Bottom Line: What's Going To Happen To The Jehovah's Witness Religion?

by minimus 30 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  minimus

  Is it going to become mainstream?

  Will it become more cultish?

  Will it splinter off and re-create itself?

  Will it grow or disintegrate???
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  Is it going to become mainstream?

  While they have made attempts to "look" mainstream, they just cannot do it.
  They don't seem to make enough money for the parent corporation except
  through their conventions. Becoming mainstream, many wouldn't feel the need
  to go to and contribute at conventions.

  Will it become more cultish?

  As it shrinks, they will do their desparation measures. They will tighten their fists
  on the members and cause more heartache. Maybe after the lawyers steal all the
  money (legally, though) along with a few of the Governing Body members, the
  remainder of the loyalists will start the compound up and mix the Kool-aid.

  Will it grow or disintegrate???

  I think they are peaked or nearly so. I really do. The long process of shrinking is
  ready to begin. Ultimately, I believe it will take much more than my lifetime for it
  to entirely disappear. I imagine it will reduce and reduce for generations then
  disband long after all the money is gone.
• 

  real one

  whatever happens to it God will decide
• 

  flipper

  I truly believe it will become more cultish and controlling as the governing body and Watchtower society becomes more desperate to repair their leaking public image to the outside media and public after a rough patch here in the last 2 years. But I feel it will gradually go down hill, it will take time., slowly but surely there will be more scandals come out in the media that will deflate people's trust in the authenticity of this organization. It won't happen fast - but over time. Perhaps 15 to 30 more years. Because in my opinion- how will they stop their beloved pedophiles from re-offending ! They haven't thought about that one ! In all their manuevers to control their rank and file members - they don't understand that they will crumble from within. If too many pedophile holes start occuring in the hull of their ship- and people become more courageous about pursuing lawsuits - now that a precedent is being set, watch and see this organization scramble trying to pull it's britches up ! It's going to be interesting to watch ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper
• 

  jaguarbass

  I will bet it is going to disintegrate over the next 20 years. With the internet and sites like this and the free flow of knowlege and information.

  Young folks today all have attention defficit syndrome so they wont be able to sit in the meetings once there parents die off.
• 

  Samuel Thorsen

  They will admitt they where never any faithfull and descreet slave and regret alle their wrongdoings for former and present mebmers. They will sell all real estate and give all the money back to the publishers.
• 

  minimus

  I don't see the religion as ever ending. I think LEGAL issues will force the WBTS to change some of their positions and they will use sleight of hand tricks and suggest that new light in this time of the end makes them change positions on blood and/or disfellowshipping. But that will only happen if they are forced to change at all.
• 

  Renegade

  Well, as time goes on people's belief in it starts to fade more and more. One, due to the increasing amount of evidence being added up against them. Two, because they keep going on and on about armageddon coming soon but I don't see no Mount Megiddo. :D
• 

  keyser soze

  I believe it will go on as it is. If there is two things they are good at, it is surviving scandal and finding desperate people who need religion as a crutch. As long as there is Christianity, there will be JWs to announce to the world why their brand of it is superior. Many of their doctrines will have to change, but there is no reason to believe that the majority of them won't continue to accept these changes as "new light". There will always be the next generation of dubs who know of nothing else. Sorry to be so cynical, but history speaks for itself.
• 

  Alpaca

  The Borg has sown the seeds of its own destruction in multiple ways. I agree with the other posters who think that they will disintigrate over time.

  First, the education ban means that any young ones who decide to stay in the Borg, will have to work many hours at low salaries just to maintain a poverty line standard of living. That means they won't be able to substantially contribute to the Borg either financially or with their time. That will lead to negative growth. Also, generally speaking, less educated people are not likely to attract more educated people to the Borg, which means that converts are not likely to be any better contributors than the home-grown variety.

  Second (I have brought this up on a few other threads), there was a time (in the run up to 1975, during the 50s, 60s, and even the early 70s) when the writing in the Borg's publications actually bordered on scholarly. They encouraged the R&F to do outside research to confirm what the publications were saying. They encouraged studying the original Greek text of the Bible and also encouraged comparing other Bible translations with the NWT of the Bible. I believe the Borg's writers, having the appearance of being serious scholars of the Bible, were responsible for attracting educated, smart people to the Borg. When I was a kid (1960s) almost all of the elders were educated, dynamic speakers and leaders. That is all gone now. There are still a few smart, eloquent speakers, but by and large the quality has precipitously declined. There has been a significant brain drain as many talented and smart servants have 'seen through' the dumbing down of the message and left the Borg.

  Third, those old timers and their children (from the 50s, 60s, & 70s), who are still in, are the backbone of the Borg. Prior to my exit in 1997, I had heard many old timers lament that they never expected to see the the end of the 20th Century in the old system. I suspect that the Borg's burial of the once-significant 1914 and their convoluted new teaching about the "generation," has many of those old timers harboring secret doubts about this being the last days. The "abundant proof" that the Borg offers for this time being the last days is nothing more than wishful thinking. The arguments they put forth are circular and full of logical fallacies. Even marginally thinking people intuitively sense this, although they may not admit it. The year 2014 may make many of them sit up say WTF and that may lead to a wholesale exodus.

  Fourth, the R&F old timers may already be starting to doubt the GB's authority and its self-proclaimed role as channel for God's new light. Just below the facade of a happy organization there is probably a critical mass of simmering malcontents who just have not identified themselves to one another. IMHO, there may be some catalyst that starts people talking and that may trigger a mass exodus.

  Fifth, the Borg's policies and tactics are taking them in the "Kool-Aid" (and I mean that literally) direction. This is something I never thought I would see (call me naive). Some of the members are bound to come to their senses and bail.

  In any event, it will be interesting to see how things unfold over the next several years.

  Cheers,

  Alex