by Starlight.vee 52 Replies latest watchtower scandals
If the WTS decided to close up shop, the rank-and-file would scatter. They would find other churches to join. You might get some groups that decide to carry on as splinter groups, but they would be small and local and probably disintegrate after a while.
There are options out there for someone who is suddenly and unexpectedly let down by their religion. Most would roll with it; humans are quite resilient creatures.
When the Watchtower is destroyed, the devout JWs will coalesce around the "two witnesses". (Rev 11:3)
STARLIGHT.vee:
I just watched a YouTube video by ‘Life After Religion’.
It's a couple. He/they believe as I do, that the Witness religion wants to get rid of all the halls and be totally online...They are getting rid of their infrastructure. As the man says: “the JWs are going to be royally screwed.. Their halls are going to disappear and all they will be left with is their tablet and an internet connection (the religion’s website).” That’s exactly what I believe is happening.
But, he has another take on all the recent changes (beards, pants for women).. He believes the religion WANTS people to leave. He thinks they want them out of the halls so they can sell them. He even thinks keeping people home during Covid longer was to break the habit of people going to the halls. Again, the goal being to sell off more halls. Whether you agree or not with this part it’s something to think about!
He tells whatever people are left in the religion to get out now with their dignity intact instead of waiting to be kicked to the curb (I can just picture this).. I’m Glad I got out ages ago.
He believes the religion WANTS people to leave. He thinks they want them out of the halls so they can sell them. He even thinks keeping people home during Covid longer was to break the habit of people going to the halls.
Makes sense. They really are not attracting new converts. The internet has destroyed their doctrine. Interesting thought.
I saw that video too, and they do make some compelling arguments.
I’m on the fence about the theory, though… an equal amount of decisions the Org has made suggest they’re anxious to keep the membership.
"We never said we were inspired."" ""The gb can err when it comes to doctrinal matters".
Well, the GB and their accountants, primarily the accountants, read the writing on the wall and have been consolidating for years now. Billion dollar real estate sell off in Brooklyn. Multiple lay offs of Bethelites around the world. Closure of Branch offices. Lay offs of District overseers and special pioneers. Sell off of Kingdom Halls around the world.
They pulled in their horns and built the smaller Governing Body retirement COMPOUND with high walls, and nice recreation facilities on cheaper rural land.
Remember the Shakers? They were a big deal in the 1800s. We have "Shaker" style cabinets. When was the last time you saw a Shaker? :)
Quakers were a big deal in the 1700 &1800s. No longer.
A few blocks from us is usually empty Christian Science Church. I used to run into members every week in service. I had two members at work. The Christian Science Monitor was quoted weekly most of my life. Mary Baker Eddy was a big deal during CT Russels day. The Christian Science Monitor won Pulitzer prizes, and is now a simple website. Independent sources put membership at only around 50,000 Christian Scientists now! "The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, was built in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1894.[7] Christian Science became the fastest growing religion in the United States, with nearly 270,000 members there by 1936, a figure that had declined to just over 100,000 by 1990[8] and reportedly to under 50,000 by 2009.[3] The church is known for its newspaper, The Christian Science Monitor, which won seven Pulitzer Prizes between 1950 and 2002, and for its public Reading Rooms around the world."[n 3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Science
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Christian_Science_Monitor
I believe in time, Jehovah's Witnesses will be a quaint memory like Quakers, "Bible Students", Armstrong followers, and Shakers. The Governing Body will live out there lives in quiet luxury, sipping single malt Whiskey, flashing off their Rolexes, pinky rings, and begging for cash on obscure TV channels and JW.com to an aging group of desperate, disillusioned, and impoverished fans.
Quakers are still very much a going concern, I was at one of their meetings two weeks ago.
Christian Scientists are in steep decline and have been for decades. I can see them folding in the UK sooner rather than later.
I think JWs are doing a good job of keeping members and even attracting a few new followers, compared with most other churches. The latest summer convention is probably the best they’ve ever held in terms of the quality of the programme. They seem to be doing well.
Slim, perhaps in Brittan. A "friends" meeting house was at the end of our block from our old home. Rarely more than a handful of cars in their parking lot. They played a big role in US history, designing the penal system, politics, the shipping business, and leading the anti-slavery efforts leading to the civil war. By 2017 only 80,000 left in the USA, vs a population of 330 million. Interesting theology and history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quakers
