by Sanchy 51 Replies latest jw friends
I think we’re all forgetting something…
…that in the long run, it doesn’t actually matter how many alleged “adherents” the WTS claims.
If they’re just warming seats, tuning out on Zoom, fibbing about their ministry activity, living as they please without fear of being “removed”, and most importantly, closing their wallets (either because they’re PIMO or broke as shit)…
…any numbers the WT claims are essentially irrelevant.
It's all fake bogus. They make it up.
Gorby
43.2 percent increase in "those who returned to Jehovah", meaning 65,816 were reinstated
This is supposed to be because beards are allowed now and people can say 'hi' at a meeting? Also, didn't these changes just happen a couple months ago?
I’ve said it before: my opinion is that the number of congregations is the most significant indicator of growth or decline for a number of reasons, including the fact that it’s a publicly verifiable figure and it’s less amenable to short term redefinition to boost the figures. But it’s one figure they don’t give in the highlights. If the number of congregations has decreased despite all the other numbers going up then I think it raises legitimate questions about whether the growth is real.
They asked me for my email address so they could send me a 'personal invitation' to download the app, but when I refused they were miffed.
Same here. My answer was thanks but no thanks, after all the creators of that app stated they were not doing it with the backing of jay double you dot org and it was not endorsed by that website so in "obedience" to governing body orders about using websites not endorsed by the governing body I declined to download anything from that site. You would have thought I had offered one of their first born to Dagon or Chemosh something.
Now only being grown(supported) by their own birthrate.
I wonder if they started counting 'inactive' publishers that faded. No hour requirement, not df or da, add 'em back as a publisher.
You still have to verify you've done some ministry each month, but now that's as easy as just messaging your group overseer and/or the congregation secretary to say "yes I did some ministry last month". No need to give specifics (unless you're a reg or aux pioneer, in which case you still have to report hours).
I've never heard of having to download a specific app to report it though. Not here in the UK anyway.
So even though known inactives would still not be counted, any JW previously 'approved' for ministry and active could claim they're still doing it even if they're not any more (or if they're only doing very token service like offering one person a tract at a bus stop once a month or something).
It would depend on the congregation you're in I suppose, and how 'zealous'(tm) your elders are. If it's an active congregation and the elders are strict, then you would probably be expected to be seen at groups and out with others on house to house work, and the elders might still chase you for 'evidence' of what you're doing. But in other places, probably not so much.
Vidiot is right in that the numbers the GB choose to report are becoming less and less meaningful, because they are becoming easier to fake or fudge. They are leaving out more telling figures, or changing the way they are calculated to make it impossible to track real trends - in a method not unlike the tricks governments use for things like unemployment and crime statistics, etc.
About the only figure which is still reliable is the Memorial attendance, but that is no indicator of future growth, since many people go to the Memorial every year but do nothing else - the so-called "missing millions"!
Wow. 🙄 An artificial increase by appealing to lapsed members, and only needing to tick a box without reporting hours. And they fall for it.
This is just a (predictable) result of the fact that JWs count 'membership' in a manner that favours rate of growth.
And publish this entirely Fictional figure to hide the exodus of active members that is occurring.
I have one helluva hard time believing membership is ANYWHERE NEAR 9 million. No fuggin' way! Probably more around 3 million. Just like Scientology (who WT HQ has studied and modeled their business after) they are masters of deception and faking numbers.
All of the empty Kingdom Halls being sold off, photos from Assemblies and Conventions over the past 4 years tell and entirely different story. Some Circuit Assemblies are 1/2, 1/3, or even a 1/4 what they used to be. And this reporting is coming from all over. We know Japan, Norway, The Netherlands, New Zealand, and other countries are waking up and walking. We're even seeing more coming out of South America over on the ex-JW Reddit sub.
And most telling of all? Why, just look at the topics of talks at the KH's or Conventions. Oh, and WT articles (whenever they can be bothered to put anything new out). You've got WT HQ loosening up on hard-core old-timey standards such as dress and grooming, and now even allowing greeting of the DF'd.....errrr....."Removed", with also quick re-instatement times. Every talk outline, WT magazine, etc hammers, absolutely HAMMERS on not viewing any outside (apostate) sources, no outside association, no higher education, and last by certainly not least, TOTAL OBEDIENCE and obeisance to the Governing Body. Jesus is a brief token footnote.
So no, I don't buy their made-up statistics one damn bit. Their numbers are circling the bowl. Hence the Irish investment portfolios. The Gluttonous Bozos and their support staff up on the woodland lake commune will be living off the interest for the rest of their lives. Their happy to clink glasses and proclaim, "Cheers!" (you dumb suckers)
