We don't see the Society bragging about Japan anymore and how hard they're
working and how "Jehovah" is blessing their hard work.
10 Years Japan losses 5,400 Publishers and 638 Kingdom Halls! Why?
by Witness 007 88 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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AndersonsInfo
Remember who died in 1999, ten years ago when the decrease in the flock started? GB member, Lloyd Barry.
Until Lloyd came to Brooklyn Bethel in 1974, he was Japan's Branch Overseer for many years. The Japanese loved their connection to him and he was the major reason thousands of them came to Brooklyn on tour, or so I was told. In fact, one of the senior writers commented that the reason for the high percentage of pioneers in Japan was Lloyd Barry. They were so proud to have him as one of the GB and wanted to please him. (Remember the Japanese have a high propensity for worshipping leaders.) Lloyd often went to Japan even after he became a GB member to see the faithful. After his death, without this GB link to God, it is no surprise that the Japanese began to fall away from the faith.
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Witness 007
Andersoninfo thanks interesting forgot about Lloyd's death! Almost like Emperor worship continued in Japan after WW 2!
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insearchoftruth
Are there any areas of the planet that they do brag about their growth...in the US it seems to be only the non-English speaking congos......
My wife said that in the congo she is attending here, there are no teenagers at all........
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Kosonen
Japan is propably emptied of "fish". It does not get better the more hours they spend in preaching.
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possible-san
Hi, AndersonsInfo.
I am a Japanese ex- Jehovah's Witness.
In fact, one of the senior writers commented that the reason for the high percentage of pioneers in Japan was Lloyd Barry.
I think that it is not the fact although I think that you have freedom of speech.
When I became a Jehovah's Witness in 1983, Mr. Lloyd Barry was not the overseer of the Japan branch.
(He was the overseer till January, 1975.)Since it is the 1980s that the number of JWs increased in Japan, many Japanese JWs do not necessarily feel familiarity for him specially.
Rather, many Japanese Jehovah's Witnesses respected Mr. Masataro Oda who became the next overseer from 1983.
That is because he was modest.
He died in the accident in 2004. -
Witness 007
"Possible San" WHY do you think people in your country are leaving the Witnesses?
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SirNose586
"Don't forget to factor in that the Japanese encourage EDUCATION to their young ones.
Every good JW knows that education helps a young JW to abandon "the truth." "--OTWO
I think Jerry brings up a good point. In a culture that has so much pressure to succeed and make money, it's becoming increasingly difficult to sell that anti-college message. Also we must remember that Japan is a very secular nation; even Christian missionaries are having a tough time there. It's not easy to say "We're better than this type of Christianity" when there isn't a suitable comparison.
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leavingwt
Internet on cell phones.
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yadda yadda 2
This has been asked before and it was felt a main reason is the significant downturn in the Japanese economy. When Japan was the world's economic powerhouse and times were booming, they had huge numbers of pioneers. With economic growth dropping off and unemployment soaring, the publisher and pioneer growth went into reverse. So basically the publisher numbers has more or less matched their economic cycles.