What will the WBTS do about the youth problem?

by easyreader1970 18 Replies latest jw friends

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  easyreader1970

  Many youngsters, even ones brought up in "the truth", are leaving the organization, some never to return. They're not doing so because they want to party or gain wealth (as the Society would have you believe) but they are doing so because they are not stupid. It is no longer 1974. People have much more information at their fingertips these days and nobody is closer to the signal of the internet than young people. It's far easier to prove that the WBTS is full of dingoes kidneys than it used to be. Before it took trips to libraries all over the state. Now a simple internet search taking seconds is all you need.

  Young men are not growing into ministerial servants and elders. In my congregation, all of the ministerial servants and elders are in the 45-65 range with one exception. Older men are even carrying the microphones (what a privilege!) because there are no young ones in the congregation who are eligible to do so.

  I am 38 now. Between the ages of 20 and 25 I was a ministerial servant. I stopped after a while and I feel sorry for anyone who is still enslaved to that degree. Every now and then the society tries to make us feel bad because we as men don't have any congregation responsibilities but I let that slide off my back. (The only reason I am still attending is so my family isn't destroyed by the WBTS.) They even tell sisters that if the man they are interested in doesn't have any responsibilities in the kingdom hall, that he's worthless.

  I said all of that, though, to ask this question:

  What are their plans to deal with this problem in the next 10-20 years? If things go as they are, older brothers will die off or become less useful in the congregation. With nobody to fill their shoes, what does the Society plan to do? I can see this turning into a huge problem and in some places I am told it already is. Some reasonably large congregations have to function with 4-5 older elders because there is nobody to replace them and take the reins.

  Personally, I am just hoping for collapse but I don't know what the WBTS has up their sleeves to fix this.

  er
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  jws

  They even tell sisters that if the man they are interested in doesn't have any responsibilities in the kingdom hall, that he's worthless.

  Well that's one thing. Attack the sex drive early. If you want to get married so you can have sex, you've got to take responsiblity because no girl in this hall wants some spiritual slacker. And those responsiblities are part of the road to hooking you in. Mic carrier, then MS, then elder, etc. And then you've got so much responsiblity and position that it's hard to give it up.

  Like you say, the internet's a problem. They could produce some sort of net-nanny software to block anti-JW sites. But if the kid's intent to do some research, I'm sure they have plenty of options available to them at school, libraries, and the homes of non-JW friends. But any degree of difficulty makes it that much harder and I'm sure keeps a certain percentage from getting curious and eventually leaving.

  I don't really see what they can do. What have they got to offer? In general, the US seems to be becoming more secular. I'm sure all religions are feeling it. Who wants to hold onto a religion that has rules that make you different from everybody else? It's great if there's some big payoff right around the corner. But even if I was still a JW, I'd be getting kind of weary of that old scare tactic. But I'm sure they'll use that too.

  JW private schools maybe? Isolate them from "worldly" influences at a young age. I heard there used to be some in California (a shock to me). But then you have the risk of that whole molestation thing and lawsuits. Maybe encourage more home schooling like the fundys do.

  Just wait another 6 years when 2014 has come and gone and a hundred years has now passed since 1914. I don't think it'll be just the youth leaving.
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  leavingwt

  They won't do anything about it. Cults shoot their wounded.

  Those that leave "don't have the right heart condition" and they are kicked to the curb like trash.

  You can read JWs defend their position on the high rate of youth defection, here:

  http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080302194823AAmsb1o
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  jamiebowers

  They'll do wht they've always done i times of crisis; blame the victims and tighten the screws on them.
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  easyreader1970

  I am giving them another five years or so before this situation becomes more widespread and critical. I am hoping they don't have a good plan for it and then they will explode on themselves.

  I can see them trying to spread some sort of message of fear, just to try to get people to start clinging to the Organization. I can see them trying to manufacture a way on purpose to be somehow persecuted. Witnesses love that. It makes them feel special. Then again, this may fail because maybe the young folks aren't as sheepish as the Organization wants them to be.

  Maybe the youth problem isn't an issue in some of the third world countries that the WBTS has sunk its fangs into, but in the US, they are losing their grip.

  er
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  OnTheWayOut

  I don't really see what they can do. What have they got to offer?

  They have run out of good ideas because old men dedicated to the cult think it should
  all work out. They are trying "family study night" but I imagine only a handful of parents
  (mostly single moms) will indoctrinate their youth thru that avenue. Otherwise, as pointed
  out, trying to get young ones to want a "spiritual" mate or no booty call at all is still an
  ongoing method- along with family shame, pressure, guilt.
• 

  sir82

  What will they do? The same thing they've always done. Wring their hands, bemoan the effects of "Satanic propaganda", and issue stern warnings about the futility of higher education.

  "The beatings will continue until morale improves."
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  Olin Moyles Ghost

  I think some of the recent changes (one less meeting night, shorter public talks) are in response to the lack of men "reaching out for privileges." If serving as an elder is not as difficult, then perhaps young JWs will reach out. Will the Society make further concessions in order to keep existing elders from quitting and entice future elders to reach out? Who knows?

  But even if the Society doesn't make any changes, there will always be a supply of JW men who want to be elders. It's likely that more of these will come from the poor, disadvantaged communities from which the religion draws most of its growth. While lots of us (myself included) joke about the so-called "power" that elders have, I can imagine that it's not such a laughing matter to a poor immigrant who feels marginalized by the world.
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  Anne

  As pointed out the US is getting more secular, but from what I've observed in others in my age group (30ish) when they have their own children they tend to go back to the religion they were raised in. I have not observed the same trend in JW's who have left, in fact the exact opposite. In my case it was the driving force to finally extricate myself completely. I don't "pretend" for my parents or siblings anymore.

  In the congregation I was raised around about 70% of my pere group has left that I know of. Without young families the religion will slowly die out. Maybe their original 1914 generations doctrine was right, that that generation will not pass before the end comes (to the JW religion.)
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  undercover

  I had to laugh at the title of this thread: "What will the WBTS do about the youth problem?"

  As I was waiting for the page to load to read the first post, I couldn't help but ask myself, "What problem? Are there too many of them? Are they going to have to cull the herd?" as if this was a part of town with too many deer or fox.

  Okay, seriously... I noticed on my way out that fewer and fewer brothers were reaching out for privileges. Sure, there are a few hardcore elders sons who follow in daddy's footsteps, but unlike when I was younger and the majority of brothers were given some kind of responsibility, I noticed that most brothers weren't exemplary enough to even work mic duty on Suday.

  I remember when I was younger, that brothers in their mid-30s were elders. Most brothers that were regular publishers were elders way before turning 40. Sure, there were still the old, old dudes left over from the Rutherford era, but they were dying off and being replaced by the young guard. Now the young guard are the old geezers.

  I won't give my age(but I'm no spring chicken)...but I know of only a handful of elders younger than my age. The rest are around my age and older. True, I don't go to meetings anymore but I know enough JWs around to know who is and isn't an elder in the last couple of congregations I was in. I personally never made it past MS. I had absolutely no desire to be an elder. Too much work and responsibility. Hell, I couldn't keep myself straight, how was I gonna counsel other people?

  It is obvious that the elder body average age is getting up there in years. It is going to be a problem down the road, when fewer brothers are available to handle all the "privileges". But it's a problem that I like seeing them have.