How is it f'n possible JW's biggest religious increase 4.4%
by troubled mind 43 Replies latest watchtower bible
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Black Sheep
Easy.
They have a data entry error for 2010, which also caused an error in the 2010 edition, (when they scored the WT at 2% and the WT gave itself 4.4%)
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ldrnomo
As LWT said on another thread on this topic when he was quoting randy waters well, I'll let you look at it bottom of page
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jwfacts
The figures are incorrect. They had 1.7%, which is similar to the Mormons. Interestingly, the groups experiencing growth are the 19th century US "cults" of SDA, JW and LDS.
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just n from bethel
I did a quick search online, and although nothing official is actually out there, Mexican illegal immigration has had double digit ANNUAL percentage growth in the US in the last decade.
When I was in spanish last decade, our CIRCUIT split 3 times in 5 years.
Spanish growth plus foreign language is likely 90% of the growth. The other 10% is 5 year olds turning in a time slip for putting a tract in the door.
Not knocking the spanish immigrants - but, these folks breed like salmon. And if one comes in - the whole family does. Moreover - many of the ones that become JWs are not literate, so many of them are just doing it for family. They have no idea about the beliefs.
I've had a couple COs and friends at bethel tell me that English only has had negative growth for years.
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just n from bethel
You can sort of see how the spanish is leading the way in growth by looking at Mexico and Brazil. Look at their growth over the last decade. Why? Hell if I know. I don't want to say that it's their lack of education, but - like I said, hell if I know.
What I am certain of - is that in the US - if it were not for Spanish, you'd have no growth, probably negative. That's from COs and Bethelites.
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villabolo
Just in from bethel:
"What I am certain of - is that in the US - if it were not for Spanish, you'd have no growth, probably negative. That's from COs and Bethelites."
Yes, being from Southern California, it makes sense. "Fortunately" (sarcastically speaking), Pentecostals seem to be outgrowing JWs amongst Hispanics.
Villabolo
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factfinder
I agree that the English speaking congs in the US would have little or no growth- it is coming from the spanish witnesses.
I find it surprising though, that some believe most witnesses lie about their fs time. I do not believe that.
If you believed what the jws taught , which I did, that is why you went out in fs. Jehovah knows what you are doing.
Most who post here seem to be ones who were raised as witnesses, hated it and left. Maybe such ones lied about their fs. But I CHOSE to be a witness. I sincerely believed in it and was honest about my fs reports. What is the point of lying unless you dont believe you are serving Jehovah?
If wt exagerates the pub figures than why do outside sources such as census data always report MORE witnesses than the yb does?
I'd find it hard to believe that most jws make up their fs reports. I worked in FS with ones who did NOT report- I knew they had in at least the hours they put in when we worked together and I saw what their placements were. But they did not hand in reports.
Regarding those of you who lied about your fs reports: obviously you did not believe what jws teach and did not believe you were serving Jehovah and that it mattered if you lied to him or not.
Why is it suprising to some here that jws are increasing? Whether we no longer believe in what they teach anymore or not, they are not going to suddenly collapse and fall apart no matter how much some who hate them wish it.
World conditions are terrible, the economy is horrible- no doubt this concerns many who will listen to the witnesses and find comfort in their message.
"Apostates" make up a very small minority. I know many here wish they'd have a major influence on getting many witnesses to leave but it is just wishful thinking.
Anyway- I am no longer a witness (although officially am inactive) and I understand the feelings many here have against them, but what I do not understand is the seeming shock some seem to be having over the fact that the witnesses are increasing. The pub figures reported do not even include many thousands or more who preach in the banned countries and in any given month tens of thousands share in some type of fs but do not report it. Thus even if some make up their reports the figures in the yb are conservative.
Even after I stopped going to meetings I still shared in letter writing and informal witnessing and placed literature, but I did not report any of it.
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free2beme
I think it is human nature to want something we left to fail. We want our divorced mate to fall flat without us. We what are old job to go out of business without us. Lets also face it, we want religion we lost faith in to fail too. Which is just an example of wanting to confirm somewhere in ourselves that we made the right choice in life. Like it is the final peice that says, 'look, I was right in what I did.' However, if that is the only thing that gives you comfort, then you might want to question your exit all together. As, to me, I see things like this.
Every man and woman in this world, will fit with someone (if not with me)
Every job I hated, is a dream job for someone else. (which is why business succeed)
Every religion out there, did not become a known name by having ideas that repel people. Someone out there, wants that religions hope. Someone out there, like's that religions hope.
So basically, the population is growing and getting larger and larger. With that, an increase in the amount of people who like these teachings grows. Basically, math is easy to see this way. 1% of a 1000 is not as 1% of a billion. Yes, still one percent (which is a statistic), but a larger actual number. Hope that makes sense.
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factfinder
@free2beme- you are right- I wanted the place that fired me to go out of business. It is still there. (sadly).
There was a time being a jw was for me. I was VERY zealous in it and loved it. Then, as time went on, it did not fit as well. Now it does not fit at all.
Jehovah's Witnesses will keep on growing despite its being a mind controlling cult that has ruined our lives. None of us can or will stop it.
Each year jws print and distribute over 2 billion peices of literature in over 500 languages in 236 lands. Like it or not- hundreds of millions of people read something jws publish each year. Some will find it appeals to them and will become witnesses. This will keep going on.
I do not need to see jws decrease to know my leaving was right for me. Would I like to see decreases? yes- but the only ones I ever saw was:
1977-1%
1978-1.4%
Two small decreases , probably because of 1975.
Yet a part of me is also happy to see the increases. Strange, huh?
4% (2% last year) is just relative. For jws it is good as it was the largest increase for 1 year in a long time. But 4% of 7 million is a much smaller number than 4% of a billion.
But how many of the billion Catholics really obey and follow their faith? How many go to mass every day? How many truly obey the Pope in everything?
To be a witness, you must preach and turn in your fs report each month. And even if meeting attendance is going down the witnesses still have a higher percentage of attendance at their meetings than other religions do, right?
If you cannot be happy having left the witnesses unless you see them decrease or see the wts fall apart ( not going to happen) then I agree with free2beme- maybe you should re-examine WHY you left.