Profile of JW Congs?

by ISP 4 Replies latest jw friends

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  ISP

  The future of the JW congregation does not look good. It used to have a fair cross section of society……but those days are disappearing fast.

  The JW lifestyle does not attract your average wholesome family anymore, I guess it never did but I imagine there were plenty of parents who thought they were doing the best for their kids by taking an interest in the WTS in the 60s and 70s. The ‘evidence’ may have appeared convincing…….it was for millions. But now the WTS have a problem, there is no event distinctly situated on the chronological horizon – approaching rapidly so as to fear the wavering. Many have had the temerity to take a step backwards and check the supposed paradisiac landscape and see it for what it is -a crumpled cardboard cut-out. No surprise that many have voted with their feet. Many others are waiting for the right time/ putting up with it for family reasons/going through the motions etc.

  Although the message has softened(nothing like the fire and brimstone of yesteryear) and become more confusing(if you read the current literature you can tell that the WTS have no idea where they are now) the JW lifestyle is still very much the same. It is still extreme and not family oriented. So who is this austere life going to appeal to? Not many feel drawn to it in the western world where there is negative growth. I recall that many of those at my hall you would have to consider ‘odd’.

  So what can you expect? Those with normal sensibilities will continue to leave, leaving behind a concentration of ‘unfortunates’. I am trying to be as charitable as I can but I cannot see why any person with normal sensibilities would be attracted to the WTS. Who would be attracted?.

  Glad you are out?

  ISP
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  Skeptic

  I am very glad I am out.

  When I was a JW, I noticed that many JWs were very odd. My oldest son noticed it too, and told me that it was one reason he would not be a JW. Although I was a devoted JW at the time, I had to agree that a good number of the brothers and sister were very odd.

  One thing I noticed that really bothered me was that most JWs had only really shallow interests. Conversations were about the JW faith or not at all. Most JWs had no interest or knowledge of current events, science, etc.

  Most of the JWs I knew were boring. Not that I was so wonderful, but it would be nice to have a conversation about something other than the lastest WT article or field service experience.

  I had worldly friends and they were very interesting. They knew about world affairs, science, literature, and appreciated the wonderful world around them.

  Of course, there are exceptions; some JWs are well-read and have interests outside of WT land. But they are rate.

  Richard
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  Pathofthorns

  Great post.

  "Odd" contrasted with persons with "normal sensibilities" were excellent terms.

  It's ironic that the Revelation book said that toward the end the message would become more "hard hitting" or something like that. I agree with you that it has become soft, without direction and watered down.

  Again, great post.

  Path
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  Had Enough

  Hi Skeptic:

  You said:
  

  Most of the JWs I knew were boring. Not that I was so wonderful, but it would be nice to have a conversation about something other than the lastest WT article or field service experience.

  Yes I guess most of us were boring. All we knew was what the WT publications wrote. That's all we needed we were told.

  I remember an encyclopedia salesman trying his best to sell us a set, but we were totally convinced and told him so, that we had all we needed and anything we needed to know about could be found by looking in the indexes. Our children could write their essays and speaches on any subject they wanted because they could find it in the WT pubs.

  So our conversations always centered around the meetings, org. service, talks, publications etc. What else did we know. We were all obediant to the org.

  There were always a few different ones who 'took in worldly knowledge' but they were 'spiritually week' and to be pitied.

  I sure shake my head now at how much tunnel vision we had then.

  No more...I've

  Had Enough
• 

  Thirdson

  I knew lots and lots of odd people who were JW's (some were bizarre!). The lifestyle tends to make shallow people with few interests. Even their supposed superior Bible knowledge is limited by only ever reading one narrow viewpoint and I was affected just like everyone else.

  I think that as a family we were slightly different. Outside interests were not terribly discouraged although the pressure was there to make up time elsewhere for field service etc. Some of my siblings are quite gifted musically (unlike me) and my one older brother is quite an accomplished classical guitarist but never considered a musical career when still a young JW (he used to practice 6-7 hours a day at weekends and holidays). All of us were encouraged to do well in school although further education was not encouraged. As I have mentioned previously I was the only one of six to get a 4 year college education but even so that was not a very high standard.

  All of us kids have a wide range of interests, have read quite widely, have a good general knowledge and are able to converse in a reasoned way about most subjects from world affairs and politics to the arts and sciences.

  In many ways I am still embarrassed that I spent so long in the JW religion before I came to my senses. How could I be such a fool for so long? Many a public talk made me cringe when some speaker would misquote someone, state a well known fallacy, misinterpret history or show a total lack understanding of some scientific concept. I often found that when the speaker used the term "it's a well known fact" that the "fact" would likely be a well known misconception. Not that I was much better, I quoted all the Watchtower stuff as fact without checking their sources. But at least anything "factual" I used outside of the WTS publications was up to date, and accurately presented.

  I guess as a family we were rare. We kids stayed in for a long time but in the end most of the family and the next generation left the JW religion. It doesn't bode well for the future of the Watchtower. With growth coming from within existing families, the outside influence and greater freedon of information is sure to have a big impact. Sure, there will always be odd-bods but then again, where else can the "odd" feel welcome, at home and most of all, superior to everyone else?

  Thirdson

  'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'