Challenges Facing the Watchtower Org (page 10)

eric356

It there anywhere to get those numbers (Without a yearbook or where ever they publish it now)? It would be helpful. The WT numbers are quite reliable. Rodney Stark has analyzed them and said their not inflated. They also match with third party surveys. This "honesty" will be quite interesting if/when their numbers in the USA start declining.

I guess they could pad by incorporating other areas into the USA, but that will just hurt them the year after because of the unreproducible spike in growth.

On the 'charismatic leader' front, this won't happen until after a the GB is in panic mode. People don't give up power unless they think they will lose it anyway if they don't act. So, I think speculating about this leader is a bit premature.

Zapper_1

You certainly do make some interesting points, eric, but you may be overlooking the fact that electronic media are not nearly as permanent as you might think. I recall reading somewhere on the web (sorry, I can't remember where) that CDs and DVDs can't be expected to retain data for more than a decade or so. Magnetic media are even more volatile. The only reason they seem to retain data as long as they do is because our computers constantly refresh them. This means that printing on paper is probably still the best means of long term storage. I suspect that the WT may be aware of this. While I agree that the Watchtower needs to change its approach, I don't expect it to start using TV any time soon. It's too expensive for the returns they would get (and we all know how stingy the WT is!). That only leaves the Internet, but that would just heap another level of hypocrisy on a stack that is already way too tall. Zap

Zapper_1

You certainly do make some interesting points, eric, but you may be overlooking the fact that electronic media are not nearly as permanent as you might think. I recall reading somewhere on the web (sorry, I can't remember where) that CDs and DVDs can't be expected to retain data for more than a decade or so. Magnetic media are even more volatile. The only reason they seem to retain data as long as they do is because our computers constantly refresh them. This means that printing on paper is probably still the best means of long term storage. I suspect that the WT may be aware of this. While I agree that the Watchtower needs to change its approach, I don't expect it to start using TV any time soon. It's too expensive for the returns they would get (and we all know how stingy the WT is!). That only leaves the Internet, but that would just heap another level of hypocrisy on the WT because of the way it badmouths it. Of course, we all know that hypocrisy is routine for the "Brooklyn 12" (or is it 13), don't we? Zap

eric356

Zapper, why would the WT want information to be permanent? They hate permanent media, because people can use it against them in the future. "New light" loves an instantly editable digital record where past statements can be changed "back to the way they've always been" ala The Ministry of Truth. Also, your statements about the decay of CDs and DVDs only applies to home-burned discs which rely on a dye, not commercially stamped discs. I've seen plenty 1980's vintage CDs that work just fine. Magnetic media is worn out mostly by repeated use, it won't degrade much just by sitting there. All of this is irrelevant though, because in the future information basically lives forever as it is copied and moved around across networked computers, constantly refreshed as you said. The main reason for the WT to used digital distribution is because it has very small capital costs, in direct contrast to paper magazines which need presses, ink, paper, plates, and shipping. They won't use TV, that's basically an old media format too, currently being absorbed into the internet.

Challenges Facing the Watchtower Org

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