We are seeing JW history in the making

by suavojr 24 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Vidiot

  TTATTelder - "It will go the way of the Bible Students - fade to obscurity."

  Percieving that vulnerability (and inevitable fate) just by itself was a big part of what helped me grasp that the WTS couldn't be "God's chosen organization", because if it was, all ascertainable evidence would logically indicate invulnerability and inevitable victory, rather than obscurity.

  The very fact that it can decline proves that there's nothing particularly special about it.

  In addition, the fact that its leadership fears said decline - and recent rhetoric, IMO, definately supports that argument - suggests a lack of conviction that it's "God's chosen organization" even on their part (after all, if they were confident in that premise, why would they be afraid?).

  When a self-marginilized fringe group fades away to obscurity and eventual extinction, it usually deserves it...

  ...and what's more, it knows (consciously or otherwise) that it deserves it.
• 

  Vidiot

  redvip2000 - "My main concern is that there might be a significant global tragedy/disaster as this would boost their numbers."

  Well, even if that does happen, if 9-11 is any indication, that kind of growth is temporary and short-lived at best.
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  Island Man

  I think the trend we're seeing in the world today is a shift to less religiosity as more critical information and critical thinking becomes available to people worldwide through the internet. More and more people are becoming skeptical thinkers and dubious of religion in general - and especially controlling groups like JWs with their very dubious past. What this will mean is that JWs would find it increasingly difficult to win new outside converts as time progresses. However, persons born and brought up in strict JW households would be more immune to the threat of critical information by virtue of Watchtower indoctrination urging members to shun independent thinking and worldly philosophies.

  So to combat declining conversions I predict that the Watchtower will in future resort to this two-pronged approach:

  1. Watchtower will further try to isolate JWs from the thinking world by perhaps encouraging homeschooling and discouraging parents from sending their children to "worldly" schools. (Who knows, Watchtower might even publish text books and a syllabus for parents to use in homeschooling the their kids with Watcthower-approved information) That way JW youth are less likely to be exposed to information from subjects like history and science that will get JWs questioning. There will also be increasing anti-internet propaganda warning JWs against visiting sites that deal with science, philosophy, logic and anything else that could pose a threat to belief in God and Watchtower teachings. In this way they will hope to insulate JWs from the trend to increasing skepticism through enlightenment and thus preserve their current membership and maintain inside conversions of those born in.

  2. To make up for the declining outside conversions, they will try to increase the inside conversions by raising the JW birth rate. Watchtower will start encouraging sisters to get married and take up the noble and scriptural role of child-rearing. They will tell sisters that they can count the time spent teaching the truth to their children. They will say that raising children in the truth is in fact an important christian role on par with the house to house ministry and that this is in fact the scripturally outlined role for sisters in the congregation rather than teaching outsiders in the house to house ministry where they sometimes find themselves having to teach men - something the scriptures discourage. To support this new light they will use the following scripture:

  (1 Timothy 2:12, 15) . . .I do not permit a woman to teach, or to exercise authority over a man, but to be in silence. . . . 15 However, she will be kept safe through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and sanctification along with soundness of mind.
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  joe134cd

  I believe WT has to start focusing on having better internal mechanisms to retain it's current membership, particularly it's youth.
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  gingerbread

  In the 1830's, William Miller and his group of Second Adventists put their faith on the return of Christ in 1844. It became known as the "great disappointment" but the faithful kept faithful. They later concluded that Christ's return was invisible (sound familiar? - C.T. Russell borrowed many of our beliefs from Adventism).

  This group later became known as the Seventh-Day Adventists. The strictly conservative Aventists now - 180 years later - number over 18 million. Still keeping the faith. Still adjusting their daily lives to the tenets of this religion.

  For the past 2000 years, apocalyptic millennialist sects have used disasters (human or natural) as proof of the coming end. This won't ever end as long as there are people willing to put their trust in those ideas.

  ginger
• 

  Vidiot

  Island Man - "However, persons born and brought up in strict JW households would be more immune to the threat of critical information by virtue of Watchtower indoctrination urging members to shun independent thinking and worldly philosophies."

  I dunno... pretty reliable statistics indicate that between 65 and 70% of born-ins leave by adulthood, and I don't think that's gonna improve.

  They'd have to rewrite huge swaths of WT theology to accomodate the views of modern young people, and at this point, they've painted themselves way so tightly into an ideological corner to do that.

  Island Man - "Watchtower will further try to isolate JWs from the thinking world by perhaps encouraging homeschooling and discouraging parents from sending their children to "worldly" schools...

  A lot of American JW parents homeschool their kids already, but creating a full-blown WT-centric curriculum is a pretty tall order.

  Seems too ambitious and "outside the box" for them.

  Then again, I'd have never thought they'd produce CGI videos for kids, so...

  Island Man - "To make up for the declining outside conversions, they will try to increase the inside conversions by raising the JW birth rate."

  I find a WT "Quiverfull" movement kinda hard to swallow.

  As a whole, the WTS's position towards children and young people has never been much more than perfunctory compared to other fundamentalist religions.

  And all their actions these days strongly suggest consolidation, rather than bold new initiatives.
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  A.proclaimer

  The only way the Watchtower is going to survive is by adapting to the new generation and making big changes. If it does live on for 100 years more, it will look different than what it is today. We live in the Information Age and each day it is easier to record information for future generations. One big problem with the Watchtower is time. They've limited their time so much in the past that their predictions (or prophecies) have failed and they're forced to change.

  As for 1914, I can only see this doctrine abandoned far into the future. Slowly being insignificant. There's so much invested into that one date that to undo the damage is going to take a loooong time. Not to point out how this would prove opposers right and them wrong. Only time can tell what will happen...
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  gingerbread

  www.newsystemschool.org

  Look it up.

  ginger
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  stirred but not shaken
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  AndDontCallMeShirley

  "I doubt this organization will still be here in 100 years. If so, it will be at most half a million adherants."

  .

  I'd love to see this religion gone as soon as possible, but unfortunately, one thing about humanity doesn't change:

  .

  "There's a sucker born every minute" is a phrase most likely spoken by David Hannum, in criticism of both P. T. Barnum, an American showman of the mid 1800s, and his customers. The phrase is often credited to Barnum himself. It means "Many people are gullible, and we can expect this to continue."