Preaching in other languages

by guanaco 5 Replies latest jw friends

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  guanaco

  Hi to everyone!

  This is my first post in this forum. I'm from Spain and I'm a JW yet. Indeed, I have been posting in a Spanish-speaking forum for some years.

  The reason to continue is that I have my family in the WT with all the consecuencies you know.

  I am now in a English speaking congregation here in Spain. I have moved to this congregation some months ago and it's embarrasing how it works. They attract desperate people who don't know anybody in the country. Most are poor immigrants that need some help.

  Have you been in this kind of congregation in your country?
• 

  JWoods

  Hi guanaco - welcome.

  It has been a while since I have been in a kingdom hall (quit as an elder back in 1979), but I know that here in the U.S. something similar to this is going on with the Vietnamese. I live in Dallas, Tx.

  The JWs target these people because they are immigrants and need to learn english. My lady companion is vietnamese (she is a scientist for the EPA and has been here for 35 years) and they try to visit her because of her name in the phone book. They call on anybody with a vietnamese last name in the phone book.

  It is almost like they are trading english lessons for listening to their nutty religion.

  James
• 

  sir82

  They attract desperate people who don't know anybody in the country.

  This is the one and only, sole reason that JWs continue to grow in the USA.

  Hundreds of thousands of immigrants, legal and otherwise, flow into the country each year. The vast majority speak Spanish.

  As of 5 years ago, 250,000+ of the 1 million JWs in the USA attended Spanish language congregations. I'm sure the ratio is in the 30-35% range now.

  English-speaking JWs are leaving in droves. Spanish-speaking JWs more than make up for it, however.

  I suspect the majority of Spanish-speaking American JWs join for precisely the reason you state - they are poor and desperately lonely, but look! There at the Kingdom Hall they have 100 to 150 instant new "friends"!

  Of course the Governing Body doesn't care - so long as the contributions continue to flow and their power remains undiminished.
• 

  guanaco

  Hi James.

  That happends here too. Even I know JWs helping immigrants with their official "papers", paying them lawyers and so on. It seems they are "buying them".

  In fact, the congregation is so successful doing so that Americans and Britons are coming to English-speaking congregations.
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  dgp

  This post raises several questions.

  The Watchtower is distinctly American. As the "American" component of it goes down, what do you think will happen? A Governing body consisting of non-Americans is unthinkable now. The original doctrine is in English. I know the Watchtower has many translators, but, still, that will create a language barrier. What could happen?

  What will happen with all those immigrants, in the US, Spain or otherwise, that will have to cut ties with their worldly families? Most of them leave their countries because they want to send money back home. Many have children, wives, parents. Maybe the Watchtower expects those converts to have an influence on their families back home. But, will the influence be one-way only?

  I know sincerity is not at the top of the Watchtower's list, but, how sincere would you expect those conversions to be, if a green card is involved? What will happen once those people can stay in the country? They have a supply of instant friends in the Kingdom Hall, yes, but they were essentially willing to be on their own on foreign soil, and they can do away with 150 people. Suppose I have a green card, and a child back home who, I know, won't convert. Will I trade the 150+ for my child? If I do, what will the effect be on my child? Will he get to love the Watchtower?

  Just questions.
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  guanaco

  Hi dgp.

  It's happening in Europe too. I know brothers from Germany and France and they told me that there aren't any new German or French brother or sister in their congregations since many years ago. The same in Spain.

  I think the WT thinks their future is in South America (where they are growing a lot) and Africa. The try to believe it because they don't want to attack the REAL problem they have: they have to "reform" theirselves but without losing their old members. Very difficult I think.