Death of JW ideology - Soon?

by excito-are 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  excito-are

  Being a Scotsman I find myself pround of the history of Scotland. However, there are many events that took place in Scotland that are simply shameful.

  Consider the time period of 1500 - 1650 where in Scotland over a 1,000 woman were burned at the stake accused of being a witch. This was a common ideology supported by the Church all over Europe. Many beleived woman being weaker than man were more tempted by the devil. Stories of men being stung by a bee were sufficent at time to prove that a woman with a grudge against that man had turned herself into the bee and stung him for revenge. King James vI of England and I of Scotland stated " God would not allow an innocent woman to be accused of withcraft if she was innocent, therefore all woman accused of witchcraft are guilty" With the progess of the enlightenment this chapter in history was closed and people wised up the fact that witchcraft, curses, e.c.t was nonsense.

  Fast forward 350 years from all that, and we look back and think how could anyone beleive that. Which brings me to JW ideology today. With most of the phophecies being fulfilled according to JW and 144,000 doctrine to name but a few teachings,remember these ideas are crazy to any logical mind at the moment, then how will they appear to anyone with little intelligance in 100 years? Even without another new enlightenment this ideology is really on shaky ground. We should not underestimate mankind and his ability to move forward from strange idealogies, even though it may take hundreds of years.

  What are your thoughts?

  Excito
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  sacolton

  I can imagine splinter groups from the Jehovah's Witnesses happening in the future. As long as men want power, I don't see the Watchtower going away anytime soon.
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  Meeting Junkie No More

  Excito-are:

  I have been thinking this very thing...I think the whole JW ideology is on its last legs...to die out before 2014...we are indeed in the days when "knowledge is abundant" as per Daniel(ha ha!); especially with the advent of the internet the flaws in the JW thinking are available for all to see...it is a house of cards ready to fall and I strongly suspect those at the helm are very much aware of the exact same thing but dare not reveal same to the rank and file...I believe we are very near the tipping point...good post!
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  Dogpatch

  "We should not underestimate mankind and his ability to move forward from strange ideologies, even though it may take hundreds of years." It won't take that long anymore. Well-aimed satire can say a lot in microseconds. :-)) Social evolution at present is incredible. Randy
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  sir82

  JW ideology will certainly change, probably significantly, but it won't go away any time soon. It fills a need for a relatively large proportion of the world's population. There's always going to be a certain segment of society that needs a big "motherly" organization to think for them and punish them when they've been naughty.

  Certainly, as the decades roll on, the promininece given to 20th century dates will have to drop away. How much do people today care about the French Revolution or the Napoleanic wars? In 2050, how much will people in general attach to 1914 or 1919?
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  leavingwt

  I think it will become increasingly difficult to recruit new members in developed nations. Especially people that don't have any previous affiliation with JWs, such as co-workers and family members.

  Broadband internet is the key, in my opinion. When my Dad was first contacted by the JWs in 1985, there was no option of using Google, in the privacy of his own home, to put these new teachings from "God's organization" to the test.

  JW children can find the real truth in only a few clicks.

  Cults need effective Information Control to keep their members enslaved. This is becoming more difficult each and every day.
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  sacolton

  Who knows how far and at what lengths the Watchtower will attempt to keep its members from doing their own research. Maybe they'll set up their own community (internet-free) in some remote spot and shuttle their members to locations to do field service. Once the Watchtower loses control of their members ... it's game over.
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  excito-are

  Good points raised. One of the reasons the Watchtower fear education so much is the fact it gives people crictical thinking skills. Dumb down your members and the more control you are likely to have over them.

  Time will end up killing many of the phophecies, consider the fact God gave final notice of his judgements through the trumpet blast described in revelation during the 1920's, this will become even more ridiculous during the next 100 years, along with all those illustrations of the separating work in the last days, like the fish (persons) that was suitable and the fish thrown away into the fire of destruction. What is the point of all this when the fish (persons) that are thrown away are to be resurrected again because of passing away naturally. They will have to eventually rewrite most of the phophecies related to 1914 - 1919 which is all most all of them, and that will test a huge number of them.

  Information from the internet as said, should slow up any real progress in growth numbers, that said my mum is having a study with a teacher and also a doctor which does surprise me.

  I guess it's a tough one to call.
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  Amha·’aret

  It's lasted this long and that in spite of many failed preditions. Most witnesses will obey the command not to look at any websites aside from the offical one. So they will hide themselves from the information even though its available freely and easily.

  The number coming in from "the world" may go down but you're still gonna get the kids of dubs being dunked. And of course the jws will continue to target the poor and uneducated on the ministry. They're far less likely to do research on the witnesses online IMO.
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  no more kool aid

  For me going back to school as an adult and applying all I was learning about common fallacies and logical thinking was one the first major cracks. However in my area education is sooo feared by JW"s even my kids were left out of the kiddie parties at our hall because I was going back to college. Now people my age have kids that will not get any kind of education (homeschooling very popular). They will never think outside of their family construction business, they will keep going to meetings (not really there but filling seats) I really don't see any major change happening here it will just going as it is.