Will Money Cause the Watchtower to Dump Statistics?

by metatron 14 Replies latest jw friends

  • metatron
    metatron

    The Watchtower has a problem that's been emerging over the past few years. While

    worldwide growth still exists, it is increasingly compensated for by decreases in the

    economically advanced nations. Growth has slowed - and even turned negative - in formerly

    communist lands.

    Add to this situation the fact that much of its cash flow comes from the very parts of the

    world that are now threatened with decline - such as Europe, Japan and British Commonwealth

    nations. Efforts to exploit Third World Witnesses into deeper contributing are unlikely to yield

    much as little Nkomo's chickens sold at market aren't going to sustain a Branch office.

    If they continue to freely report statistics of each nation, they risk discouraging

    contributions from Witnesses in places like Northern Europe. Why zealously support

    a dying organization?

    I would not be surprized at an attempt to de-emphasize these statistics and let them

    fade away. They would then join a growing list of unadmitted Watchtower failures such as

    the loss of subscriptions in the US, ending food service at assemblies and eliminating

    most hard bound books - all because contributions have slipped.

    If yearly statistics do fade away, it will be yet another piece of evidence of a truly

    'Satanic' frame of mind by Watchtower leaders. While they deliberately bury evidence

    that their glorious organization is fading away into history, they greedily hold on to

    Witnesses willing to die for their blood issue - and break up familes to maintain their

    control. They would then become the very image of 'Gog of Magog', clutching as many

    victims as possible, while fading into oblivion.

    metatron

  • Pole
    Pole

    Metatron, good analysis, as usual (if somewhat gloomy - as usual too :)).

    Indeed, the WTS income is totally dependant on contributions from Western countries. As an example, I know that contributions raised in Poland hardly suffice to support the Polish branch office. We used to get a lot of support from Selters, Germany. Not to mention passing any money to Brooklyn to support worldwide work.

    Another aspect of this problem is the fact that in developed countries a lot of young (most productive) witnesses leave the org when they come of age. That means the WTS loses life-long contributors and ends up having pensioners and or uneducated low-income members. That's just a general trend of course, but it may give them trouble if you consider the fact that the little growth they get is from 3rd world countries.



  • XQsThaiPoes
    XQsThaiPoes

    WHat may happen is they still keep local statistics for the CO weeks and may keep the global total, but erase the national statistics. If you notice the watchtower has never printed all the statistics, they always omitt several countries including large ones like china. If you can omitt a country with 1.5 billion people omitting one with 250 million (usa) is easy. So that way the growth is the 3rd world contributes more to the grand total.

  • MungoBaobab
    MungoBaobab

    Countries like China were left out ostensibly because the JWs are under ban there. I've never questioned this before, but I don't recall stats from any banned country. Wouldn't keeping records seriously jeopardize their membership in those lands?

  • ezekiel3
    ezekiel3
    I would not be surprized at an attempt to de-emphasize these statistics and let them fade away.

    I'll buy that.

    You may also mention the bouncing numbers of the "anointed partaker" count and the anomaly it presents.

    What was once a source of encouragement and pride is now disheartening and puzzling.

  • Scully
    Scully

    Regarding countries under ban, I remember seeing a single record in the annual world wide report that was at the end of the chart which included the collective statistics of all these "Other Countries".

    Love, Scully

  • iiz2cool
    iiz2cool

    I wonder what effect it would have on the rank and file JW if the society stopped publishing the statistics. They might want to stop turning field service? reports every month. And of course, the statistics have always been a great tool to beat the average JW over the head with.

    Maybe they'll just falsify the statistics, if they don't already.

    Walter

  • Scully
    Scully

    I really don't foresee the WTS dropping the statistics any time soon. They will fudge the numbers every possible way in order to show an increase before they will bring an end to a century-old tradition of requiring monthly service reports from all JWs.

    It just occurred to me that we are coming up to the two-year mark since they implemented the 15-minute/month solution for the elderly and infirm congregation members. I wonder if that temporary bandaid solution to their decline in growth has come back to bite them in the ass.

    One huge problem with doing away with the statistics or making one's field service a private matter between the publisher and god, so to speak, is that it will annihilate established pecking orders in congregations - pioneers and special pioneers will not be put up on a pedestal any longer because they'll be viewed the same as the sickly old sister who can only manage her 15 minutes/month. Particularly if you have someone who has spent decades in pioneering - it will be a devastating blow to have that external source of affirmation removed. Overall, it would be an excellent way of levelling the clique mentality that exists and the social animosity that develops between established cliques of pioneers vs. low-hour publishers, strong vs. weak, spiritual vs. materialistic, etc. And that's exactly why the WTS would want to keep that on some level at least.... they need the statistics to create a guilt complex in those who are not "doing more" or "reaching out".

    Love, Scully

  • minimus
    minimus

    I see no reason to have the Society dump stats because of money. The stats have been phoney to begin with.

  • frankiespeakin
    frankiespeakin

    I don't see the WT doing away with field service reports. It gives them too much control over the individual publisher.

    They may though in the future do away with reporting the figure totals for the year and months in the WTs and KMs,,and just give general words of admonition depending on what the figures tell them,,maybe in the future only the higher ups would know the actual figures. I mean the WT likes to keep secrets maybe the total for the year will be kept a secret that only the privy had access to. Them maybe on very special occasions when the figures are encouraging leak it out at assemblies or CO visits.

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