Young Ones Leaving

by pale.emperor 17 Replies latest jw experiences

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  pale.emperor

  In the congregation that i grew up in there were about 30 children under 16 (myself included). As time went on they one by one slipped away from the meetings and most never got baptized. Of those 30 children only myself and two other girls stayed and got baptized. Of us three myself and one girl have "fell away".

  So by the example 1 in 30 young ones actually stay in the organization. Wether the girl still in actually beleives it is another matter, she's married with children now so for all we know could be staying because she's comfortable. Comfort was the reason i stayed two years longer than i should have. I stopped believing it but carried on for two years because i didn't know anyone outside the JW religion.

  So my old KH is full of old ones. New members that come in aren't young, they're 30yo+. I hear that this congregation is merging with another one because they very rarely fill even half the seats. My last congregation it's the same story. Only they're merging THREE congregations together.

  I think it's a clear sign that the governing body have no idea how to keep young intelligent minds "in" this religion. So many rules to abide by that are unreasonable.

  I was speaking to someone only yesterday about my old JW life and she was surprised that the little ones are supposed to sit there in meeting and conventions listening to the same thing as the adults. Nothing entertaining or exciting about it - even for adults.
  
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  WingCommander

  Congregations now double as geriatric wards. This future of this pseudo-religious cult is not bright, and certainly not young.
  
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  shepherdless

  On another thread, by sbf titled " New study - JWs by far the least educated religious group in Canada, Australia and New Zealand", I added a table created from Australian census data, relating to young ones leaving. Here is a repeat:

  
  

  

  To explain, what I did was take 5 year cohorts from each census and lines them up so that you can see in each age group, how many remained JW's over a 5 year period. Eg, there were 5119 JW's between the age of 15 and 19 in 2006, but in 2011 that same group (now aged between 20 and 24) dropped to 4597. The fourth column is just the difference between columns 2 and 3, for ease of reference.

  One of the questions in the 2011 census was in relation to which state or territory you were living in in 2006. Using the answer, you can tell which ones were living overseas, shown in the fifth column. The sixth column is just the 4th col, less the 5th col, for ease of reference.

  This data shows the kids leaving in droves from 15 to 24. However, it also shows a trickle back in subsequent years, and those re-attending taking young kids in with them. It didn't occur to me until after I prepared this chart, but my wife is a classic anecdotal example of this drift back. I know another ultra-dub who was born in, was completely out and df'ed as a young adult, and rejoined decades later.

  So, unfortunately, if history is a guide, some of the 30 children that pale emperor knew will probably drift back into the borg, over time.
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  LettMorrisSplaneit

  @pale.emperor

  May I ask, what area this is happening in?

  I go to a Spanish Speaking congregation and I also see this happening.
  
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  pale.emperor

  @pale.emperor

  May I ask, what area this is happening in?

  I go to a Spanish Speaking congregation and I also see this happening.

  Without giving away my old congregation, this is in the North West of the UK
  
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  Witness 007

  My mums congregation is full of very old folks Elders say it will not last another 8 years.
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  Vidiot

  pale.emperor - "...I think it's a clear sign that the governing body have no idea how to keep young intelligent minds 'in' this religion...."

  That's because there are no ways to keep intelligent minds in.

  A lot of anecdotal evidence suggests that they don't even really want intelligent minds.
  
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  Fencing

  It's interesting, I made a list of all the people I grew up with around my age. Most all of them were raised in it, and the ones that weren't were indoctrinated pretty young.

  The list is standing around 60% having left. Right about where the Pew poll predicts. Two of them I'm not sure about. I haven't had any contact with them in a very long time. A few of the "in" ones are nominally Witnesses - they make most of the meetings, but aren't serving or "reaching out", or pioneering. Just kind of coasting along.

  Out of the rest, one is a long-term (lifer at this point) Bethelite and another is (I think) still an elder.

  That's it. Not exactly an encouraging group of shining examples, even the ones that are still in.
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  sir82

  A lot of anecdotal evidence suggests that they don't even really want intelligent minds.

  I wouldn't call it "anecdotal".

  They have clearly and repeatedly condemned, verbally and in print, "higher education" and "independent thinking". They have a written policy to remove persons from positions of authority if they, or their family members, pursue higher education for the "wrong reasons".
  
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  Heaven

  This religion will cease to exist in my immediate family, once my Dad passes away. Not only did their kids (me and my brothers) not get baptized, neither did any of the grandkids. Yessssss!