Snakes: Thanks for the link.
Magnum: Thanks for the specifics.
What is happening in India?
by Vanderhoven7 23 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Finkelstein
Sounds like the India branch has suffered in similarity to other branches around the world that it cant financially sustain itself by acquired donations alone.
Someone has to pay for the printed literature if not the open public then its the JWS themselves.
Add in the cost of printing, feeding and sheltering people at a typical operating WTS branch and the results become obvious..
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steve2
Watchtower literature and representatives have been in India for well over 100 years, starting there back in Chuck Russell's day - so it is definitely not a new field.
Yet in more than one century, they have struggled to grow - except that in recent years there has been an upswing in numbers: For example, publishers have doubled since 1998 (20,390 vs 41,310) and memorial attendance grown by just over 2.5 times the 1998 attendance.
Note also that the ratio of JWs to population has steadily improved but remains incredibly low, given the billion plus population.
1998: Peak publishers: 20,390 (ratio 1 JW to 48,332); memorial attendance: 44,324;
2008: Peak publishers: 29,700 (ratio 1 JW to 38,036); memorial attendance: 74,326;
2014: Peak publishers: 41,310 *ratio 1 JW to 30,603); memorial attendance: 116,174.
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JWdaughter
The govt restricts any outside(out of country/non citizen) funding of religion, so since 40,000 JWs can't support the normal branch operations, they are shutting most of them down.