Hello everyone,
allow me to thank you for your comments, quite on target.
I would leke to add that the reason for digging more on the subject
was from an older article published by the Society ...48 years ago!
Please
take note ot the Society's Governing Body remarks made concerning
»
...our
brothers and sisters
are trying to show faith without any works? ».
**
yb74 pp. 254-255 Is Your Faith Dead or Alive?
James said, “Faith,
if it does not have works, is dead in itself.” (Jas. 2:17) Having
now read the Yearbook, can you say that Jehovah’s Christian
witnesses world wide have faith that led them into action? Their
faith is certainly not a lifeless thing. All true Christians must
show that their faith is a live faith, because “faith without works
is dead.” (Jas. 2:26) One’s faith must show up through work in
some way. How? Look at the results with 193,990 persons being
baptized last year. Jehovah’s witnesses were doing what Christ
Jesus directed his disciples to do, make more disciples! So their
faith shown by works has been productive.
It is very interesting to
note that in the last seven years 949,842 persons were baptized; and
in the last 26 years, 2,084,398. These figures say something to us.
At the close of the year 1966 there were 1,118,665 publishers who
were sharing in the Kingdom service, and since then there have been
another 949,842 persons baptized. So today, if we make allowance for
those who have died, which normally runs to about one percent
per year, still we should have nearly
two million persons who could be
preaching the good news.
The Yearbook
report shows there was a peak in publishers of 1,758,429 out in the
field in 1973. So that is approximately 250,000
short of two million. Think of James’ words again: “Of
what benefit is it, my brothers, if a certain one says he has faith
but he does not have works?” (Jas. 2:14) Remember, he is talking to
those who have dedicated their lives to God and are baptized.
He is addressing his words to “my brothers.” Are
we to assume that about 250,000
of our brothers and sisters
are trying to show faith without any works? It is something to ponder
over.
The Society’s records
show that 2,084,398 persons were baptized in the last 26 years. Add
to that the publishers who were in the field service the previous
year, 1947, namely, 207,552, and that gives you a total of
2,291,950 persons. Allowing for the death of about 225,000
persons, at the usual rate of one
percent each year,
are we to say that since 1947 there have been over
three hundred thousand brothers and sisters who have gone
out in the field service at some time or other since their dedication
and baptism and are now trying to show Jehovah and others their faith
without works? James says: “Faith divorced from deeds is lifeless
as a corpse.”—Jas. 2:26, NE.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
Conclusion :
The reasons...
starting with death of many member/year, maby
dissociated,
many disfellowshipped and
other fadaed...(including the inactves)
the
real facts of life shows that hundreds of thousands
baptizedJehovah's
Witnesseare...missing
and no longer « active
publishers » in their congregation.
And
the period I did choose, was the last 4 years , from 201/ to 2021
included
It
is also very ironical that the Society's Governing Body added..48
years ago
the
comment : « It
is something to ponder over. »
Greetings
to eveyone,
JC
MacHislopp
PS
Many thanks to Atlantis for stepping in to help me.