by Mr Facts 62 Replies latest jw friends
Subconsciencely at least, the internet is still a new & wild place for anyone who wasn't born with it (25 & older?). Eventually the 'net will simply be what the human race does. A new JW study will be told, "Now, here are your approved websites" and they'll go, "Are you nuts?"
Anyone who types "Jehovah's Witness" in a Google box will know what it is in 5 minutes.
If the society rules that obesity is a sin and those that are obese will be disfellowshipped if they don't get thinner, 30% of the rank and file would be DF'd
they should be my Dad is 73 now DF'd for smoking when they changed it... he couldn't quit... then it took them 3 years to do it after they told him they were going too. I finaly talked with him about it...
Ya when you think about it, your body is a temple .. wasn't that the reasoning behind the smoking deal.. obesity is a far greater health concern IMHO
TT
The only thing that I can imagine as being bad enough to spark a massive awakening, would be a HUGE scandal over the Watchtower Corporation's deliberate cover-up of their pedophilia problem.
If it could be proven that one or more of the current or recent Governing Body members [within the last 30 - 40 years] also had a severe pedophilia problem, and that was somehow involved in the decision of the corporation's leaders to deliberately and collusively hide the crimes occurring within their ranks AND their upper levels of management, I would think THAT would be sufficient to drive Rank&File members out in droves.
Unfortunately, there are far too many "company" men whose consciences are so numbed by Watchtower propaganda, who are holding the sort of evidence to bring this corporation down but are still too DAMNED loyal to expose their masters' sins...
I hold out no hope that there will ever be a concerted exposure by enough men "on the inside", to truly destroy the power of this ugly cult.
I don't think anything can. If false prophecy several times over didn't do it, riding brazenly on the back of the wild Beast didn't do it, the Holocaust didn't do it, flip flops and word definition change didn't do it. I think most religious types are the same way about their respective religions. absolute diswconfirmation has little effect on the faithful. Looking at the blatant rip offs that televangelists do every day, people dying over their religion is commonplace. If you beat them on the head a million times you will not remove the stupid from them. Death, torture, nuclear bombs. if there is anything I have faith in it is that religious people will stick to their guns about their religion. It is more constant and dependable than death and taxes.
abraham was just about to kill his only son for his delusion of God. whether it happened or not in reality, I believe that religious people are willing to kill their own children for thei imaginary invisible man any day of the week without breaking a sweat, without a twinge of conscience. In fact it will make them feel good to kill their children, or rape their children or torture them whatever. As long as there are stupid people, cults and religions will endure.
Nothing will. There's a sucker born every minute, and most of the RF are suckers. Myself included, even as a born-in.
Nothing--part of the scam is that you have to believe it with all your heart, and wait your whole life to see results. When you have to wait your whole life and you don't have the benefit of seeing what happens to people after they die, these scams can go on forever. Sort of like the Nigeria Scams Deluxe versions--where you have to put more and more into something for a promised reward, only to have the rewards never materialize. And, if you realize it's a scam, "you sinned against the holy spirit"--stopping others from listening.
When the next generation of 35 year old anointed Governing Body members decide to nick off the the Maldives with six billion dollars of cash that was invested in overseas tax havens and everyone in bethel eventually discovers they and the money are gone?
other than that, nothing.
annnnndddd, maybe not even that!
Oz
Aliens landing on the White House lawn?
I don't know about millions leaving, but undoubtedly 20-25% or so of the membership are probably vulnerable to some kind of major event (approx that amount left after the failed 1975 prophecy.) 75% left after 1925 but those were early days & the Org is a lot more resilient today. There are a lot of JWs who basically go through the motions , do just about enough to keep them onside but would leave if there was a decent enough excuse that would validate their actions ( I was probably in this category for 20 years before I left. )
Imagine a scenario where there was a major schism / leadership battle which really muddied the waters (imagine there were 2 different Watchtowers being printed , 2 different Kindom Ministries). Or a big scandal - financial or sexual - involving some of the GB or WTBTS leadership. Or a major doctrinal turnaround - eg blood transfusions being made a conscience matter or the concept of an imminent Armageddon being shelved. Inevitably a lot of JWs would be "stumbled" and walk away.
What I guess really terrifies the WTBTS is a major Spanish split. Essentially the WTBTS is an American run corporation - if there ever was a schism where Spanish speaking JWs successfully formed a new group , then all bets are off as far as the viable future of the WTBTS is concerned.
I do not believe one single event would straight away cause many to walk. Think about ourselves, it was a build up of many things ,until the straw that broke Humpy the Camel's back.
It was different things, and a different final straw for all of us. Some huge event would definately help a few to make up their mind, but the Internet is what will do for them in the end.
Just a few clicks of a mouse or dabs with your finger on a smart phone, and the whole house of cards tumbles down. The fear tactics that they use to try to prevent this only works on some ,and even then not forever quite often.
I think in ten years time they will be a fast dwindling anachronism. The free flow of information will do it, anything we can do to add to that flow is good.
