Most of my family have been members since the early 1970's.They attend 3 meetings per week,fly or drive to summer assemblies,preach the average 10 hours per month,and read the same boring Watchtower Magazine week after week. The congregation has lost nearly all the young teens,many have quit attending all the meetings,some divorced,and some members just going thru the motions. I'm never going to question them on why they still remain members but shouldn't all the promises of "this generation never dying" make them question the WTS.... just a little? Besides promises.....what does the WTS offer?
What do you feel is the reason the WTS succeeds in retaining its members?
by RULES & REGULATIONS 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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yknot
Structure
The cost of losing everything if you leave
Converts don't wanna admit they made a mistake
The 3 core
"Tradition"
Denial
Keep'em busy to keep 'em blind.
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Quandry
Maybe they are really sincere. I was.
I wanted so bad for the earth to be a paradise where no one would have to die. I really really thought "this system" couldn't go on much longer as it was. Questions? I pushed them to the back of my mind.....I wanted to serve God and have my family live and thought I must do everything in my power to please the WTS to make it happen.
This for over thirty years.
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DanTheMan
They attend 3 meetings per week,fly or drive to summer assemblies,preach the average 10 hours per month,and read the same boring Watchtower Magazine week after week
There's your answer. JW's put so much time and effort into their religion, it is unthinkable to them that they have made such an enormous time investment into a fraudulent, worthless cause. A lot of people simply can't handle that kind of shock, and they do everything in their power to avoid the possibility of it.
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chickpea
all of the above.....
some people like to know tues is ministry school, wed is service, thurs is book study, yada yada not a free thought in my head
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OUTLAW
Some stay.....2/3rds of all people born into the JW`s..Leave..................
...OUTLAW -
WTWizard
(1) Opportunity cost of leaving. They artificially jack up the opportunity cost of leaving by cutting you off from family. Some people fall for offers of employment and housing, so if they leave the religion, they suddenly find themselves homeless and jobless as well.
(2) Constant hounding to obey the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger no matter what, even if they are blatantly wrong. You are not supposed to look at independent sources, as they are from Satan and will mislead you into forfeiting everlasting life.
(3) People are too lazy to do their own thinking, so they let those humanoids do it for them. Of course, the humanoids will take unfair advantage of them. They suffer from their laziness.
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mind my own
Its all they have ever known, they are comfortable...
MMO
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lisavegas420
One time I asked my dad.."But what if you're wrong?"
He said, "I can't be wrong! If I was wrong, it would mean I wasted over 40yr of my life! I can't be wrong!"
lisa
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wobble
Thank you Barefootservant,
I believe you have it spot on,but how can we break through that mindset,I have nearly all my close family,and some dear friends still"in". I know this has been discussed but how do we help them to open their eyes and hearts?
Love
Wobble
...OUTLAW