I know there's no way to prove your ideas, but I think that older ones tend to want to believe whereas younger ones don't 100% believe it's "The Truth".
In Your Estimation What Percentage Of Witnesses Actually Believe They Have The "Truth"?
by minimus 40 Replies latest jw friends
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JW GoneBad
I think the number of those who have doubt is in the 40% to 50% range, with the remaining 50% to 60% range believing the lie. There is a high percentage that do not agree with the disfellowshipping doctrine alone but still stick around for various reasons.
As the expression goes …’where else is there to go?’ Man by nature needs some sort of religion in his life and so many a JW rank and file member stay in even though hypocrisy in the ‘Truth’ is obvious. Just as you have staunch Catholics, in the same manner there are staunch JWs; especially where there are many generations of JW family involved.
I also think that descent and doubt will continue to increase, brought on by inventions of ‘new light’. Especially when ‘new light’ is adopted with little or no scriptural support, as was experienced in the new generation (over lapping) concoction.
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Sapphy
20% believe everything from the GBs mouth is absolute truth (fully indoctrinated born ins, some of the elderly long time servers)
60-70% on a spectrum believe "It's God's organisation, but there's a few things I don't understand"
10-20% - Major doubts but stick in for various reasons + skeptics & non-believers.
It's just a shame the 10-20% can't identify each other.
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Theocratic Sedition
Something that got me wondering after reading through the Fabrication Thread that has turned into a discussion on pioneering. I'm thinking that if most JWs really believed that they had the truth, wouldn't the national average be significantly higher than roughly 10 hours a month? I mean if you really believed this is the truth and this system as we know it is gonna be a wrap really really soon, wouldn't you spend more than 10 hours a month telling people? 7 million JWs, and most spending only two and a half hours weekly at the most preaching, not to mention how many aren't being entirely honest with what they report? I know a couple pioneers that were looing for assistance with evening witnessing, and they got no support. Every time our congregation tries pushing for evening witnessing support and Sunday witnessing, it starts off kinda ok the first week or so and then fizzles out. Actions speak louder than words, right? That same inaction has to say something for what the average JW believes, right?
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outsmartthesystem
I think the better question is.....what percentage of witnesses actually believe the organization is God's one and only? The VAST majority believe that. Whereas there a quite a lot of witnesses that go to meetings, go in service etc....but aren't too sure that the "current light" is the end all be all.....absolute truth. They think it is God's organization and that eventually God will fix all the problems and clear up all misunderstandings and beliefs.
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DesirousOfChange
How many are actually living their lives like they really believe WT doctrine 100%?
How many Elders (to pick on the leaders) are making changes to pioneer because The End is SOOOOO NEAR?
How many are downsizing (who have not lost jobs), simplifying, in service more, doing shepherding more, working seldom-worked territory (vs. taking a Cruise)?
How many are really doing D2D to SAVE LIVES? vs. windshielding for miles/km in their territory and going to Starbucks/McDonalds for quick coffee breaks long breakfasts and bullshit sessions, but still counting their time when they fill out their "time slip"?
NONE OF THEM! OK, to be more truthful, say 99% of them are NOT!
Quite frankly, they are NOT living with a view to The END being imminent! They are building houses, having babies, taking cruises and vacations, planning for retirement, etc etc. NO END IN VIEW! Most are just keeping one foot in the door, or doing just enough to keep their title, be it Elder, MS, regular publisher, etc. Some just enough to be able to squeeze back into the "ark" once it starts "raining".
OH! Come to think of it, they kinda behaving just like the WTS! Building new headquarters with years of advance planning....appoint YOUNG dudes to run things.....plan ahead for "retirement" -- cashing in on all the high end real estate and stockpiling $$$$.
Think about it.
Doc
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OUTLAW
A lot of JW`s will tell you they don`t care if it`s the truth..
They support the WBT$ no matter what..
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...OUTLAW -
steve2
An active JW would be mentally incapable of determining whether or not it's "the truth". They usually lack the basics of how to engage in effective critical thinking.
Active JWs would be significantly more susceptible to black-and-white or dichotomous thinking - a form of thinking that paralyzes effective critical thinking. For example, they typically utilize a variation on the following form of short-circuited thinking:
"If this isn't the truth, it could not possibly be found anywhere elsewhere - and certainly not in the churches of Christendom which are all false. Therefore, this must be the truth. End of story."
Their "analysis" now completed, they can now turn their attention to what's on TV tonight - where effective decisions can be made (Modern Family or America's Most Wanted? Decisions, decisions...
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minimus
The die-hards will always want to believe because they feel they have nowhere else to go.
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XBEHERE
80-90 percent. However if you were to estimate how many believe that the WT Org is still on the right track then that % would be less I think. Doctrinally it all sounds good, but many JWs are begining to realize that the org is screwed up.
...OUTLAW