Posts by slimboyfat

78

Japan closes 638 Congregations!!!!! Why???

by Witness 007 in

japan since the 1970''s has had amazing publisher increases!

every year the number of witnesses shot up by many thousands.

this peaked in 1998, since then the number of witnesses and congregations has continued to drop!.

slimboyfat

Yes, congregation numbers show greater decline than publisher numbers, which is probably a fairer reflection of decline as experienced by JWs in Japan.

I wonder if the end of JW growth in Japan coincides with a broader disillusionment with American influence in Japanese culture in general. I don’t know much about Japan except that they experienced economic problems since the early 1990s and turned to a more nationalistic orientation as a result.

If Japan is experiences secularisation in any way similar to that in western countries in recent decades then the decline of JWs might be part of broader secularisation. Like in many western countries it may be the case that JWs are declining at a slower rate than other groups.

10

Toasting allowed - BIRTHDAYS will soon follow!

by BoogerMan in

"jehovah’s witnesses do not celebrate birthdays because we (the g.b.

) believe that such celebrations displease god.

https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/birthdays/.

slimboyfat

It’s perhaps just an inference from the other changes that have been made rather than a specific rumour.

78

Japan closes 638 Congregations!!!!! Why???

by Witness 007 in

japan since the 1970''s has had amazing publisher increases!

every year the number of witnesses shot up by many thousands.

this peaked in 1998, since then the number of witnesses and congregations has continued to drop!.

slimboyfat

Every single census that has been compared with WT numbers finds more claiming to be JWs than the WT figures. This surely counts as some evidence at least that WT numbers are reliable. The same isn’t true for other groups such as the Mormons who claim far more members than censuses ever show.

Plus WT does publish declines when they happen, such as after 1975, and now in Japan as is the subject of this thread, as well as Poland and even in the United States itself declines are published.

That’s not to say there isn’t some inflation in what a “publisher” is over the years. That’s true too, but not enough to invalidate all the reported numbers to a significant degree. It’s a feature of all kind of statistics, including GDP and other accepted measures, not peculiar to JWs. And anyway, it’s the reason I advocate using the number of congregations as the best measure of growth over the long term.

So there is a lot of evidence that WT numbers are broadly reliable. The only counter argument seems to be scepticism about WT in general. That’s not a great argument for determining the reality of the situation, it’s just an attitude disguised as an argument.

10

Toasting allowed - BIRTHDAYS will soon follow!

by BoogerMan in

"jehovah’s witnesses do not celebrate birthdays because we (the g.b.

) believe that such celebrations displease god.

https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/birthdays/.

slimboyfat

Proberly true.

They used to claim that putting away birthdays, Christmas, the cross and so on were all part of the Jesus-sanctioned reforms that removed Babylonish practices from God’s people during Rutherford’s presidency. I wonder if they’ll revise that concept or scrap it altogether.

11

Anyone explain the generation idea!

by Witness 007 in

i don't understand we went thru a phase where we down played the generation so now it's the generation that knew the 1914 generation???

is that correct?

how does that even work.

slimboyfat

How does it work? It doesn’t. It’s wild and it will melt your brain if you think about it too hard.

3179

It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars (continued)

by Simon in

jw
friends

uh oh, looks like the mega thread gave up the ghost, so while i investigate / fix it just continue the discussion here .... it's been a long 9 years lloyd evans / john cedars.

slimboyfat

We have a choice whether we speak out about it or not.

3179

It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars (continued)

by Simon in

jw
friends

uh oh, looks like the mega thread gave up the ghost, so while i investigate / fix it just continue the discussion here .... it's been a long 9 years lloyd evans / john cedars.

slimboyfat

The question was raised how could someone keep going to the KH while not agreeing with what is said there. Trying to relate to that sensation I expressed my increasing dissonance living in a society that tolerates and participates in ongoing genocide. The moral unease is much greater in the latter instance in my experience, and I have been in both. It’s been said often enough by now but I really feel it: if you ever wondered how you would act if you lived in the Third Reich then look at what you’re doing right now as your government commits genocide. I speak out to the extent I can and express solidarity with those who are being starved and murdered while it is still possible to do so.

15

2 Peter 1: 1 Corruption in the NWT

by Sea Breeze in

here's how this verse should read: simeon peter, a servant and apostle of jesus christ, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our god and savior jesus christ: - 2 peter 1: 1. here's how watchtower prints this verse:.

simon peter, a slave and an apostle of jesus christ, to those who have acquired a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our god and the savior jesus christ: - nwt.

why did watchtower change this verse by adding the word "the" ?.

slimboyfat

Posting AI garbage helps nobody. You perhaps think it looks clever and is a morale boost for ‘your side’, but in reality nobody is reading it all including, ironically, probably the poster who is posting it himself. Nothing it says can be relied upon. If it says a scholar takes a position who knows if the scholar really holds that view. If it quotes somebody it’s hit and miss if it’s a real quote. And if you read it carefully, and are not just impressed by the formatting, you realise that the conclusions don’t always follow from the points made. It’s a complete waste of everyone’s time and a real disservice to people who are actually interested in the truth the about the subjects we’re discussing.

78

Japan closes 638 Congregations!!!!! Why???

by Witness 007 in

japan since the 1970''s has had amazing publisher increases!

every year the number of witnesses shot up by many thousands.

this peaked in 1998, since then the number of witnesses and congregations has continued to drop!.

slimboyfat

Indeed, a big drop. The days of fabulous Japanese growth are well and truly over. (Mexico, Brazil and Italy too)

It's worth bearing in mind that the population of Japan itself is also declining, so JWs are not declining as much in relative terms as the absolute numbers indicate.

11

Slimboyfat: Why did you decide to write a topic on this site saying you were going back to the Jehovah's Witnesses?

by silentbuddha in

the topic concerning why the other user allows jw's by to eat is what prompted this thought in my mind.

maybe i am not remembering this correctly, but seem to remember a number of years ago that you decided to stop posting here and then all of a sudden you posted that this was an apostate website, you didn't want to be here, and that you were returning to jehovah.

( i may be slightly off, but it was something along those lines.. i am just wondering if you ever offered an explanation of why you did that?.

slimboyfat

Groups I’ve visited:

Unitarians

Christadelphians

Seven-day Adventists

Church of Scotland

Mormons

Brethren (needed truth)

Brethren (mainstream)

Pentecostal (Struthers Memorial)

Grace Communion International (formerly Worldwide Church of God)

Quakers

Methodists

United Reformed Church (local mission)

Free Church of Scotland

Scottish Episcopal Church

Catholic Church

Swedenborgians

Iglesia ni Cristo

Baptists

Non Christian groups:

Brahma Kumaris

Sikh Gurdwara

Hindu Mandir

Krishna Consciousness (Hare Krishnas)

Muslims (Ahmadiyya)

Jewish synagogue

That’s about it. I may have forgotten some.