Are we going to see a mass awakening?

by kairos 109 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  thedepressedsoul

  I don't think we'll see a mass awakening but I think as time goes on they will bleed out slowly. They will never be 100% gone, almost any organization never goes away 100%, there is always a foundation of members that support it.

  I think as time goes on, more things come to light along with the internet we will see memberships dry up. They will start to get creative in how they count their members to show growth which I think they have already been doing with the 15 minutes and going by "peak" instead of what it actually is. They may hover around this number, slowly growing until they peak and have a steady decline where they eventually bottom out at a certain number that they will stay at.

  One thing for sure is that the huge growth they once experienced will most likely never happen again.

  Unless big changes come, only way I see this not happening.
  
• 

  millie210

  Orphan Crow,

  You are a good researcher (I remember you from another thread where you were) so do you have a link or more info about the Hemopure?

  and what is HLC? I cant figure that one out?

  TIA

  (I know what that means LOL)
• 

  OrphanCrow

  millie210: ...do you have a link or more info about the Hemopure?

  Yes, millie. :)

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/287365/blood-us-army-us-navy-watchtower-society?size=10&page=3

  HLC = Hospital Liaison Committee
• 

  brandnew

  Like i said before, i recently went to a district convention in the carribean...."i wanna stay incognito".... and only 3 got baptized.

  The total in attendance was about 4500, so yeah....no growth.

  Actually, its crazy how the last back rows of seats used to be for the elderly and infirm........now its for us df'd.
• 

  OneFingerSalute

  Are we seeing the beginning of a mass exodus out of her?

  No, not by a long ways. As long as there are people who do not think rationally, who fall victim to the love bombing, who think that ever changing interpretations of the Bible, who believe seven imperfect men are the sole mouthpiece of God himself there will be no mass exodus.
• 

  Giordano

  Well the internet is going to be a factor for the JW's. Up untill recently they were warned away from the internet now it will start having a serious impact.

  It's been impacting the Mormon culture for years....in a negative way.

  The Mormon Church, like every other church, has been using the same approach to disillusioned believers, with the high-ranking officials keeping their mouths shut and reminding followers of their “faith”.

  http://natskep.com/loss-of-faith-in-the-information-age-a-mormon-doubts/

  As reported in the article, church spokesperson Eric Hawkins mentioned that the number of members is growing at about one million every three years and totaling to 14 million members. Regardless, those who are losing their faith are said to be the “church’s best and brightest.” A survey was presented in the article showing that more than half of the men and four out of 10 of the women of 3,300 Mormon disbelievers, have at one point been in leadership positions at the church.

  This clearly shows that the medieval approach many churches have been using to silence curiosity is failing. Simply telling a confused believer to “have faith” will add to the disbelief. Covering up shameful history will only lead to historical fallacies, the internet will always present a way to debunk it, and we are in the information age anyway.

  
  

  
  
• 

  kairos

  Thanks for all of the replies.

  I just have to hope that there is a large number that know TTATT and are looking for the opportunity to exit.

  Curious, when we leave do our old friends ever "wonder why"? Or do they just chalk it up to Satan's power and go on without us forgetting we ever existed?

  
  
• 

  Crazyguy

  I think the drying up is happening faster then we think most kids are not staying. I remember in my area we would have two distinct convention dates per year then they changed it to 3 or 4 with of course smaller amounts of people at each one. By doing this and saying that some would be assigned to other areas altogether there was no way of telling how few were still going.

  Also at my curciut assemblies we would get over a thousand per time even 11_1200 now less about 900. One other thing worth mentioning in the US about 18000 were baptised last year one has to think that more people died were df'd da'd and faded then that.
• 

  steve2

  We live in hope that others will see things as we do. But 'a man sees what he wants to see and disregards the rest'. Hope is important - but so is acceptance of reality.

  Membership of any religious group is almost always premised primarily on 'felt need' (i.e., a sense of obligation, purpose, belonging, retaining or maintaining ties, etc). Felt need also emcompasses the individual's personal, emotional needs. Overlaying that kind of need is a thin layer that seeks to justify one's choice of religion (i.e., reasons, persuasive arguments etc". It is that thin layer that can be impervious, resistant to counter-arguments. Indeed, if the believer has been 'innoculated' against opposition, they will be ready for the defense - which is most frequently some form of personal vilification of 'opposers'.

  This vilification prevents believers from focusing on the content of an argument alone.

  In the present instance, for the Witnesses who bother to watch the program, it will be business as usual. A few might be shaken out - but the 'felt-need' and innoculation will protect them against the need to focus on the content. Religious beliefs are infuriatingly hard to shake. Unfortunately, reasoning and evidence seldom penetrate the thin protective layer.
• 

  OrphanCrow

  kairos: I remember in my area we would have two distinct convention dates per year then they changed it to 3 or 4 with of course smaller amounts of people at each one. By doing this and saying that some would be assigned to other areas altogether there was no way of telling how few were still going.

  Not only that, but smaller groups mean more control. Smaller assemblies mean that there is less chance of those groups communicating with each other about 'apostate' matters.

  Breaking down large groups into smaller, more manageable ones, is a tactic that has met with much success in the past. Rutherford found that out when he went to Germany way back prior to WW2 and tried out that method of control. Re-structuring and re-branding is not new to the WTS.