by candidlynuts 11 Replies latest jw friends
was it always so? if not , when they started with this nit picky time keeping and product placement counts , was that something that was popular in the world at that time ( the stat keeping not the placements)?
i've thought since childhood if they'd quit worrying about numbers and start worrying about people , it'd be a much better religion.
I will check for you - I am sure Ray Franz made mention of it in one of the editions of Crisis of Conscience
i dont remember reading when . i'm thinking the 30s but thats just a hunch not knowlege.
Greetings!
As far as PUBLISHING stats this practice I believe goes back to the very beginnings of the org. Russell would occassionally publish some statistic or other relating to growth and especially publication figures of the literature. However it wasn't until Russell began "ruling" the scattered and fairly independent congregations that were in association that it is likely that congregational figures began to be tallied. The forerunners of pioneers, called colporteurs, were under obligation to meet certain time and literature placement requirements.
The practice of tracking individual's (publishers) time spent in ministry etc. obviously didn't begin until the start of the Ministry School and the organizational change of pushing all the members out in the field service circa 1926 ("The House-to-House Rebellion"). This was the great rallying call of "Advertise, Advertise, Advertise the King and His KIngdom" which centered around the Millions Now Living campaign. All of this occurred during the Rutherford Era, however, I don't know for sure, but I suspect that the early forms and stats kept by publishers pertained to the literature placed. It may be that publisher's didn't keep track of hours spent in the ministry or book studies or return visits, etc. (Again, I am not certain of this but probably a review of the Yearbooks would indicate when these stats were first published.)
Certainly, when Knorr took the helm and commenced a worldwide emphasis on the ministry, there were many changes and "improvements" and so without a doubt by that time the friends were keeping these statistics at the individual level and the org from the congregational level on up.
-Eduardo
actually, I need to clarify a point above. The Millions Now living Campaign actually kicked off in 1920. 1925 was date identified in that campaign as the expected return of the ancient patriarch. It was the disappointment over that failure combined with other problems that led to the 1926 H2H Rebellion.
The foregoing was a special campaign and so other than tracking placements of the publication itself, there probably were no other stats kept by individuals.
In 1937, Jehovah's Witnesses began going door-to-door in earnest and began playing phonograph testimonials and utilizing testimony cards. Whether any stats were kept I don't know but they probably tracked the amount of literature they sold.
Again the Yearbooks is probably the best source for the first official stats being published.
-Eduardo
Hi Candidlynuts, Everyone. It's not till you leave the bOrg that you realise what a strange thing it is to do, to keep an account of the amount of literature placed (SOLD) and the hours spent placing (SELLING) literature to people for free labour.
I wonder if words don't actually mean anything to active JWs so that they can't see the meaning of 'Publisher' in that they are involved in a book selling multimillion dollar industry.
I can't think of any religion that does the statistical thing to such an fanatical extreme. It's also used a way to measure a persons spirituality and whether the elders should be calling to encourage you. So, its got to bad news all round.
As to when it started, it had to be around the time that witnessing became compulsory and so had to be measured to see who was conforming and who wasn't.
thanks for the answers.. i wonder how many ex jw's have an accurate idea of how many total hours they've given to the wtbs. i bet it would boggle the mind. (well not mine.. i never did do well enough to be a super dub)
i have a GREAT article about this if i can find it....
Has JESUS giving statistics re what is acceptable service hours for the Kingdom...
It is my 2nd fave WTS publication article.
My favorite is "The Evils of Independent Thinking" circa (when?)...
CRACKIN' me up...
thinking independently-
kdn
kdn, I'd be interested in that article about Jesus giving stats on service hours.
Blondie
... especially because we have been awaiting his revisit.
