by joelbear 24 Replies latest jw friends
1. Almost none of the people who are moving here in droves are JWs, or...2. People are leaving through the back door as fast as they are coming in.
1a. Many of the new one's are JW faders who moved to new areas and just forgot to get the old publishers record card sent and left no forwarding address!!!!
I would agree that considered in totality, it has been an utter failure. In North America and most European countries, the dubs are considered not much more than saturday morning annoyances. I predict, however, that the borg will continue to attract and expand in developing 3rd world countries, following a growth pattern similar to the catholic church: dwindling membership and attendance in Europe and North America, with the occasional spike following any future disasters (e.g. 9-11). What is so striking is the utter failure of this multi-billion dollar conglomerate to exploit new technologies to get out their propaganda. Why not TV commercials like the LDS? Why not branch out into televangelism? That they would insist on such a pitifully inefficient means of preaching, (I mean, I cant even remember the number of times I was dragged out door bangin with the parents and not finding a SINGLE person home on a street!). Theres just very little appeal for this apocalyptic message to the affluent, as my mom used to say after being to bugger off by some "wealthy" householders: "Well I guess they are enjoying their paradise now! Just wait til armageddon!"......................oi vay.............
Don't give them any ideas about how to develop efficient preaching LOL
Fortunately they are too rigid and inflexible, too old fashioned to make drastic changes so they should carry on going down hill at least in the western world. Given their criminal nature that's what they deserve to get anyway.
makes me me think about the church that was built at the same time as the kingdom hall. It's also literally right next door.
There's a church near our home; we go by it every time we leave the house. Over the years, it was interesting to watch it grow. Now the cars on Sunday fill the vast parking lot and overflow onto a large grassy area. Watching the activity on Sunday morning is reminiscent of a district convention -- there are volunteers out directing traffic and the enormous building is surrounded by cars! A recent newspaper article said the church had grown from a few hundred members 10 years ago to over 5,000 today.
Their typical Sunday morning service attracts more people that the local JW circuit draws for a circuit assembly. Meanwhile, our nearby hall, which grew to accommodate three congos back in the 1980's, still has three congos despite the fact that the population here has doubled in that timeframe. You'd think the move-ins alone would have necessitated one or two "splits." Something is clearly amiss in dubville.
Absolutely. I remember knowing kids that actually "had fun" going to church....youth groups, summer camps, cook-outs, etc. They of course also had the fun of x-mas, easter, halloween, b-days (i.e. a normal life) all of which we were denied. All I recall as a dub-kid was the occasional congregation get-together comprised of a group of guarded people watching what they said, sanitized conversations, lobotomized kingdumb-melody sing-alongs (the horror....the horror....). Although I have no use for religion at all, I am still impressed by the seemingly normal activities that other mainstream churches seem to promote and encourage, particularly social events, x-mas pageants, picnics, etc. But you are right...shouldnt be giving them any ideas for more successful propagation of their borg mind virus!
cheers
