Posts by JWD

95

Org. Re-orging in JAPAN

by JWD in

jw
friends

for those of you who haven`t been following it,the wts is in a downward spiral here in japan.fs hours are down,memorial attendance.

is down,pioneers are down,studies are down,donations are down,number.

of congregations is down and the number of publishers continues to.

Just flipping through some older WT Japanese yearbooks.Just to give
you a feel for how drastic the slowdown has been here take a look at
these figures for the last 12 years. (the numbers are rounded off)

1979 50,000 publishers 10% growth
1985 100,000 publishers 12% growth
1990 140,000 publishers 7% growth
1995 200,000 publishers 6% growth
1999 220,000 publishers 0% growth
2000 21+++++ publishers -1% growth

* The current totals for this year show a further decrease of a couple thousand. At the current pace, 2001 will also be minus 1%.

As you see the major downturn started around 1995. What happened at
that time? There we`re several things which affected the WT dramatically. Let me list a few.

1) A group called AUM SHINRIKYO placed a nerve gas `bomb` on a Tokyo
subway.As a result the airwaves were filled with programs about
cults and mind control. During that time JWs were told during
meetings NOT to watch those kind of TV programs because they would
be influenced by demons.

2) A very well known Moonie named Hiroko Yamazaki was exit counseled
and appeared on national TV to denounce the Unification Church as
a cult.

3) At the same time Hiroko Yamazaki denounced the Moonies, a major
publisher put Steven Hassen`s book, `Combating Cult Mind Control`
on the market in Japanese. It is reported to have sold 2 million
copies.

4) It was also at this time that the WT decided to change their
teaching about the 1914 generation.

In addition to the drop in publishers there was also a major drop in
`studies`, `pioneers`,`baprisms` and memorial attendance at the same
time.

That should help give those interested a little background on the
dynamics of `why everything went south` here in Japan.
JWD

33

MORE FROM PROFITS OF DOOM

by You Know in

jw
friends

whom do you trust?

according to apostates, god and his word can't be trusted because the bible is unreliable and jehovah god is a baby killer and murderer of innocent people.

trusting the watchtower is out of the question, because obviously, the whole thrust of the apostasy is aimed at discrediting the watchtower so as to create wicked suspicions and distrust in the minds of trusting ones, apparently with some success.

JWD

You Know,

Beware of false prophecy. False prophets die. Have you not read
Luke 21:8-9 `many will come and say I am he and the TIME IS AT
HAND. DO NOT FOLLOW THEM!!`.

Several years ago Lloyd Barry while in Japan said that `Armageddon
will come before the Akashi-kaikyo bridge is completed.Two years ago
the bridge was dedicated and last year Lloyd dropped dead during a
convention.False prophets die (Deut.18). So be careful in the state-
ments you make.

*You never answered my questions about the contradictions in the WTs
view of judgement.If you think about it too much, the WT teaching
might began to seem a bit silly, so be careful you don`t fall prey
to `Independant Thinking!`. JWD

33

MORE FROM PROFITS OF DOOM

by You Know in

jw
friends

whom do you trust?

according to apostates, god and his word can't be trusted because the bible is unreliable and jehovah god is a baby killer and murderer of innocent people.

trusting the watchtower is out of the question, because obviously, the whole thrust of the apostasy is aimed at discrediting the watchtower so as to create wicked suspicions and distrust in the minds of trusting ones, apparently with some success.

JWD

You Know,
Have you ever read the story of the `Rich man and Lazarus` in the
book of Luke. They both died. The rich man died in peace. It was
after death that the trouble began. When you talk about the Big-A,
you always emphasize `an aweful death`, but the Bible doesn`t make
judgement a matter of HOW you die. Think about the verse you quoted
from Hebrews about it being a terrible thing to fall into the hand
of the living God, it is in the same book of Hebrews that it is
stated , `It is given unto every man once to die and AFTER that comes
judgement`.The manner of death is not the issue.If it were, all the
believers listed at the end of Hebrews 11 who were sawed in half,etc.
would have gotten a raw deal. So, it`s in this area that the WT teaching is full of contradictions and lacks any impact.Since you
don`t teach there is anything AFTER DEATH for the Apostates, you have
to make the experience of DEATH ITSELF seem really, really scarry.
But, when you think about it that`s silly.You could die in a car
accident tomorrow, be in a plane crash, get cancer or be shot.All of
which aren`t very pleasant ways to die. But if that`s the end of things,so what? Have you never read the words of the Apostle Paul in
1st Corinthians 15 where he says `If there is no resurrection,let`s
party` (paraphrased).Was he saying that it would be so terrible not
to make the resurrection? No, he was saying if there is no judgement
AFTER death than what`s the difference whether you live morally or
not. In the WT teaching, there is no difference. Sure you miss out
on 1000 years of remaking the Garden of Eden, living theocratically
and witnessing to the millions of people who never heard and will
be resurrected and given a chance to become JWs. But, maybe a lot of
people would rather miss out on that!

