i know you might think i'm exaggerating but if you really think about it, maybe i'm not.
these two religions originate with the same ancient belief system.
islam is a dangerous middle eastern cult that seeks to control every aspect of its members' lives.
You cannot compare JWs to Islam. Islam aligns with Christianity, not a single sect.
If you are going to have this sort of conversation you need to be clear you are referring to the Extremist Islamic sects. Using the term Islam when you are referring to just its most radical followers serves no useful purpose and creates unnecessary animosity.
i have not been to a meeting for about 2 years now.
i do not intend to go back but one thing has me baffled.
why do ones that have faded and been out for years return?
The first time I left I had no family, friends, money, and couldn't really see any point in life. I went back, and straight away realized I didn't believe it, yet hung around for ten years out of fear of losing everything. The second time I was more prepared, yet still found it very tough until I rebuilt my life.
1. median age.
experts will tell you that if you want to know if a population is in growth or decline, the best single number to look at is the median age of the population.
i have extracted aust census data and calculated the following approx median ages:.
It would be interesting to see which age group has the most leave and which is the most stable. From a quick glance, the numbers drop sharply as the move from 15 to 20 to 25. Stablise for 40 year olds, and the drop again as people start to die off.
1. median age.
experts will tell you that if you want to know if a population is in growth or decline, the best single number to look at is the median age of the population.
i have extracted aust census data and calculated the following approx median ages:.
Amazing information. You highlighted information I had not thought of.
It is a good point that inactive ones return when having children. Sadly, I have seen that is often the case with ones that leave and marry unbelievers and then return upon childbirth.
There is regularly discussion around Watchtower collapsing suddenly, which is quite unrealistic. Older ones don't leave, they die out. Your analysis of the median age shows what will likely happen. The religion will slowly decline as the members age and die, with fewer new recruits to replace them. The 5 year increase in median age over a ten year period is quite astounding. Pity not all countries have reached this stage yet.
it's not enough that we simply raise empirical challenges to these iron age beliefs saying, "jesus didn't really rise from the dead" or "muhammad didn't really fly to heaven on a horse.
" we must also give no quarter to this falsehood that religion can give peoples lives real meaning.
the truths about our identity, experience, and the future impacts that our decision will have on the world around us are much deeper and more profound than any culture or religion.
I don't see any value in lying about Santa. Christmas is a most enjoyable family occasion, even when stripped of all the falsehood and religious connotation.
Similarly, life is no less enjoyable without belief in an afterlife, in fact it becomes more precious and valuable.
today i read some news story's about the property deals of jw.org in brooklyn.
they made good money and good connections.. but i'm sure jw.org made a very, very big mistake in brooklyn.
they did.. they sold and are selling all the property for money.
Yes, the new country side paddocks they own won't rise in valuation nearly as much as land in Brooklyn. The sale was short sighted, as can be expected of doomsday cults.
on threads about 8 or 9 months ago, i put up some detailed data from the 2011 and 2006 australian censuses.
data from the 2016 census is becoming available in stages, and i mentioned recently that i would do an update.
finally, as of about today, some data of interest is available, and i have started to look at this, but it is time consuming, and i am time-poor.. anyway, the first search i have conducted is just a simple breakdown of the number of people describing themselves as jw's.
Sheperdless - thank you for the information. I have not seen the break down by age group before, and have used your data to update the page at http://jehovah.net.au/of-interest/australian-jehovah-s-witness-statistics.
on threads about 8 or 9 months ago, i put up some detailed data from the 2011 and 2006 australian censuses.
data from the 2016 census is becoming available in stages, and i mentioned recently that i would do an update.
finally, as of about today, some data of interest is available, and i have started to look at this, but it is time consuming, and i am time-poor.. anyway, the first search i have conducted is just a simple breakdown of the number of people describing themselves as jw's.
a few JWs who are counted as publishers because they submit reports but who, for one reason or another, don't describe themselves as JWs on the census ... because they don't believe in JWs any more and only adhere for social reasons.
That was me in the 2001 Aus census.
on threads about 8 or 9 months ago, i put up some detailed data from the 2011 and 2006 australian censuses.
data from the 2016 census is becoming available in stages, and i mentioned recently that i would do an update.
finally, as of about today, some data of interest is available, and i have started to look at this, but it is time consuming, and i am time-poor.. anyway, the first search i have conducted is just a simple breakdown of the number of people describing themselves as jw's.
Here are a couple of graphs that highlight what is happening.
This shows how much Jehovah's Witnesses are lagging behind population growth.
The second graph shows that the Watchtower is reporting some growth over a 20 year period, whereas the census is not.
As SBF points out, there are a number of reasons. One is the ability to report less time (ie 15min per month). The other is that inactive ones are less likely to still believe it is the truth and claim to be JWs on the census, due to the growth of information on the internet over that time.
on threads about 8 or 9 months ago, i put up some detailed data from the 2011 and 2006 australian censuses.
data from the 2016 census is becoming available in stages, and i mentioned recently that i would do an update.
finally, as of about today, some data of interest is available, and i have started to look at this, but it is time consuming, and i am time-poor.. anyway, the first search i have conducted is just a simple breakdown of the number of people describing themselves as jw's.
To add to that, it is less than 20 years ago:
1996 - 83,414
2001 - 81,069
Australia's population has grown 33% in that time period.
1996 18 million
2016 24 million
