How Long Would They Last Without The Society?

by ThomasCovenant 19 Replies latest jw friends

  • Bumble Bee
    Bumble Bee
    Would they still worship Jehovah without the rigmarole of 5 meetings, personal study and preaching work and the monthly Kingdom Ministry and other regular literature. Surely they would have to carry on to prove they really do follow Big J and not the Society. I think that it would collapse within 12 months.

    IMO they don't worship Jehovah, so no I don't think they would last for very long without another centralized form of leadership. Anybody that was looking for a way out would take it immediately. All that would be left are the hard core JW, and old timers. The elders would be overwhelmed with having to come up with all their own material, no more manuscript talks and question and answer WT's.

    With all the people on the fringe that would leave, others that would fall between the cracks, the money would dwindle, KH's would have to close and there would be no where to meet. It would be chaos!

    BB

  • Carmel
    Carmel

    Fear not! Robert would step up to the plate and create an electronic Church of Jehovah!

    carmelbbbbbbb

  • betterdaze
    betterdaze

    Perhaps they'd be forced to meet in small groups in private homes and study only the scriptures, keeping in touch with the occasional letter. Some would teach, some would be missionaries, and all would partake of the bread and wine.
    Oh wait, that would be Christian!
    ~Sue

  • gespro
    gespro

    If the Society said there is no more printing and not going to be any in the future please read your Bibles instead how long do you think? Could this scenario be put in an 'innocent' way to those still in to try and get them to think about what they worship?

    Thanks

    Thomas Covenant

    Hey Thomas-

    It would be a wonderful thing if they read only their Bibles!

    I'm sure some, after awhile, would see that the Society was full of nonesense and have a chance to really see what Jesus was saying without the interference of 'Mother.' One can only hope and pray...

    g

  • SirNose586
    SirNose586

    Let's assume that the Org. folded overnight (worldwide), and let's assume that whatever revival takes place cannot use the same resources as the former WTS. Word reaches everyone within a few days. The elders hunker down and declare that the Great Tribulation has begun. Elders plan to take each bookstudy as his personal "flock" and any previous efforts made to keep an updated contact list are redoubled. Meetings would continue to be held as normal until the KMs and magazines run out. They would probably be longer than normal, due to "rally the troops" style speeches from the elders, and long, sermon-like prayers. Fringe people take the opportunity to fall away, but everyone else is initially excited to see something actually happen that was spoken about in the literature. Hardcore dubs become more hardcore, and average dubs are now motivated to pore over every magazine left and spend time reading their bible--motivated mainly by fear of destruction at an imminent armageddon! COs and DOs do not vanish; their authority is actually strengthened amongst the loyal. Without direction from the top, however, they are left in the lurch for some time. COs are left with no choice but to stay at their present circuit until some direction tells them otherwise. Funding for COs becomes a haphazard affair, and they are therefore forced to find secular work to stay afloat. Some COs are unable to continue their responsibility. A few COs are able to keep doing as they used to, but most are limited to rare visits, or simply letters. The "special week of activity" is dead. His visits however, do become more personal and exciting because he reassures everyone that "Gog of Magog has attacked, so deliverance from Jehovah must be very near!!" No one remembers the sayings about "Babylon the Great" being attacked first, because they are all busy huddling together and waiting for imminent "delivery." The DOs take the reigns of authority and attempt to organize things as best they can with the COs. Letters from the "branch" now become letters from the DO. Every district now becomes the dominion of the DO assigned to it. Some districts are poorly organized, but some are able to cope to a degree. Any collaboration of DOs that arises affects only the districts in question. People preach more, convinced the end is near, but every remaining piece of literature is hoarded, and not placed until interest is shown on the return visit. Bibles are now the presentation instead of literature, and the remaining ones are only replaced if the current bible is worn beyond repair. The same principle goes for books. As for what would happen after the KMs run out...congregations would simply use another year's KM. I can probably keep going, but I think they could go on for at least a year before people start falling away en masse. Edit: I didn't factor what would happen to the kingdom halls. If they are no longer a resource, then authority falls to the congregation level and the falling away starts sooner.

  • serendipity
    serendipity

    As bad as centralized control is, I would fear the fiefdom that would develop in the average cong, under the control of the body of elders. If they don't have someone to report to and don't have the checks on them provided by the branch, CO, DO - the abuses of the elders would become even greater.

  • Skimmer
    Skimmer

    Due to interference caused by WW II and further censorship by Communists in 1948, the Romanian Branch of the WTBTS went its own way. It now is part of an organization called "True Faith Jehovah's Witnesses" and it has members spread across the former Eastern Bloc countries.

    Unsurprisingly, it believes that the Brooklyn Boys are a bunch of apostates.

    See: http://the-true-jw.oltenia.ro/

  • calico
    calico

    Aren't the kingdom halls owned by the society? If the society folded, I would imagine all the kingdom halls would be sold. Boy, that would be something especially when the kingdom halls have been viewed as a refuge from the "world".

  • Stephanus
    Stephanus
    When the Romans withdrew from Britain, the absence of centralized government caused the country to fracture into a large number of small kingdoms. I imagine that, without the "Pax Societa" the "brotherhood" would disintegrate into a bunch of small congregations, or possibly groups of congregations, all with varying teachings, and all claiming to be the "rightful" heirs to the title Jehovahs Witnesses.

    Good analogy. However, I find it hard to visualise a JW King Arthur!

  • jayhawk1
    jayhawk1

    It would break up into a bunch of mini-cults and form all sorts of crazy religions. Better that they stay under one controlling structure and to gradual reform than to break into small pieces.

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