That's a good question, I don't know!
How Will They Keep JW Youths In?
by minimus 47 Replies latest jw friends
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steve2
I've got several JW cousins. To the best of my knowledge, none have overtly quit because they're much too lukewarm to begin with. You have to be enflamed before people observe your flame dying; but if you're kind of enfeebled to begin with, no one notices your snufly embers.
I note also that, unlike our now deceased but once fiercely committed JW maternal and paternal grandparents, my JW cousins and their wives all own their own homes and have well paying jobs that often encroach on their weekends.It goes without saying that my JW family members are seldom out door knocking and oh, they truly miss the now-ended separate night out for the Book Study. NOT!
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jemba
I have never seen so many kids in the JWs living such double lives so comfortably.
My little sis is 18yrs younger than me and watching her and her generation celebrating whatever they can get away with, getting drunk often, swearing quite openly and listening to music and watching movies and many other things I could never have lived with myself doing.
I see them at school, on the internet and even at the meeting getting away with so much (mainly cause the elders havent found out)
I used to think how balanced they were- as I and my gen was scared to do anything to invoke gods/elders/parents wrath. Now however I think they are only hanging in there for their family and friends and dont believe half of what they are being taught.
My sis is newly married now and starting to notice how much all the JW crap is taking her away from the fun things. Life is becoming more complicated for these 18-25yr olds with work, relationships/marraiges and leisuretime all competing with the amount of time they need to spend on 'theocraptic' stuff.
I hope it is only a matter of time till JWs lose all these lovely young people to their lies and time wasting activities.
I cant wait to see it and be there for the young people when they leave.
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Blind_Of_Lies
The short answer is that they won’t/can’t keep the “young people”. Ive posted this story before in other threads but here goes again…
In the congregation I grew up in there were approximately 30 “kids” born between 1980-1990. These “Kids” would be somewhere between 20-30 years old today. They were all born into families with “spiritual” backgrounds. Some of them had elder fathers most of them had at least MS fathers at some point growing up but the ultimate point is that there were about 30 potential recruits born into my congregation over about 10 years. Out of that base set of say 30 kids I know of 3 who are even pretending to still be a witness. The rest quite literally ran out in droves. Now those 3 that are still going through the steps have all been DF’d or Repv’d at least once and 2/3 of them I know are leading "double lives" that would get them DF'd if truth be known, yet they just dont care. Being DF'd is not a good fear tactic anymore, its a nice change instead.
The group of kids born between 1990-2000 was much smaller, say about 10 kids altogether and none of them are still active and most of them didn’t even bother becoming unbaptized publishers . Granted the ones born in the mid to late 1990’s are still growing up and becoming young adults but out of that group I don’t know of any that I would expect to stick around once they are old enough to move out of their parents’ home or get thrown out.
I have noticed that for the most part the “kids” who decide to stick around have some sort of obvious personality disorder. You have the “Norman Bates” type who just wants to please mother… then you have the slow kid who is happy to hike his Dockers up to his belly button and go out in service with the popular elder… You have the attention whores and the whore whores and then you have the “special kids”.
Needless to say this religion is becoming more of a landing zone for the mentally ill and socially inept to have a place they feel comfortable and accepted. All they have to do is dress nice and hang out with likeminded people a few times a week and in return they get told nice stories and free rides.
Its sick.
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steve2
Needless to say this religion is becoming more of a landing zone for the mentally ill and socially inept to have a place they feel comfortable and accepted.
Very astute observation BOL. I think you are very close to the actual truth of the situation: I have often observed that the organization either attracts or "retains" people who do not fit in elsewhere - and this very often includes "the mentally ill and socially inept". It's not so much that the organization causes these mental and interpersonal deficits but it caters to them and creates impression there is no where else to go. So those who are perhaps on the mentally challenged side honestly believe there is nothing else in life for them and they stay. perehaps in their case, they are actually correct. People who don't fit into "worldly" communities, often find groups such as JWs very accommodating - providng they comply with the "requirements of entry".
As you also note, there is a big group of others who "stay" because of family ties - and I've also observed that JWs who own their own businesses often stay because the local congregations provide a ready source of customers.
All up, I think the reason the Watchtower reiterates so frequently from the magazines and the platform the disfellowshipping "policies" is because the leadership is uncomfortably aware that increasingly JWs - especially parents - do not abide by those policies as strictly as they once might have done.
The leadership is worried - and like lots of worriers, does everything but look at their own behaviour and teachings to see what is causing the encroaching noncompliance and ever undisguised apathy in local congregations .
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breakfast of champions
Youth + Internet + Mobile Media + 2014 = GAME OVER!
Thanks for playing WTBTS.
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steve2
Youth + Internet + Mobile Media + 2014 = GAME OVER!
Thanks for playing WTBTS.
Perfection!
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Gothicus
I'd say the pressure to get baptized and fear of disfellowshipping, but honestly, even within my own congregation, the standards / rules are extremely lax on what few young people we have, including me (majority are upper middle-age to elderly).
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minimus
Tightening the noose will not make them stay in....besides many that are "in", live a double life.
