jws said...
Ah, Cedars. To take a look at the other side for a moment, Cedars has been using his own reasoning to proclaim the end of the Watchtower since he first arrived on this site years ago. He's a bit of an egomaniac and seems on a personal vandetta to bring down the WT. And thinks he can bring it down. And he's looking for ANY sign that it's crumbling to validate himself. He's like a jilted lover bent on seeing his ex have a bad life for the crime of hurting him.
. . . Cedars aside, people have been predicting the end of the WT for years. Remember, followers of Russell are still around. Bible Students who follow Studies in the Scriptures still exist. So it's not easy to kill a religion or a following. Hell, just look at the Jewish scriptures. People still follow that millennia later.
JWs can and do reinvent themselves. They have an audience of the gullible. Every change becomes a blessing from God with all the spin of Fox News. But we on the outside can see the difference.
I see numbers, like non-associated (atheist/agnostic/no religion) rising 1%/year in America while Christianity decreases 1%/year. Baring some event to sway people back to church, I think those rises and falls pick up in speed. The bigger the atheist voice, the faster people will join it. And that's how I see religions failing in America. Reason. No longer our Christianity vs. yours where we can debate the finer points of scripture. A totally unreceptive public turned off to all forms of proselytizing.
But then again, growth has been stagnant here for years. It's the developing countries where this stuff catches on best. It may be that the JWs of the future are a Central-American based religion that nobody hears much about here.
I don't expect to see it die in my lifetime. Probably not Cedars either.
I invite jws "to take a look at the other side for a moment" . . .
Watchtower has been using their own reasoning to proclaim the end of the World since they first arrived on the scene all those years ago in 1879. They are a bit of an egomaniac and seem on a personal vandetta to bring down the World. And thinks they can bring it down. And Watchtower is looking for ANY sign that it's crumbling to validate themselves. They are like a jilted lover bent on seeing his ex have a bad life for the crime of hurting her.
. . . Watchtower aside, Jehovah's Witnesses have been predicting the end of the World for years. Remember, followers of Russell are still around. Bible Students who follow Studies in the Scriptures still exist. So it's not easy to kill a religion or a following. Hell, just look at the Jewish scriptures. People still follow that millennia later.
JWs can and do reinvent themselves. They have an audience of the gullible. Every change becomes a blessing from God with all the spin of Fox News. But we on the outside can see the difference.
I see numbers, like non-associated (atheist/agnostic/no religion) rising 1%/year in America while Christianity decreases 1%/year. Baring some event to sway people back to church, I think those rises and falls pick up in speed. The bigger the atheist voice, the faster people will join it. And that's how I see religions failing in America. Reason. No longer our Christianity vs. yours where we can debate the finer points of scripture. A totally unreceptive public turned off to all forms of proselytizing.
But then again, growth has been stagnant here for years. It's the developing countries where this stuff catches on best. It may be that the JWs of the future are a Central-American based religion that nobody hears much about here.
I don't expect to see Watchtower die in my lifetime. Probably not in any Jehovah's Witnesses either.
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COMMENTS
If Cedars' "egomaniac" comments sound like he is on a "personal vandetta" [sic] and looking "for ANY sign" by "using his own reasoning to proclaim the end" then how much more so the Watchtower's.
Many people have been hurt by the Watchtower and many such ones use their own personal circumstances and experiences in sharing their life-moulded viewpoints with others. And this is my life-moulded viewpoint.
I believe Simon nailed it . . .
The WT is now flush with cash, growing and much slicker with better marketing.
Any prophecy of impending doom is pure wishful thinking.
No sizable religion is going to vanish now. They are easily past the "self sustaining" size and will be here for a long time.
It doesn't matter what we can prove about them - people don't care. No one is in any religion because of logic or "truth".
No truer word uttered.
JW LEAKS
