by Dune 18 Replies latest jw friends
During field service a few months ago, i was talking to an elder and I moved to conversation to the possibility that the "world" will still be here when i'm 70. I kind of caught him off guard, and he said "If the world is still here when you're that old...." then his voice started to trail off and he changed the subject.
Probably because he never thought that the "world" would still be here when he was that old, but can now see that it most likely will be.
I don't know, quite a number of young JWs still seem to have a superstitious faith that it is the Truth. They may have sex, smoke, go to college, and even not believe "some things" but they will have some type of core faith in the organization through thick and thin.
B.
You know what they say, there's a sucker born every day. And especially in developing countries, where former suckers can't surf the net as easily as we can. But I do wish I could be around to see this thing shrivel up and die.
A lot of those kids that drop out tend to go back to find mates and get back involved at least for a while.
I think the WTS is becoming a shell with fake publishers reporting fake hours and placements just to keep the elders off their backs. As to preaching to the Chinese, notice how the WTS indicates that every person need not get a personal witness.
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w65 9/15 pp. 575-576 Questions from Readers ***Since
millions of persons in China and other places have never heard the Kingdom message, will these people be preserved through the destruction of Babylon the Great and the war of Armageddon, or perhaps be resurrected later?—H.S., U.S.A.It is important to understand what the Bible says about the destruction to come at the end of this system of things. In his illustration of the sheep and the goats Jesus indicated that a separating work would be done "when the Son of man arrives in his glory," and that persons would be classed as either "sheep" or "goats." (Matt. 25:31-46) In part, the basis for the separation would be the reaction of people to the preaching of the good news of the established kingdom. That preaching work is now being done by Jehovah’s witnesses. Jesus explained that those on earth who favorably responded to that message and treated kindly its bearers would be classed as "sheep" and would enter into "everlasting life." The rest of mankind who did not respond favorably to the preaching work and offered no aid to those who carried the Kingdom message would be classed as "goats" and would go, not into a temporary death, but into "everlasting cutting-off" at the time when judgment is executed.
But some persons, appreciating that millions of people are to be resurrected and given an opportunity to serve God, wonder if the millions of individuals living today who apparently have never heard the Kingdom message preached will be everlastingly destroyed without ever having had a witness about God’s purposes. It is true that at present (and still 40 years later) it appears that there are vast numbers of mankind who have not heard the Kingdom preaching. Also, from what the Bible says and from conditions in the world, we know that we are in the "last days." But we do not know just how much more will be accomplished in preaching the Kingdom message before the end comes. (2 Tim. 3:1-5; Matt. 24:3-13) If at the end of the second world war someone had said that the Kingdom preaching would be carried out, by more than a million publishers, in over 190 lands, including communistic countries, many might have found that hard to believe. Yet, Jehovah has blessed his people, and that is exactly what is being accomplished. So, if it is Jehovah’s will to have this message personally carried to the millions on earth who seemingly have not yet heard it, that will be accomplished. If he chooses, he could see to it that this message is spread in ways that we cannot yet imagine. Jesus did foretell that "this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come." (Matt. 24:14) We can rest assured that God will see that the preaching work is done to his satisfaction. After that "the end" comes.
Then those who correspond with "goats," whether in China or elsewhere, will be pronounced "cursed" and will not be permitted to survive that "end" into God’s new order of things. Since these go into symbolic "fire" (like the Devil and his angels), their punishment will be everlasting. They will never be resurrected.—Matt. 25:41-46.
"Just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; and you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be. But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace."—Ps. 37:10, 11.
Even though the WTBS may shift focus over to the third world, and even though there are millions of unsuspecting prospective converts in these lands (africa, india, china, etc), the problem is all of those that would succumb to the WTBS rhetoric are POOR!
Even a million new converts only contributing $.01 (one cent) each is definitely NOT enoguh to justify spending millions of dollars to buy, move and ship materials for building branch facilities in new places. The cost can't be recovered, thus, nearby existing branches would increase their output to service new lands, and then, after an inability to recover costs or draw in enough volume to justify further expenses, the WTBS would be forced to begin using a streamlined, downsized approach.
So, let's suppose the country of "DJIBOUTI" in East Africa's horn starts producing thousands of new witnesses. Now, since they are extremely poor, occasionally hampered by droughts and famines, civil wars and guerilla factions, even terrorists, how would the WTBS turn that country's witness population into a revenue generator like a western nation? The answer is they simply CANNOT without relying on the offset and surplus of donations from the west.
So, as long as the west declines in it's overall support of the WTBS (financially speaking, of course), the WTBS will not be able to sustain expansive growth and full-fledge facilities in developing poor countries, especially with the fear of terrorism and unstable governments.
I see some serious changes ahead for the newer high command at Bethel.
There' s a sucker born every minute. When this generation goes another will take its place. But it will be a weak group over the next 25 years.
I doubt this will be the last gen for JWs or christianity in general, but the web is giving out information that will help many to understand the myths legends and lies all religion are based upon
One family I know came into the organization around 1960, believed the whole 1975 thing whole-heartedly. Eventually had five kids, however, the husband became inactive, one kid disfellowshipped, one never got baptized, one dissassociated, and two are now elders. Of those two elders, one of the two children of one elder was disfellowshipped, later reinstated to maintain family association, she writes to me indicating that she has knows it isn't the truth, but keeps her feelings and thoughts "under her breath". She is preparing to visit her disfellowshipped aunt and never-baptized cousin (unbeknownst to her elder father) soon, because she wants to know all her relatives, not just the JW's. I agree that the internet is going to seriously hurt the recruiting of new members, and maintainance of existing ones. I expect that in coming years, growth will be only in lands where internet access is not widespread, with continued attrition in so-called "developed" lands. Eventually, JW's may become a minor footnote, kind of like "Millineal Dawners" are at present.
