Changes for the better: Fewer meetings, shorter in length.
Changes for the worse: Emphasis on obedience, lack of "deep" study material. Increasingly strict stand on df'd/da'd persons, that, as Terry mentioned, started in the early 80s.
Have The Witnesses Changed All That Much In The Last Few Years?
by minimus 47 Replies latest jw friends
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gma-tired2
I've been around the JWs in the 50's, 60s, 70's, and 80's. inactive since 90s. The changes are dramatic since my childhood. The doctrines being taught, the rules to live by, and the love among one another has changed. in the 50's and 60's we were encouraged to associate with one another, the rules were there but were more of a conscience matter, but I saw the tightening of following rules from late 60's lightened some in 70's and have become out of control since the 80s. I now no longer recognize any of the teachings and see very little love and concern even among family members still JWs. I do pick up a fear of breaking rules in my still JW family.
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sosoconfused
Current witnesses have no idea what they believe or have any desire to study anything deeply. This is why all of these radical changes don't cause many people to leave like the 1975 days. If they said the system will end in 2015 and it doesn't I think that most just wouldn't care. They probably wouldn't even know it was in the watchtower rag. My sister was baptized a year ago and told me she hasn't read one magazine completely since the day she got baptized...
Look at the publications they are raised on the Knowledge book... the god's word... the freaking require brochure. The baptismal questions don't even have to be answered correctly ROFL. I was brought up with the You can live forever book which was still light. But atleast the bookstudy had topic heavy books that made you actually do some research. We were not told to give comments 30 seconds or less.
The org is like a fast food church. Get in get out and go home and enjoy the rest of your day
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punkofnice
Before I left I couldn't find anything worth studying in the dublications. I'd read a watchtower and none of it was memorable or even that interesting.
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trujw
The jws are the Fox News of religion. It's just slogans and sound bites. Trust us cause we say we are trust worthy.
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Peace@50+
Yes. Before it was about faith in Jehovah and working together. Now its paranoia, control and obeying the lawyers.
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minimus
You can ask a Witness who the Slave is and they will give you the correct answer. Suddenly, the explanation is changed and the dumbed down JWs just accept it and never question it. Brain dead Witnesses is the norm now.
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trebor
Have the Witnesses changed much? I would say absolutely. Not necessarily something tangible that can be quantified or seen easily; nonetheless, the Witnesses – at least the ones I have been exposed most to (Northeastern US) – there has been much change.
Referencing post 1970's, this has been my experience:
Mid 1980's talks about peace and security from the UN had the members really itching and zealous while still maintaining a sense of community and genuine sincerity to each other and even outsiders.
Things remained that way for the most part until...
The 90's Generation change teaching is when I saw the biggest internal shift in the attitude of the members. By late 90's gatherings and really building the social aspect of the religion nearly if not entirely died off.
Post 2000 - Just be at the meetings, obey, and be in field service. They are and will always be some cliques, but for the most part little to no interaction and socializing outside of the organization's meetings and arrangements; social gatherings near nonexistence outside of the occasional handful getting together.
Since my leaving the Watchtower Society in 2008, I do not know if necessarily there has been more change, but can definitely see the turning up the heat on shunning and obedience to the organization in the literature. However, like a frog in gradually boiling water, I'm not so sure the average Witness is noticing the difference. Regardless, that type of exposure, to that kind of information on a regular and consistent basis molds and shapes people’s thinking and actions.
What I'm hoping is likely the same shifts that happened with the 90's Generation teaching and passing of the year 2000 in the internal workings and attitudes of the members will happen again with the passing of 2014; nothing major (per se), no mass exodus, but a significant turmoil to the internal feelings and attitudes of the members. It may not result in a huge external show, but internally - psychologically - the passing of 2014 will (even if subconsciously) weigh on the members' minds.
I don’t want to see the members suffer (I believe/hope the majority of the Watchtower’s ‘sheep’ are good/decent people), but have enough internal conflict to create the necessary catalyst to think outside of the garbage the organization is serving them and break free. How many, how effective and subsequently how long until it motivates individuals towards steps to release the bondage is a guess at best.
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LongHairGal
Minimus:
In my observation it has changed visibly.
The religion has dumbed down the literature and even gotten rid of certain books (the Aid Book and the Commentary on Letter of James mysteriously got yanked). They shortened and changed meetings, did away with Tuesday night home book study. They have done away with certain gatherings that were pleasant (yearly picnics or barbecues, no skating parties, etc.)
The caliber of people is not the same as years ago. Now there are fewer responsible working people there and many people were recruited in recent years from the"fringes" of society. These people have lots of issues. Of the remaining people there, many are arrogant and some are delusional (I could never humor these people and would not stand even being in the same room with them.).
The congregations are rife with damaging gossip and the problem is so bad that certain people decide to attend other halls to get away from it.
With the economy being so bad and released bethelites and too many people with their hands out looking for money, the congregations must be hotbeds of trouble.
Even though I am a twelve-year "fader", what I have heard and read about tells me the religion has become more controlling and cult-like. I even get the impression from certain "friends" that the treatment of single women is even nervier than anything I remember.
Meanwhile...I have a clueless married JW female friend in another state who is trying to reactivate me (she leaves cute little messages on my voicemail). Little does she know what I know...
No, thank you.
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Adventurousone
Hello Minimus:
Boy things have changed since the 80's. And what was said the noose is getting tighter. Why, because their getting found out about all the lies they've told. Since I was baptized they have changed the meaning of so many beliefs it's hard to keep up with them all. Phizzy's right they changed the beliefs several times, and I mean several times.
Adventurousone