What will go next?

by Gill 9 Replies latest jw friends

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  Gill

  So, it is the end of the home book study meeting.

  Hoorah! I hear those of you who still have to 'go' shout!

  But what will be the next 'sign of the end' ( of the WTBTS) that we will see?

  Since the end of subscriptions, hard back books, and payment for WT 'paper products', the WT has been slowly evolving, but not onto greater things but into a religion of 'diminished returns and responsibilities'.

  We have seen (not necessarily in chronological order):

  The reporting requirement reduced to 15 mins

  The end of sturdy hardback books

  The Awake! fall to one mag a month

  The Watchtower fall to one mag a month for the public and one for the brainwashed.

  Assembly lengths have gradually been reduced.

  Meeting lengths reduced from full hours to just half and three quarter hours.

  Finally, one meeting has been dropped altogether.

  So, as the WT finally fades into a nasty smelling distant and embarrassing memory, what will go next?

  I suspect they will no longer print anything but will expect their remaining faithful to download and print literature for distribution themselves.

  Eventually, as attendance declines, meetings will be reduced to just a Sunday public talk and Watchtower and congregations will be encouraged to join together, perhaps 6 or 7 for each hall, and at least six kingdom Halls be sold to 'contribute' to the World Wide Work (not)!

  Finally, the remaining Goobering Boobie members will abscond to their own tropical islands that they have bought with the WWW contributions and the Jehovah's Witnesses will be no more! (Thank God for small mercys!)

  So, what do you think will be 'reduced' next in the sacrifices to God that JWs have had to make?!
• 

  llbh

  So, what do you think will be 'reduced' next in the sacrifices to God that JWs have had to make?!

  Well lets hope that stop the sacrificing of children and families, so encourage those with children to stay away and let the rest cocentrate

  David
• 

  BizzyBee

  I agree, Gill. They are not going to stop with the changing of the Book Study arrangement. They may make a small change every 6 months, but more likely once per year. The only question is - will it continue to be a decimating of activities? I tend to think so. And if so, why? They are making the footprint of the JWs smaller and smaller - finally to be gone the way of all small church denominations? In order to fly under the radar? And, ultimately, can that fly? JWs are associated with being counter to the culture within which they exist. What would it be like if they actually flooooowwww with the prevailing cultural mores?

  Interesting times...............
• 

  TheListener

  Another poster said that the Circuit Overseers will be the next to go. I believe he's right.

  I would imagine that sometime in '09 or '10 the COs will be replaced by local elders.

  For decades there have been local elders who have the position of City Overseer, why not extend the responsibility of that position to cover actually visiting the congregations within the his jurisdiction? He could be trained relatively easily to fill in reports and beat the friends at multiple halls.

  This would save the WTS tons of money. It would be an entire layer of middle management, ripe for apostasy, cut out.
• 

  nelly136

  maybe...... the current contribution scheme will be replaced with a member subscription, after all they'll be saving all that money on petrol next year
• 

  WTWizard

  Maybe if they would cut the Waste of Paper Distribution Campaigns, that would save a lot of gas. This past March, all that running around distributing all those wastes of paper resulted in a 5% decrease in Black Sabbath attendance, by one estimation.

  Better yet, maybe they should just cut the whole Washtowel Slaveholdery corporation out altogether.
• 

  integ

  I think disfellowshipping will go next, but I know that the wts will continue to thrive and flourish.

  They are merely getting smarter; more mainstream. They will actually GROW because of the changes they are making. More appealing to the masses and therefore more growth.

  More Kingdom Halls, etc. I think the Df'ing will end soon and be even MORE attractive to potential converts. And it will bring in a ton of "new ones" who were old ones who now can come back and keep the Halls packed.

  They're not 'ending' anything. They are getting SMARTER and have no intention of folding up their tents. It doesn't make any sense that they would do that. It makes more sense they are actually just going to adjust things and get even bigger and bigger,
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  heathen

  I think I'd have to agree with the high price of fuel they will just go ahead and fax the congs . whatever literature they want , don't know what they will do about new books for book studies unless they just up and reuse all the old books in circulation.WT farms will probly start growing corn for ethanol and make millions on that.
• 

  winnower

  Integ said:

  I think disfellowshipping will go next, but I know that the wts will continue to thrive and flourish. They are merely getting smarter; more mainstream. They will actually GROW because of the changes they are making. More appealing to the masses and therefore more growth. More Kingdom Halls, etc. I think the Df'ing will end soon and be even MORE attractive to potential converts. And it will bring in a ton of "new ones" who were old ones who now can come back and keep the Halls packed. They're not 'ending' anything. They are getting SMARTER and have no intention of folding up their tents. It doesn't make any sense that they would do that. It makes more sense they are actually just going to adjust things and get even bigger and bigger, My reply: .... now you assume the Society is crumbling. In the next few months you will see the society's stronghold on your loved ones become stronger than it has ever been. These are the subtle "jot and tittle" changes. Of course, the wording given to the cong will be so subtle it will seem as though it has "always meant this". 1. Disfellowshipping in the congregation is similar to excommunication practiced in all religions. The chuch never kicks anyone out; the person has kicked themselves out by not abiding doctrine. The church has merely made an announcement that the person is errant and not to be followed. The ultimate goal of shunning is meant to restore one to fellowship and to cease their error. When a repentant attitude is shown, the elders can hope for bringing the offender back into a right understanding of the scripture. The person is still a Jehovah's Witness as baptism cannot be "undone". http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/157356/1.ashx Baptism is considered as your "sealing". Once baptised a JW you will always be a JW; however you can fall from grace and loose your "reservation" in the paradise. WTS will become more mainstream by pointing out the similarities of their doctrines with that of "christendom". Changes in "christendom" (doing away with icons and holidays) will help fall in line with WTS teachings. Eventually, all religions will be able to "meet in the middle" to form the one world religion. This is an important change that this be emphasized. Because they will begin to refer to Baptism as a "sealing" this word will later become interchangable with the work "marking". When the digital chip becomes the order of the day (although it will be a voluntary thing) you will be told that this is NOT the mark of the beast and it actually means nothing. This will be a lie. You will be told that you have "already been marked" by your sealing of baptism. I have explained this in better detail on another post.
• 

  loosie

  I think they should go to only meeting on sunday. and then eventually not meeting at all. After all they could say Jah knows what's in your hearts.