Is the WT mainstreaming into a more normal religion, is it tightening its grip, or are its leaders preparing to take the money and run, leaving its followers high and dry?
WT: mainstreaming, becoming more cultish, or disappearing?
by JimmyPage 22 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
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Humble your self
I dont see any changes in there ways...
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leavingwt
I'll vote for "tightening its grip", as recent shunning has illustrated to me. Overall, however, probably about the same. No chance of mainstream.
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Spook
These organizations tend to see the "inspiration" to do things when it's required for survival. The mormons removing officially racist policies, for example.
I can't say what exactly will happen partially because there is bad demographical information about JW's (average age, etc.)
I do predict this...
1. Declining growth in Western nations, continued growth in 2nd and 3rd world minority populations.
2. Demographic change away from Old White Men.
3. Younger and more diverse representation in the leadership and those who claim to be "anointed."
4. Doctrinal changes to explain it.
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JimmyPage
Perhaps I should add a fourth option: stagnating.
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Chalam
Hi,
I predict that many "religions" will liberalize and find common ground. There is plenty of evidence for this already. Others will become even more hardcore but probably sidelined (maybe the JWs). Once the major "religions" link up you will see the 'Harlot who rides the beast' that the WT likes to talk about totally wrongly. This global "religion" will deceive many, even the elect as it will look very appealing but will be rotten at the core. Anyhow, the world leader will burn it after three and a half years and demand worship himself once his systems are in place. The seven year tribulation period hasn't started (even though the WT says it has) but the "birth pangs" are in evidence. Like Jesus said, you will know the signs of the end of the age. Expect to see His church rising up and opposition to it also.
All the best,
Stephen
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Meeting Junkie No More
Here's what I think (worth about 2c):
My take is that the captains steering the ship can see plenty of icebergs ahead and don't have a clue what to do about them. I think they realize to a certain extent that the ship is sinking. There's a perfect storm brewing, threatening to absolutely smash the whole edifice of the religion to bits - a googleload of negative and damning information available to absolutely anyone with a hook-up to the Internet and there's not a damn thing they can do about it! More and more vocal negative publicity - books, videos, blogs, you name it, it's growing exponentially worldwide!
The more they try to demonize education of every stripe, ergo the internet, the more they hijack their own efforts at cover-up. More and more are waking up to their endless threats of perdition to all and sundry, with no viable alternative except an endless life of DO MORE, DO MORE! The end is nigh! This generation is already hearing the end is nigh day and night from scientists and that end seems a very distinct possibility, in fact maybe more credible than a WT Armageddoom scenario.
At the last CA I attended, the question was put to the audience - how many of you brothers and sisters have come in within the last 15 years? 90%! Most of the oldtimers have gone the way of the dodo. Young people of this generation don't have the patience us older ones did. And they have control of the information they want to get or need to get. Just because some old fuddy duddy poo poohs education hasn't meant a hill of beans to them! Most of them are attending university/college despite the rantings of the GB. Already, congregation attendance is dwindling at a frenetic pace. The downfall will be complete by 2014, in my opinion. It's all downhill from here.
So, to answer your question, I don't see them mainstreaming (although the present adherents certainly are in greater and greater numbers); becoming more cultish? I don't see that either. My take is they are disappearing. They were like a mist - appearing for a little while and then disappearing...
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Lost-In-Translation
I don't think they will "mainstream" as other religions do. The "new blood" of the Governing Body has been able to push the older ones to "lighten the load" a bit. The fact that there were so many changes lately testifies to that. It was stated at the Annual Meeting that it took two years of debate for the Governing Body to finally make the decision of eliminating one midweek meeting. That tells me that a real power struggle is going on. What further changes might happen - I'm not sure. The WBTS has 5 more years to figure things out since 2014 is right around the corner. The "last days" will have lasted 100 years by 2014. How much longer will people wait for the "end of this system of thing"?
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purplesofa
t was stated at the Annual Meeting that it took two years of debate for the Governing Body to finally make the decision of eliminating one midweek meeting.
Wow, the Holy Spirit sure moves slow.
purps
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Homerovah the Almighty
I believe too that the inter-net is kicking at the shins of the organization doing its appropriate amount of damage
that they can not control, therefore the weakening off of demands by the followers.
It seems the inter-net has been doing a good job of reveling the cultish behavior by its leaders, the
information is all there for all to take in and analise. Perhaps it was because of the strong commercial aspects of
the religion from the from its beginning, that today make most of their doctrinal policies appear weak and unsubstantiated
and the net as I say is exposing those weaknesses in a very damaging way.