Jehovah’s Witnesses Leader's creepy plea for donations

[Coldwinterskies]

The Friendly Atheist has covered the creepy, patronizing way that one JW leader is asking for donations.

To me, Stephen Lett (the leader in the video, one of the JW's "governing body" who they believe is one of Jehovah's chosen representatives on earth) really does sound like he is talking to a slow witted child when he speaks. It's almost as if the leaders themselves think that only a stupid person would follow them. The JWs like to think of themselves as being separate and better than other Christians, but does anyone who watched the video actually think that this guy's plea for donation is ANY different than when other religious leaders ask for money?

 

JWs are actively discouraged from donating to "worldly" charities and have been told for a long time to give all their money to the Watchtower (the JW organization). However, it seems to me like they are becoming more desperate in their pleas for money. I think it is possibly because they are currently in the middle of A LOT of litigation over childhood sex abuse being covered up by their organization.

 

I think when you boil it down, almost all organized religions are ultimately about grabbing money from gullible people sadly (not to say all of them are, but it seems like so many are focused on money)

[Delilah]

I thought of you, coldwinter, when I read this on Patheos!

What caught my eye was the instruction for individual congregations to not save too much for a rainy day - send the extra cash to the Watchtower organization! Just because your Kingdom Hall finally paid off the mortgage, keep bringing in the donations at the same rate and send the money to the organization! The money will make it's way back to your little congregation because of magic Jehovah. Abandon sensible money management, and send in your cash!

(Lots of exclamation points means lots of morning coffee)

[onlyme]

Wow... that was just.... wow....

[GotCaughtDancing]

I wished this shocked me. :lol:

[Jana814]

This dosen't surprise me at all.

[Coldwinterskies]

I thought of you, coldwinter, when I read this on Patheos!

What caught my eye was the instruction for individual congregations to not save too much for a rainy day - send the extra cash to the Watchtower organization! Just because your Kingdom Hall finally paid off the mortgage, keep bringing in the donations at the same rate and send the money to the organization! The money will make it's way back to your little congregation because of magic Jehovah. Abandon sensible money management, and send in your cash!

(Lots of exclamation points means lots of morning coffee)

Hehehe. Yes, to me this is almost as bad as Creflo Dollar's little stunt trying to get people to buy him a lavish jet. I HOPE most JWs have enough sense to see what's going on here.

[Coldwinterskies]

I thought some of you might enjoy the music video that the JWs put in this month's "JW TV" broadcast. Could they BE any more blatant about what their motives are than they are when they show money getting slipped in a donation box and a girl whipping out her credit card to make an online donation?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5YleE4U_YU

[Coldwinterskies]

An ex-JW re-dubbed the video to turn it into a satire mocking their attempts to shake down their members for money if anyone is interested: