George Benson in Concert - Cardiff, UK

[Arauna]

I seem to be the only one to feel that a person who made a lot of money in his life should try to do more for Jah - not use all his energies he has left in furthering his career.  I bet he does not have enough money to keep his BIG house going! But sell it - I do not think so..... 

Any case - I stated my case - not because I am jealous but because I think of all the young talent out there who make Jehovah the first thing in their life and let all the opportunities go.  I did this and I am not sorry ..... but I do not like it when these people are held up as an example!  This happens in sports, music and many other fields.

Of course, those who put Jehovah fist receive blessings from Jehovah but sometimes a person will see another person, who should know better, taking all the opportunities coming their way to be in the limelight.... and like psalm 37 says - it is deceptive - because it seems as if it is going better with those who do not put Jehovah first.

[TrueTomHarley]

4 hours ago, Arauna said:

I seem to be the only one to feel that a person who made a lot of money in his life should try to do more for Jah - not use all his energies he has left in furthering his career.

12 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

Said my new-found critic, thinking I was you: “I happen to know that Brother Benson has taken time from his busy schedule to donate time doing specific songs that are original songs.”

 

[Arauna]

2 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

time from his busy schedule to donate time doing specific songs that are original songs.”

They should give some young singer the opportunity.

[Witness]

9 hours ago, Arauna said:

I seem to be the only one to feel that a person who made a lot of money in his life should try to do more for Jah - not use all his energies he has left in furthering his career.  I bet he does not have enough money to keep his BIG house going! But sell it - I do not think so..... 

So the man makes a lot of money, which he most likely donates buckets full to the organization. Since the Wt. defines “make friends with unrighteous riches” very literally, this man is probably a better “friend” to the organization and the GB, than are most JWs. 

“Make friends for yourselves by means of the unrighteous riches, so that when such fail, they [Jehovah and Jesus] may receive you into the everlasting dwelling places.” 

Yes, such riches will ultimately fail, so do not lose the opportunity to use them to “make friends” in heaven. Whatever we do to advance the interests of Jehovah’s Kingdom makes us spiritually rich.  w 17/7 p. 11

Wow.  He may not be setting the type of example in the “preaching work” as some believe,  but according to your leaders, if he is using his riches to support “kingdom interests”, he may be more spiritually rich than the most dedicated pioneer. 

 

 Wasteful Steward

 

[TrueTomHarley]

1 hour ago, Witness said:

So the man makes a lot of money, which he most likely donates buckets full to the organization

You dim and bitter bulb that sucks away light, if money was the object, the org would not continually advise young ones to tone it down, stay low-key, put Jehovah first over riches, and so forth! I mean, it’s the whole theme of this thread, which you ignore just to hurl an insult-bomb when you sense an opening..

On another day, you’ll be lambasting them for encouraging young people to be window cleaners whereas they should be chasing career and making money!

[TrueTomHarley]

(Repeated the same comment accidentally. I wish the software would allow you to delete, as it once did.)

Probably the old hen wants a paper trail in case Billy the Kid or someone starts going off the rails again.

[Pudgy]

Whew! “Snakes on a Plane ….”. That’s what it was about!

Who knew?

[Witness]

1 hour ago, TrueTomHarley said:

you dim and bitter bulb that sucks away light, if money was the object, the org would not continually advise young ones to tone it down, stay low-key, put Jehovah first over riches, and so forth! I mean, it’s the whole theme of this thread,

Light within this thread?  In the organization?  There is no light in hypocrisy.  The man is getting slandered for working at his age, and not setting a better “example” for young ones, by devoting his physical time to the “preaching work”.  No one knows what riches he has contributed, which according to the Wt article I sited, is just as, or more precious to “Jehovah” than preaching. 

I am not sucking out any “light”, but shining a light on Wt’s hypocrisy. 

Job 15:34; Matt 23:25 

Your leaders spend money to build, build, build while holding out their hand to all of you, in order to keep building.  They have changed their plea for money many times over…

“there is more money going out than going in”

It was a need made known during a talk of Stephen Lett’s, that thousands of kingdom halls needed to be built, and money was in short supply.  That all changed. Kingdom halls were being sold off, and the idea of Ramapo took over.  Once again, is more money going out, than going in? Is there a plea for donations?  Certainly, and the same man asking for donations, also said, “Jehovah’s organization” will never solicit for funds. 

I am sure you know what “solicit” means. 

Stephen Lett -   “In view of the large scope of this project we encourage you to make it a matter of prayer and please, support it according to your circumstances”.

Was he soliciting for money?

Which person is more important to the organization, those that are rich and give ample amounts of money to fuel the leaders’ constant earthly lusts, or those who write simple “preaching” letters to addresses, while sitting at their kitchen table?

Anthony Morris - “Now, the fact is we never beg for money, but that’s not to say we can’t talk about money in Jehovah’s organization, the earthly part”. “Money has to be discussed in the last day, this system, meets a response in all things.” 

It looks like Lett and Morris need to compare notes on the meaning of begging and soliciting.

This, written by your organization:

“God does not approve of mixing religion with business. The Bible shows that in the past, he was very displeased with priests who claimed to represent him while instructing “for a price.” (Micah 3:11) God condemned the greedy commercial practices that had turned his place of worship into “a cave of robbers.”—Jeremiah 7:11”Is Religion Just Another Big Business?

The Watchtower Corporation is laden with stock holdings and investments. The money they receive, have, spend, and invest, is of primary interest to its governors (Matt.6:21). That activity is called "business".  

The NMB version of the Bible states; "No man who wars, entangles himself with worldly business, because he wants to please him who has chosen him to be a soldier." (2Tim.2:4). 

So, instead of scrutinizing one man among all of you, you should be weighing in on the activity of "business" that your governing leaders are immersed in.  

 

 

 

[Matthew9969]

I really think this information should be shared with the governing body so maybe the governing body could be encouraged to put Jehovah first instead of themselves.

[Chioke Lin]

20 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

sound like more gossip then facts.. You can cause divisions within the congregations . Satan is just loving this! I no long want any association with you Tom.”

Since my bad English has been questioned before, and I'm trying very hard to learn proper grammar, is the word "then" supposed to be then or than, or does it matter which way the sentence is formed in this case?

It is true that Prince had no desire to have his condition distract from his loyalty to God. A condition he inherited after falling off a stage and injuring himself. I guess the point should be for that "Sister" that is being judgmental herself would be, it's not that Prince needed to take subscribed pain medication, but having to go outside the medical profession to seek additional pain medication that actually caused his death.

The way I see it, anyone in a high profile position needs to be more careful with their Christian conduct since they can acquire just about anything. If they reframe from bad conduct, then they have accomplished a lot as a Christian. That Sister should be mindful of that, the one that was responding to Tom.

I do agree with that sister, any negativity is a joy for Satan, no matter where it's coming from.

[Arauna]

1 hour ago, Chioke Lin said:

any negativity is a joy for Satan,

Yea - Anything can sound negative = especially if one does not want to see the principle behind it.  

Any case - He can do as he pleases ....  I just do not like it when people put people like that on a pedestal.  

I meant that young brothers and sisters should get opportunities but I guess it is easier to work with a croaky pro. 

[TrueTomHarley]

1 hour ago, Chioke Lin said:

is the word "then" supposed to be then or than

It is supposed to be ‘than.’ Good catch.

1 hour ago, Chioke Lin said:

Prince needed to take subscribed pain medication, but having to go outside the medical profession to seek additional pain medication that actually caused his death.

The company that made the drug that hooked Prince has been fined and criminalized to the point of filing for bankruptcy—chapter 11 bankruptcy, which potentially allows it a fresh start. The family behind it remain billionaires. Few victims feel the punishment adequate. Some people think they’re up to their old tricks again, not Purdue specifically, but bigger players, with the Covid-19 ‘cures.’

I laid out the story insofar as it relates to Prince in the first chapter of the Tom Irregardless book, not naming the company but describing their M.O. that led to Prince’s downfall. They aggressively pushed the drug for superior pain relief, ignoring clear evidence it was fantastically addictive. It also turned out to wear off in just a few hours, not 24 as advertised. This led practicioners to either increase the dose, increasing the addiction, or refuse to increase, leading pain-stricken patients like Prince to resort to the black market, where inevitably they’d come across something contaminated or potency mislabeled. I have it down in Tom Irregardless. 

I didn’t name the company because I didn’t want trouble from Pharma. Call it testimony to my paranoia or my healthy respect for the damage they can unpredictably do when poked. Either way, it wasn’t the purpose of my book. I’m not a whistleblower. I was just writing about the spiritual life of Prince.

I see they’ve made the story (probably without the Prince connection) into a movie:

https://thecinemaholic.com/what-happened-to-purdue-pharma/

1 hour ago, Chioke Lin said:

I do agree with that sister, any negativity is a joy for Satan, no matter where it's coming from.

I feel the same way. Thing is, she agrees with me on Benson, but she didn’t read far enough to find out. You can’t really go online, where none of us are recommended to be, find a bro with whom you disagree with, and give a tongue lashing as though a ‘heavy’ in the congregation. That’s what makes the truth look ridiculous before unbelievers, and that’s what makes Satan jump for joy, if anything does. The internet is not the congregation and cannot be make to behave as though it were.

My books can’t cause division in the congregation because they are not it the congregation. Few there have any idea I have written books unless they know it through hearsay. I never speak of them there. 

She did unfriend me. It’s okay. It’s all good. I have even recommend some bros to unfriend me. I go where we don’t typically go. I use humor, and sometimes the butt of that humor is us. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. It doesn’t mean we’re not real friends. In the Kingdom Hall we’d get along fine. I’d see to it, and probably her. But there’s only so much you can do online.