Is it possible for the Jehovah's Witness Organization to disbandon? If so, how and when?
As an ex JW, I can only live in hope!
What are your thought's and opinions on this matter? Look forward to your comments on this subject.
Cheers
by perthwogboy 12 Replies latest jw friends
Is it possible for the Jehovah's Witness Organization to disbandon? If so, how and when?
As an ex JW, I can only live in hope!
What are your thought's and opinions on this matter? Look forward to your comments on this subject.
Cheers
I believe the signs are already there that the organization is imploding in slow motion...especially monitarily. They keep cutting more and more corners, and consolidating and reorganizing...but there is virtually no growth any more and I believe sincerely they will go out kicking and screaming but they will go out. Gonna take years tho.
Disbanding is more sudden..I expect more..petering out.
We're all hoping.
Avengers, I've been meaning to ask if you can change that WT cover. It should say, "RIT," not "RIP." Peace is the last condition they should be given.
Rest In Torment
I wrote about this in a previous thread. I actually have a very different opinion on this matter. I don't think that the JW religion will ever implode or disband. Here's why: a huge percentage of JWs are absolutely and totally committed to their ideology. This organization is not just a corporate entity that owns property, buildings, and printing presses. This is an organization that is made up of millions of deeply indoctrinated zealots.
Even if the Watchtower corporations were to go bankrupt, or close shop, there would be no limit to the dedicated members who would just set up a new corporation. So, even if the Watchtower society were sued into oblivion; JWs would just set up a new corporate entity under a new name such as Watchtower Bible Society, or Watchtower Inc., or something else.
As far as declining membership and the number of ex-JWs is concerned, 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. Opposition to JWs is the fuel that drives this machine. So, even if the Watchtower Society's corporate structure were to get hammered by lawsuits, this would only feed into the persecution complex that JWs have.
I think the more opposition this kind of group gets, the more emboldened they become. 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.
I agree with Arthur, I don't think the watchtower will disappear but I do
think they will become more marginalized.. Look for example what happened
to the society in the late 1920's. After significant blunders and
struggles, about 75% of the organization left. What remained was, to use
arthurs words, the 'deeply indoctrinated zealots'. Although they were
smaller in number, they were committed to the organization.
However, with the rise of the internet, I can't help but think that the face
of the watchtower will change, it will become even more marginalized than it
already is. The society knows that they are losing the younger more
technology savvy generation to the world, in fact virtually all the growth the
organization has been experiencing as of late has been poorer countries lacking
significant internet access. We are certainly seeing a erosion taking place that
is seriously affecting their numbers and donations. Frankly, I do kind of
wonder if the organization will experience a complete review of the doctrines
similar to what happened to the worldwide church of god in the mid 1990's.
Rutherford had done this in the late 1920's to show people that the organization
had changed. It was really just a show but it worked to invigorate the
organization and give the appearance that things had really changed.
I don't think Jehovah's Witnesses will disappear or disband but rather morph a little in order to survive.
IW
I would love to see the Org. go totally belly-up by sadly must agree with Arthur on this one. The rank and file would still support the ideology that they believe in and for many, it is just too painful to realize that their whole lives were based upon lies.
Many would rather go down with the org. and blame it on Satan to even think that the mother Org. could have been nothing but nonesense from the beginning. Lilly
I doubt it.
Some people like being deceived and controlled.