In Your Estimation What Percentage Of Witnesses Actually Believe They Have The "Truth"?

by minimus 40 Replies latest jw friends

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  simon17

  I won't try to come up with numbers because I don't think I can. However, it seems like a lot of older ones WANT to believe very, very badly. Some may fully believe...others, it's like they believe to some degree and try to believe the rest. As others mentioned, they are very afraid to leave all that they have ever known.

  For younger ones...I don't know how many can really truly believe.

  But it is a cycle. As the young ones grow up, and have given so much of their lives to the truth, they need to believe in its truth more and more and more. A lot of young ones may doubt but if they manage to stick in due to the peer pressure and the social seclusion, they will get more and more entrenched.
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  maisha

  I Think not as many as those crazy demon possed Pentecostals.

  They are by far more mentally challenged than any JW.

  They clam to have the power of healing and demon removal.

  I watch them on tv sometimes to show people how possed they are in making money.

  Clearly instant hypnosis on pre screened people whom are vunerable to be influenced.
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  apostatethunder

  Were it not for the fear of being disfellowshipped, a big number of them would just leave immediately, others just a bit later.
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  Phizzy

  It has been my experience that only asmall percentage, say 5% ?, agree that it is 100% the truth, if you can get them to be honest in expressing themselves. I think 90% believe it is "closer to the truth than any other religion".

  The 0ther 5% are serious doubters.

  That is my guess for what it's worth.
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  mP

  I think older people who are too old to change, are lost in their imaginery world. They are probably lost, but even people inthe 50-60s are really thinking something is just wrong with the WTS message. The younger ones dont care orbelieve so they dont even try and witness. I can only see the religin fading into obsecurity. In the past everybody disliked them for their witnessing, now they are nobodies that nobody sees.
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  MeanMrMustard

  20%
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  james_woods

  I knew of many elders who privately doubted the 1975 Franz date.

  They just privately held back from saying anything - and held onto the idea that if it was wrong, Jehovah would correct it.

  Well, they were rewarded by seeing the date come and go, nothing happening (of course).

  And, then they were rewarded again by having the Watchtower tell them that anybody that believed the false prophecy was "running ahead" and that it was all their fault.

  Almost all of them just completely shut up about it after that.

  A few of us simply could not. It was easier for me, I guess, because there were already several teachings they had that I could not accept (even as an elder) - The insertion of Jehovah into the NWT new testament, the notion that the creative days were 7,000 years, the whole prophetic nonsense about 1914, the "thinking human heart", the notion that a physical earth in a physical solar system could be everlastingly immortal, the conscientous objector stand back in the 60s and 70s, and so on - I never believed any of these were true.
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  bigmac

  the answer is simple==100%.

  because if they dont believe its the truth--then theyre not a witness.
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  Anator
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  minimus

  I too think that disfellowshipment is a huge scare for many JWs so they stay silent. If there were no sanctions, I bet many thousands would get out.