Given the exposure that the WTS receives on the internet or in books and the fact that the public in general must have realised by now that the JWs are a double faced organisation that does not deliver what it promises, do you know of any total outsiders, ie those that did not grow up as JWs, that are now moving into this org?
To us who have been there and seen it all this seems very odd, but no doubt many of these new dubs will in the future move out in the midst of a lot of turbulance.
Are people still becoming JWs in the West?
by greendawn 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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greendawn
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blondie
Actually, most people don't even know who JWs really are and what they believe except for some things that make the news:
Blood transfusions
Not saluting the flag
Not joining the military
and through workmates/family
Not celebrating holidays/birthdays.
Even with the internet, etc., I have found that few people I work with have a clue nor care about JWs.
Blondie
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bavman
There are still a few idiots who amble in from time to time. They seem to like the "love", "family atmosphere", "cleanliness", and "purpose"..
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sir82
Speaking for the US:
In English-speaking congregations, virtually no one. Maybe one person in 10 in a congregation can even find one person to study with, and that usually fizzles out within 2 or 3 months. Any baptisms are almost entirely from children of believers.
In foreign-language congregations (which make up more than 25% of the US congregations): there is still lots of growth--especially among poor and/or semi-literate immigrants. The appeal of people who are well-established in this country, offering them literature in their own language, and later on a foothold of stability (belonging to a well-estblished "church"), is quite strong. In some immigrant-heavy urban areas, it is not unusual for a pioneer to be conducting 10 or 12 studies simultaneously, and have 2 or 3 of them progress to baptism every year or so.
Very very few Latino immigrants, who grew up in hovels very likely with dirt floors and no running water before spending their life savings to get here, are familiar with the inforamtion available on the internet.
This also helps to explain the apparent anomaly of shrinking congregations (as several posters report) while at the same time the overall rate of growth in publishers in the US (as reported in the yearbooks) is around +1 or +2%.
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jgnat
West...how about South? The following link takes you to an interactive map that shows conflicts throughout history. There's a band of modern conflicts that runs through the equator. I'd put money down that most of Watchtower Society growth will happen in these countries in the next century.
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fullofdoubtnow
Not many, I would think. I heard from a good source that most of the baptisms in this circuit these days are children of jws, and I would imagine it's the same throughout the UK.
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Virgochik
Well, when I left in the 80's, which I know isn't recent, they were clamoring to work the "projects" which were predominently black. If this sounds racist, it's because they were racist. The brothers said, the blacks were a fertile field because they would believe anything you tell them! I imagine the same attitudes exist today, with Hispanics being deemed the gullible, easily won over people` Nowadays, blacks, being as smart as anybody else, have figured the Dubs out. Now they prey upon Hispanics and Asians, it appears.
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BluesBrother
When I have attended the Assembly days, and witnessed the baptisms, (a sad occasion for me now} there are still some mature people getting baptized , although not so many.
We must remember that not everybody surfs the internet . Many would rather trust their own judgement and do not see the need to double check everything.
It is the same question as posed in any religious psychology book, Why do people take up religions? Despite the J W appearance of logical argument the real reasons are many and varied . People believe largely because it is what they want to hear , the want to believe and they like the new set of ready made "friends" . The fact that the teachings can be readily refuted does not seem to matter.
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daniel-p
The only ones who come in are either emotionally fragile from losing a loved one or recenty divorced, or a mentally impaired person.
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mkr32208
Thats one of my biggest anti-jw arguments with drones! If god's kingdom is being preached then EVERYONE should know what the watchtower is about by now right?
Yet ask the average person "what do JW's believe..." I would bet less than 1 in 100 could give you a list of even all the things that blondie said! But I'll bet you that 1 in 25 says "They don't believe in Jesus..."
So exactly WHAT news are they preaching again?