Metatron,
As always you make some very astute observations. My guess would be that although the org is getting (for lack of a better word) 'dumber', it is also becoming more mainstream and somewhat less controlling. Therefore although it gets less reasonable for the next generation of dubs to stay in the "truth", there is also less pressure for them to leave. In most congs, it seems like as long as you show up for a couple meetings a month and write down one or two hours of field service, you can do whatever you want outside the hall.