I think having video talks from headquarters will strike guests at the KH as very cult-like behavior.
New Thought About Active J.W.'s
by The Searcher 45 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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the comet
I couldn't agree more with the comment by Traveb. He/she mentioned they were in California, but I think it's the same in any urban areas in a blue state. I call them social or ethnic witnesses. It describes about 75% of people here, and 95% of people under 30. With the big push to get screens and projectors into the halls, it's not hard to imagine a good percentage of meetings will just be streamed from corporate HQ within 5 years. -
Clambake
The other day some pioneer lady showed up work and asked to speak to the manager. I told her the manager was a Mormon, travels to Salt Lake City each year and even seen the golden plates. He was standing right beside me when I was saying it. How the hell we didn’t bust out laughing while she was there is beyond me.
No debate, no questions, Just a 30 second sales pitch and out the door.
I think gone are the days of any type of theology discussion. Trinity, Hellfire, immorality of the soul, anyone with a smart phone can argue will you now. The funny part that is the hard stuff. The easy stuff is showing them the stupidity of overlapping generations or how they worked backwards to 1914.
If the fanatics are starting to mail it in, I can’t even imagine how the ones just getting hours are feeling about it.
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sparrowdown
I think there have always been "camps" or factions within this religion. Subsets of subsets.
To name a few more than the ones you have already identified there's the
Older single sisters the "man haters club" they are the gossip machines and ooh and ahh over every utterance spoken from the platform. They usually have their own "elder in their pocket" to whom they feed and recieve information. They enjoy tsk tsking at younger women, and shove wads of their pension/earnings into the contribution boxes. These women will die with their JW boots on.
Then you have the fringe dwellers who still believe but only show up once in a blue moon and at memorial time.The reason they still believe is because they are never there long enough or pay attention enough for any real doubt to set in.
The mothers club is another lot. They are only there for social reasons and parading little Johnny or Suzy around like prize bulls and maybe pushing hubbie to become an ms. They don't know what they believe nor could explain any doctrine beyond "Jehovah said so." As long as their social circle stays intact they can play hostess with the mostess they will stay.
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daringhart13
Interesting observation, but I really think there is a 3rd group and it's by far the largest:
Those that just keep going because their family/friends are.... and barely know how to spell the word Bible, much less study it or their literature.
Some people need that sense of belonging to something.
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airborne
Before I DA'd about a third of the congregation of about 100 (which never showed up at once) were 20-something's who just wanted to hang out and socialize with their born-in club. No substantial bible knowledge in this group. Just fraternizing--Lifestylers all the way. -
Syme
Searcher,
I think that there's a small group that is a combination of the 2 groups you described: those that are 'heretical' in a way, have different views in a lot of topics, and maybe not believing a lot of things, doctrinal and/or organizational, but nevertheless resent those who leave, and stick to the shunning rule with all their heart.
I know it because I have still-in active friends that fall exactly into that mixed category. The reason for resenting those who leave even though they themselves are not full believers, I cannot say for sure; but I think it is because they hate seeing someone having the courage to to something (leaving), that they cannot.
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respectful_observer
I heard one report it was something in the range of 40 vids at the RC? 40 VIDEOS! WTF?! And people are lapping it up.
Btw, I'm glad someone posted a few of these here. I took a glance at a few today and involuntarily spit out my coffee, I laughed so hard. The skits about Jesus are so cheesy and amatuerish, I couldn't help it. Thankfully I can prep myself for my upcoming RC...I would have hated to be taken by surprise sitting in the audience and laughed out loud.
As for oppostate's observations, I think they are spot on. A huge proportion of the 20-40-somethings today, are only JWs because they were raised in it, and very often married with kids. Their extended families are all JWs, their friends (and very often co-workers) are almost all JWs. They realize they don't have to "reach out" like their parents' generation, so they "coast"...enjoy hanging out with their friends, drink what they want, watch what they want, etc.
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respectful_observer
The ritual pomposity and pedantic theatricality of the old Roman religion is no match for the brainwashing, easy to "study" literature that reinforces their feeling of belonging and acceptance.
Btw, oppostate, this made me think of this classic Family Guy. Love it!!:
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sir82
Yep on the "3 groups".
An additional thought about JW kids.
2/3 or more continue to leave, as has been the case for decades.
But it used to be that out of the 1/3 "survivors", most were "reaching out". Guys had a goal of being MS & eventually elder, and gals mostly wanted to pioneer and/or marry a "spiritual man". I'd say maybe 80% of the "survivors" fell into that category. So there was a fairly constant stream of "replacements" for aging elders & pioneers who couldn't do as much (or died). It was that way through the mid-90's or so.
Now though, within the past 20 years, I'd say maybe 10-20% of the "survivor kids" have any interest in "reaching out". The majority are perfectly content to coast along, do their 3 or 4 hours of field service (mostly coffee breaks and riding to other people's return visits), show up to 3 or 4 meetings a month, never show up for hall cleaning, etc. Just enough to remain on the "inside", particularly for those who need business contacts.
In our congregation, out of maybe 10 or so ages 15-25, 2 take it seriously - one (pioneer right out of high school, waiting for his Bethel app to be approved) is the son of an outrageously wealthy elder who finances his son's "pioneer lifestyle" with $25,000 cars and free trips to Europe, and the other is a 15 year old girl who I suspect will burn out by the time she graduates. I think that is pretty typical.
This does not bode well for maintaining JW structure and organization in the long term. It is unsustainable.
In the not-too-distant future, as JW elders burn out & die off & otherwise lose capacity, there simply won't be enough replacements. The latest WT articles, and the "you are going to be slaughtered by Christ if you don't reach out" talks at the RC, are evidence that the GB are aware of this and are frightened by it.
In 10 years, maybe even less, congregations are going to start to crumble. It will be fascinating to see how the GB responds.