truthseeker100

CrazyGuy:This religion would have to main stream become very tolerant and very social in a big hurry if they want to survive. I have not seen any of their new videos but from what I have been told their not really doing this.

That's a good attitude to have when it comes to twbts being a skeptic will never hurt anyone

Divergent

If JWs Were More Tolerant Would It Help Their Money Woes? Definitely. People have to not only want to give, but have the means to give as well. The organisation is definitely not doing themselves any favors by taking an anti-higher education stand & creating unrealistic rules & standards which make people feel burdened & depressed

Brokeback Watchtower

It is too late for them to change for it to cure their money woes. They might have done it successfully back during the early 1980's with the Raymond Franz fiasco which would have lead them to a gentler place and allowed them to downsize while keeping things going till they eventually make the gradual changes needed to survive, but they took the hard line towards any who were critical of the way thing were. This hard line attitude toward desenting members has lead them their present financial condition which seems very grave with no way out.

truthseeker100

This hard line attitude toward desenting members has lead them their present financial condition which seems very grave with no way out.

I hope your right Brokeback but don't underestimate them,

minimus

My Wt. experience is that the Organization could easily change ANY of their beliefs and write off anything that was previously taught if they so desire and the majority will accept it as more new lite.

Mephis

They thawed on the university stuff in the mid-90s. Which is when and how I made my exit. The return to damning it was no doubt because of born-ins like me. We left. And we don't go back. And we contribute jack thereafter. So there's no winning solution for them here. They need the control to keep people inside. 2 in 3 born-ins leave in spite of being forbidden to do the higher education thing, in spite of dubs scoring bottom for education levels amongst religions in the US. The theory that people would go to university, get good jobs and still contribute seems logical, but how many would return after seeing the world outside the compound?

minimus

You are right. Once we understand that living your entire life as a JW is all BS, who would want to go back?

Pistoff

Simon, you may be correct that they are trying to mainstream in some respect, but they would have to give up end-times. I don't see how they can do that. As long as they teach we are in the "last days",

This is possible, but not with the level of thinking and leadership qualities shown by the men who are on the GB.

Other fundamental religions, including mormons, encourage higher education but have developed the mindset and culture that allows their young adults to enter the 'lion's den' of higher thinking and still go back to an insular world.

What would it take? An open discussion, one that pre-emptively tells potential college students that their faith will be challenged, that in comparison to other faiths they are lacking this or that or are the same, that they just need to ignore this or play along for the sake of the congregation, that while this old world is still functioning we need to make use of the 'worldly wisdom' to righteous advantage, or some such nonsense, see, is isn't hard to come up with a 'logical' reason to attend college.

The real issue as I see it is that the WT has NO interest in developing the strong social inner structure of close knit congregations, with organized child care, elder care outreach, sports and recognition programs and the like, that would draw a college graduate back; after all, why would someone whose eyes are opened go back unless the strong sense of community and social structure made it worth being there?

They always fall back on their 'now is not the time for such endeavors', 'there will be plenty of time for that in the new system', 'the main thing is the preaching work' rebuttals to such proposals.

The men who run this are NOT bright enough to come up with a way forward.

minimus

Pistoffff, also well said.

done4good

Minimus - My Wt. experience is that the Organization could easily change ANY of their beliefs and write off anything that was previously taught if they so desire and the majority will accept it as more new lite.

End- times is part of their foundation. Remove that, or shunning, busy work, and other authoritarian control mechanisms, and the whole thing falls apart.

d4g

If JWs Were More Tolerant Would It Help Their Money Woes?

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