by ThomasDam21 33 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
hoser - “…The watchtower Canada reported the highest number of publishers ever…”
…even though, y’know, Kingdom Halls are being sold, and congregations dissolved and/merged across the country.
But the Org’s track record for honesty and transparency is impeccable.
😏
I didn't think the religion would make it past Generation X ( my generation ) , then the pandemic and social media happened and you realize reality is now subjective as long as it makes you feel special. My hall ( which I don't attend ) has 5 times more people over 65 than under 20, so that is a good sign, but there will always be lonely people.
While PIMO, progressing to POMO, I was assigned to count attendance. 2/3 were over the age of 50. Another thing I noticed is the lack of youth present.
When I have put the link on for my parents it is just sad.. so many people in their eighties and over still waiting for an Armageddon that is 'still just around the corner'..
They just can't see it - or if they do, they are too afraid/indoctrinated to say.
I think this is why they have such a violent/aggressive action when you tell them facts that disprove their faith - you are touching their heavily brainwashed eyeballs and they don't like it..
I know most people here are totally out and that’s fine.
Many these days are staying physically in for the social life and that is also fine.
I feel being fully mentally in is dangerous as it could be such a shock mentally if or should I say when the tower collapsed.
Im sitting in the fence like so many others here. Mentally Agnostic if God exists or not and if the Bible is his word.
When I talk to people who are physically and mentally still in I can tell that they so need it to be true. I’m worried for them when they wake up to the fact that they have been lied to 1914 wasn’t true 1975 wasn’t true 1999 wasn’t true and now here we are 2025 it’s all not true. I’m worried that mentally it’s very very dangerous and this is why many will go downhill mentally or may even take their own lives.
Ita far as safer to be physically in for the amazing social life and the fact they are so well taken care of but mentally either out or at least agnostic leaving room for the fact that the witnesses may be true about some things and it is beneficial to live by Bible standards, possibly I don’t know for sure.
It’s a paradox because some PIMIs are so genuinely happy due to beliefs that are not true. But they have this hope so real that they are happy now because they genuinely believe the Bibles promises.
The same can be said for many other belief systems, Buddhist and Islam beliefs if they are fully indoctrinated they are happy believing something that is not true.
its very dangerous though if you wake up before you die then its very hard to cope with the fact that you believed something that wasn’t true all your life.
this is why I think either PIMA or POMA is safest.
it’s amazing how it comes into conversations when I’m talking to someone and in their mind the end is really literally just around the corner so of course it affects the decisions they make and when they’re asking me about decisions I make I gotta be careful that it doesn’t come across that I don’t think the end is just around the corner and I need to plan a head and I’m thinking about retirement whereas they absolutely are not which I think is also very dangerous
some other things that I hear them talk about it’s obvious that they genuinely believe the governing body. They really literally are gods spokesperson on Earth and they refer to being obedient to the governing body like being obedient to Jehovah and when I talk about the vaccine they genuinely believe that Jehovah wants them to keep taking the booster shots. Jehovah told them it was safe the governing body whatever they say. It’s just like Jehovah saying and Jehovah told them the vaccine is safe and effective and it’s all lies that it causes blood blood clots that’s all lies from Satan‘s world and apostatethey keep going to take their boosters.
I’m worried that mentally it’s very very dangerous and this is why many will go downhill mentally or may even take their own lives.
They'll be fine as long as they don't accept the fact that it all fiction and is still to come "very, very soon".
And finally, at some point they will decide to stay and "fake it" even if they accept that it's all BS because they can't face losing their family/friends.
Their fantasies keep them holdin' on. I question the mental state of many and the covid injections hasn't helped. Alcohol/psychotropic drug abuse long before the detrimental/noxious side effects of the injections.
LV101:
I also believe their fantasies keep them holding on. JWs will not admit ‘defeat’ as it were.
It’s a social club at this point and for the older Witnesses there just coasting, that’s fine for them. They already supposedly made their living. Let them stay there.. But, if somebody is young and has to make a living and function in the real world around sane people - they better get the hell out of there, in my opinion.
When I left after the 1995 Generation teaching, I was well into my working career so I didn’t leave for that. I left because I couldn’t stand any more BS. I also was tired of the phoniness and intrusive behavior, etc.. I had no more tolerance for this worthless unpaid ‘second job’ as I saw it.. I knocked myself out making meetings on cold week nights after a day’s work. For what??
The JW religion wasn’t necessarily ‘falling apart’ yet.. I just had enough and was Done with it and so began my ‘Fade’.
It’s a social club at this point and for the older Witnesses there just coasting, that’s fine for them.
It’s a social club for everyone these days. The young ones only stay for the friends in the cong.
we are all just coasting even the elders it’s easy being JWlite! You could turn upto any meeting and give any part with zero preparation. It’s all just videos and q&a!
its been compared to being a Trekkie or similar
you may not like Star Trek anymore but still go to events to see the people you have known for years.
you know Star Trek is fictional but its nice fictional and maybe some tiny parts may have a even tinier slithering of a resemblance of truth in the future
My old Silicon Valley Congregations have lost 2/3 of attenders (Halls have been combined). It is an affluent area and most people use the internet every day. It seems most of the most "active" JWs in my extended family and old congregations had/have cognitive issues.
I have an old JW pimo acquaintance I speak with weekly. He has been open about his doubts and criticisms of the governing body and false prophecies with over a dozen elders privately over the last 3 years. Privately they AGREED with him and never turned him in!!!! He has also dated a dozen single sisters he confided his doubts with...and they agreed with him!! Go figure...no one has reported him! That would be different 20 years ago.
Perhaps it is like the Catholic Church, despite corruption, abuse, and bad press, most members identify still as "Catholic"...they simply spend less time and energy on the church.
