If a person can swallow over 120 years of false prophesy, exactly what hope remains for their transformation?
Good question. That's why I no longer look for reform in the JW movement. With the hare core dubs, it's all-or-nothing.
XJW critical mass?
by IP_SEC 27 Replies latest jw friends
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willyloman
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BrendaCloutier
To add to the questions, it appears that JWism is stronger with more "recruits" in 3rd world impoverished or war torn countries than in N America or Europe. That's been my perception anyway. It gets the publisher numbers up, but doesn't fill the coffers very well.
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uninformed
I did some crunching one time several years back and the difference in a 10 year period showed a 1 million JW loss.
It was like a peak of 180,000 one year loss compared to a 200,000 immersed with a net increase of almost flat.
It is my fervent hope that their figures will go backwards for the rest of my life.
Brant
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DubBeachBabe
Hi Brenda
I think you're spot-on with your observation about the new growth coming from developing countries.
This poses even more of an ethical challenge to current JWs in developing countries, or should. For example, in South Africa where I am, there are people who have had access to first-world upbringing, education, and so on, and there are those, countless millions, who haven't. Those who haven't are on a back foot when the advantaged (read: mainly white) people preach to them.
Mixed in with this is the whole United States thing. It's an American religion with American literature, American leaders and for heavens sake, American voices during the drama at the convention! America represents a degree of sophistication, aspiration. Perhaps a future to some.
BB
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Arthur
I have a different take on this subject. I actually believe that the more ex-JWs there are, the more this will galvanize devout JWs. Obviously, the more ex-JWs there are, the more opposition they will face to their preaching work. This will only feed into the persecution complex that JWs have. We know that the biggest enemy for JWs; next to Satan is the "evil slave". Even though the growth rate my slow down considerably, the GB will have a wonderful "straw man" to rally the "troops" against.
I think the more opposition this kind of group gets, the more emboldened they become. Even if the Watchtower Society were to get sued to the point of bankruptcy, the devout members would "circle the wagons" and find a way to keep going. As long as there are humans on earth; there will always be totalitarian pseudo-Christian cults which attract people through demagoguery. JWs just happen to be one of those groups.
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monkeyshine
I think the more opposition this kind of group gets, the more emboldened they become.
It will be the "fulfillment of prophecy". Then we'll really hear "any day now"!
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Black Sheep
The more ex-JWs there are out there, the more people there are who have been warned by them.
In one year an ex-JW can disinterest more people in JWs by recounting their experiences than any JW can hope to convert in their lifetime.
A householder with no prior knowledge of the underhanded activities of the bOrg and it's followers will be getting rarer every year.
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cyberdyne systems 101
Excellent point Black Sheep! I do more talking about it with people now than I ever would have whilst I was a Witness, the motivation before was guilt and flimsy reasonings, but now its personal experience!
CS 101
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jstalin
A sucker is born every minute, that's why there will always be an audience for the watchtower and all the other cults in the world.
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bebu
In one year an ex-JW can disinterest more people in JWs by recounting their experiences than any JW can hope to convert in their lifetime.
Very true. Only a few months after joining and reading this board, I discovered that one of my next-door neighbors was studying with the JWs. I was able to give her some very good references to tons of scandals and a slew of bizarre teachings (past and present). One week later, she quit her Bible Study.
Getting ALL the information makes a big difference: shunning, the UN, Christ is not mediator, pyramids, Millions Living Will Never Die, misquoting sources, etc. You don't have to door knock to find that many people are interested in hearing what has been kept hidden.
I think there is a kind of critical mass, because the growing visible number of ex-JWs (and especially savvy ex-JWs) creates something that the WTS is forced to respond to. Seems that they are doing so already, subtley, in some of their articles. A possible indicator that critical mass will have been reached is when South Park does an episode on the WTS. LOL
bebu