The Evolution Of The Watchtower Cult

by pale.emperor 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  pale.emperor

  Since waking up from the cult I've been curious about where the cult is going and how will it end up? Will it fizzle out or become a little fringe "religion" like Plymouth Bretheren or the Shakers?

  We've already seen the cult evolve from:

  • CT Russell being the faithful and discreet slave
    
  • Worshiping Jesus and Jehovah
  • Vaccines discourages, blood transfusions lauded
  • Rutherford being the faithful and discreet slave
  • Worshiping only Jehovah
  • Blood transfusions banned, vaccines lauded
  • Blood transfusions revised to "fractions" and a conscience matter
  • The 144,000 being the faithful and discreet slave
  • Armageddon before 2000
  • Armageddon within an overlapping generation
    
  • The governing body being the faithful and discreet slave
  • The governing body helpers being around to run the show when the GB are "in heaven"

  Of course, these are all passed off as "refinements" or "revised understandings" but really what we're seeing is a "religion" that doesnt know it's ass from it's elbow reacting to the times.

  My personal prediction is that we'll see another splinter. Either some GB members will start their own cult or when the GB are dead and the GB helpers get to run things they'll blame the old failings on the current GB of Lett, Morriss and Co.
  
• 

  blondie

  pale emperor, and that is just the short list. The WTS has a listing of Clarifications and Adjustments in the indexes.

  The September 2019 WT study article, Look, a Great Crowd, goes back into the late past of the WTS and the changes in teachings back then and why. It seems strange that they take the chance of bringing up old light. Perhaps the reason is it is too readily available to jws online and causing confusion.

  https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-september-2019/great-crowd/
  
• 

  Half banana

  Well there is one religion which bears testimony to the principle of evolution and that is Jehovah's Witnesses. If you need an example or model for the concept of evolution when speaking to a JW, there it is in their history.

  As to where they are heading I think that the Plymouth Bretheren are a good example because to continue they breed more new Bretheren rather than convert. This is the way JWs now increase through harvesting their own offspring since the world harvest is failing to respond to their old hat, paranoid message.

  The Exclusive Bretheren are more like JWs on steroids. Their hate of "the world" knows no limits, not eating with non-believers or even living in a semi detached house with non believers living the other side. The UK government is considering that their teachings are harmful and therefore they should not qualify as a charity.

  This last point could be carried over to JWs who would lie and bend over backwards to claim tax exemption status. However they really do harm people psychologically.

  My somewhat jaundiced vision of the JW future is in JWTV evangelism."The governing body have prayerfully given a lot of consideration and we think Jehovah is backing it", they will say. They will declare, to the relief of all, that it's now too late to preach because the time for big A is so close.This will significantly raise hopes and make for increased loyalty. You have your "go bag" ready and all you do is watch JWTV and send money to HQ and (imagine you are) buying salvation through earthly riches.
• 

  Theonlyoneleft

  I still surprise myself at the thought of how people still follow this stupid nonsense.

  How a religion keeps refreshing itself...it’s just almost unbelievable.
• 

  Phizzy

  It already is a fringe religion. Just a minor Cult.

  I can see their membership shrinking more over the next few years, the "increase" they are getting comes from the few places in the World where the Internet is not available to people, or as has been said, from their offspring.

  The young ones in their late teens and early twenties in the West at least, are already not really committed, they view it as a huge Social Club. Sadly they often end up married within the Org, and perpetuate the cycle. But the real die hard 100% believer J.W is as rare as Rocking Horse poo today, meaning that donations are not likely to be anywhere near as high as decades ago.

  The Business Model the org has is pretty lucrative, buy a plot somewhat out of town, when it goes up in value because the area has prospered, sell it. Rinse and Repeat. This is getting harder though as they do need to seat their members in a K.H somewhere, and excess travelling cuts attendance.

  They are probably happy for it to shrink to about a 5 mill. membership, but who knows what effect the Abuse scandal etc may have on membership ? and as the Internet spreads retention will be much harder.

  Maybe another big scandal will damage them even more in the future, a financial one for example.

  I see them as hanging on for a few more decades, but becoming as irrelevant and almost unknown as the Plymouth Brethren etc.
• 

  Xanthippe

  My somewhat jaundiced vision of the JW future is in JWTV evangelism.

  I agree with Half banana this is the way the wts is going, tv evangelism and selling salvation for donations. They're grabbing KHs for money and JWs sit at home watching their leaders on video already.

  They said for years when they have to beg for money it's time to stop because the God of the universe doesn't need to beg. They now never stop begging for money and the GB already live in gated communities and have a rock star life style.

  Compare them to Jimmy Swaggart who is only worth ten million which is peanuts to the wts. They got that just for the buildings in DUMBO.
  
  
• 

  LongHairGal

  PALE EMPEROR:

  All good answers...I believe the Witnesses will just become a smaller fringe religion than what they already are..If they get crazier they will only lose more people in a shorter time. I think growth is mainly from within with some converts from poor countries.

  I would imagine that they would want the money to keep coming in to support the leadership there now..It would be fine if they could only stop scandals and lawsuit payouts!..When the present leadership is gone, what happens will depend on what the numbers are and the prevailing attitudes in the world around them.

  They are already somewhat on the way with TV evangelism. But, I’m not sure about them totally being an online religion at least not while the current membership is living.

  THEONLYONELEFT:

  I feel the way you do at the stupidity of it all.
• 

  Chook

  It’s heading toward the same place as the millions now living that will never die. The high priests of Warwick will entice every last dime and the stupid publishers will still think they are doing a service to god. The internet will and has destroyed their deceptive speeches. Karma for the cult , they have destroyed the hearts of their children , wrecked families and this will be reflected in future reports.
• 

  smiddy3

  The JW`s already have splinter groups around the world today don`t they ? Some in europe ?

  And what about the one in the Phillipines ? that has a huge following ?

  Which may not be a strictly breakaway group but their teachings are somewhat similar to JW`s where they may have been influenced by the I.B.S.A.

  I was told by a P.O. back in the 1960`s that the Berean bible Students in melbourne were a breakaway movement from the JW`s.
• 

  Crazyguy2

  They continue to evolve and change to be more and more a social thing. It’s amazing what one can do now gamble, tattoos etc.. They sealed to be stuck in their same doctrines but are moving to make it a feel good religion. This I think will keep many around but at the same time many are just leaving , I’m surprised at how many no longer go or do go but not very often.