The fear-driven need to "Belong" and have a "purpose in life" is f*ck!ng 100 times stronger than the need to use one's critical thinking skills. Many, many people stay smack where they are in life simply because they are bereft of the sheer courage to question if their lot could be better. In one form or another, JW.org will outlast us all. But I will venture that its growth heyday in the West is over.
It's Foolish to Believe the Watchtower Will Always Be Around.
by kneehighmiah 57 Replies latest jw friends
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LV101
I BELIEVE what you say, steve2 (and others of same opinion) but this hope (delusion) hangs on. Not so sure it's healthy.
Always love Metatron's thoughts/comments on the cult's demise.
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steve2
Well-publicized unfavorable developments in religious groups do not lead to exodus. If fact, there's a kind of "group huddle" in which a publically criticized group closes ranks and has its own "take" on the publicity that often leads to the rank and file becoming more committed to their affiliation. It's the 'being-tested-by-fire' phenomenon. So, if people here are hanging out for a major breaking story within the organization, better take stock and realize that, even in the event of a major disturbing development, it will most likely not have any hoped-for longer-term detrimental impact and - if anything - feed the hungry persecution complex that awakens easily within the orgznization.
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Apognophos
Darn it, steve2, stop being so logical ;)
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metatron
The world is changing in some sudden and unexpected ways.
Marijuana - stuff that's been around for centuries and condemned. Illegal at the Federal level..... and then suddenly, states rebel and Dr. Oz and Gupta say it's OK.
Gay Marriage .......oppose, oppose, oppose......and how does this affect me or hetero marriage? Suddenly the polls shift. It's OK.
And all of sudden, we see all these changes announced in the Organization. They can't escape the world around them. Who knows?
metatron
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HowTheBibleWasCreated
It will fall and give birth to 2 or 3 splinter religions. It happened in the 1920s and it will happen again. The main point is Brooklyn control will eventually fail.
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WTWizard
One would think people would leave the cancer and that finding new recruits would be impossible. However, joke-hova has planted a curse on mankind and this has led to many a cult, along with holding back science. Seems each time the Establishment is threatened, they create a blind to protect themselves--and that includes the cat lick church when they were threatened by the printing press. And early in the 20th century, when physics was threatening to expose religion, some scumbag came along and made a tangled web of theories leading to nowhere which stopped physics from debunking all Judaism, Christi-SCAM-ity, and Islam. The Rockefellers are assigned to stop free energy from developing and medicine from advancing to cure all diseases and advance our souls through medicine. They have leagues to prevent anyone from openly discussing these things, and thus their blinds remain intact.
Now, with the jokehovians, it should be rather simple to protect that religion or one that is even worse. Remember, the difference between a normal worldly person who adheres to the taboos against openly discussing the truth about why we are oppressed and the jokehovians is a single layer of indoctrination. One layer separates "anti-Semitism" from "apostasy". One layer separates "political correctness" from "spiritual gangrene". One layer separates the anti-defamation league from the washtowel babble and crap slaveholdery corporation. Much of what the world holds sacred is one step removed from what the washtowel holds sacred, and as long as open discussion of these matters is not tolerated, the forces that create and maintain these cults are going nowhere. Hence, the jokehovians (and even worse cults) ought to survive. And that doesn't even account for Internet II, the development of which will ensure that the jokehovians survive.
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L3G
Although I don't agree with kneehghmiah's thread name, this has proved to be an excellent thread. As Ignoranceisbliss has put it,
"This is a really interesting discussion. A lot of great points were made."
As to the supposed WTS's demise, LostGeneration has it right:
"Nobody here wants to read this, I'd say they have adapted nicely in the last few years. Massive reductions in expenses, huge cash inflows from property and now the new building fund. Just notice on another thread a congo send off more than $25k and pledged another $1100 a month until Armageddon, and we all know how long that will be. Not all US/UK congos will go that high, but this plan is a golden goose.
They needed to institute some sort of tithe, but just not call it a tithe. Send out yearly reminders and the resolutions will creep up in $ amounts."
BTW, LostGeneration, I want to read such comments! Not that I agree with their money-mongering, of course.
And steve2's words are also apt:
"Well-publicized unfavorable developments in religious groups do not lead to exodus. If fact, there's a kind of "group huddle" in which a publicly criticized group closes ranks and has its own "take" on the publicity that often leads to the rank and file becoming more committed to their affiliation. It's the 'being-tested-by-fire' phenomenon. So, if people here are hanging out for a major breaking story within the organization, better take stock and realize that, even in the event of a major disturbing development, it will most likely not have any hoped-for longer-term detrimental impact and - if anything - feed the hungry persecution complex that awakens easily within the organization."
So the Org will last a long time, many posters' wishful thoughts on this forum notwithstanding. James Brown's words strike a real chord:
"The Watchtower today, is not the Watchtower [I knew].
They did not have a governing body; they had a president.
They believed millions who saw 1914 and were of a discernable age in 1914 would not pass away.
The Sunday talks used to be an hour.
Pioneering was 100 hours a month.
The United nations was bad, not something that they would belong to.
They had a piano player play the piano before, during and after the meetings.
They had a band/orchestra at the assemblies.
They cooked good cafeteria food at the assemblies.
The congregations had picnics often and played sports together every week."
I suppose the GB feels that Satan has been attacking the Org most recently thru the courts. They've reacted by all this closing ranks, worshipping unity, and money hoarding. What they apparently do not realize is that even if they are right, then the devil has succeeded in taking much of the joy out of being in the Org by THEIR reactions. Hence James Brown's final 4 observations.
Thx to many for their thoughts.