by OnTheWayOut 50 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Not likely to happen. Witnesses LIKE being different from everybody. It is the defining fact of their religion.
Excellent point JeffT. That was pretty much Rutherfords marketing strategy, and it has stuck. If it belongs to traditional Christendom, then it must be wrong. Thats the formula in a nutshell.
"mainstream religion"
That's no way to run a cult!
HOW THE HELL DID I GET BORN INTO THIS?! WHAT WERE THE CHANCES?! How common is it that someone is born a JW? Oh, pardon me, not "born-in,".....what was the term? Become? I was born into a teensy weensy itty bitty 1 1/2 million world wide extremely high control religion.
To become mainstream, they would have to drop the control part of it all. I don't see them doing that.
If the JWs leaders dropped the claim of being the only rule-makers of a
literal 144,000, dropped the phoney efforts to make a dozen or so rules seem the
best ones indicated, and dropped harsh disfellowshipping for persistent dis-
agreement with those rules to keep those that got wise away from the steady cus-
tomers, they'd be mainstream (with an untrustworthy past).
If Erich Von Daniken dropped the pretension of being wiser than most of the
scientific community, and dropped the quote-mining, etc., to make unlikely
possibilities at best seem like proofs, he could be a mainstream author (with an
untrustworthy past).
If Uri Geller dropped the claim of being a psychic, and dropped the effort to
fool customers that his magic tricks were genuine shows of that ability, he
could be a mainstream magician (with an untrustworthy past).
If organized crime dropped the crime, and didn't pay people under the table
tax-free and without college requirements, it could be a mainstream business
(with an untrustworthy past).
If Peter Popoff didn't claim to be a healer, and dropped the radio transmitter
and tap water-type gimmicks, he could be a mainstream preacher (with an untrust-
worthy past).
They could become mainstream at any time, but then what would be their money
making distinction? Each have passed over the boundary of ethical concerns to
create a money-making niche and were happy to find a large enough group of un-
critical customers to become wealthy. The JWs leaders have treated those who
conscientiously questioned the program, including other JWs leaders, the same as
the others reacted to critics of their illegitimate methods--like enemies. Ex-
pose books about the JWs leaders, Geller, or Von Daniken may be more ethically
mainstream but don't sell as well as the literature or shows they criticize
because more people want to believe they're in on something special than find
out they're not.
The main obstacle that prevents the JWs leaders from going mainstream isn't
a critic, book, or the Internet--it's that the average mainstream preacher makes
a middle class income.
I feel that they COULD do it similarly as the Mormons did it. Mormons are not really close to mainstream teachings, yet because they stress education and success and their missionary tours are short at the beginning of adulthood, people generally accept Mormonism. Heck, one ran for president and they hold offices at many levels.
I don't think that they WILL acheive mainstream. I think that money issues will keep them in panic mode and their losing members to the internet and children leaving will keep them tightening the reigns. All that will prevent them from slowly making the changes to "just another religion."
They had a chance to stress education, but they have now demonized college because young adults leave the Borg. Low wages without overtime is stressed so heavily that the members will not be able to maintain half-filled Kingdom Halls. They will have to sell off properties and crowd more people into less buildings. Members will see how the selling off of buildings is all a big money scheme.
Another problem they won't be able to deal with is their extreme attitude toward involvement in government. It seems that Europe is already wising up to them. Russia and France are leading the way, but others will follow.
The average person doesn't care all that much about doctrine. If your Mormon neighbor wants to believe that the Native Americans are Jews, that's odd, but so what as long as he'll come over and help start your car when the battery is dead. Or loan you his router when you're redoing the kitchen. Mormon's are known to be good neighbors. I've known several well, they are generous, involved in the community and no where near as pushy about their religion as witnesses.
No one sees these qualities in JW's, as I said, they are proud of being different.
In a word...........................NO!
I already liked the JWs I met, but OnTheWayOut's asking about the WTS, not the followers. The followers can't decide anything about how it's run.
OTO..
JW`s become mainstream?..It`s never going to happen..
Who would persecute them?
Jehovah`s Witness`s need to be persecuted.
Even if it`s because they act like Idiots,at every Opportunity..
...........................
OUTLAW nailed it. They wouldn't be able to stand being mainstream, because being "persecuted" is proof of their being right.
