by Teddnzo 124 Replies latest jw friends
Yes my old congregation almost all the ones my age and the age of my siblings slowly faded when they left school. Some got got baptised most didn’t. Now most of us in 40s or 50s some are having social interactions with the congregation members again.
The congregation does love bomb these ones thinking they may be interested in coming back but we obviously are not.
The ideal would be to milk this for a long time.
so what do you answer to the question on a form when it asks what is your religion ?
lapsed jw?
rubber dub ?
When field service plummets, I wonder if the GB will reinstate the reporting requirements.
Pshhh, yeah…
…good luck getting the toothpaste back in that tube.
😎
Field service has absolutely plummeted. This was before non reporting. Saturday morning groups are now like “who is going on first call?” Oh nobody. Ok well let’s meet at Sister so and so for coffee at 11. Everyone is doing ‘calls’ or street work.
JWLITE is actually happening in real time. Even the PIMIs are becoming JWLITE without knowing it.
In our watchtower study today someone said at a birthday party they said no thank you to eating the cake now but they would bring it home and have it later. This sort of thing would have shocked old school PIMIs but JWLITE is becoming the norm.
ElderBerry - “…JWLITE is actually happening in real time…”
We just have a name for it, now. 😏
Seriously, though…
…if that’s really the case, I can’t help but wonder just how much the GB’s “Old Guard” is fuming that the GB’s “New Liters” are essentially capitulating to the trend, instead of cracking the whip like the old days.
😁
There are those who used to be very zealous JWs who have slowed down to JWlite and then there are those who inform the elders they have become inactive this is a soft fade. From now on you just don’t give a thumbs up for a few months which is all you need to do to remain active.
Once you become inactive and stop attending you can inform the elders you are thinking of coming back then you get love bombed and treated so well. Why do this? Because having a vague hope in a solution to the worlds woes is better than no hope. Because everyone needs something to believe in. This is the dividend you keep getting paid. I have read a few books on this. Many people grow up with nothing, or just a vague idea of some kind of belief their parents had.
At some time of their life they ask the big questions like how did the origin of the universe come about was it design or chance?
I have seen it a few times where usually in mid life or sometimes later someone realises they need something to believe in, call it religion or call it a belief system or whatever. This helps you to be grounded.
So many who leave JWs or any other high control group feel lost, they don’t know where to go or what to believe in.
So the question is asked why invest in JW or other belief systems? Because it grounds you and gives you a sense of purpose and a hope.
I personally have experienced both that sense of being grounded and the sense of being lost. I now have found a middle ground where I don’t believe the JWs but I like the sound of JWlite.
I would like the community aspect of JWlite and all the love bombing when they think you may come back. And Im absolutely honest with the elders or anyone who asks me that Im still not sure if God exists or if the Bible is his word.
So they keep the love bombing and trying to get me to come back even though I grew up in the congregation but I’ve been out for a long time.
This is what I suggest to others now. Don’t leave in a hard exit which means you will be shunned. Just inform the elders you have become inactive. This does not warrant shunning. This is a soft fade. Then after a while you tell them you are possibly thinking of coming back and you get love bombed and all the advantages of being part of the congregation. You can milk this indefinitely
When field service plummets, I wonder if the GB will reinstate the reporting requirements?
-
In the past they double down on being harder, you have to do more, could you do even more, you have blood on your hands if you don’t do enough ect.
These days it’s the opposite. They are now trying the exact opposite tactics to try to keep the numbers from falling off a cliff.
2023 AGM is all about how it’s much easier now to make it through to paradise. Even disfellowshipped ones and unbelievers could come into the truth last minute and make it. This is basically saying lighten up everyone could make it last minute so it’s not that important to do anything right now.
Covid changed everything everybody loved no ministry or meetings and just a good gossip on zoom instead. While the boring meetings are on turn camera off and do something else, then come back during the social parts of zoom.
Now there is a real hard push to get everyone away from zoom but once you have opened that can worms there is no going back.
Its getting cold now in many places and publishers are preferring zoom again but the elders are saying dress warmer and go back out on the doors.
The elders are trying to get away from zoom, but it’s impossible now. If they said no more zoom you would lose the half the congregation that are only staying because of zoom.
The older hard ass elders are dying out and the younger elders are a new generation who the new lite from the new members of the GB. It’s much easier these days, don’t waste to much time or energy just enjoy your life and if the JWs were correct (unlikely) then you could jump last minute.
JWlite is better than completely leaving in my opinion. But if someone wants to completely leave that is fine as well and if the JWs turn out they were correct then come back last minute 😀 👏
You don’t need to form a break away group called JWlite, this new idea can go along with the regular JWs in the shadows.
Many are already unbeknownst to them part of JWlite, but it’s spreading.
All you have to do is become inactive or almost inactive, do as much or as little as you want or feel like. But don’t leave altogether.
There is absolutely No need to be shunned by everybody remaining. Just become JWlite inactive keeping one foot in the door, just for the good association and because it’s going to be interesting to see the fall of this cult from the inside.
