Are Babylon's waters drying up?

by ozziepost 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  ozziepost

  I recall posting about this topic almost two years ago, but I believe it's worth resurrecting for the interest of newer posters here.

  I made the comment then that if you repeat something often enough, in time it becomes believed as "truth" itself. My view hasn't changed in two years, but I notice that in a recent thread a well used teaching of the dubs was repeated on the board as if it were undisputed truth, like the reality of the sun rising each day.

  What teaching? The WTS teaches that all "false religion" (namely all non-Witness religion) is pictured by "Babylon the Great" and, just like in the typical Babylon whose waters miraculously dried up allowing for its capture by the invading armies of Medes and Persians, the "waters of support" i.e. its membership, are drying up in this "time of the end". It's a good story, powerfully told by many a public talk speaker. But is it true?

  See my earlier post for many details:

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.aspx?id=2663&site=3

  I suspect that this "mantra" of the Witnesses serves to distract the faithful R&F from the falling numbers in their own ranks.

  Waters of Babylon drying up? Perhaps the antitypical Babylon is something different bfrom what the Borg teaches?

  Cheers, Ozzie
• 

  refiners fire

  When I was in the org in the seventies there used to ba aWatchtower section called "watching the world" which was always presenting evidence that the churches were disintegrating.ChurchesClosing. Seminars for priests that were empty, etc. Im not aware that the WT talks much about "Babylons Waters" anymore though. Do inform me if Im wrong.I assume their silence on the subject is because there are more pentecostal nuts around than you can shake a stick at. Which just goes to show, Hysteria and mass manipulation of emotions really gets the punters in.
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  Kingpawn

  Not only are the WBTS's waters drying up, they're actively bailing out the river via disfellowshipping.

  If the figures of six million members, 1% df'ed yearly, and of those, sixty percent(?) being reinstated yearly, then 24,000 are being discarded yearly. That's something like twice the population of my town in the 1990 census. Assuming no new members, in 250 years they'll be extinct. But I doubt it'll take that long.
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  plmkrzy

  The point is, Is it true? Are the waters of Babylon drying up?

  This is interesting. I just so happened to be reading an Egyptian Newspaper online last night and on the front page was a pic of the Euphrates River (spell ck) and how it's waters have become desecrated over the past 2 years more then ever in it's history.

  What if Babylon the Great turns out to be Babylon? The next world power. Wouldn't that just gag the gb.

  Edited by - plmkrzy on 12 November 2002 5:46:9
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  dsgal

  OMG,you ought to see the Church of Christ down the street from me.When they have services the parking lots are spilling over.People have to park on the street.Seems to me like most churches are the same way on Sunday.I know the WTS always said the churches are drying up,but I don't see it.
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  A Paduan

  Babylon is about possessing things - even the hippies understand - there's a name for the neat well to do crowd with fine clothes and cars, who bring a new type of 'good' values - babylonians.

  Even children know the sound of that name.

  paduan

  Edited by - a paduan on 12 November 2002 11:32:5
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  jgnat

  A recent WT magazine partially quoted Emerging Trends. Interestingly the full article, published June 1996 (here) records some amazing growth figures for Christendom's Churches. It annoys me that the WTS ascribes fruitfulness and Jehovah's blessing to themselves by trotting out their growth figures. Yet, similar growth in Christendom's Churches is not given similar approval and blessing by the Society. The fruit to be looking for is:

  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

  These are the qualities that should be sought out in the good brothers and sisters down at the local KH. Is it there?
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  metatron

  to hell with fruits of the spirit.

  You can't count them on a field service report.

  metatron
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  dsgal

  jgnat,

  NO!
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  cyberguy

  Hey Oz!

  You'd be interested to know that the latest Watchtower says Religion is Gaining Ground in the US!

  RELIGION Is Gaining Ground, but Morality Is Losing Ground. This headline in the newsletter Emerging Trends summarized the results of a nationwide poll in the United States. Evidently, that country has seen an increase in the number of people who attend church and say that religion holds an important place in their life. -- Watchtower, Sept. 15, 2002, p. 15.

  So, there you have it! Oh yes, evidently there is an increase in the number of people who attend church!

  Thought you'd find this a bit amusing!

  Edited by - cyberguy on 13 November 2002 16:2:1