We Are Witnessing a New Enlightenment Age

by DarioKehl 14 Replies latest jw friends

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  DarioKehl

  Good day, everyone.

  I choose not to post much, but I enjoy lurking several times a day. I haven't seen anyone remark on the growing trend of apostacy globally, specifically within the last year. I mean apostacy that's not just among JWs.

  NatGeo and Discovery have done several fantastic programs lately. I Escaped a Cult is one series, but perhaps the most moving and well-balanced program is the newest called Amish: Out of Order. Has anyone seen this program yet? I have saved every episode and am amazed at how much similarities there are between JWs and the Amish. On May 29th, they will do a program about the Hutterites. It's a matter of time before they do one on JWs. The Amish forbid photography and the Hutterites are extremely reclusive. ...BUT, they managed to get documentaries to run on these networks. Certainly, they will cover JWs at some point in the future. With South Park making fun of Mormons, Islam, Catholics and Scientology, it's just a matter of time before they reach the JWs. IMAGINE what that would do to kids and young adults still inside. Come on...those people sneak and watch South Park all the time, even if their family says it's verboten. What would happen if JW youth saw a South Park episode satire about JWs and their history? I'm talking about people who probably would never research an apostate web site or visit a forum like this. That would be HUGE. And so would a doc on NatGeo. I'm telling you, it's coming!

  When I first began to awaken in 2007-2008, I remember the same few dozen YouTube Channels devoted to Ex-JW issues. However, has anyone noticed YouTube absolutely lighting up since last spring? If you search "Jehovah's Witnesses" under the "today" filter, you will see 5-12 new videos posted DAILY.

  To what do you attribute this? It's obviously not exclusive to JWs. There are many new Ex-Mormon posters as well. NatGeo certainly sees relevance in this increase of apostacy and has at least 3 successful programs dealing with the subject. It's so weird because it's all happening at the same time from my perspective. It feels like once I chose to investigate TTAT and realized it wasn't for me, suddenly, the illusion of being all alone was proven false. Now, 4 years later, I see many, many more making that leap just within the last 12 months.

  Have any of you noticed this, or is this just an illusion from my own unique perspective? For people who left in the 80's and 90's and even the early 2000's, was it a more lonely exit for you compared to someone who decided to leave in 2007-2012? It certainly seems that way to me. It's a perfect storm right now for a mass exodus. Growing secularism is available in libraries, internet, billboards, youtube... And for JWs, there is the tightening stranglehold with all the recent angry rhetoric coming from WBTS that most fence sitters find unappealing. Couple that with smart phones and the ability to research anything from anywhere with no fear of discovery, and I think we will see not just WBTS, but ALL major religions drastically lose membership over the next 10 years. I belive the exodus for all churches will force major doctrinal changes, new recruiting measures and perhaps an easing up on all the doom and gloom from WBTS...unless they're in kamikazi mode.

  Comments?
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  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  DK,

  In an effort to use technology for spreading "the truth," WT is planning to unify their websites into one address and encourage everyone to get their "increasing new light" from there. Do you think that will stem the tide of JW apostates?

  [snicker]

  I think many are being enlightened. Others will still choose the darkness.
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  LostGeneration

  I hope you are right...I want you to be right, but I think about the history of the JWs.

  I'm sure when Ray's book came out, apostates said "Ok, this is it. The WT is goin' down baby!"

  I'm sure when the UN scandal broke, apostates said "Its go time baby! Here comes the end of the WT!"

  The JWs offer something none of us can. "You can live forever in paradise earth" (With a pet panda and platters of fresh fruit as well)

  It was built a brick at a time, it will come down a brick at a time.
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  WTWizard

  Welcome to the Age of Aquarius, where people start questioning things. And with extra demons to liberate mankind, Christi-SCAM-ity has been crumbling. Starting with the Cat Lick church being exposed for its harboring pedophiles in the spring of 2003 (roughly the time the demons were set free), spreading to the witlesses shortly after, and now orthodox Jews are getting their turn at being exposed (you will see more of that).

