So Spill the Beans, Brothers: Were There More or Fewer At this Year's Bore-Fest

by steve2 51 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  steve2

  The JW date-worshipped Memorial has just completed its bleak worldwide commemoration. That wasn't a dust cloud you saw; it was a millionfold hearts limply beating themselves into another round of great tribulation expectations. I was knocked into a deep, deep sleep by the imagined experience of being at several thousand consecutive kingdom halls as the platformed Drones spat forth the predictable sludge that, once released, hits and stains white clothing and bleach is useless.

  We know that memorial attendance worldwide has dipped for two consecutive years since 2011 when it reached a high of 19,374,737 and for the Promised Land, Obama's USA, the all time memorial attendance high was also 2011 when it hit over 2.5million (2,563,518) but shrunk in shame back to 2,502,055 in 2012 and spluttered upwards a handful or two to 2,504,114 last year.

  So, what was attendance at the date-obsessed bore-fest this year in your neck of the woods? More or less or about the same as last year?

  Last year on this very forum, some hearty souls predicted it would hit 20,000,000 plus worldwide (um, it didn't ).

  This year, in true biased fashion, my peculiar social survey minded self predicts worldwide attendance will be shy of 20,000,000 by a country mile; but it will likely be higher than last year but not higher than 2011. There, I've said it. Nail me to the cross or burn me at the stake if I'm wrong. Anything would beat the torture of being in a virtual kingdom hall from in which there is truly no beginning and no end and the food and drink is dire.

  Spill the beans please! What were attendance numbers? And was the wine any better this year than in previous years? - which is a red-herring given I am a tee-totaller.
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  leaving_quietly

  Fewer at ours. A 15% drop from last year. Which is strange since our was at an earlier time slot and we had others from other congregations that had a later time slot attending.
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  Crazyguy

  Looked about the same as years past but what I noticed was that many that were visiting were family of JW's or DF'd ones and a couple of studies. The most important thing was that all the new ones at least at this hall looked like complete losers. Even the last 3 people baptized in the congregation looked and acted as though they were all living under a bridge or something.
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  SafeAtHome

  Steve2: why do you have to be snarky and mention President Obama?
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  AndDontCallMeShirley

  S2: This year, in true biased fashion, my peculiar social survey minded self predicts worldwide attendance will be shy of 20,000,000 by a country mile

  .

  You don't actually believe WT's reported numbers on this or anything else, do you?
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  steve2

  I didn't think I was being snarky by mentioning Obama. I really like the guy. It's a shame he's leading the USA though. He deserves better.

  Meanwhile back at the wine and bread festivities....
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  Iamallcool

  I noticed more people were there last night compared to last year.
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  nonjwspouse

  My Mil's hall, the one my husband so far hs not attened for more than a year, was consolodated/closed over a year ago. For the first time I heard it was being held at the (get this) Soilders and Sailors Memorial Auditorium! HA! Oh the irony.

  I imagine none of the local halls were going to fill up, ( or halls were holding two or three different congos ) so they had to save face somehow. Thiers was supposedly in the top section of the auditorium, not exactly the choice seats for anything.
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  Magnum

  Crazyguy:

  The most important thing was that all the new ones at least at this hall looked like complete losers.

  I noticed that they all looked like losers at the one I went to, also. There were some rough-looking visitors. I even saw a toothless lady in flip-flops (and it wasn't the cool kind like a cool surfer dude would wear). I don't mean to be cruel. I'd really help any of these people if they were deserving, but it's just indicative of what some of us have been saying - the days of JWs' attracting normal people with common sense and some education are largely over. The failed dates, ever-crazier doctrines, and ever-increasing availability of knowledge have contributed to that.
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  PaintedToeNail

  Fewer, lots of empty seats and they didn't set up that many more chairs. My kid commented that it seemed like a well attended Sunday meeting, not like the Memorial.