The WT teaching is so completely `present world` centered. It just wreaks of a `man-made` religion.

Stop trying to make the MEANS OF DEATH sound so scarry while denying
that there is any judgement on the other side.It lacks impact. Oh,
by the way, I also had a good friend from Cambodia who lived thru
the killing fields. I knew him in 1983. Wonder who met their Cambodian
friend first(?) JWD

95

Org. Re-orging in JAPAN

by JWD in

jw
friends

for those of you who haven`t been following it,the wts is in a downward spiral here in japan.fs hours are down,memorial attendance.

is down,pioneers are down,studies are down,donations are down,number.

of congregations is down and the number of publishers continues to.

JWD

There was also a TV drama made and aired some years back entitled,
`Settoku` which means to convince someone. It was based on the true
story of a small boy who was in a bicycle accident and rushed to the
emergency ward where he needed blood due to extensive bleeding. Since
both his parents were JWs they refused blood. The story focused on the
battle the doctors faced and the frustration in the face of parents
who couldn`t be reasoned with. The story came out in book form as well
and pretty much sealed the WTs image as a religion which allows people
to die via their `no-blood` policy. JWD

33

MORE FROM PROFITS OF DOOM

by You Know in

jw
friends

whom do you trust?

according to apostates, god and his word can't be trusted because the bible is unreliable and jehovah god is a baby killer and murderer of innocent people.

trusting the watchtower is out of the question, because obviously, the whole thrust of the apostasy is aimed at discrediting the watchtower so as to create wicked suspicions and distrust in the minds of trusting ones, apparently with some success.

JWD

To You Know,

On one of your threads entitled something like Apsotates Are Doomed,
I wrote at some length asking you`What is so scarry about Armageddon?`
As you know the WT teaching is that apostates die and then what happens?...they cease to exist. So what? What`s so aweful about non-
existence? All of us never existed before we were born and I don`t
remember the experience being so terrifying, do you? JWs can find a
way out through suicide, or even homicide followed by the death penalty. Because when all is said and done the only thing awaiting
them is non-existence. So stop using the Big-A as a scare tactic.
What`s so scarry about it? If it comes, well commit suicide or die
and enter into non-existence. Does non-existence hurt? I doubt it.
If,on the other hand, you believe in a literal hell and eternal
punishment, now that`s scarry! According to Christendom`s version of
judgement, the WT leaders will be suffering eternal judgement for
being false prophets and refusing to recognize Jesus as God. So,
please tell me,You Know, what is so frightening about the WT`s teaching regarding Armageddon? Have you ever read the verse,`Fear not
him who can destroy your body, rather fear Him who after destroying
the body has authority to cast into Gehanna`? I await your answer.

Now as to your present account of all the crises in the world and
how they have through the years lent varasity to the WT claims that
the end is near, it is painfully obvious that you have rarely left
the shores of the great US of A and therefore; your thinking is
extremely ethnocentric. Virtually everything you refered to were the
types of criseses which afflict Americans. The world is much bigger
than the U.S. Many so-called end times signs are of no significance
if you live in another part of the world. I remember the big Y2K
scare. I was in Japan all during that time and it just amazed me at
how much doomsday talk was coming from accross the Pacific Ocean!
Nothing happened here, nothing happened there, nothing happened
anywhere. So much for doomsday.

I believe in the Bible and I believe in biblical prophecy.I`ve read
many books about prophecy both WT and otherwise.It`s obvious that
no one has a very good grasp on what`s going to happen.You Know,you
should try reading other books on prophecy written by non-JW sources.
You will be amazed at how heavily the WT has borrowed from other
older Christendom writers.They borrow and then throw on a WT spin to
make JWs the spiritual Jews and the center of the whole thing.My
conclusion is that no one really knows what`s going to happen.