  Not that the Establishment isn't fighting back. They tighten down on the membership, now that the demons are out there to free people. They see their scams exposed, they crack down on the Internet. They crack down on independent thinking on the part of insiders, and the "political correctness" crap is merely a way to impose Pisces on the new Aquarian age. It is not "politically correct" to think for oneself and expose the scams within the governments, financial system, and the religions--and they play that for all it's worth. The "anti-Semitism" movement, indicating that not all people are equal in every aspect, and even anti-Communism scams all play a role to force people to stay in the now outdated Age of Pisces thinking mode. The leaders take offense at the Age of Aquarius and all it stands for, and program too many people of the public to also play the "offending" card. Hence, we should be seeing more religions forcing themselves on people. Eventually, it will start a war since the filthy angels are not willing to drop their losing battle.

  I can only hope that, when World War III breaks out, that it fully exposes all three of the religions for what they really stand for, that people become offended by being told that it is a horrible crime to offend others, and the "Offend no one, please no one" becomes more common. And, "The truth is not attractive but it is better than finding out when you are damned". Better to be offended than enslaved or damned--and I hope that, when the big war does break out, people realize that.
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  Phizzy

  I have no proof to offer, but I think, I have a "gut feeling", that the incidence of people becoming enlightened is increasing, to a degree within the JW/WT religion, and to a greater degree in society in general.

  The problem is that religions are organized, funded, and have a power and a voice way beyond what the actual support for them says they should have.

  As two examples, the percentage of the U.K population that attends a C of E church every week is a mere 3%, but they have 26 bishops in the Upper Chamber, the House of Lords. Twenty bloody six ! And this wrong-headed Government is going to pepetuate that.

  In the U.S.A out of a population of around 300 Mill. the far right has a support group (religious) that numbers just 60 Mill. or thereabouts, but they have a disproportionate influence, so much so that every candidate for office has to at least pretend to be some sort of believer, you guys may have a president who is black, but you are a long way off getting one who is openly Atheist.

  The problem is that enlightened individuals tend to be just that, individuals, they don't have churches or organizations really, and of course not a united voice, so getting the word out is difficult, they tend not to be "evangelical" about being enlightened, they hide their light to a great degree.

  Perhaps we should get more vocal, organized and even funded if possible to get the world educated so that religion fades away.
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  bigmouth

  Hi DarioKehl. "With South Park making fun of Mormons, Islam, Catholics and Scientology, it's just a matter of time before they reach the JWs."

  I would be surprised if South Park would devote more than a passing reference to Witnesses. The problem is that the JW's are such a tiny group and lack well known nuttiness. Knocking on doors has limited laugh value and some people might be vaguely aware of the blood transfusion issue.

  Witnesses just haven't got the public consciousness in the way that they think they have.
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  the-illuminator81

  The more people leave, the more people will think about leaving..
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  jwfacts

  It is hard to know yet what the last 12 months have been like for the WTS, but I predict there has been an increase in the number leaving. From the statistics that I have been monitoring for the last few years, over the last couple of years the numbers leaving actually decreased and there was an inactivation of faders. This is likely due to the GFC, and earthquakes over the last couple of years. However, with Armageddon not happening despite all the hype, it is to be expected these people fade again, and the number leaving starts to grow.

  
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  John_Mann

  I think the gap between secular people and nut believers will enlarge. In the future only very crazy people will be inside organized religions, the religion will not trap the thinking people anymore. I think it's that the future holds, a strong polarization.
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  jemba

  Excellent thread Dario, I agree.

  This is different to other forms of enlightenment ie Crisis of conscience and other scandals the society has tried to cover up. The internet is something almost everyone uses everyday.

  It is so much easier to get info now, I was only doing an innocent search on JWs when I came across this site and others - the internet got me out of the borg. Many others too will soon come across info even by accident and that will be the beggining for them too.

  It is so true, there are so many in the last year that have left, very exciting times.

  Like LG said 'a brick at a time' but nevertheless they are coming down!

  I love that phrase 'cognitive dissonance' its the means by which we all eventually rescued ourselves. The wealth of info out there just makes it so much easier for that dissonance to come into play.