Inside the KH wrote,
"Sociologists and national surveys conclude that the WT counts are very conservative and therefor credible"
The credibility that I question even more is yours
What surveys, what sociologists?
May KM Highlight 1/Cong baptized
by Gayle 30 Replies latest jw friends
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DATA-DOG
Never a JW: What surveys? What Sociologists??
Inside the KH: Ummm...errr....the ones from that one...uh sociolo..survey..that time in 1999.err thousand...mmmm?? ( Dammit!! )
Never a JW: Did I hear a 9-er?!?! Are you calling from a Walkie-talkie??
DD
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insidetheKH
@Never a JW
Sociologist example: Rodney Stark
Survey example: Jehovah's Witnesses' official statistics only count as members those who submit reports for preaching activity, usually resulting in lower membership numbers than those found by external surveys. For example, Jehovah's Witnesses report approximately 1.2 million active publishers in the United States (including some children); however, the American Religious Identification Survey conducted in 2008 found that about 1.9 million adults self-identified as Jehovah's Witnesses.
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insidetheKH
@Never a JW
Sociologist Rodney Stark stated in his study about Jehovah's Witnesses:
The Witnesses claimed their average number of publishers in Canada was 100,991 for 1991. In contrast, the 1991 Canadian Census found 168,375self- identified Witnesses. What this shows is that there are many Canadians who report themselves to be Witnesses, but who are not counted as publishers. Consequently, membership statistics based on the average number of publishers offer a very conservative estimate. -
cappytan
JW response when rate of growth is high: "Jeehooobippityboppityboo is blessing the work!"
JW response when rate of growth is low: "Well, Jesus did say the road to life was narrow and cramped and that few would choose it."
See, folks? No matter what the evidence is, there's no way to show JW's that all they are is just another religion. They have this little mental condition called Confirmation Bias.
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Half banana
There is an obvious explanation of the survey numbers exceeding the WT figures. It is the nature of the JW religion to have many who identify with them and hold to the basic doctrine because they were brought up in the faith but no longer comply with the 'conservative' WTBTS criterion for returning a publishers report. This includes faders and disfellowshipped who still believe.
It is however to my surprise from reading here how the conservative figure itself disguises the fact that many JWs turn in false reports to maintain their identity and credibility in the congregations.
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OneEyedJoe
JW response when rate of growth is high: "Jeehooobippityboppityboo is blessing the work!"
JW response when rate of growth is low: "Well, Jesus did say the road to life was narrow and cramped and that few would choose it."
JW response to negative growth - Jesus was doing a purifying work!
When you start from a position that the cult is the ultimate source of truth, you'll find a way to explain literally any observation that doesn't line up with expectation.
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SAHS
And don’t forget about all those taking part in the glorious mass exodus out the back door of the organization. Only about 33% of born-ins remain in the church/cult. Not to mention all those other folks getting disfellowshipped (for stupid things like saying “happy birthday,” toasting and clinking glasses, buying a lottery ticket, etc.) and disassociating themselves. That completely lets out the precious little air in their tire that was there to begin with, especially in Internet-equipped countries. Now, there’s an ever-growing population even within third-world lands such as Africa and India which is becoming connected to the Internet. Pretty soon, you could go door to door – or grass hut to grass hut – in Timbuktu, Africa, and they will say, “Oh, you people! No thanks. I’ve heard all about your organization online. Now f^€# off before I get my machete!” -
adjusted knowledge
I have to agree with apostate insidetheKH, the JW numbers are conservative compared to what other religions claim as members. JW would only claim active members, and their definition of active is much different than other religions. I know people that claim to be Catholic but never attend Mass, or claim to be Baptist but never attend church. My mother claims to be a JW, but she is not counted. She hasn't done field service in years and rarely attends meetings.
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OUTLAW
Furthermore there are Kingdom Halls that do not meet the modern day standard and criteria anymore and therefor will be replaced by a new one.....InsidetheKH
WatchTower Modern Day Standard and Criteria..
Old Kingdom Halls on Prime Property are sold for a Huge Profit..
They are Replaced By..
New Kingdom Halls that will Be Sold for at a Later Date,for a Huge Profit..
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