What is the Future of the Watchtower Society?

by jwfacts 42 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  jwfacts

  
  After reading comments on this site for a while and looking at what happens to other religions I feel the Watchtower Society has a long future in front of it. This is bad news all round, sad for us waiting for our families and sad for Witnesses waiting for paradise.

  The reason I say this is that any organisation with 6 million members, billions in assets and little to spend their money on would find it very hard to go out of existence. When things start going bad the money can be used to find the best minds to come up with better marketing plans, more sensible doctrines, up to date ways of advertising and so forth.

  Look at the example of Scientologists. They receive ongoing bad publicity and are growing quicker than ever at the moment. They have not stopped from using the law to further their cause, as the WTS has done over its history.

  Dramatic doctrinal changes are not going to kill off the Watchtower Society either. It hasn't in the past and won't now. 1914, 607, the trinity or any other doctrine can be changed without make very much difference.

  In the 1930's the Seven Day Adventists changed from being anti trinitarian to trinitarian and are still around and as strong as the Watchtower society. In the 1990s the Worldwide Church of God likewise went from being anti Trinitarian to Trinitarian. They were not very subtle and made changes to numerous doctrine all at the same time and though numbers dropped dramatically they are still around. Even the WTS went from worshipping Jesus to not worshipping him in the 1950's without any drastic affect.

  We can not hope to destroy the religion, so a more realistic goal is to change it for the better, assist in changing it from a cult to a bearable religion. Using free speach on this site along with the courts we can force an overturn of many of the evils that it propogates. The two that I find most abhorrent are disfellowshipping and the blood doctrine. A lot has been done over the last decade to remove the blood doctrine and it is no where near as deadly as it used to be.

  I do think that now is the time to be making more of a mark against the policy of shunning. The UN, the courts, the governments and the press should all continually be approached around the globe. With the fear people have of terrorism and extreme fundamentalism I think this is as important a decade as ever to make an impression on the world around us. Eventually the WTS will see the need to change. If not they will be forced to ease up on this unchristian and inhumane policy.
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  sass_my_frass

  Yeah; I think the company has a lot of time on it's hands. It would be a lot nicer for the people we love if they were in a place that didn't disfellowship, and gave them freedom with medical choices. Better though if they had more freedom all around. I'm willing to educate people on problems within the organisation but I'm not going to pretend that we have a chance of changing it. Not even a governing body majority can change it.
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  KW13

  Eventually the Watchtower will either die out or have to become like other religions. It can't carry on as it is, so over a long period of time expect changes.

  In the end, it'll probably be no different to a Church.
• 

  AuldSoul

  jwfacts,

  I believe looking at history as a predictor of the longevity of a religion is without merit at this point.

  (1) 1991 began to change everything. The ways in which Internet technologies will be used to prevent recruitment into cults and assist escpae from cults has only started to mature. I can think of many ways in which technologies that are already available have not yet been used.

  (2) It does not take an organization with billions of dollars and millions of members long to be drained of their assets when contributions dry up. People only contribute to that which they believe in. This organization relies on financial support from the developed nations and developing nations of the world, but their growth is currently concentrated in Third World nations which are not wealthy enough to support this organization long-term.

  (3) Readily available information will increase the likelihood of lawsuit and successful lawsuits, further draining reserves.

  (4) The WTS has some ingrained resistances to changes on certain doctrine.

  1914, 607, the trinity or any other doctrine can be changed without make very much difference.

  I disagree. The fact that such changes have not had a huge impact in the past is more of a reflection of their successful control of information sources rather than any loyalty factor. Now, every major doctrine they change will prompt large numbers to Google or do some degree of research on the Internet. They will then find out other things, very troubling things, and many will leave.

  The 1995 generation change made the WTS terrified of the Internet for a reason. People in certain congregations were researching the issue and finding sources of information that explained the impacts well enough that the researcher was then armed to educate others in the congregation about the significance. What major doctrine change have we had since then? 10 years later most Witnesses who remained accept this new teaching as old "new light" and won't even discuss it much.

  Prior to the Internet (1991) and WT Library CD-ROM (1993), finding the thoughts of others regarding such changes was incredibly difficult. You truly had to put forth an effort to seek out such sources of information. That changed. Then, up until the advent of forums such as this one, all information considered was static, one-way, "pull-technology" information—content that could be equated to a Watchtower article for its effect—usually written by someone with very little experience developed in the skill of reaching the deeper recesses of a JW mind.

