by Reservations 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
I’ve been trying to find any recent quotes that say the increase in witnesses every year is evidence of Jehovah’s blessing on the organisation.
I know the ready made excuse if there is a decrease is “love of greater number will cool off”…
After Splanes talk I can feel a significant decrease coming.
Because of the way JWs count membership, even if they only have the same rate of growth that they reported for 2019, this will be reported as about 3.5% growth over last year’s figures. This is owing to the decrease reported for last year prior to formalising their adapted reporting rules in September 2020, allowing them to count 15 minutes writing a letter that will end up in the bin. So don’t be too surprised if there is an ‘increase’.
If an increase equals Jehovah`s blessing ,then he must be blessing Islam / Muslims.
I would argue that the 15 minute a month reporting change won’t make much of a difference. Those who leave, can’t report any time. And I feel the report will make it obvious that there has been a lot who have left. IMHO obviously
I know many elders and servants who started reporting 15 mins a month in the past year.
allowing them to count 15 minutes writing a letter that will end up in the bin.
It's now even more lenient than that. JWs can just report that they were "active" in the ministry for the month, if they had, I guess, one nanosecond or more of "giving a witness".
The instructions are that if someone reports as merely "active", the word "active" is recorded on their publisher card for that month. Of course, if they did have "hours", they are expected to provide the number.
This arrangement applies to all JWs, not just ones approved by the service committee.
But, obviously, anyone with "privileges" would be expected to report "hours", thus continuing to be "exemplary".
I guess the total hours spent will be the best measure of how the org are doing. Its a good point that Jeffro made about the low figure last year, that the gain or loss will be based on that already low figure. But the Watchtower are experts at spinning a reason for any bad figures they report.
But does anyone have any quotes from the organisation recently that says “increase of publishers = Jehovah’s blessing”?
Because it’s generally accepted, if the org is the 1 true religion, everyone else is loosing members whilst we are gaining them. But….I can’t remember ever seeing it published…
Reservations:
But does anyone have any quotes from the organisation recently that says “increase of publishers = Jehovah’s blessing”?
It depends on who you ask...
If you ask the Watch Tower Society, growth is not necessarily evidence of God's blessing.
The Watchtower, 15 September 2005, page 8:
Although numerical increase is not in itself proof of God’s blessing, it does provide evidence that “the hand of Jehovah” is with his people.
On the other hand, if you ask the Watch Tower Society, growth is evidence of God's blessing.
The Watchtower, 15 July 2008, page 5:
This remarkable growth is one evidence of Jehovah’s blessing on the efforts of his people in the house-to-house ministry.
The Watchtower, 15 June 1987, page 18:
As for more recent, their growth has barely kept up with population growth in recent years, so don't expect them to boast too much about it. That is, not until they can misrepresent the stats in next year's 'Service Report'.Jehovah’s blessing has undoubtedly been abundant, as evidenced by the spiritual and numerical growth of his worshipers.
Thanks Jeffro
Typical watchtower literally saying it does and it doesn’t in the same sentence.
An increase in membership cannot be proof of Jehovah's blessing. It goes contrary to freewill. A "blessing" is direct intervention from a god.
To say an increase in Jehovah's Witnesses' number of publishers is a blessing is saying that Jehovah directly caused non-Witnesses to chose to serve him.
