The graphs are informative. Keep in mind that the JW believe that in the time of the end (now) the love of God will cool off, resulting in the increase of hours per new baptized person. It’s a good thing. Once everyone had a chance to get baptized the Armageddon will happen.
2013 Publisher Statistics now available from 2014 Yearbook.
by jwfacts 35 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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jwfacts
Keep in mind that the JW believe that in the time of the end (now) the love of God will cool off, resulting in the increase of hours per new baptized person. It’s a good thing.
Yes, they want to have it both ways. Growth proves God is blessing the organisation in the time of the end, decreases prove it is the time of the end.
Once everyone had a chance to get baptized the Armageddon will happen.
That proves Armageddon will never happen. In countries such as China only a very tiny portion of the population has access to the Watchtower message.
lazerific - Welcome, it will be nice to hear more from you.
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smiddy
Welcome lazerific , tell us more about your experiences .
Most bible studies are conducted by parents of children in JW familys ,thats where most of their growth comes from nowadays.
smiddy
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kaik
Also is important to point out that Western world is aging. JW used to attract young people who will bring thier children into the organization. Today's industrialized countries are much less religious than they were in the past, and average age had increased. At certain point in the life, people are not easy to proselyte. It is much easier to bring naive 20 year old with full of ideals into new faith than retiree. In earlier part of the 20th century, JW could count on deep dissatisfaction of people with traditional established religions in their native countries. Today's industrial world cares less about the faith, and the faith as a necessary part of their life. This shows clearly on the charts.
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jwfacts
Good points Kaik. Cults largest area for recruitment are 15 - 25 year olds that are looking for meaning. Also, as you say, the last couple of centuries saw the tide swing against the corruption and out of date teachings of large established religion. These days they are turning against religion in general.
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kaik
To JWfacts. When I was 20, I was the most acceptable to JW ideas. Older I got, I faded away as 1) seen irrational beliefs 2) remembered flip flopping doctrine 3) and critically think about the faith and existence of God especially after taking university courses.
My grandfather was born at the turn of the 20th century, the generation that should never fade. He warned my parent that JW as any religion is there for two things: for money and for control. My grandparents were highly secular, agnostic, and ambivalent toward religion. My parent, my aunt, and others in the family became JW when they were in their 20's. My grandparents were either laughing on the nonsense, or were extremely irritated when the JW family tried to convert them.
Today, average age in industrial world is 40. This is a critial breakpoint as peopel experience the best career moment in their life and less concerned with religion, which is either domain of young and old generation. What you see in your chart that the growth is strongest in countries that have one of the highest natality in the world and have extremely young population. Countries like UK are aging, but their population is still growing due immigration. The share of JW in these societies is continue to decrease. Income and per capita is less prevalent as the decreases happens even with countries having very low GDP like Moldavia. Moldavia like rest of the Eastern Europe is aging.
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Hortenzie
In the 90s a lot of the increase was in Eastern Europe after the fall of communism, because of people's hightened interest in religion and spirituality in that part of the world. The interest is now gone and so is the spectacular increase in the ranks of JWs.
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kaik
To Hortenzie, the JW experienced a golden age in Eastern Europe in the 1990's as they came out from illegality, and new opportunities arose. Back then, it was no problem to bring 100,000 people into the convention like I was in Praha - Strahov. Today you will get couple thousand people. There is more ex-JW in Czech Republic than JW. They been in decline almost for 20 years, and similar trend happened in Hungary. Both countries had peak in 1996. Both countries also had very huge group of young people born during the communist child boom of the 1970's. This was the biggest baby boom Eastern Block experienced since 1945. This baby boom had translated well into the increase in the early 1990's. Since then, the population experienced stagnant population growth and age. This reflect well on lack of ability to incite people into the religion. Back in the 1988-1992 people were extremely intested about this American based, modern religion. Today, the population does not care anymore.
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Hortenzie
Kaik, I know I was baptized there and then...
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jookbeard
can we see the countries with zero and minus figures ?