Diligence and Enthusiasm - LDS vs JWs

by Rivergang 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Rivergang

  On a scale of 1 to 100, I would put the LDS in the high 90s, and the Witnesses at about minus 10.

  These days (well, around here at least) one encounters the Mormon missionaries all over the place. If they are not knocking at your door, they are approaching you out in the street. Of late, this has been happening all the bloody time!

  By contrast, I cannot remember the last time the JWs came door-knocking around our district. It was certainly well before the pandemic. The most we see of them is when they occasionally set-up an apathy cart a literature stand at the local shopping centre.

  Say what you will about the Church of the Latter Days Saints, but you would have to credit them for their zeal. (Something the JWs appear to have discarded many years ago)
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  jhine

  Oh l don't know where you live but here in Tamworth l haven't seen any Mormons for ages .

  There again we mostly only see JWs manning the carts .

  Jan from Tam
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  skin

  The Mormons seem to have disappeared from around here too, apart from seeing 2 on bikes about 4 months, there's been no sign of them for years.
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  TonusOH

  I honestly haven't seen either. I live in a fairly rural area, but there is no shortage of Christian churches out here. And I know there are a few kingdom halls around here. But JWs only ever knocked on my door once (in... 2016, I think) and I have not seen any Mormon missionaries at all.

  I don't think it's a lack of enthusiasm as much as it is being a bit farther out from the big population centers. After 45 years in New York City, I almost never see a building taller than three stories anymore. Big cities have always been a fertile ground for small groups that proselytize aggressively. Farmlands, less so.
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  slimboyfat

  Only a small fraction of Mormons preach whereas all active JWs preach, fewer than 100,000 Mormons missionaries compared with 8 million plus JWs who preach, nearly 2 million of them pioneers.

  Mormons are in decline in the UK and many other developed countries whereas JWs have steady numbers or are increasingly slightly, in particular among immigrant communities.
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  Ding

  Over the last 5 years, we've had about 20 LDS missionaries knock on our door or come up to us on the street but no JWs (of course, JWs have us on their DNC list). The KH parking lot has quite a few cars in it during the week but I haven't seen any of them actually out in service.
  
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  Magnum

  I used to see them once or twice a year, but it has been years (probably two decades) since I've seen a single one, and I've been in fairly large cities. And... they do a two-year mission, and that seems to be it - no more "preaching" after that.

  I worked for a big company a few years ago, and my regional manager had been a Mormon missionary in South America. His preaching work was over. His life after that seemed to be almost completely unaffected by his religion.

  I agree with slimboyfat. Only a small fraction of Mormons preach, whereas all active JWs are at least supposed to. However, it seems to be getting to the point now that nobody really preaches anymore.

  I know this anecdotal, but I'm going to mention it. A little over 30 years ago, I was conducting a study with an older man whom two Mormon missionaries were regularly visiting. One day I arrived at his house for the study and they were there. He asked them to sit in on our study, and they did. They were lost; they could not even find books in the Bible. They were extemely polite and nice, but clueless. I ended up loading their bike in my vehicle and giving them a ride home after the study because it started raining. I kind of felt sorry for them.
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  Rivergang

  Oh l don't know where you live but here in Tamworth l haven't seen any Mormons for ages.

  It sounds like they must have all moved into my neighbourhood, then!

  Seriously, here in the south-western part of the Brisbane metropolitan area, (Queensland, Australia) the LDS is very active.

  Never mind that "only a small fraction of the Mormons preach". This same pair of young men are at it constantly - all day and every day. None of this meeting "for service", knocking on a few doors, then sloping off to Starbucks to complete the morning's "service". Those two are still to be seen working the streets very late in the afternoon. Unlike the JWs, too, the LDS guys will go out of their way to approach people out in the street; whereas I have so often seen the JWs walk right past you in the street, only to go up to your door house, where nobody is at home.

  I have lost count of the number of times over the last three months that I have encountered this same pair of Mormon missionaries - either at my door or out in the street.

  JWs have steady numbers or are increasingly slightly, in particular among immigrant communities.

  But at no greater rate than that of the population in general. Hardly a great achievement! As Raymond Franz in Crisis of Conscience noted, the so-called "Preaching Work" of the Jehovahs Witnesses is hardly an effective one.

  Eight million JWs claim to be preaching, yet are outshone by only 100 000 Mormons.

  This does not say much for the Jehovahs Witnesses. In fact, the term "Blunt Instrument" appears to be a most accurate description of their much vaunted "Preaching of the Good News".
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  Anony Mous

  8M JWs do not preach. I would say an average of 3-4M actually go in service, most of that these days is carts and letter writing for 1-2h/week if they’re “spiritually strong” or per month if they’re your average witness.

  Mormons work 60-80h/week during their missionary service.
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  Balaamsass2

  I admin a few local Chamber of Commerce Facebook groups. Our local Morman missionaries offer online to help the poor, seniors and widows with chores for free. Very simple, effective and earnest outreach.

  Firewood, lawnmowing, and weed-whacking fire breaks. More useful than cart witnessing for seniors -in my opinion. Hell...mow my lawn and even this grumpy grandpa will listen to you for 15 minutes. lol.:)