Then I saw a stat that made me think differently. There are 7 million practicing Voodoo religion world wide. About the same as JWs, and the big thing is that they do not at all go out and try to convert people at all, not one pamphlet not one tract no door to door calls, phone calls nothing nada. So I thought how many JWs would there be if none of them went from door to door or tried so hard to keep people from leaving with threats and intimidation. It makes me think that the religion is much more vulnerable then I had previously thought. How many Voodoo members would there be if they practiced half as much time trying to get new cult members as the JWs?
I used to think that 7 million JWs was a large number
by dogon 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Watchtower-Free
This site says theres 60 million practioners
http://www.religioustolerance.org/voodoo.htm -
Calebs Airplane
Less than 1 out of every 1,000 human beings currently alive will survive Armageddon...
"All need to be concerned about learning and speaking the pure language, for only those doing so will survive Armageddon." -Watchtower January 15, 1991
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factfinder
There are just under 8 million witnesses but no doubt there will be a new peak in August.
There were 2 million when I began studying, I wondered if it would ever reach 3 million!
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dby
7-8 mil?
20 mil left or died of old age
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sd-7
*** w60 10/1 p. 579 Numbers Are Not Enough ***
NUMBERS are not a sound basis on which to build faith. If Christianity had been founded on numbers, it would have failed. At Christianity’s darkest hour, namely, when Jesus was on the torture stake, there was not one of his apostles that stood by him. Yet Christianity triumphed, not because of its numbers, rather because it is of God.
Large numbers tend to create a false sense of security.
*** w60 10/1 p. 580 Numbers Are Not Enough ***
Today, religious organizations have a habit of pointing to their great numbers and wealth as proof of their being favored by God.
*** w09 2/15 pp. 26-27 par. 10 They “Keep Following the Lamb” ***
Shortly before he ascended to heaven, the resurrected Jesus appeared to his faithful disciples and made a promise to them, saying: “Look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.” (Matt. 28:20) Has this promise proved reliable? In the last 15 years, the number of congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide has grown from some 70,000 to over 100,000—an increase of over 40 percent. And what about the new disciples added? Nearly 4.5 million disciples were baptized in the last 15 years—an average of more than 800 a day. These spectacular increases are clear evidence that Christ is directing his anointed followers at their congregation meetings and is supporting them in their disciple-making work.
...The important thing is that numbers don't prove anything prove that Christ is directing us.
--sd-7
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breakfast of champions
As one of our circuit overseers once said (and this is in the context of how many people are disfellowshipped in JWs): "We may not have the LARGEST organization, but we certainly do have the CLEANEST."
I don't think a Nazi could have said it better.
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LisaRose
JWs are but a drop in the buck of the world's belief systems. I imagine most people in the middle east and China have never heard of them, the rest of the world couldn't tell you what they believe, other than its fine to go to someone's house and wake them up on a Saturday morning.
I remember, back in the day, there was good growth, everyone talked about Jehovah "speeding it up", there was this sense that things were happening, Armageddon must be soon with all this growth.
Now, pffftttt.
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OnTheWayOut
By April of 2014, 7.1 million Americans enrolled for the Affordable Care Act. It is not a tiny number.
In December of 2013, it was reported that 7 million California residents were totally uninsured for healthcare.
This year, Sony reached a sales total of 7 million PlayStation 4's.
This year, the book FREAKONOMICS reached a sales total of 7 million copies.
That number is 1 out of every 1000 people.
The number is significant, but in the worldwide view, it means very little. 999 out of 1000 never read FREAKONOMICS or own a PS4. I imagine way over 900 of those 999 never heard of the book or the game.
We can often wonder why more isn't done about cults like JW's, why more isn't said on news and talk shows. But they are such a minority.
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DesirousOfChange
LisaRose: the rest of the world couldn't tell you what they believe,
Hell, most JWs cannot tell you what they believe.
Just ask them. They'll promise to come back after looking it up, but then they'll never show up again.
Doc
