No field svc reports in OKM - a possible reason?

by sir82 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  sir82

  Maybe I'm being influenced by all the "conspiracy nutters" on this board, but what if...

  ...What if the Society is planning some sort of huge "bombshell" in the next 2-4 years? This bombshell, they expect, would cause maybe 20, 30, even 50% of the JWs to leave.

  It has been speculated here, and I tend to agree, that the Society would rather have 3 or 4 million fiercely loyal adherents than the current mix of 7 million or so zealots, lukewarm hangers-on, slackers, and inactive "ones".

  Seeing a precipitous drop in the number of publishers in a short period of time would have a devastating effect on morale for even those most-rabid zealots. So let's solve the problem by making sure no one ever sees the actual publisher counts any more.

  You could remove the publisher report a few months after, or even a few months before, this speculative bombshell, but that would appear to be cynical and manipulative. As we all know, the Society doesn't mind being cynical and manipulative, it just hates appearing to be so.

  So, as a pre-emptive strike, why not remove the report a couple years in advance, even when the numbers are still inching upward? Then, when the bombshell hits, there is no numerical "proof" that anything is wrong.

  Sure, on a local level, individual JWs might notice Kingdom Hall attendance dropping a lot, but those loyal JWs would rationalize (based on continuing, non-number-specific glowing reports in the WT & OKM) "oh, this is just a local phenomenon - overall, earthwide, the organization is still doing well".

  Just thinking out loud here, trying to make sense of the avalanche of changes that are happening now, after decades of stasis.
• 

  Olin Moyles Ghost

  That's a provocative idea. Certainly anything is possible. It would take a tremendous doctrinal shift to shake out 20-50% of the JWs, though. I think that if there was a youtube video of the GB praying the Rosary then most JWs would view it as a test of faith and stay in the religion...

  Here's another idea. What if the GB really believes that the great tribulation is right around the corner? If that's the case, then they fully expect the U.N. and the world governments to come after the Witnesses with a vengeance. Perhaps they think that keeping the membership numbers secret may make it easier for the Witnesses to "go underground." They may reason this way: "if the governments don't know how many JWs are out there, then they will have a more difficult time finding us."
• 

  blondie

  I can remember the Theocratic News and how it was emphasized how Japan and continuous monthly peaks, and how all should imitate that. We now know that the numbers in Japan have decreased a great deal and congregations are being consolidated. But because the TN was removed 9 years ago, and most jws don't pay attention to the international numbers that much, many of the rank and file are unaware of the change in fortune in Japan. The WTS has done the same with the 7,000 year creative day doctrine. They didn't address it directly, just stopped talking about it. Now newer jws have no idea of the concept or thing it was officially changed and old timers are sharply corrected for bringing up an incorrect idea.

  Blondie
• 

  slimboyfat

  No I think the suggestion that they are trying to avoid legal difficulties is much more likely. All the changes in policy over the past two decades have been reactive or money oriented in some way. If those in the leadership these days have any appetite for theological or organizational innovation for its own sake then they have displayed precious little evidence of it.

  Ideologically Jehovah's Witnesses can handle decline as well as increase. In the late 1920s many left, and that is how the whole doctrine of the "remnant" started. The faithful remnant were those who stuck with the organization contrasted with the majority who left. In some ways declining numbers could be used as a tool to embolden remaining members to "keep integrity".
• 

  Doubting Bro

  Anything is possible. But the only thing I could see making that big of a sudden drop would be 1) another specific end of the world prediction ala 1975, 2) a complete mainstreaming of doctrine and practice ala World Church of God (no way that's going to happen) or 3) tithing. I say tithing because over and over again we were told how wrong it is to tithe because giving should be done from the heart. If they instituted tithing, that would push folks that go but don't contribute to make a stand. Maybe this is part of a grand scheme but more and more, I just don't think the top leadership is smart enough or united enough to actually have a long term plan and stick to it. I see the WTS as a rudderless ship.
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  So, as a pre-emptive strike, why not remove the report a couple years in advance , even when the numbers are still inching upward? Then, when the bombshell hits, there is no numerical "proof" that anything is wrong.

  I wouldn't give them that much credit. Even if the numbers are "inching" upward, they
  know it's all inflated and cannot be sustained. Totals include 15-minutes-per-month
  elderly and allowing of parents to both count the 4 hours per month for the children's
  study. Totals include manipulating until there's no more manipulating left. If there
  is a positive outcome for the 2008 numbers, it is tiny and they don't have anymore
  ideas for 2009. Didn't they move Alaska into the U.S. numbers in the last year or
  two to add some positive? Foreign language kept the U.S. positive last year and
  that could be fading off now.

  Otherwise, I think you got it right. Stop reporting when there is something positive
  to report. When it leaks or is officially released through a website or other source,
  but not in the usual way, the members will see or hear of the positive and think all
  is okay. Next year, when it's harder to find out the numbers- well, it's okay because
  they did this last year.

  I will speculate that they did not break the 7 million barrier- to their great disappointment.
  They think the rank and file will make a big deal of that. In reality, only us former members
  will make a big deal of it. They really have to have a bad year before the members take
  notice- perhaps next year will be that year. I will speculate that Memorial attendance was
  not really up, but the number of partakers was up, at least slightly. They know that the
  numbers for 2008 don't look that good. I imagine they don't look that bad either, but they
  want to start hiding them this year to establish their precident.
• 

  blondie

  We found when we were still in that jws that weren't happy with policy or doctrine changes tended to vote with their pockebook. So I would think that the WTS wants to bury as many changes in omissions or confusing explanations to avoid more of the same. People who don't leave but stop donating.
• 

  Witness 007

  What if, what if....the end is finally here and we are going to be destroyed! I will have to crack open my 12 year old Armagedon Scotch, and watch the battle.
• 

  slimboyfat

  Blondie is right stop donating was the first thing I did when I started to doubt.
• 

  WTWizard

  I will speculate that they did not break the 7 million barrier- to their great disappointment.

  I hope this is correct. I hope they had a decline, and next time it's a crash.