In view of the dire straits of the JW org, what now? (page 2)

Heaven

half banana said: Heaven, how could they do that when all would know they would be doing it as a survival tactic and not because they believe it?

By decree (not dogma... ) as per TOMO III himself. They really need to come up with an exciting, positive mission statement and some goals the JWs could really get behind. They need a new vision.

Vidiot said: @ Heaven and Half banana...
All those things are an integral part of JWism. They can't authentically mainstream, becasue if they did, they wouldn't actually be Jehovah's Witnesses, anymore.
Not to mention that if they, in particular, dropped the WTS's sense of exclusivity, they'd effectively eliminate the membership's biggest incentive to stay.

Sure they are. But they are also things that ultimately cause damage to people and an attrition issue they have no idea how to address. They keep changing their doctrines. This, alone, shows their doctrines are not working. The JWs of today certainly don't believe a lot of what JWs of previous decades believed especially going back to inception. The door-to-door work is reducing more and more. They have their apathy carts and their iPads. They're really just "Jehovah's Presenters" now. Do JWs even know the Bible? If you want to discuss things with them that appear to be at odds with what they believe, they just walk away.They cannot deal with opposition. They certainly would not be able to be in any sort of formal debate.

They changed their name before from International Bible Students to Jehovah's Witnesses. They can change it again. We could make something up for them... how about "Jehovah's Helpers" in line with Jesus' commandment to help one another. I have a feeling they'd retain far more people if they set the Borg up like a real charity where they actually have projects that JWs get involved in to feed starving people, ensure proper medical care and other needs were provided to the less fortunate, and get underprivileged or poverty stricken people the education they need. They may even recruit more people this way too.

I think most JWs have a good heart, or at least, start out that way.

My hope is that one day, the Borg wakes up to realize they are doing harm and change that.

Half banana

Amen to your hope "that one day the Borg wakes up to realise the harm they are doing". And yes they could change their name again. In the rebranding of the cult, it has already demoted that ugly old image of a watchtower and replaced it with a racy new JW logo. I think however that the very name "Jehovah" is an instant turn-off for most people, a toxic smell to be avoided!

They want to survive because it is an evolutionary desire for all organisms to survive, even the ugly ones and I think that from a humanitarian perspective, the JW org is repulsive... but wants to live...mainly because of its very large membership base to whom they supply a hope (although a false one) and the leaders of the cult, like all unchallenged despots, want to maintain power.

Once they wake up, they could ask forgiveness from all the millions they have misled and hurt ...and revert (as you suggest Heaven) to the less toxic name of International Bible Students.

But I would rather they pack their bags forever.

_Morpheus

So what now....? Well i dont know about you but im getting ready to head to work. Utilities dont install themselves...

oh wait, you meant the for the cult...? That actually dosent change my answer. The reality is nothing is really changing. The cult will always have followers. Thats why they are cults and not "mainstream " religions.

They will still have meetings. They will still have people willing to knock on doors and stand in front of carts and write letters to people who just a loved one. They will still have sycophants who are willing to believe every word written by the org is "truth".

and im still going to work. Cults go on and so do our lives :)

Vidiot

JWdaughter - "Has anyone tracked the changes I the wwcog-the Plain Truth folks?"

They barely exist any more.

Vidiot

Heaven - "My hope is that one day, the Borg wakes up to realize they are doing harm and change that."

Pretty sure they already figured that out a long time ago; to them, it's just the "cost of doing business"...

...if they were gonna actually fix it in any meaningful way, they'd have done it by now.

Vidiot

Morpheus - "...Cults go on..."

...but they never last forever.

sir82

The organisation now appears to be on the verge of collapse.

I don't think so. They are making these moves to ensure their long-term survival. Evidently the fallout from several thousand disgruntled ex-Bethelites & special pioneers is an acceptable price to pay for the significant reduction in expenses.

This is just the beginning, though.

I suspect they will continue to contract, and I expect membership to decline, but it will be a decades-long process. They will fizzle into irrelevancy, well, even further irrelevancy.

Vidiot

“This is the way the (WT eventually) ends, not with a bang but a whimper.”

(apologies to T.S. Eliot)

kairos

MENE, MENE, TEKEL and PARSIN.

In view of the dire straits of the JW org, what now?

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