What will the JW religion be like in 2015? (page 2)

TheOldHippie

I think it will be a mixture of "both - and" and "neither - nor" of what is written above. There will a more mainstream direction outwardly, and inwardly downplaying of the more "special" features and more focus on "non-dangerous" topics, such as the new book study book "be my follower" on Jesus'ministry. BTW a very good book! But inofficially there will be also a focus on the specific topics. Result? You will have a very divided membership, I guess, you will have a very hard-core group consisiting of elders, servants, pioneers, eager JWs, but then you will have a large more relaxed, "fringe" membership. In stead of nearly all men ending up elders and servants, you will have just a few, because the rest do not want to strive towards becoming one. I think you will more and more strongly see two groups within the group.

JustHuman14

GREAT SONG DUDE....In the year 2525....I was not even born when it came out, but I LOVE 60's.

As for the topic I believe WT will run out of followers in the near future. Internet, education, are the negative factors that will drain WT. Just have a look at the internet and see how many ex-jw web sides exist.

On the other hand the leadership of the cult are trapped to their own past mistakes concerning chronology and they can't get way from it. So for an average JW the "generation" teaching has nothing to do with those JW's during the 80's(like me). At that time we had something solid to hold for the end of this world. Now in the year 2009 all they hear the end is close....

The alarm bell has really lost the meaning of the current JW's. I believe WT will have a slow fade out since they have NOTHING to give to the rank and file

peace

justhuman

exjwbennymcd1978

your right in the 80's we were racing against the armagedon clock a virtual race to the mothership so to speak

Room 215

Thier biggest challenge right now is to concoct a reasoned rationalization for the delay beyond the centenary milestone year; it's going to strain their creativity to the limit, if it already hasn't done so. I imagine what will happen is a promotion of the same kind of collective amnesia they fostered when 1975 proved a dud.

blondie

So what is it now 2009, so that is 6 years in the future; so what was it like in 2003 and the last six years.

Farkel

:What will the JW religion be like in 2015?

Well, for one thing, theycan tack on 6 more years when they brag about their "rich Spiritual Heritage." Hell, in only 1700 more years, they will be able to make the same boast the Catholic Church does now about its own "rich Spiritual Heritage."

They have a long way to catch up with the Jews in that regard, however.

Farkel

Mary

I think many are hoping that when Ted Jackass finally kicks the bucket, that perhaps the frothing-at-the-mouth insanity that trickles down from Mount Zion Crooklyn, will be of a more moderate nature. However, I doubt that will happen. I believe that they're going to try and turn even more hardcore. They'll lose alot of members but I think they'd be willing to cut their losses. They'd rather rule over a pliable group of 3,000,000 members, than 6,000,000 who aren't really 'paying close attention' when the Oracle speaks.

With regards to the actual doctrines, I figure the following will probably happen:

Storing your own blood will become a "conscience" matter, as will plasma;
Witnesses will be told in the study articles that they should have extremely limited (if any) contact with family members who have simply 'faded';
Regular pioneers will only have to get 50 hours in each month
Auxillary pioneers will only have to get 30 hours in each month
Leaving all your possessions to the WTB&TS will be strongly 'recommended' as opposed to leaving it to your family;
The "Faithful and Discreet Slave" will be referring ONLY to the Governing Body members
They'll be 12,000+ partaking at the Memorial which could lead them to make the "144,000" number, symbolic. Since they've already downgraded any of the 'anointed' as being on the same footing as the 'other sheep', it won't make any difference to them one way or another how many partake, because they won't be part of the 'Slave' class.

thomas15

Of course I don't have the first hand knowledge of the WT that most here have but as I have said in the past, the WT is looking at groups like the Mormons and saying, "gee they deny the trinity and the diety of Christ just like us. And their members also read the Bible. But notice the cars parked in their parking lot. Mercedies and BMWs as oposed to Chevy Metros so popular in out parking lots. And notice the big old mainline protestant churches in town. They use the New Revised Standard Version with the "incorrect rendering" of John 1:1 and their members still deny the diety of Jesus and look at how much money they get on Sunday".

So with this in mind, I believe the WT will back off policies such as college education and good paying jobs to appeal to the six figure crowd that also hate Jesus. They will also back off the requirement to do field service in lieu of other less obnoxious service or allow paid surrigates to do the field service for those who have importain jobs and little free time.

scotinsw

Personally I can't see them relaxing on the college thing. They did that in the mid 90s and soon reversed it when the pioneer numbers fell and fewer brothers were "reaching out".

If you asked them in 2003 if they could imagine having 2 versions of the watchtower and no book studies I doubt many could have done. I know I couldn't have! In some ways its very difficult to imagine what they will be like in 6 years but I agree with the being more restrictive on what you can and can't do.

donuthole

Here are my guesses -

Preaching Work

There will be a move away from distributing literature to the public which will mirror the decline in printed media in the rest of the world. They will shift more toward special tract distributions, such as invitations to conventions, memorial, and the Sunday public meeting. The public Watchtower will cease to be printed.

Meetings

The Sunday meeting will be more public friendly. The WT study will move to the weekday meeting accompanying an abreviated TMS and Service meeting. The book study will be moved to the off-night "Family Worship Night" along with selected articles from Our Kingdom Ministry.

Organizational Numbers

There continue to be an increase in memorial "partakers" and the WT will discontinue publishing this figure as it is vestigial from the days where it was a gauge of determining the nearness of Armaggedon.

In Western lands there will a general decrease as the current generation of children fall out during their teen and young adult years. This sharp decline will be obscurred by a campaign to weed out faders. This decline will be spun as a harvest sifting.

Doctrine

Blood will be officially a conscience matter but still be severely discouraged.

1914 will be held onto but will not be focused on.

The Governing Body will number themselves at twelve in equation with the apostles and will assume the role of the Faithful and Discreet Slave. The concept of the anointed will be further dilluted if not done away with all together. In Jesus parable the GB will be the FDS, all Jehovah's Witnesses will be seen as the domestics, and the belongings will include WT buildings and real estate holdings. (The WT may get more involved in real estate to offset the decline of income from literature sales.) There may some changes on who is considered "anointed" and who partakes, this will serve the purpose of organizing and controlling as well as solidifying the unofficial caste system that already exists while consolidating power.

The WT will get more involved politically though stopping short of direct participation in the military.

Leadership

There will continue to be a shortage of elders and ministerial servants which may contribute to reverting back to a single "company servant" type role supported by a body of ministerial servants.

What will the JW religion be like in 2015?

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