Why There Will Always Be JWs

by minimus 39 Replies latest jw friends

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  saywhat29

  Personally, I don't think they will ever die out. the people who will finally wake up to it will be in it for so long, leaving it will seem insane. And there will be new people, future generations shedding "new light" into bible teachins that will keep it going. And as long as there are people in lower economic backgrounds who are downtrodden and looking for some purpose of life and for people to belong to in a society that values the individual pursuit while ignoring that some people don't have any other pursuit or goat but to survive....

  Sorry, long ass run on. I don't think they will die, but like everything else in this world they will change and evolve, possibly even branch off into another group. Die off, Hells nah. Unless one memorial comes and everybody is instructed to pass and take a sip of the new liquid that represents Jesus christ blood... you know some super special red kool-aid... then maybe they will. Maybe...
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  JH

  Why There Will Always Be JWs

  Yes !, because Jesus said: "Then Jesus says, "And upon this rock I will build My Kingdom hall; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
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  changeling

  I do think they are running scared because so much time has passed since 1914 and the move to Patterson and reduction in book production and cutting the magazies down reflects this. But I think they will just "evolve". Like someone already pointed out they have made some radical changes recently (blood fractions, "generation" change, etc.).

  JW's may feel these changes show "progress" and that they are moving in the right direction. That could be so, if they admited that their former views were incorrect and hurtful and not hide behind the "new light" concept. It would also help if they did not pass every bit of new light off as dogma that now MUST be believed of else.

  IMO someday in the far future there will be no religion at all. That will be paradise.
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  WTWizard

  It's all about laziness and dishonesty. If those traits are present, the Witlesses will be there since they are all lazy and dishonest. They are lazy in that they let others do their thinking, and too dishonest to deal with the real truth. Those who come into the scam and then let laziness and dishonesty rule are going to become the hard-core Dubs that are going to die faithful to the organization no matter what.

  What we can do is cut off a lot of their income and cut off their source of growth. If that happens, their numbers will stagnate and shrink. As they have less income, they will have less to defend the organization against the pedophile suits, and they will have less to work with in fighting to stay legal. And by educating people, it will make finding new recruits more difficult and discourage more of them. The weaker ones will fall out. Only those who are too lazy and dishonest to learn will remain. And that makes for a pathetic organization.
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  minimus

  There are very very few true zealots left in the Organization. They died off in the Rutherford era.

  Witnesses today can't explain much without reading it directly from a publication. There are no more intellectual apologists for the Organization. If a person was a researcher, they were told to just stick to the outline or paragraph. Shut up and listen.
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  steve2

  It's all about laziness and dishonesty.

  Ouch - such judgemental words! I agree, though, that there's a growing lifelessness and inertia among the rank and file, so, yes that could include witnesses just becoming too lazy or complacent about their beliefs (and the collateral strong tendency to let the "leaders" do their thinknig). It could also include the witnesses deliberately avoiding thinking things through when they see evidence that is contrary to their taken-for-granted claims.
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  blondie

  I do believe there are few Shakers shaking around, although as a group they have died out. And they practiced celibacy. Maybe the WTS will institute that suggestion again, celibacy or not having children.

  Blondie
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  sass_my_frass

  I think they'll start managing their business more efficiently in the future. New GB members will modernise things slightly - not enough to lose the old folk, but enough to retain the younger ones who only stuck around to keep their parents happy. They'll occasionally throw a bone out, to make it look like some great new progress is being made, but they're going to rely on the fear or at least the inertia of the average member. Occasionally they relieve the burden slightly - reducing pioneer required hours, fewer magazines to place = less time out on the preach, fewer book placement programs. One day there will be The Big One - they'll condense the TMS/SM or combine the book study, basically work out a way to make one less meeting a week - that will retain the interest of a lot of people for many more years, and slow the great elder exit.

  I don't think that any of us will be alive to see the demise of the org, and it's not something I particularly yearn for.
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  steve2

  I don't think that any of us will be alive to see the demise of the org, and it's not something I particularly yearn for.

  Good words. I too don't want to hang out for a particular outcome either. On the other hand, from where I'm standing, the demise is already occurring.
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  minimus

  I'd like to see their demise in my lifetime but realistically I believe that won't ever happen. They really are a contradiction, when you think about it. They DON'T want you to go to college, be educated and IN REALITY bring in more $$$$$$$. By simply relaxing a few things, they could attract educated persons who have $$$$$. But they choose to get most of their $$$$$ by real estate.