I know from my own experience "temporary" pioneering in the early to late 1970s that we scrupulously endeavored to get our hours in - even if we came across to other brothers and sisters as unavailable for social gatherings and so appearing holier-than-thou types. While I saw nothing wrong with making an impatient bee-line for the territory, not even allowing slower and more infirm witnesses make me feel guilty about not taking them in my vehicle, my well-trained conscience would never inflate my end-of-month report. One sister was suspected of falsifying her report, because while she pioneered fulltime, busybodies in the hall claimed to seldom see her out in the territory.For better or for worse that kind of scrupulous time-keeping is a relic of the past, judging by the sauntering cafe-hoggers who, by yesterday's pioneering standards, should be only taking 10 minute breaks for a flask of tepid tea. Ah, those were the good old days when we younger witnesses virtually sprinted to be the first to start our time for the day, and heaven help any one else who interfered with our calculated efficiency.
The antidote to the myth that JWs are declining
by slimboyfat 153 Replies latest watchtower bible
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MrFreeze
I think the number of hardcore JW's has declined. I'd say most are just putting on a show.
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besty
An endtimes cult cannot maintain a true sense of urgency indefinitely without an endtime.
This much is obvious.
Continuing to run by anonymous committe (the GB), tinkering with doctrine, playing with the internet, shrinking the mags, turning up the anti-apostate rhetoric, centralising the branches etc is one big ongoing admission they have nothing else to say. If they had - they would say it already.
The best thing they could to is anoint a religious whacko to status of guru, declare a new date and watch the $$$ and members roll in.
Thats how endtimes cults make progress :-)
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steve2
The best thing they could to is anoint a religious whacko to status of guru, declare a new date and watch the $$$ and members roll in.
Thats how endtimes cults make progress :-)
It's a guaranteed spectacular short-term fix as past decades have shown. The short-term mushrooming membership boom from the early to mid 1970s is an indictment on a few big-headed men who were spurred on by the slowing down rate of growth in the early to mid 1960s. The years of slumped-reduced growth folloing the mid-70s and disrupted lives have ricocheted through the years (who can forget the JW baby boom from the late 1970s to 80s when it finally dawned on child-deprived witness couples the end was not so near and babies were less frowned upon.
It is no coincidence that "spiritual revelations" conveniently follow necessity. While the organization will likely overtly avoid both the named-guru and the date-setting games of the past, they may tweak permutations of both. For t he Watchtower exhibits many "arts", chief of which - to date, at least - is the art of survival.
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sosoconfused
In regards to pioneers and aux pios increasing that is a total sham.
Our hall 23 pioneers. 9 made their time the others were all 100+ hours short with the exception of 5. We met with them and of the 3 I met with they were all habitual offenders. The ones who made it 6 were of the "foreignn language" field that counts the time they waste driving 20 miles from call to call. The aux pios rarely ever make there time.
I would sign the sheet to Aux pio with no real intention of actually making it. I lied about my hours damn near every single month. I would arrange the group and then tell them I had a call and had to meet a brother at the hall. I would instead drive around listening to music or maybe even just go home and tell my wife that no one came out.
I do not think i was the exception. Most of the people who became new publishers were literally 4 or 5 months deep in their study. Young kids all leaving and going to college or just have no desire to come regularly.
All this to say that the numbers look good on paper but the organization is not growing with what they would term "quality" publishers and numbers. It is just a bunch of people trying to look good and enjoy the social club. If another 1975 fiasco happens the number to leave would be huge because many are just looking for an excuse.
The only real ones left are the 50+ gen hoping that they didn't waste their lives for nothing
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sd-7
Well, I never believed they were declining, just that, along with their continued, gradual growth (usually takes maybe 3-5 years for them to get the next million recruits), there are more who are waking up and wanting to leave. But they're merely replaced by new recruits, is all. In terms of numbers, it's a pretty solid entity. It's a body with a replaceable head and numerous parts. There's no end to what people will believe, so even its demise would ultimately accomplish little, even assuming everyone under its spell woke up somehow. It sucks.
--sd-7
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never a jw
SBF, You wrote: "...sustained activity all the more surprising." I think you meant to say more SUSPICIOUS.
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Crazyguy
In my hall in the last five years only two newbies have been baptized the others were all born-ins doing what their parents want. When i was a kid in the seventies and eighties there was a lot of pressure with the end being so close 1914 and also a lot of really study that seem to add credibility to the ORG. Now they talk very little about any real bible substance and the 1914 thing is about to blow up in there faces being 100 years old and all. I think with the Internet and so many ex witnesses out there the big Org has to start to stall out.
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yadda yadda 2
All this proves is that fantasy and escapism always hold mass appeal and will be increasingly popular, just like the latest hollywood fantasy blockbuster.
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Jeffro
You are obviously right about the effectiveness of the preaching going downhill. In a way that makes the sustained activity all the more surprising.
No, it's not at all surprising. It means they're having a measure of success in third-world countries, as well as limited success in developed countries, in addition to their primary growth method - having children.