Please stop peddling an American religion.The WT is not a world-wide
religion.Sure they have a sprinkling of believers in various countries,but they are by no means a world-wide religion.One in five
believers is American! The total number of JWs world-wide is less than
that of several American Protestant denominations (i.e.Baptists,etc.)

And please stop making the Bible a Jehovah`s Witness book.The simplicity and arrogance of that kind of thinking is down right
embarrassing. Have you ever asked yourself why with over 2000 translations of the Bible world-wide the WT has only done a little
more than a dozen? Have you ever wondered why all the WT translations
are into languages which already have valid translations of the Bible?
Have you ever wondered why Protestant missionaries will spend virtually a life time translating into languages of small tribal groups where a JW has never even set foot while no JW is even qualified to translate the Bible? If you could only read Japanese! The WT has massacred the Japanese language in their NW translation. It`s an unbelievably poorly translated! Many Japanese JWs have left the org. due to their poor, inaccurate translation.

Enough said...I await you response as to what is so frightening about
the WT`s view of judgement. JWD

95

Org. Re-orging in JAPAN

by JWD in

jw
friends

for those of you who haven`t been following it,the wts is in a downward spiral here in japan.fs hours are down,memorial attendance.

is down,pioneers are down,studies are down,donations are down,number.

of congregations is down and the number of publishers continues to.

JWD

I mentioned this on another thread,but it fits in with this current
train of thought so I`ll mention it again.

It was a fairly common practice here in Japan for doctors to tell
Witnesses that they wouldn`t use blood, but then, if it became necessary during surgery, to actually use blood without the patients
consent.It was more or less the hospital`s `don`t ask,don`t tell` type
of reasoning.You would have to understand the culture here to fully
appreciate this, but the physician is the expert in medical matters
and should have the final word about appropiate medical procedure.Thus
it flies in the face of reason for a JW, who knows virtually nothing
about medicine, to tell the doctor what he can and can`t do merely
because of some article in a religious magazine. Anyway,the facade of
no blood while actually using it on occasion when necessary work well
for both parties.The doctor had a free hand and the JW`s conscience
was at ease. Then in came BIG BROTHER. The org. decided to make a
statement by using an older sister who had had surgery and was given
blood without knowing it.Thus several years ago the org. took one of
the leading hospital`s in Japan to court for violating patient rights
(never mind the fact that they saved her life...).The org. lost in
district court but appealed to a higher court and won round two.The
fallout is that now hospitals merely refuse to admit JWs who have a
blood related condition. The real losers? Naturally it`s the individ-
ual witnesses who live or die by WT edict.More blood on the GB hands.
I`m reminded of Christ`s statement to the Pharises when they stood
around waiting to see whether or not he`d heal on the Sabbath.`Which
is the right thing to do on the Sabbath,to take life or give life?`
The Bible says he looked at them with anger.
JWD

95

Org. Re-orging in JAPAN

by JWD in

jw
friends

for those of you who haven`t been following it,the wts is in a downward spiral here in japan.fs hours are down,memorial attendance.

is down,pioneers are down,studies are down,donations are down,number.

of congregations is down and the number of publishers continues to.

JWD

Probably the greatest damage to the WT`s image here in Japan is their
stand on blood.A couple of years ago a JW couple was riding in a small
row boat when it collided with a motorized boat and capsized.The wife
was cut badly by the propeller of the larger boat and needed a trans-
fusion.Being a good JW she refused.At the time she was pregnant with
their second child,so here `faithfulness` on the blood issue,cost them
two lives.The incident was written up as a half page article in the
local Kagoshima newspaper and smaller versions of it showed up throughout all of Japan in various newspapers.When asked for comment
on the incident the spokesman for the WT at the headquarters in
Kanagawa Prefecture (Ebina),said (in good theocratic fashion)that`the choice whether or not to receive blood was strickly a personal choice based on the individuals conscience!!` Sure it was...gotta build that
firewall for future litigation. There have been several similar cases
throughout the years.They often make the newspapers and TV.So much so
that the average Japanese equates the WT with anti-transfusion.Unilike
Americans who tend to respect idealism, Japanese are extremely practical by nature.For them to deny a life saving procedure for any
reason is just plain stupid. It seems the WT is trying to water-down
or gradually pull away from their stand on blood.Two years ago they
started issuing NO-BLOOD I.D. cards which had a variety of boxes to
check.It had the appearance of giving the individual some room to make choices about their use of blood.It might be a way to fuzzy the
appearance of the org. applying the restraints.It might also be a
further step away from total rejection of blood via creating new
definitions of `what is blood`.

