Sorry about that last post. I don't know what happened to the formatting.
metatron
Could Watchtower Collapse Be Sooner Than You Think?
by metatron 122 Replies latest jw friends
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OnTheWayOut
This corporation has bounced back so many times before, but this is different. They are at the crest of a wave of nonsupport.
All the excess funds from established countries seem to have dried up. To stay ahead of the wave, the measures discussed here have been implemented- reduce magazine production, reduce Bethelites, reduce book quality, etc.It is a vicious circle. They try to guilt the members into giving more, but keep offering less. Individuals really feel that Jehovah will support it, so they feel that they can contribute less themselves. When you cannot support your less-than-minimum-wage staff, money is being mismanaged. When the members see how poorly you treat the dismissed ones, they might not wake up, but they see that they need to watch their own backs, and keep contributing less, squirelling away the little bits they can.
Could collapse be sooner rather than later? I think so. I am not going to be overly optimistic, but the current hard times are not giving WTS much else to do. The sale of properties is raising huge amounts, but not the dollars that booming real estate markets would raise them. One good class action lawsuit in another round of mishandling of child-abuse/pedophile cases will wipe out a few buildings value.
Even though it won't maximize profits, I expect to hear of the sale of many kingdom halls. They will just be following a money-formula that demands it, despite the poor economy. Members in those same halls will travel further and will be scared by the outcome. They will severely reduce their contributions if they hadn't done so already.
I expect two-day conventions to be announced, perhaps as early as 2010 or 2011. They will hope to fleece the flock just as much in two days as they did in three. I expect the speculated further reduction in magazines. After 2009, I expect the new releases at the convention to be tracts and brochures. I was a bit surprised that it wasn't that way this year. Hold onto those cheap paperback Bibles and songbooks because I expect a shortage. But the steps after these will seem even more drastic. There's not much left to reduce.
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insearchoftruth
Would they ever consider moving the conventions to weekdays, rather than weekends to minimize the cost to the organization, or breaking them up into smaller groups and using assembly halls and make the rank and file just travel a longer distance.
I have only been following WTS activities for going on four years and I can not believe all the changes they have made in that short time, and what is amazing to me, my wife, her study conductors and other followers of the GB do not even bat an eye at the changes.......
Could they get away with nulite on tithing, there are many places the bible talks about giving to the church.......just a thought!?!
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isaacaustin
I doubt that insearchoftruth
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sir82
Would they ever consider moving the conventions to weekdays, rather than weekends to minimize the cost to the organization, or breaking them up into smaller groups and using assembly halls and make the rank and file just travel a longer distance.
Weekdays...never. At the convention I attended, there were 2000 people less in attendance on Friday compared to Sunday.
Conventions are an absolute cash cow for the org...probably the biggest fundraisers they have. They would never do anything to decrease attendance.
Smaller groups & meeting in Assembly Halls? They already do that in some locations, and they would probably like to do it more often. But many Assembly Halls are already operating at full, or near-full, capacity, and there just wouldn't be enough free weekends to add DCs to the schedule.
Could they get away with nulite on tithing, there are many places the bible talks about giving to the church.......just a thought!?!
I fully expect this sometime not far away...more along the lines of a "suggestion"..."Wouldn't it be a fine thing to do, to imitate the Israelites' generous spirit?"
On the thread topic....I agree, as a religion they will continue in some form or another for many years to come. There's too many people whose emotional itch is scratched by what they offer.
But the business side is a different story. The cutbacks will continue, and the money problems will not go away any time soon, maybe never.
I expect the number of members to start dipping in about 5-7 years time, and then to stabilize or drop slowly over the next decades. They will be forced to mainstream, as virtually no one born after 1980 or so takes the religion even 10% as seriously as the old-timers did.
As current elders burn out or die off and there is no one with the strong will to replace them & keep things going as they are, they will be forced to mainstream in order to keep things limping along. Look for big-time mainstreaming to take place when large numbers of the current elders have died off & there is no one to replace them, in 10-15 years.
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keinlezard
I suppose no , WTBTS cannot collapse ...
just see henrietta M Riley Trust E990 forms available on the internet ...
I suppose WTBTS has other sources of money
maybe slow down , sold her buildings but no collapse ...
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FlyingHighNow
Is it so farfetched? Not really, look at Chrysler and GM. Corporations are going out of business right and left. Maybe the WTBTS does operate on free labor, but they don't have a product like a car that with each sale will bring in thousands in profits. The product they sell is cheap, cheap, cheap. No one is paying $32,000 for a magazine or book, but people will pay that for a brand new Ford Mustang.
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FlyingHighNow
Also, GM doesn't have to house and feed its employees. The WTBTS does. Not exactly free labor.
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metatron
Now you guys are thinking! You're seeing the long term trends and starting to consider the eventual outcome.
Something has got to give. You have mindless fanaticism coupled with lagging cash flow. The Governing Frauds are being forced to choose - do you want to preserve the Watchtower business or the Watchtower religion? I say money wins!
Oh, but that's not all! Let's throw in a brain drain, wreck long term loyalty, and observe how arrogance on the Governing Body could trigger some very disasterous decisions.
It may not be likely right now but one good Catholic-level successful lawsuit could FINISH the Watchtower - and I think they know it.
metatron
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badboy
I DID WONDER ON A THREAD BY ME ABOUT A FEW MONTHS AGO, IF A SINGLE DECISION BY AN INDIVIDUAL COULD BRING THINGS DOWN.