by stockholm_Syndrome 64 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
There was a mass exodus in 1925 when the predicted end did not come, 90,000 at the memorial in 1925 but only 25,000 in 1926....worldwide
There was a drop of 2% after the end did not come in 1975....for about 2 to 3 years and then things went back up.
David_Jay's post makes a lot of sense.
If it comes to pass that way, I would expect a lot of JW suicides. A lot of JWs just go thru the motions and would leave if it were less painful, but there are millions of true believers who would be utterly devastated.
Many of those millions would glom onto other groups, some more culty than others, but a lot just simply couldn't handle such an outcome.
There is no doubt that articles such as this one will take a toll on JW membership. It's already been established that JW congregation meeting attendance is way, way down...so down that across the U.S., congregations are being dissolved and others are merging; elsewhere Kingdom Halls are being sold off.
Who knows what the GB were thinking when making this admission that the JW leadership has the potential of being errant and faulty in its writings. Many JWs are now going to read the WTBTS' literature with a warning sign flashing in his/her mind...."READER BEWARE"! It's been that way with me for years!
Some folks will stay in an abusive relationship no matter what take place, that's life......I love him or her, he or she will change. Over a hundred years of abuse by the GB, most will stay....
I think that by far the majority of those in the congregation have turned off their higher brain functions. To the point that most do not expend the mental effort in considering what they believe, nor what has transpired in the past. Just listening to the answers during the book study these days (which is talking at the moment about the Russel/Ruderford period of the Organization) shows this to be quite true. However, I recon this has happened not because the brotherhood doesn't care anymore about the Bible but rather they have become "change fatigue" and are now happy to give up the heavy thinking to the GB. As a consequence, the Warwick elite may get way more radical changes because the brothers most likely would say ...."cool, is now what we believe".
Maybe there will be a mass exodus from JWs
Quite frankly I think the WTS heads are setting up toward some dramatic doctrinal changes in the near future, perhaps dropping 1914 altogether ? , that would release and expand some more time concerning the " This Generation " doctrine.
Think about how the watchtower study is ran. Guy reads a paragraph from an org written and approved article...and then they ask questions and people MUST give org approved answers....that come straight from the paragraph they just read. They think as they are told to think.
I was watching this Scientology special with Leah Remini and the similarities are frightening. Scientologists have something called being "declared"...which means you are an enemy of the religion. Similarity? "Apostate". They also practice shunning and separate and destroy families.
The df'ing is... imo... the most damaging and evil thing the witnesses do. Along with the shunning. It's all about control. I had hoped by now they would have "adjusted" their thinking on this..but on they go with this archaic bulls##t.
Hey, if shunning didnt exist at least 60% of active JW's would probably never turn up the the Kingdom Halls again. Keeping the JW label but not really practicing it.
