inspired by the "whats the reason you think jw's are in decline" thread.
my belief is that almost all the growth, at least in the western world is due to jw's having kids.
i was a 4th generation jw from birth till about age 20, so the timeframe i can comment on would be my teen years.
i recall in the last cong i was in--in the early 70,--there was a huge growth spurt--all the new members will simply jw families having moved from other parts of the country.
Then there was quite a buzz when a new young couple, with a child started to attend. But it was no good--they were both grown up jw kids who had left in their teens to sow wild outs--got together--and came back on board to get their cards stamped before 1975.
from what i can see no such thing is happening.i became a jw in 1960 and remained for about 30 years and the numbers of active jw`s today in the world are far greater than they were back then.. and here in australia the numbers are much higher than they were back then .. so i don`t see that their in decline or have any worries about losing support .. don`t the numbers speak for themselves ?.
is it just wishful thinking on your part ?.
i'll start by stating the obvious... according to the watchtower, the catholic church is a huge part of babylon the great which is led by satan and his demons.
raymundus martini, a catholic monk (who "represents" babylon the great to some extent), woke up one day in the 13th century and decided to alter yhwh so it can be easily pronounced.
hence the spanish-ish version of yhwh was created... jehova... (sounds something like this in spanish: heh-o-va).
as ive said on here numerous times YHWH should be read from right to left...HWHY
so the americanised version of gods holy name should really be pronounced HUWEE.
But what really grinds my gears is shortened jehovah to JAH or --even worse--JEH.
even though i’m agnostic so will not commit to either intelligent design or chance, i love being part of the congregation for the close personal relationships.. there is such a great atmosphere inside the congregation it really is like a family and you don’t get this anywhere else.. a real friend is someone you can rely on when you are in need.
if things go wrong for you and you are going through a hard time you know real friends will be there for you.
as long as you didn’t bring it on yourself by going against gods law then you have to prove you are repentant first of course.. there is a lot of research now saying that good friends is essential for healthy and happiness.
@exbethelite
i cant imagine the turmoil you are choosing to endure. You are--in effect--lying to your so-called friends. You are using their friendship to your own ends.
Do you really think you will survive armageddon living your 2 faced existence ?
this was posted on exjw reddit, check it out if some of you never have.
https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/13q6k5l/normal_people_dont_give_a_darn_if_youre_a_witness/ .
i find this to be the case, people in general are so not interested in religion that they really could care less about jws.
the majority of people dont know what any religions believe--in fact they all believe pretty much the same things--even jws.
i came across a thread on a site for neighbours, which includes quite a wide area really, many square miles containing a lot of villages, and a couple of towns.
it is so we can swap unwanted goods, inform each other of local crimes and scams etc, and we can vent.. there was a post that said the lady did not want this crap coming through her door, a letter and a tract from a j.w.
i won't post the thread here , as at least one xjw is on there, but all the comments below her post were anti-jw !
all the time i was a dub--i was embarrassed about it--and didnt want anyone to know. But over the years ( since i quit ) i have been open about it--and have been very surprised how many other ex's i have met.
https://avoidjw.org/news/jehovahs-witnesses-mysteriously-deleted-shunning-videos/?fbclid=iwar3jjfsa3zx-4kxrdtjwopmzty-5wxhrxm1-gvjtp9j20ovqfpxh.
i dont have a bible to refer to--but wasnt the shunning "arrangement" directed at sinners " who called themselves a brother"--and not to eat with such a person.
But if a "brother" has left the religion of his own accord--then why shun him ?
has anybody any information as to the whereabouts or the health of anthony morris ?.
it was touched on--in another thread--about AM3 and the GB insistence on jws3 being vaccinated.
Wasnt AM a medic in the war ? perhaps he knew more about the risks of the vaccinations than the other GB members?
have you seen this video about the covid vaccines?
have you got any views on the information?
i find it worrying at least.
hindsight is a precise science.
Looking back over the last 4 years--( in the UK )--
What was the goverment to do ?
Nothing ?
and the probably outcome ?
Or do what they did--lock down, mass innoculation and boosters
the outcome--? is still on going.
i still remember the first time i commented on this board with nervous fingers barely able to press the keys.
what triggered my entry into the forbidden was the orchestrated disfellowshipping of my then 21 year old son.. well, he's now 51, with a supportive wife, two genius sons who will never see the inside of a kingdom hall.. my first wife of 49.5 years, loyal and supportive to a fault, passed away 5 years ago.. in 2019 i married a young filipina, 33 years my junior, a nominal catholic.
my life with her has simply been amazing and i treasure every moment.
In 2019 I married a young filipina, 33 years my junior, a nominal Catholic.
In 2016--i married a young filipina, 23 years my junior, also a nominal catholic. Shes been to church once in that time. She is the registered manager of a nearby care home. Life has been--well--lets say--different.
