If you were the GB, what would you do to prevent to coming demise of JWs?

by jwfacts 50 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  jwfacts

  The current growth of JWs no longer exceed the population growth, and in many educated countries it is now stagnant. http://www.jwfacts.com/index_files/statistics.htm In 50 years the whole 1914 thing will simply be an embarrasing irrelevance, so for the religion to even exist in 2057 will take some major doctrinal changes.

  Decrease is quite common for Christian religions, except Pentecostals, who are experiencing tremendous growth. Maybe they have Jesus' blessing. Maybe they just have the formula correct - lots of good friends, lots of "good" music, a bit of "Praise the Lord", and not too much emphasis on doctrine or laws.

  If you were on the GB what would you do to prevent the ultimate demise of the WTS and Jehovah's Witnesses?
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  sspo

  Humility on their part and admit that most of their doctrines are wrong and not bible based.
• 

  quietlyleaving

  Maybe they just have the formula correct - lots of good friends, lots of "good" music, a bit of "Praise the Lord", and not too much emphasis on doctrine or laws.

  I had my JW relatives visiting. As they were on holiday they were very relaxed and didn't go to all the meetings or share in the ministry. We all had such a good time.

  So if I were a GB member I would emphasize family/community fun, axe some of the meetings and be more trusting of the r/f in their pursuit of living a calm peaceful life.
• 

  WTWizard

  I don't believe that the religion is worth saving--it is too rotten to even try. However, if I had to pick up the pieces, I would first do away with the ban on fornication totally. Only in cases where the act is a result of initiatory force, coercion, or fraud would there be any problem, and then it would be for the initiation of the above. That would stamp out at least 99.99% of the pedophile problem, since most pedophiles within the flock depend on coercion and/or force to complete their dirty work.

  Also, that would solve so many other problems. How much of the ban on worldly music and other activities centers on paranoia on fornication? With that rule outdated, all those other rules would no longer have a purpose and could be thrown out. "Modest" dress would also go out the window--if it is very hot, the collar buttons could come undone or even have people wearing comfortable attire. Sisters would be allowed to wear anything (legal, of course) that they see fit, in terms of comfortable mini skirts and pants (according to the weather and other comfort factors). Sloppy attire (and by sloppy, I mean blatant sloppy or filthy and not a scuff mark or wrinkle) would still be frowned on (at least during meetings and service), but people would be allowed to dress comfortably without having to worry about it drawing undue attention to their sexual appeal.

  That would also solve a lot of the judicial hearings. No more long, drawn-out hearings where they need to hear every last detail about how far they went. No more hearing about a brother and sister (fleshly) visiting one another without chaperones. In fact, chaperones would be unnecessary for adults, except where such are volitionally desired by all parties. Rape cases would not involve trauma for the victim, since it wouldn't matter if they enjoyed it or screamed and struggled or not. (The perpetrator, on the other hand, since they initiated the use of force and/or coercion, would be subject to legal prosecution and likely a nice long jail term).

  I feel that half the problems that the Tower has created stem from this stupid rule against fornication. Do away with that, and half the problems dissolve. Allow and encourage independent research and thinking, and you eliminate pretty much the other half. Eventually, the only rules that are needed are against initiating the use of force, threat of force (coercion), or fraud against others or their property. Do that, and I think the new organization would ultimately succeed.

  Fail to reduce the rules to that, and the Tower is doomed and cannot be saved.
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  OnTheWayOut

  SSPO might be right. Admit that the chronology and end-days stuff was not Bible-based, but rather
  the sticking to things from the previous presidents of the WTS. Now, I have to answer in the spirit
  of the question. You want me to think like them- saving the WTS cult and causing growth again
  would take serious change. The honesty in the first part would be necessary because the information
  is available to people via the internet, anyway.

  Step two would be "Why Did Jehovah Allow Such Errors?" It would be necessary to perpetuate the
  WTS way of accepting no blame. "Jah allowed it because it was necessary to create a worldwide
  nucleous of a theocratic society." I would have to still tell JW's that "we are the only ones with
  a true loving brotherhood. We would not even have one quarter of our members if there weren't all
  that urgency." This would be followed up by "What Does Jah Want Us to Do Now?"

  Step three would be to get those 6.5 to 7 million (actually whatever is left after admitting error) back
  out into the field. Since door-to-door is about dead, it would be a public witness in the marketplaces
  and at the beaches and such. I would drop the dress code and go for the young people with a
  cool message. I don't have it worked out, but it would be along the lines of "We aren't your parents'
  Christianity." The focus would have to totally shift to Jesus and how he was radical to those stuffy
  old Jews, and today's JW is radical compared with those stuffy old Christian churches. Yes, we
  teach no sex before marriage, but we also focus on the water-into-wine kind of parties and enjoying
  life.

  None of this might work, but I would take the organization down an irreversible road. Either it becomes
  a success or a failure. Either way, there would never be an oppresive WTS again. I know I would
  have to avoid apologizing for doctrines that could lead to lawsuits, so all the blood issue stuff would
  have to be "We were right, but this is totally optional now." The instructions for dealing with pedophiles
  would be blamed on past (recently dead) Governing Body members- I don't really see a way out of that.

  I like these exercises. Ultimately, I doubt anything they do will save this cult. It will continue to fade.
• 

  monophonic

  shower with 20 year old bethelites, the girls i mean...show them the 'attention' they need and deserve so they can have better opportunities to chose appropo mates.

  seriously, any gb member who looks deep into his soul for the truth would make public apologies and seriously reconsider where the jws are now and what needs to be repaired and take appropo action.....like that'll ever happen.
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  James Free

  The Org. is already in decline. The ones getting baptized are nearly all from within or relatives of those already in in country after country. In the third world they are still growing from outside - by promising a better life to those almost without hope of getting one in this life. But, demise? That's not going to happen anytime soon. I wish it were otherwise, but the religion is quite solid - good news is seen as a blessing from Jehovah and bad news as persecution from Satan - a perfect double. Either way they can spout scripture to say they are still the 'truth' - and most of the followers are trained to accept anything the GB tells them without question. I know, I was like that too, once.
• 

  jwfacts

  shower with 20 year old bethelites, the girls i mean

  Lol, why be just a cult when you can be a sex cult. The girls would love it, "Ohhh, I showered with Gods spokesman, he chose me."

  Each of the answers is very much along the lines of become like the more relaxed Pentecostal groups.

  I would first do away with the ban on fornication totally.

  I thought this would be totally impossible, yet on second thought, it could be done, and I agree with the concept. The GB could introduce it with reasoning like:

  Adam and Eve were never married, it is only important to have a commitment.

  Solomon, David, Abraham - they all had multiple wives or sexual partners, so as long as you can care for them that is ok.

  Come up with a more relaxed definition of fornication. Each Church has its own definition of what exactly is included. Make fornication just include sex between unwilling partners, or some such thing.
• 

  jwfacts

  I know, I was like that too, once.

  James, you are proof that people can change. I agree that the religion is large enough to be self sustaining, but unless there are dramatic changes it will start to see negative growth.

  In 1991 only 1 country with over 2000 publishers had 0 or negative growth, in 2006 there were 28 countries.
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  Honesty

  1. Liquidate every single asset... Walkill, Patterson, all the Branches, every kingdom hall, stocks, wills, inheritances, etc.

  2. Buy or take over an island country capable of sustaining 25 million people.

  3. Declare Jehovah's New Arrangement of a Literal Spiritual Paradise in the pages of a Watchtower magazine.

  4. Move all the JW's to this island country and build a wall around it that would make the China Wall look like a playpen.

  5. Make Kool-Aid by the gallons.