  With forums such as this one, there is dynamic, multi-way, "push-and-pull technology" information being communicated. Opinions about such doctrinal changes can be aired in anonimity (HUGE difference) or even just considered without ever risking exposure in the local congregation (MEGA-HUGE difference). The facts is, once people no longer believe—whether they attend or not—the contributions will dry up.

  I realize it is tempting to looks at other religions of times past and compare, but everything has changed now. It is literally only a matter of (1) time and (2) how effectively the available technologies are utilized. The WTS sees the handwriting on the wall, they are rightly terrified of what the Internet represents.

  Respectfully,
  AuldSoul
• 

  greendawn

  I don't think their future is that bright as information becomes more available on the internet to more and more people the WTS will continue to sustain damage in terms of JWs leaving and non JWs keeping their distance from the org and not becoming part of it.
  
  Already in developed countries they are showing minimal increases or losses. And hopefully all other cults will be similarly damaged.
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  jwfacts

  I hope you are right AuldSoul.
  
  The rapid exchange of information is certainly helping refine methods of unlocking the cult affected mind. My website is a good example. I originally wrote a book that would have been very offensive to a JW. If I had printed it the result would have been fixed and difficult to rectify. However, with ongoing information and advice from JWD and emails to my site I have greatly refined the wording and accuracy. Eventually it will be far more successful at breaking through the JW mental barrier. With google it is being found by thousands of people every month, with a very small online advertising fee I will be able to have it found by many more.
  
  The future for the WTS is uncertain, but it is certain that huge changes will have to happen for it to survive.
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  Finally-Free

  Their period of significant growth through preaching is over in most developed countries, and will soon be over in other lands. Any future growth will come by having kids, and most of those kids will leave by the time they become adults. With more research tools available now than 20 years ago, the most intelligent JWs will leave. What the Watchtower will end up with is a stagnant organization populated mostly by half wits. Inbreeding could become a problem.

  I don't think the society will disappear as long as there are people who, for whatever reason, think they need to live in a structured authoritarian environment.

  If they want to retain their best people, and maybe experience some growth, they may have to resort to implementing some profit sharing scheme.

  W
• 

  Honesty

  What is the Future of the Watchtower Society?

  Whatever it is, I'm not going to be included.
• 

  metatron

  While I doubt that the Watchtower Society will cease to exist, their future is bleak. They are losing zeal and, most importantly,

  cash flow.

  The most critical mistake made by Watchtower leaders with regard to the longevity of the organization is this:

  They have little infrastructure of support for their members and are rapidly tearing down what little infrastructure

  remains.

  Let me illustrate. I listened to a pleasant conversation some Catholics were having at a dinner I attended. They were very loyal

  and involved in their church. They freely discussed how priests should be allowed to marry. Unlike Witnesses, there was no

  frightened labeling of anyone as "apostate", just because celibacy was disagreed with.

  It became plain to me that they are active because they are part of a subculture of support for their faith.

  Seventh Day Adventists are similar. In contrast, Witness life is downright barren , demanding and sterile.

  In summary, you don't need sensible doctrines to be a successful religion - but you do need a context of support

  and activity that keeps people interested. On that score, the Watchtower is failing , and with so many layoffs and

  cut backs, they are getting worse.

  metatron
• 

  james_woods

  An amazing thought (at least amazing for me) just came up while reading this thread?

  What the heck difference does it make to us (to me, anyway) whether they rise or fall, live or die?

  I don't care what happens to scientology, mormonism, kabala, etc...they are all moderately harmful mind control cults to one degree or another. But they really cannot change my world anymore.

  And, yes - I know this question means a lot to people with relatives in it...but I respectfully suggest that such friends and relatives have to be helped individually no matter what the Society future should be. If we are hoping it just fails, we may have to wait a long time. We may have to accept that it is not within our power to really bring down the Society or to help the exit of each and every one of our loved ones.

  Also, what is to stop people caught up in it to the last from just starting of some weirdo splinter group and falling into worse hands? After all, this has happened before - and we sure don't want to look like those nuts who say its going to fall like Jericho on say 6/6/06!!!

  I know, I typed in "cult" without redaction...will try to make amends to LogansRun thread in a moment.

  James