If the Borg should fall....

by home_and_dry 15 Replies latest jw friends

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  home_and_dry

  What would actually happen to the x-million JWs out there?

  (this is a rather far fetched scenario, but bear with me!)

  Imagine if one day the Borg were to release a letter to each cong in the world to be read simultaneously. And in that letter it said that the borg had decided to stop functioning completely. They have realised that they have got it all wrong, and that from now on, the JW religion would cease to exist. No one in the world could be known as a JW. All literature, Videos, CDs, tapes and everything else JW produced should be returned to your nearest KH and destroyed.

  From now on, each individual is free to live their lives as they see fit. They would not be under any JW rules at all. They would be free to take blood transfusions, celebrate holidays, associate with DFd ones, absolutely anything they wished to do, they could do. Elders would no longer be Elders, Pioneers would have to get off their backsides and get a real job. Same goes for COs, POs and Bethel workers.

  What would actually happen? Would they all go rushing out to buy their first Christmas tree? I dont think so. I think even if the R&F had it all there in black and white, I think a lot would still live their lives as a JW.I just dont believe they would be able to let go.

  Maybe some would set up their own little JW based religions. Maybe some would just totally crack up at the thought of having to live in the real world and without the misplaced hope of living forever.

  I think it would take many generations before the WT legacy vanished for good.

  Any thoughts?

  (and no need to say it would never happen because I know it wont, my point is that it would take a heck of a long time for people to leave the borg behind, thus illustrating the control they have over people.)
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  DakotaRed

  If that ever happened, and as you say, we know it won't, I think you would see many small splinter groups started up around the world to carry on with the same nonsense.

  Lew W
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  Funchback

  I think that the suicide rate would increase among earths' population.
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  FiveShadows

  Not only would the witnesses declare that the tribulation has begun and go back to Russell's reasoning in saying that 'whenever should we not have any use of these publications..is the day the tribulation has begun' (or something to that effect), but i wouldn't be the slightest bit suprized that the scenerio back in 1975 about people selling their houses and property would come up again. ~FS
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  Francois

  Yes, it should. As soon as possible.

  francois
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  a_pink_dot

  I have thought about this exact thing...If it was announced the the whole thing was a hoax. I don't think anyone would know what to do with themselves.They would go crazy, or kill themselves. I bet there would be a group of firm believers that would continue gathering and praying out of fear, they would think it was an attack from Satan. I would love it if it happened, minus the damage it would do to some genuine people who may be found amongst them. The people who thought they had found thier answer in life, ruined! Especially the ones who have been in it for 10, 20, 30 or more years. Imagine the counselling they'd need. Very interesting thought!

  a_pink_dot
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  DevonMcBride

  As far-fetched as it sounds, I was once wondering the same thing.

  Devon
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  TTBoy

  They would become normal people?
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  jws

  I'm not going to comment on that scenario because I don't feel it could possibly happen. But I've often wondered about when or if they will ever disband.

  As long as they have followers, they will not disband. But, as time marches on, those followers could disappear. How do all of you see that happening? Any time soon?

  Or will the GB change doctrine enough to keep people strung along?

  In my mind, I liked to play out how it would all fall apart. That say, by 2014, 100 years after 1914, that maybe people would start to think, hey, nothing's happened yet. If Christ is supposed to be invisibly present, when's he going to do something? And people would start leaving. If people start to leave in droves, it will upset the balance and could cause the rest to rethink. Eventually, it becomes unfeasible to belong. All of the aspects that serve to hold a cult together fall apart. When you no longer have enough people to support a hall, no more Kindom Halls! And those are so important to reinforcing their beliefs. When you don't have enough people to cover territory, no new converts! District conventions in a hotel suite instead of an arena! Maybe eventually only 2 or 3 people left (probably at HQ in New York) who just decide to call it quits.

  However, the JWs seem to be craftier than that and they could change to meet the future. The original GB will all be dead in a few years. With each change in regime, they have reinvented themselves to some degree. For instance, they could slowly phase out 1914 and do away with teachings based on that. Focus more on preaching a future paradise and drop the date setting. It seems there might be evidence of leading towards this. They've already reinvented the 1914 generation thing back in 1994. One poster said he noticed that 1914 was getting used less and less when he did a search on their literature. Could this mean it's getting prepped to be phased-out? Past history shows when they are going to make a change, they stop using that teaching way before it happens. Also a recent change in the Awake admitted that earthquakes are no more prevalent than they were before 1914. And sort of leaned towards Jesus saying this and that would happen, not saying these things would be more drastic. So they could end up revising all that "things have been different since 1914" nonsense.

  Although there is a lot to change and could cause a lot of confusion and wake up a lot of people. But, more might be sucked in by the new teachings and never know of past problems (like today).

  A friend of mine was part of the Way Ministries going back to the late 80's. From what I understand, after the founder died, a new guy came in who made a lot of changes. Since he was having some sort of affair outside marriage, he tried to change teachings to exonerate himself. He tried to organize into more of a traditional church too rather than a loosely based network of home groups. It drove thousands of people away to where total "membership" (even though that probably isn't the best word since it was looser than that) dropped to a fraction of what it was. Though so many people left, there are still those that hang on.

  I suspect no matter what the JWs do, there will ALWAYS be people who will hang-on and keep following. Look at the Bible Students who still follow Russells teachings. Even JWs have dropped most of those.

  I just keep hoping it will fall apart while my father is still alive, because I think that's the only way he can escape.

  -j.w.s.
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  dsgal

  I think a lot of them would keep "waiting on Jehovah".