Governing Body Of Jehovah’s Witnesses Warns Against Ponzi Schemes

[Guest Nicole]

Gb stands for governing body. These men are the anointed leaders of Jehovah’s witnesses worldwide.

They sent a letter.. Not just to Nigerian congregations but to congregations worldwide.

I attended our weekly meetings today and a letter warning against any ponzi schemes was read.

Can’t say everything in it sha but the details were:
1. Trust God for all your financial needs

2. If you’re not sure whether the scheme would crash or not, don’t introduce it to your brothers

3. Never be driven by the love of money

4. Satan is looking for ways to drive Christians into his court. Try to be vigilant

At the end of the letter, Hebrew 13: 5 and 6 was read.

Thank God i didn’t go mmm or anyone

http://amibor.com/governing-body-of-jehovahs-witnesses-warns-against-ponzi-schemes/

[John Houston]

This was kind of broad wasn't it? I am a network marketer and do not see my business as a Ponzi scheme of any type. Yes we should be watchful of what type of things we get involved in, but to class all MMM's as maybe ponzi type fraudulent businesses is incorrect. Immature also spiritually if ones see their fellow brothers or sisters as such!

[JW Insider]

I think MMM in this case refers specifically to Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox (MMM), right?  (aka, Mondial Mavrodial Movement and variations)

 

[JW Insider]

@Nicole @John Houston

BTW, it is very common for Jehovah's Witnesses and many other religious people to get involved in MLM (multi-level marketing) which can be the same as "pyramid marketing" and many types of "network marketing." One reason it is attractive is that people in churches (and Kingdom Halls) and extended families have access to a quick "layer" of family, friends and acquaintances who can be expected to "share the wealth" while "enriching" the primary drivers of MLM even more.

Personally, I believe (maybe wrongly) that MLM is a kind of a religion. There will be some who make enough money to be the "examples" of leaders that others will want to follow. It is almost always less sustainable than it appears, because optimism is preached as a necessary ingredient for success. Therefore, adherents to the religion of MLM are constantly dismissing the failures of some as merely a temporary anomaly, due to their temporary inability to give as much to the MLM effort that should be required. If you fail, you probably just need to allow yourself to invest more into it, or you need to feel guilty that you gave too much emphasis on a 'get rich quick' mentality because you expected too much, too quickly, without putting enough real practical effort behind it. In other words, your own guilt can drive you further into losing money, although you still have the examples that are always given all the attention and fanfare at MLM meetings. It is apostasy to look into the MLM doctrines too deeply where you will notice that the math/evidence does not support sustainability at all the levels of marketing that you will be trying to convert people to join. The religious beliefs in MLM make it continue to work for more years than the math can actually support, and those extra years provide more time to find just enough working, positive examples because money blinds the minds of the believers.

Hope no one is offended by my views on it. They could be wrong, but I have seen people lose so much money over these "schemes." And because it's based on a positive, optimistic "religion" that everyone wants to believe in, those who fail at one type of pyramid scheme are almost always happy to join a new one that is marketed as something very different than the last one that failed for them. And they are bound to repeat their sins.  

[JW Insider]

5 hours ago, John Houston said:

but to class all MMM's as maybe ponzi type fraudulent businesses is incorrect

John, I just read up on MMM in Nigeria and the related replacements of the original MMM. I also just spent some time geting my questions answered from an online chat consultant at one of the major MMM sites. They will answer all your questions if your first question asks if there is a limit to how much you would be able to put in from another country. 

This is my opinion, but I also should add that it is somewhat informed by the fact that I worked for an international financial services company based in New York and Paris for 20 years, and prior to that I did financial work for a man named Donald Trump (Trump Management) through ADL consulting. I've seen almost a dozen varying types of Ponzi schemes, and these types of schemes can range from:

• small promised expectations from, for example, a vitamin sales company,
• up to complex shenanigans from the brokers behind fraudulent stock-trading schemes (including non-stock investments, too)
• all the way up to very respected levels of government including loans-for-infrastructure schemes driven through the IMF and the World Bank that can steal from the economies of entire countries.

From what I can tell by reading up on it from pro-MMM sources, and discussing it with a consultant who promotes it, MMM is the simplest, most transparent and direct form of a Ponzi scheme that I have ever seen. It can even include pyramid schemes within the Ponzi scheme. It is pure fraud. It could only have lasted as long as it has through corruption. I looked at several promotions of MMM and all of them were variations on the same fraudulent foundation.

[John Houston]

Well,I have been with this company now for 14 yrs and is doing well. Putting only the effort I wish to, to sustain the lifestyle I live for me and my wife. It is not hard and I have never involved anyone from the Hall. For some of the very reasons you stated earlier. Yes, it could become a religion if ones want to grow and advance up the ladder, put in the work. I am content where I am, thankful for the freedom of time for spiritual things first and have been so blessed!

[JW Insider]

1 hour ago, John Houston said:

Well,I have been with this company now for 14 yrs and is doing well. Putting only the effort I wish to, to sustain the lifestyle I live for me and my wife. It is not hard and I have never involved anyone from the Hall. For some of the very reasons you stated earlier.

Sounds like a form of MLM or Network Marketing which is not the same as the Nigerian MMM(s). Anyway, it also sounds like you have the right attitude toward work/life/spirituality balance. When I left Bethel, I had already quit school when I was almost 16, and graduated with a High School equivalence after I turned 16. But I thought that a degree in Computer Science would let me get a job that would pay more as a part-time worker so that I could full-time pioneer. I spoke with some elders about it and they thought that if I kept to my goal, there should be no problem with going to college, but that I should at least auxiliary pioneer while going to college so that I would not be inadvertently setting an example that encouraged college. This was actually difficult, because I was also working at least 30 hours a week, and going to school at night, but I'm glad I did it. (Some of the classes I needed to graduate were only available in the daytime. 4 years of Hebrew, and several of the math, physics, and computer science courses.)  Then, I was only able to FT pioneer for a year after graduation because most all the good-paying job offers were full time. But I enjoyed the high level of activity, and learned a lot about scheduling time.

After my first of three children, I couldn't keep up pioneering at any level with a full-time job. A brother wanted me to start working with a vitamin company that was making him enough money to pioneer, but I looked into how the company worked and got a bad feeling about it. Several of the brothers worked very hard at it and could barely make it work. I went to one of the assemblies for this company and was surprised at how the format so closely matched our own assemblies, and even service meetings with practice offers, goals to be reached, experiences, overcoming objections, and a lot of positive hype about the good they were doing for the world. I knew that Amway had been nearly the same for a lot of brothers and sisters in a previous congregation prior to Bethel.

Anyway, hope all continues to work out well for you.

[TrueTomHarley]

One brother, when I spoke to him about a certain MLM outfit, said he would feel awkward speaking of product with each random contact when he wasn't doing the same with the Truth . Nonetheless, if it works and it's legal and it permits greater participation in ministry and life and you can get your head into it, and it doesn't abuse theocratic contacts, go for it.

[John Houston]

This is so true. Remember Ray Koch? With McDonald's? He did not sell burgers at all, right? He did franchisee, or as we say duplication. That is what I sell. The process. And doing quite well.

[Evacuated]

Is there a letter containing this warning? Or any original documentation?