The Reason Why Jehovah's Witnesses Will Never Prosper Is The Children

by minimus 42 Replies latest jw friends

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  disillusioned 2

  I did a good job with my children, all five are out. In fact it was their critical thinking that convinced me who had many doubts over the years to leave once and for all.

  They all believe in evolution (which I still can't grasp) as opposed to their father who gets angry with them when they argue with him, I am and have always been open-minded and willing to really listen to other's opinions. None of them believe in God and I actually envy them that they are so sure about this because I am still not sure about this (indoctrination runs deep). I do know for sure though that the witnesses are NOT God's chosen organization and I don't believe that any are.
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  TheListener

  The society had a form of sunday school many many years ago. They abandoned it in part because they wanted to the families to attend all the meetings together. Blondie or someone may have the references to it.

  I agree with the poster who said that a few years ago I would have laughed at the idea of them having a sunday school or something similar. Now, I could definitely see it happening. But, I think that the more they get into the lives of the children the more it will backfire as the kids age.

  I just watched a few minutes of the 2015 RC program on another thread and can't imagine an intelligent motivated teenager hanging around that crap too long. The only reason I could see for a teenager to stay in is because the majority of their friends and parents are in and it's all they know. That's probably why college is so looked down on. It opens the kids up to new experiences and new friends and that gives them the strength to leave the WTS.
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  minimus

  Kids and grown ups stay in due to peer pressure but they are not hard core zealots by any means.
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  _Morpheus

  Min you say they wont prosper, but really its all about definitions, sumantics....

  they are a domsday cult that still has about 8 million people believing, in the year 2015, that jesus returned invisibly 101 years ago and that hes goiing to kick the shit out of over 7 billion people because they dont believe tight pants tony and rubber face lett are christs brothers....

  to convince 8 million people of this utter nonsense IS success! How big would they have to be to "prosper" by your definition? Their definition of prosper is any small growth that helps like organization coffers and they get that every year. I dont think its die anywhere near what they could have if they wernt so wacky but then if it wasnt wacky if wouldnt be a cult.....

  Im not trying to be obtuse, i get your basic point that they arnt growing anywhere near what they could and they are really suffering with retention problems, but i think they are growing just enough to keep themselves blinded to their issues and are contented to throw around the 8 million number as an all time high and fool themselves into thinking its the desert gods blessing. Its prospering enough for them.
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  minimus

  They are like the Iraqi army. When the going gets rough, the army deserts. Those numbers mean zippo.most are nominal Witnesses.
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  blondie

  Being the 3rd generation and seeing how the 4th generation has no interest at all I have a different world view at to the WTS.

  I remember how more committed my grandparents and parents were and now my generation, 50% hanging on, 4th generation 0% hanging on.

  There is a difference when adults become jws with no jw past. Each generation is more and more diluted and it becomes at best a social club.
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  losingit

  I am not a child, but it was my month-long exposure to people from all of the 50 states of the US while I was taking a grad-school course that *really* opened my eyes and helped me to wake up. I left that course exhilarated about my life and all of its possibilities! But then my ex-husband just shut my ambition down, or at least he tried.

  JW teens that go to college away from home and finally taste the freedom of making their own decisions will leave. They will leave. It's almost as if you have no other choice. Your mind just compels you to leave. Your heart compels you to leave. It's a force not worth fighting against, like a kayak on white water rapids. You have to figure out how to navigate those raging waters. It's possible. But so hard. Had I known about this community before I entered those raging waters, I believe I would have made different life choices. I hope jw teens are able to find the support system they need to get the hell out when they enter that stage in their life.
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  Island Man

  I think another possible measure that Watchtower may come up with is encouraging homeschooling and discouraging parents from sending their children to "worldly" schools. They may even produce the Watchtower approved text books and videos that parents can use.

  The reason I think they may do this is that children are exposed to ideas and influences contrary to JW programming, at "worldly" schools. Watchtower can even earn $ome with such a program by stipulating parents give a suggest donation for text books and other Watchtower approved teaching material. They'll spin as being just to cover the costs and say its cheaper than the regular "worldly" school books.
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  Island Man

  As low as the retention rate for born-ins is, the fact remains that raising JWs from the cradle is potentially a greater and easier source of growth that trying to convert non-JWs, and I think the reason for the low retention rate of born ins is simply due to the fact that JW parents traditionally tend to focus more on converting non-JWs while taking their JW children somewhat for granted. If Watchtower puts the same amount of emphasis on indoctrinating JW children as they do in trying to convert non-JWs, including instituting new programs similar to what I've mentioned, I guarantee you they will have higher growth rates.
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  Finkelstein

  It has to be realize that the WTS has done a lot of lying, conniving and deceiving to lure in devoted adherents right back since its inception as an organization. This is the precarious foundation of what this organization actually sits on.

  To add to that precariousness is the fact that people can now investigate all these pretentious doctrines that the WTS used to draw attention to its literature publications by the use of the inter-net..

  In the past whenever the organization wanted to remove redundant crippling information contained in its literature, the call went out to take that literature off the shelves of the Kingdom Halls and that was all that was required.

  We are now living in the age of information and the kids growing up today are well hooked into that attainable information.