How do you anticipate the Watchtower's fall? (page 3)

BizzyBee

With a whimper, not a bang...........

Gill

Post 2014, I anticipate that lack of cash donations, and the information available on the internet will destroy the Watchtower....hopefully swiftly.

A group of disgruntled 45 to 65 year old ex-Behthelites will get on the Oprah Show, telling how they have been kicked out with no healthcare provisions. Hilary Clinton, running for president, will seize on the opportunity to gather the women's votes and promise to stop this cult "if she is elected." Hilary sweeps into office and Oprah and her army demand that campaign promises be upheld. Anti-JW sentiment is strong throughout the country. Hilary manages to get the books open and taxes placed on the WT corporation. Laws are passed against publishing corporations using volunteer labor. Bethel is forced to sell most of it's Brooklyn property and loses a legal battle to avoid paying property taxes. Many Kingdom Hall are vandalized and some are torched. Privately held stadiums in North America refuse to allow conventions of JWs. As the Governing Body members (still holding some wealth) die off, nobody replaces them. The last 4 vanish, some say to a south-Pacific island, others say to join Jimmy Hoffa. Patterson is turned into a Cult Awareness University Serving Everyone (CAUSE).

Okay, this is fun. I might try some more scenarios.

OnTheWayOut

Anti-JW sentiment is strong throughout the country. Hilary manages to get the books open and taxes placed on the WT corporation. Laws are passed against publishing corporations using volunteer labor. Bethel is forced to sell most of it's Brooklyn property and loses a legal battle to avoid paying property taxes. Many Kingdom Hall are vandalized and some are torched.

The Governing Body declares that this is Satan's attack on true worship starting- right on time. The faithful wait for Jehovah to save them.

yaddayadda

About the only factors that appear to directly trigger or lead to any growth in the organisation now are: major world events, (eg, 9/11) that gets them thinking it is a sign the end is around the corner, and organic growth, ie, being born into a JW family. The number of factors that are working against growth in the organisation appear to be increasing and vastly outweighing the factors leading to growth. And the negative factors appear to be increasing: internet information highway exploding worldwide, 1914 shrinking further into the past, evidence of leadership desperation and apostasy (UN), fiscal pressures and decreasing donations, increasing societal pressure on young ones to get tertiary education, increasing moral lassitude in society and family break-up, increasing public awareness and suspicion of cults, negative media publicity, younger elders, general tiredness and disillusionment at Armageddon slowness in arriving, changing legal climate and potential lawsuits. All the negatives are slowly but surely wearing the Society down and unless we see some major world event in the short term future (which is only likely to create a temporary slowing of the decline) the haemorraghing is almost certain to continue and get worse.

Alpheta

Gill and YaddaYadda echo my thoughts; by 2014, it will have been 100 years since the recast and (more than once) totally busted 1914 prediction is shown, once again, to be a false prophecy. The "scholars" should have used Egyptian cubits instead of English "feet," then the predictions would have shown that Dave Letterman would be elected President of the USA in 2012. (Only idding!)

Free flow and availability of information via the internet is the doom of the WTBTS - if not today, then tomorrow or the day after, or the day after... As a private religious entity in the USA, the WTBTS has no control over the internet, unlike, say, the communist government officials in the Peoples' Republic of China - and we know that, in the long run, they're fighting a losing battle.

Yes, it's true that here the WTBTS can file suits to attack individual websites for copyright infringement, etc., but that will only take them so far. In the end, the truth WILL out, because of the sheer volume of pages, website, and information availabe on the internet. They cannot possibly hope to (and will not be able to ) keep up with it all.

Twitch

Not in our lifetime,....

OnTheWayOut

One more goofy prediction- Randy Watters does some silly video outside of WT buildings in NY on a slow-news day. CNN drives by and asks what's going on. Randy tell them it's about the United Nations Story, and CNN tells the big story, which is picked up by other news agencies. At first, the story is largely ignored, but then some unstable fringe-Witness carries out a bomb-plot at the UN, somewhat successfully, to show the world that Jehovah doesn't approve of them- and people start looking at the WTS. There is a replay of the story about JWs hatred for the UN, but really they are involved with them. People in the WTS and people outside the WTS both see the hypocrisy. To be safe from public backlash, Disassociation letter pour in from rank-and-file. The Governing Body issues a press release that is neither pro-UN or anti-UN, which further agitates both sides. More DA letters. The faithful pioneers find it impossible to preach without questions being fired at them about their love and hatred for the UN. Their answers only make the public even more mad- many stop pioneering. In most countries, people are afraid to admit they are JW, preaching comes to a virtual stop, and bible studies are at their lowest point ever (mostly just JWs children studying).

WTS tries sweeping policy changes and doctrinal adjustments to save the organization. Nothing really works, so they continue to make changes until the WTS becomes JUST ANOTHER MAINSTREAM RELIGION.

How do you anticipate the Watchtower's fall?

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