Thanks to a poster, we now have the number of memorial partakers worldwide and the number has increased by over 230.
I forget how many there are now, but there are enough threads on the forum to find the info, as well as interesting stats.
The Watchtower Bible & Tract Society has always been a chronology-based religion.
From its start, Russell predicted the Christ would bring the end of the world in 1914. When that failed, Jesus came invisibly in that year and then selected the International Bible Students in 1918.
The three and a half years that Rutherford and his cronies were in prison during 1914-1918 supposedly parallel the 1,000 + days mentioned in Daniel.
Then we have the long-forgotten, remembered by no one, "trumpet blasts" at various locations in the U.S. during the 1920s.
In 1931 the name Jehovah's Witnesses was chosen over the International Bible Students and four years later, the anointed had been sealed and the door shut to newcomers, although replacements could always find a way to squeeze through and seemingly still do so today.
Unknown to many Witnesses, 1957 would have marked the end of the generation of 1914, simply because one of the GB felt that the launch of Sputnik signified the end times. (See CoC)
1975 heralded the end of 6,000 years of human history, depsite the discoveries of human remains which were thousands of years older. "Reports were heard of brothers and sisters selling their properties" to move to where the need was greater during the last few months of the system of things. 1975 came and went and the world continued.
In 1995 the Society removed the current definition of a generation and replaced it with an obscure one - now, any generation living at the time when Christ appears is the one Jesus spoke about, thus removing the embarassing 80 year limit on a generation.
It is noteworthy that someone born in 1914 would now be 92 years old. A person of 15 who could understand some of what was happening in 1914 would now be 107.
As time went by, the number of "genuine" anointed ones was supposed to be dwindling, especially as this was one of the "six powerful lines of evidence that we are living in the last days." To the contrary, the number of "genuine" anointed ones have increased by over 230 this year to achieve an 18 year high. Not bad for a bunch of old timers.
So we see, from this brief review, that the Society and their doctrines are very much tied to chronology, and only do they change when they are forced to do, not on the suggestion of any of the rank and file.
Just over seven years remain before we arrive at January 1, 2014 - it will happen and most of us will still be around to see that year. No doubt the Society will be publishing WT articles such as "100 years of Christ's rule" and "Keeping Watch for 136 years!" and the rank and file will probably have just finished distributing Kingdom News No 44, "False Religion's End Is Near."
It's the same old game that fraudsters play - once a scam doesn't work anymore, invent a new one! The trick is to always come up with something fresh, but keep it in the same packaging.
Thus, from time to time, the Society will come up with "new light" that supposedly alerts our mind that we are "deep brothers, deep into the time of the end", no doubt spurring the brothers to even greater levels of activity, before they become wise (subconsciuously) that another year has passed and nothing has happened.
The Society seem to have the general cycle worked out from a dub standpoint.
Let's look at the cyclical activity of a dub who has just got baptized.
1. Dub increases acitvity shortly after baptism.
There is a peculiar phrase associated with the first six months of activity from a new dub - "they should be locked up for six months" - because of their zeal for preaching.
2. Dub becomes accustomed to the routine after about 6 months. Zeal for Kingdom interests begins to peak and remains steady for two years.
During this time, dub becomes awaye of a yearly and programmed cycle of dub activities - the new service year, the Memorial season, handing your reports in, auxiliary pioneering during the summer months.
3. After about two years, dub may begin to slow down in his activity. Having become throughly indoctrinated, much of his routine has already become instinctive, though he may imagine he is sincere in performing his activities. This is due to the highly repetitive programming that dubs are accustomed to.
4. Perhaps 3-5 years have elapsed after the third stage. Dub may start to wonder when the end of this system of things will appear. He might slow down, go to school or work longer hours for a more comfortable life. Like all good things, the supposed benefits of being a dub wear off gradually. Things are not as new as they seem, talks at the assemblies are repeats from years gone by. New publications are simply recycled older publications with a new cover.
Now, multiply this dubs cycle by millions of people. The Society knows that dubs operate cyclically (as a rule), they have joy, they slow down, they tire out. Like the successful scam artist who knows he has to think of something new to steal more money, the Society have to come up with new ways of keeping that "sense of urgency going" - it doesn't matter what it is, as long as it has the desired mental effect.
What might they do? The life of a dub is very repetitive. As Solomon said, "there is nothing new under the sun" - so what can they do?
Interurpt the collective cycle of dubs makes them take notice. Start a new campaign - advertise, advertise, advertise! Produce and distribute tracts and brochures that are primarily designed to make spiritually sleepy dubs go back to cycles 1 and 2.
The recent new and improved dub-lite on the resurrection may not be an entirely new concept - it is well known that those who finish their earthly course go to heaven, but if the Society insert rhetorical lines that make a dub think, or gasp, even specualte, then they have their attention. Their job is done. the dub may salivate at the new teachings that he receives and this may spur him on to greater activity.
The point I am making here, is that worldwide, JW growth is slowing simply because the Society cannot get away from their chronological based doctrines. Because they have painted themselves in a corner and are unable to make anymore outrageous teachings or doctrinal changes without causing large numbers of dubs to go, they are essentially powerless to do anything about the cancerous apathy that has set in.
The only thing that the Society can do on a macro level is to instigate changes in the programming cycle of a dub - this may be through special campaigns, tracts, kingdom news or new directivies. The objective is to disrupt a dub's routine on a collective basis so that they begin to notice changes - changes which will hopefully get the excited and spurred on to greater activity.
It has been said that campaigns similar to KN36 will be repeated next year, probably more frequently.
Anything that changes the yearly cycle of a dub are bound to get their attention! They will be more apt to make the 2+2=5 sum. Imagining that Armaggedon is nearer because of these new changes, they mistakenly feel they have to do more to "survive the coming day of the Almighty", hence although the sum should be 4, the Society knows that to diminish doubts and increase the urgency of the times we live in, they have to resort to these subversive methods to get the Watchtower behemoth moving again.
Seven years will come and go, the rate of increase looks set to diminish, while the number of partakers keeps increasing.
Remphasizing the resurrection of the anointed doctrine and the years 1914 and 1918 may not necessarily reveal anything new, but it will serve to move some cogs in a dubs mind that these events didn't happen too long ago in the stream of time and therefore the end must be very soon.
We can only wait and see what the future brings, but for the Watchtower Society, they know their time is short, just as it was in 1994 when they were making plans to abandon the 1914 Generation teaching a year later.