Can we belive any of the WTBS's numbers?

by highdose 5 Replies latest jw friends

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  highdose

  i think it has been well established on this board that alot of dubs fake their ministry time, probably their magazine placement and return visit count too.

  i know of loads who would claim a bible study even if they just had a work college who they somtimes mentioned the bible to in passing.

  we have seen a constant flow of newbies on here, coming to the realistation that its false and wanting to leave. The WTBS its self admits that loads are dissfellowshipped every year.

  So when you look at the figures put out by the WTBS are any of them real? based in reality? or are they totaly the product of a) overworked dubs trying not to look bad in front of the elders and 2) the WBST itself trying to make the r&f belive that it is not in the state it actauly is?
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  WTWizard

  I don't. They posted more than 7.1 million peak witlesses last circus year (and will post an even bigger number this year). However, all too many of them reflect fake time slips (either people turn in fake slips to avoid hounding, or the hounders turn them in to appease the hounder-hounder). Even worse is when children, and others who are forced to go out in field circus, are dragged out and have time turned in on their behalf. Some of these are out only because their parents force them out, and otherwise do not want to be out there (no wonder the witlesses so frequently stay with parents long past their 20s and even 30s--they are set up to not be able to make it on their own).

  Beyond that, I also think intentional "errors" in arithmetic are made. Or, they selectively correct the errors they do make--if they make an error against themselves, they fix it but not errors in their favor.

  To demonstrate how believable their 7.1 million figure actually is, I will claim to have set up a cult that has 63,043,559,934 members (this number was made up as I went). Of course, the whole thing is a fake, and I just invented that number (and there is no such cult). However, it does demonstrate how easy it is for the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger to fake their numbers.
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  ninja

  yep....they did a number on all of us.....believe it
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  wobble

  I believe their number of 144,000.

  I believe that number is fiction, as is their yearly report. It ain't gonna get no Pulitzer prize though.

  Love

  Wobble
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  yadda yadda 2

  No, they don't make up the numbers. Why do apostates always have to convince themselves the Society makes all their numbers up?
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  SirNose586

  No, they don't make up the numbers. Why do apostates always have to convince themselves the Society makes all their numbers up?

  I think a distinction needs to be made from making up numbers out of whole cloth, and allegations of improper counting. Also, there just doesn't seem to be "feel" of true growth to back up the numbers. It's not easy to see what's going on without a birds' eye view of the real numbers, which none of us have. It also raises suspicions to know that they no longer can print the monthly numbers publically, as if to say, "We don't feel you need to know what's going on." So all these things invite due skepticism.

  I certainly don't feel that the Society isn't above creative counting methods; they admitted that the standards were lowered in regards to time counting, publisher status, etc.

  So perhaps the real problem is that even if they've counted the people properly, it just doesn't feel right because the growth can't be readily observed, and that despite the time and effort put into the work, the Law of Diminishing Returns is schooling the hell out of the Borg.