If any witness were able to just walk away from the organization with no repercussions, in five years what percentage of witnesses would have walked away?
Question
by silver rhino 6 Replies latest jw friends
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leavingwt
30 to 40 percent, IMHO.
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NewChapter
WOW, that's hard to quanitfy. For most it's a gradual process. They hang on for reasons other than repercussions. It's when they really realize they never want to go back that repercussions become an issue---so they start fading or decide to openly take the consequences. Once they reach that point, I think they'd walk away very quickly if they didn't have to worry about shunning. But the actual deprogramming process takes a while.
NC
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Anony Mous
I would think at least 30% would leave or start fading from the meetings right away. Some go for the friendships and family - you know those people that treat it like church. There are many out there with different opinions and having problems the way the operation is run right now. If they became a more mainstream christian organization however they would keep most of their membership.
Stuckinamovement sums it up pretty well in his open letter: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/204249/1/An-Open-letter-to-the-Governing-Body-of-Jehovahs-Witnesses-Elders-Ex-Elders
Please help us publish this letter!!!
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dgp
On the basis of my experience in the Catholic Church, yes, 30-40% would leave, and many of those who stayed would only be nominal witnesses. A very tiny minority would be very devout, and they would be considered crazy and extremists by the rest.
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pbrow
I feel that if all the reprecussions of being df'd or da'd the numbers above are probably a good guess. If they got rid of df or da then they would just be a regular church. Some wacky teachings here and there but then they would be a stand up religion. Secure enough in the fact that they dont get everthing right and people would not be forced to stay because of the very real fear of losing entire families and friends.
The dialouge of the few people celebrating christmas with the ones who didnt would be awesome! A huge thing that bothers me now is dubs have no problem judging others saying "how can you celebrate christmas, its a lie!" but then as soon as I bring up even the possibility that 1914 isa lie they want nothing to do with it.
I think it would be great, it would be difficult to call them a mind control cult anymore.
pbrow
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wobble
I think the long term loss of members would be terminal for the WT. I reckon 50% in a short time, and most of the rest not long after.
All that would be left are my sister and her husband.
It ain't gonna happen, too many $$$£££ at stake.