Today an emotionally disturbed man went into a grade school in
northern Osaka in a place named Ikeda and stabbed 30 or more people.
Already 8 have died and more are in critical condition.The thought
that crosses one`s mind is,`Were there any JW children involved?` and
`If so,are parents running to Handai Hospital insisting that doctors
don`t give their first and second grade children any blood!?`.It`s
terrifying just thinking about the possibility! JWD

95

Org. Re-orging in JAPAN

by JWD in

jw
friends

for those of you who haven`t been following it,the wts is in a downward spiral here in japan.fs hours are down,memorial attendance.

is down,pioneers are down,studies are down,donations are down,number.

of congregations is down and the number of publishers continues to.

JWD

The Bethel headquarters here in Japan is about an hour out of Tokyo
in a city called Ebina.They have done a great deal of building and
expansion there.Japanese in general pride themselves on being orderly
and organized and the WT takes that tendancy to an extreme.They give tours of Bethel and the key word is `CLEAN`.At one point on the tour they pass by a room which has the door `accidently` left ajar and the tour guide acts like it was left open by accident and then comments on how clean it is. They pull this trick most every tour. So, if you go on the same tour twice you can see how spontaneous they are!!

The `rules` regarding personal hygiene are more rigid among the bros.
here than in the U.S.That`s in keeping with most of Japanese culture.
For instance, no Japanese JW would have a moustache and clothing would
be more `theocratic` than in the West. I have heard of people being
repremended for having a car that was too gaudy of a color.It was said
to draw attention to the person themselves and aid `creature worship`.
In short,life for a JW here is life in a straightjacket.As shocking as
it may seem young Witnesses who have gone to the States and attended
meetings there generally come back and tell about how FREE brothers
are in the U.S. compared to Japan. So, that kinda gives you an idea
of how restrictive things here really are.

With the drop in numbers,it seems the org. is vacillating between loosening up and getting stricter as a means to bolster activity.
Older Witnesses lament how loose the org. has become and young second
generation JWs just go through the motions and yearn for freedom.The
most common method for young people to break free is by using marriage
or work as an excuse to move away and then just stop going to meetings. DAing is still quite rare. JWD

95

Org. Re-orging in JAPAN

by JWD in

jw
friends

for those of you who haven`t been following it,the wts is in a downward spiral here in japan.fs hours are down,memorial attendance.

is down,pioneers are down,studies are down,donations are down,number.

of congregations is down and the number of publishers continues to.

JWD

One other news tidbit from Japan. Last year the org. went to court to
try to get a couple to stop distributing flyers which were critical of
the WT.The couple`s two sons and daughter are in the org. and are in
hiding from the parents.The couple included photos of their children
and asked for help locating them. The WT won an injunction which said
it violated the children`s privacy to pass out flyers with their
photos and names.(By the way, all three are legally adults).The parents changed the content to comply with the court`s opinion and
continued to distribute flyers. There have been many `grass roots`
movements aimed at the WT in the last several years.Flyer distributions, opposition to new KH building projects, a nation-wide
`Victims of the Watchtower` convention, support group for husbands of
Jehovah`s Witnesses, new home pages in Japanese,etc.The combined impact of all these things,together with a quite a bit of bad press seems to be the reason for the major downturn in growth. JWD

95

Org. Re-orging in JAPAN

by JWD in

jw
friends

for those of you who haven`t been following it,the wts is in a downward spiral here in japan.fs hours are down,memorial attendance.

is down,pioneers are down,studies are down,donations are down,number.

of congregations is down and the number of publishers continues to.

JWD

Sorry Pork Chop, forgot to answer the last half of your question.
Lyod was in Japan so long ago that only the older JWs knew him
personally.There might have been some consternation among them, but
the majority of the Witnesses are relatively new and never knew him
personally, so there doesn`t seem to be any significant affect on them
due to his death.

JWD