Prediction of Watchtower in a Few Years

by Foolednomore 72 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  TonusOH

  I can't imagine them stopping the door-to-door work, unless they find an adequate replacement. If they cannot recruit people at a sufficient pace, growth will slow and incoming money will slow and that could start them on the long road towards irrelevance.

  Money seems to be the real issue, since they have the large recording site and other offices both in the USA and around the world. They also are dealing with CSA cases and those are a drain on resources even before any potential settlements or verdicts. I suppose they could scale things back and keep selling real estate in order to keep their heads above water. But it's kind of a snowball effect-- spending less money means less output and lower quality, which can make it harder to get more money, and so on.

  But I get the impression that there are many small Christian denominations that broke off from the Adventists and JWs and are much smaller and lesser known, and they have survived for a very long time. The WTS could conceivable shrink and become small but still exist and still exert tight control over the membership. They would not be very relevant anymore, but they'd still be around.
• 

  LongHairGal

  TONUS OH:

  The JW religion is not really relevant as far as the world is concerned.

  Many people don’t even know what they believe in. They just know them as nuisances who ring people’s doorbells.. Even when I was in the religion I was puzzled whenever they spoke about themselves. I think of the term ‘legend in their own minds’.. They weren’t even on my radar before I actually met one.

  But I do get the general gist of your post and do believe the religion is gradually heading in the direction of other sects in the USA that are practically defunct.
• 

  Beth Sarim

  Probably a move to smaller CONvention$ and A$$emblies, to lower cost and overhead by having them at A$$embly hall$, they are a cash cow with much less expense, You know, more money coming in than going out,,,instead.
• 

  Zilgee

  I guess there will be a leadership crisis as there are few reaching out.
• 

  Vidiot

  No crisis.

  They just keep scraping the bottom of the barrel even deeper.

  No way that’ll ever go south.
• 

  ThomasMore

  JWs are declining as we discuss this topic. WTC has authorized LDCs to survey all congs to determine which ones need to be consolidated (a form of radical down-sizing), and which KHs need to be sold (a desperate money grab). They are gearing up for a LARGE SELLOFF, contrary to the idea that they are growing at a measly +1% annually worldwide, or experiencing minor shrinkage in the U.S. at only -1% annually.

  They constantly bring up donations, not because they have $Billions laying around Warwick, but because they are worried about meeting operating costs.

  They didn't put Ramapo on hold because they want to enlarge it in the plans - they cannot fund it and therefore cannot start construction.

  Patterson is greatly under-used because they don't do the work that they used to do - they don't do the publishing that they once did because printing is a money drain and they are declining.

  They don't talk about the CSA lawsuits and criminal charges - is it because there are so few that it is not worth their time to do so? No - there are SO MANY that they are overwhelmed, drowning in litigation and investigations.

  They didn't hire the same Attorney group the Catholics use because they were unable to select from all the JW attorneys lining up to volunteer for free. No - they hired them because they are DESPERATELY SHORT of JW attorneys and think the Catholics are seasoned at fending off CSA payouts.

  Maybe I am wrong but to believe what WTC says is evidence of still being deluded by them. Have we not learned that they will fabricate a lie even when the truth would serve them better?

  Perhaps they will find a way to tread water and keep a generation of diehards under their spell for another decade or two or three. So what - they are irrelevant already and becoming moreso as each year passes.

  They are exposed now and cannot reverse the tide of bad PR, out of court settlements, dying old-timers and fading young ones. Even without the confusing doctrines that change more rapidly than members can digest, their brand looks like a documentary waiting to be made on failed religions.
• 

  Beth Sarim

  Six Screens mentioned the other day that Ramapo was put on hold and likely that project is the Borg's last kick at the can.

  And, that Ramapo is on hold because of litigation which is now overwhelming the Borg especially what's happening in the state of PA.
• 

  ExBethelitenowPIMA

  Is Ramapo really on hold? I know people who went to volunteer there. They are still there as far as I know.

  Chelmsford was put on hold once and everyone sent home for while and the rumours were about a secret underground bunker being constructed then after a time the rest of the project resumed. Just sayin
• 

  Beth Sarim

  Ramapo on hold,,,,,perhaps maybe it is just that. A rumour. True, I haven't heard any ''concrete'' evidence of any Ramapo on hold either.
• 

  Magnum

  ThomasMore, I totally agree with all of your post.

  They are exposed now and cannot reverse the tide of bad PR, out of court settlements, dying old-timers and fading young ones. Even without the confusing doctrines that change more rapidly than members can digest, their brand looks like a documentary waiting to be made on failed religions.

  
  

  +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

  For years on this site, there's been talk of JWdom's continuing to exist indefinitely but shrinking down to a very small group of hardcore believers. I just don't see how that could happen because JW doctrine doesn't allow for that as does the doctrine of other groups who shrink and continue to exist.

  JW doctrine is and has been based largely on end-times predictions of expansion and a great witnessing work - a covering of the earth with a bold witnessing work . How could JWdom shrink to a much smaller group with a puny preaching/warning work? That just can't fit JW doctrine; doctrine would have to be changed to allow for that.