by TheJigsUp 37 Replies latest jw friends
It seems to me years ago there was something in the publications about the "Great Tribulation" versus "Armageddon." Something along the lines of that we would be in the Great Tribulation and we would not even necessarily be aware of it. That the longer the GT went on, the shorter (and more intense) that the Big A would be? Maybe I just dreamed that or maybe that was my own view point.
Either way, except for my JW mom, I really do not give a sh*t about the DubDoctrines anymore.
Snakes (Rich )
Next steps? Maybe it is to is herd as many JWs as possible into as few KH's as possible and then sell off the surplus KH buildings to raise money. Switch the JWs over to internet versions of the WT and Awake stduy issues and have the KH print them out for any bro or sister who doesn't have a computer (won't work for for poor countries). Next tell the JWs they can count field service time using the Internet, email, etc. - so they can reduce the number of public magazine needed to be printed. Release only oneprinted book a year at the conventions. Then release another online book for them, same price, too. They pay for the entire book upfront- but get to download one month's worth of the book at a time- which is all they can study in the KH B-S session- they can build suspense, as nobody can read ahead to the boring finish-
They have to know at Bethel that their old methods don't gain or retain members anymore. The WT org either has to change their way of doing business or design a business model that can still make money off of a declining membership. Going to internet books will raise a lot of money and perhaps get some younger kids involved.
Now, if you are going to do that- internet books, then a savvy marketing person at Bethel will sell hardware , too.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/205724/1/WT-to-release-tablet-computer-at-next-convention
Where even the players have been playing themselves.
exactly.
It would be pretty easy for them to "close the ark" then say that evidently Armageddon has happenedinvisibly and now "The Great Tribulation" can begin!
Those that were in the ark when this all happened will now have the extremely important work of checking with every land to gather those that have changed their mind.
Good thread, I remember the hints of a change in the "message" from "get on board" to "too late", too. My Dad subscribed to that, but I always thought it would be needlessly harsh, even though, like a few other JWs, I viewed the Big A as my own personal supernatural revenge fantasy, so it's not farfetched.
It would fit with the theory that GB2.0 is intentionally tightening the grip by growing more extreme in their positions, in order to weed out fence-sitters, apostate-sympathizers, and the rest of the riffraff.
Sure there's membership growth in the developing world, but that part of humanity is poor; the WTS needs increased revenue flow from the developed world to continue functioning; if the revenue flow in the developed world has reached a plateau, this would serve as both a purge for ideological "purity" and a cost-saving measure.
a cost-saving measure.
Yup. One way to make more money when you're not making more money is to reduce costs.
They will institute a form of "giving" that is not tithing, but almost, based on the idea that the Israelites gave their first-fruits to "Jehovah" and then lived on what was left.
The WT will say "Look at your weekly/monthly budget, work out what you can give to "Jehovah" (Jehovah=GB) fill out a standing order or direct debit for that amount and send it to the WT, then you live on what is left"
The Dubs will fall for it.
Switch the JWs over to internet versions of the WT and Awake
It would be a complete 180 from their current strategy, moshe. The WTS has just spent tens of millions installing new, German high-speed printing presses in the Georgetown Bethel. This is a big deal. They've got the presses up to 100,000 impressions per hour, which is right up there with the very best pressrooms in the world. The WTS has been seeking to differentiate itself from the rest of the world since its inception 150 years ago. The WTS regards the internet as an evil, wild place. Its own internet presense is minimal and regarded as necessary to reach those who would otherwise not be reachable. But books and magazines are tangible things. There is nothing like the comfort of holding the Holy Bible in your hands and feeling its pages. It's part of the schtick. If the WTS remains the only religious organisation that is not using the internet to get to people, it will be cited as yet another indication that it is God's chosen organisation.
@Lion Cask- I agree! The printing operations worldwide have been greatly upgraded (thanks for the info on Canada) and they have a huge number of books being produced in the 7 binderies outside of the US. ( In 2008 they made 28 million books in Wallkill and over 78 million more in the foreign branches- they spent a fortune to equip these branches with superfast presses and bindery eqipment) They upgraded to computer-to-plate in all the branches- this was an extremly expensive modernization! They have too much vested in large scale printing to just give it up.
I would much rather have a printed copy of a magazine or book I can hold in my hand and flip through the pages than read a pdf version on a screen. My jw brother refuses to go online, yes, he says the internet is 100% controled by the devil. The wt wants jws using the internet as little as possible-only jw sites.
And as the new yb shows- the number of publishers keeps increasing. Baptisms have increased- nearly 300,000 last year. Bible Studies are up to over 8 million- the number of witnesses could double!
Printing and distributing magazines and new books in many languages will continue for JWS.
Those looking for the wt org to suddenly fall apart will be very dissapointed.
