Well every year more people vow that some JW event like the District Convention will be their last, so crazy has its good effect.
Why I think (in a nutshell) why this org is approaching collapse
by cptkirk 32 Replies latest jw experiences
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mP
cptkirk: America, Canada, Ausralia, NZ, Western Europe & Japan. Most places that lack basic honest education like Africa or the Middle East naturally believe in religion because they have no idea about real science. THe more peopl elearn the more they realise their holy books are at best superstituous nonsense.
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gingerbread
All good points.
The WT Society started out as a small printing company with an interesting religious point of view. It's turned into a billion dollar mega-church. It's always survived on volunteerism and free labor. About fifteen years ago, it began to have management issues. New sub-corporations and internal management structures were started - the regional building commitees for example. The business is downsizing - eliminating branch offices and personnel, truncating the printed publications, going electronic with "spiritual food" and congregation reports, etc.
The short term method for managing a staff with limited skills is to micro-manage. The "iron fist" method has gone into action. Talk to an elder that's been around for a couple of decades. He'll tell you! And, pay attention to this years closing comments for the memorial talk - it warns all of us to "obey the rules of the household."
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ProdigalSon
I think the Vatican going down is the biggest reason why the end is near for the SnakeTower.... when Mother Harlot goes down all the little daughter harlots go with her.
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prologos
In a nutshell, It will end up with the NUTSinHELL. (pardon the breaking rule 3).
seriously, Gladiators illustration might say it well,
The hammer is going to come down.
Thor at the door.
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breakfast of champions
Excellent point Captain, and one I bring up from time to time with my wife - she sees it as well. Who are the new ones coming in? Bad marriages, down-and-out single moms, the mentally ill (and I'm talking diagnosed, not my opinion), mentally retarded (as in on SS disability) and then just some not really smart people. I would say the ratio of "normal" folks to the "people peculiarly his own" is probably about 50/50 or 40/60 whereas the "crackpot contingent" 20-30 years ago might have been 85-90% normal with 10-15% who are not-all-there.
What do I think this boils down to?
WHO THE FUCK IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WHO GOOGLES "JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES" WOULD EVER JOIN THIS CULT?!!?
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Chaserious
I think that over time, the org will drift even further outside of the mainstream, due to both the marginalization of extreme religious zeal in general in the Western world, as well as the developments within that have already been mentioned here. Some will never leave and some will continue to join due to things like prestige within the org, being part of a special club that thinks it has all of the secret answers, etc.
It's certainly looking possible that the org might follow a similar track as Scientology. That organization has definitely realized an increasingly stigmatized status recently. Not that LRH was a normal guy, but the newer leadership is evidently a new breed of crazy, who has ruled with such an iron fist that a lot of higher-ups in that organization who seem more reasonable have left. 15 years ago, when celebrities joined the Church, it would raise an eyebrow or two but probably not hurt their careers. Today an actor who joins Scientology would be taking a major career risk, and overall membership numbers have dropped significantly. That hasn't really happened yet within the WTS, but in light of recent developments, it's possible they're on the same curve, just a little behind.
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Phizzy
A much more benign group , but one that people used to like to belong to because of being "in the know" is Freemasonry.
From the early 20's until 1970 the membership number held steady in the USA, in fact peaking around that time at 3.7 million. Since then they have been in decline, down now to about 1.5 million.
Not really a comparable group I know, but illustrative that an arcane message and hints of possible rewards sometime is not enough to cause people to rush and sign up, or rather, raise one trouser leg.
The WT is moribund, and desperate. They are painting themselves in to a corner with the more rigid control, if they decide to ease up on that to be more appealing to the public, there would be a mass exodus.
I do hope as the thread title says ,they "Collapse", at least in my lifetime, I would then have the satisfaction of asking the smug JW's who have looked down on me for leaving "Why did you waste all those years ?".
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DATA-DOG
Captain,
I follow your reasoning. It reminds me of the story of Moby Dick, or Mutiny on the Bounty. The JW system is a closed system, like being on a ship at sea, or an ARK, as they themselves say. What happens when those on board learn of treachery originating with the Captain and officers? Loyal crew are needed to run the ship, so what happens as the are excecuted or jump ship? The members begin to dwindle. The Captain and the officers cannot run the ship themselves. Their only hope is to attract more desperate crew members in another port who are unaware of their treachery. Sooner or later, the word is spread and it is only a matter of time before the Leaders are discovered for what they are.
IMO, the WTBTS is going through this process, and has been since it's inception. It has just taken time. Really, time and thier own literature is their worst enemy. The passing of time shows them to be corrupt. That is why they are so desperate to suppress information and control the source of information to new members. The new crew cannot know what the old, mutinous crew discovered. The thing is, that lies cannot be hidden forever, and the cycle cannot continue forever. Sooner or later everyone knows the Captain is off his rocker. They jump ship or revolt, and consequences be damned.
Phizzy made a great point. " Any person with a brain or a conscience finds they have to ignore the promptings of one or both in order to stay in. It does not bode well for the long term survival of the religion." It dove-tails nicely with a point made on another website. I have to paraphrase for now, " The rate at which a Jehovah's Witness leaves the organization is directly related to the amount of factual information provided, and their personal level of honesty and integrity." That is pretty much what was said, although there are other factors like family issues.
The WTBTS leaders know all this. That is why we are seeing more and more control over the flock. That is why information must be repressed, controlled, and painted as Satanic propoganda. As the truth is revealed, anyone with a conscience will become less and less involved and eventually leave, or be " executed ". So it is true, all the good ones are leaving if they receive factual information and decide to follow their conscience. Fear of DF'ing is what really cements the Org, along with believing that the GB speak for God. When either, or both of those are no longer a factor, a reasoning individual with a strong sense of morality leaves. I would bet that if the WTBTS's laundry is aired for the world to see ( it may be the Child Abuse cover-ups that do it ) then many will leave once they see that they were lied to. They will have no interested in helping the crazed lunatic at the helm chase his White Whale.
