JWs pamphlets, they make sure to show lots of ethnic looking people in their illustrations.
Always lots of Asians, from Indonesia, Korea, China, .... people from India, Pakistan, Morocco,
Italy, different countries in Africa, a few northern Europeans thrown in and even an eskimo complete with a parka.
But the twelve leaders of that religion 'for the whole world' ( Jehova's Witnesses) ..........ARE ALL WHITE AS CAN BE.
Yup - God's chosen religion for all the earth is managed by 100% all white people.

[A_Britishcolumbian]

it is quite common for people of faith to dedicate their gospel scriptures to memory, there are many people that can recite 'the bible' in whole or in part, and that is the huge, modern canon.

guru gobind singh wrote out the guru granth from memory. i know many sikhs that can recite large portions of the guru granth.

the hebrews were likely more literate many of their contemporaries though, due to the nature of their community.

evidence suggests that the common person of western europe, or at least the british isles, was literate even in b.c. times.

evidence also suggests that the common folk of the indus valley civilization were literate 5000 years ago.

also, many of the old gospel texts are written in a certain meter to make recitation and memorization easier.

as for the Jehovah's Witnesses, over a century of wise real estate investments is bound to pay off big.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/r ... 3e0Ly5fSMK

[Glacier]

Ummm ... did the common person "back in Jesus' day" know how to read and write? How did the disciples learn to record their "biblical books" and what did they use to write with and on?

They likely were, and for the same reason we are literate today: because people wanted to be able to read the Bible/Torah. Ancient civilizations were not a primitive we are often assume.

http://www.craigaevans.com/evans.pdf

[Thinktank]

Pastor Charles Taze Russell: An Early American Christian Zionist

What's wrong with being a zionist? I was in a church that said God made WW2 because
He wanted Jews to go to Israel. So 20 million Russians had to be slaughtered, ( that's what God wanted)
just so a few million Jews could push Palestinians out of their homes.

I think all Christians are partly zionists.



http://www.patheos.com/blogs/phoenixand ... holocaust/

[concernie]

What's wrong with being a zionist? I was in a church that said God made WW2 because
He wanted Jews to go to Israel. So 20 million Russians had to be slaughtered, ( that's what God wanted)
just so a few million Jews could push Palestinians out of their homes.

That's the topic for another thread. The point I was trying to make was that Russell had some big financial backers in New York, including JP Morgan.

[TMixer]

That's the topic for another thread. The point I was trying to make was that Russell had some big financial backers in New York, including JP Morgan.

Thing is, Russel founded the Jehovah's Witnesses, but they don't hold true to his initial teachings. The people who do that call themselves "Russelites" and live in communes.

[TMixer]

Almost all churches in Canada don't go by that 'secret' thing when it comes to giving money to them
because the government knows when people donate big amounts of money, and it's all recorded
for tax purposes. So mmost churches in Canada including JWs care more about taxers, than obeying
the bible and doing things in secret.

But I found a lot of Christians do keep a lot of secrets. I think being secretive is a bit evil, but
that's what the bible tells us to do.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/haip/srch ... =+&y=+&p=1

^ that website shows the income opf churches. A big church in Canada can make $1 million or $2 million dollars.

I don't think JWs record individual donations, just the bulk they have to declare to the government. Tough to record dropping cash into a little box no one is standing near (that's how most donations are made).

[matai]

Yes, Jehovah's Witnesses provide tax receipts whenever you pay cash (if example you left your name on the envelope), by cheque or else. The tax receipt is sent from the headquarters in Toronto.

They have to be honest to keep God's favor and I believe they are (very honest as an organization and as individuals).