Just a thought about a WBTS Long-Term Survival Tactic

by DarioKehl 5 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  DarioKehl

  I've been lurking on here for weeks and thinking...

  After seeing all the recent noose-tightening in WT rhetoric, it does appear that they are shooting themselves in the foot. With the miserably low retention rate, burdened and uhnappy elders and the zombified elderly paralyzed in cognitive dissonance, it is inevitable that the numbers are going to dwindle sharply--and soon. I predict that by 2014, there will be major doctrinal changes that make "overlap" look like a walk in the park. Will they have to start referring to "Christ's Millenial Reign" as "Christ's 900-year Reign?" Probably not. IF they stick with 1914, they'll just say the New System will less than 1000 years before Satan is released again in the final test. However, I believe it will be necessary, as they see their numbers drop, that they will have to dump 1914 altogether and maybe just refer to is as "a significant period marking the last days." That will cause membership to fall as well. Whatever happens, they will HAVE to change something major to keep the doctrine alive. In doing so, many will leave. So, I have a theroy...

  With a massive walk-out, there will be major financial losses as contributions dwindle. Hence the sellout of the Brooklyn properties. But recently, there was an article (posted here a few weeks ago) discussing ways to contribute. Well, do the math. We have an even STRICTER elders' manual. We have been inundated with articles about apostacy and dealing with DF'ed people. The articles seem less and less biblical and more and more propaganda encouraging loyalty to "the organization." By drumming up a frenzy of anti-apostate, anti-nonwitness, anti-DF, anti-faded mentality, I can see how easily the WBTS will encourage those remaining, loyal, long-term dubbies to make donations through estates. That's right. It's kind of implied now, and many dubs do this on their own (dangle inheritence as incentive for relatives to stay inside). But mark my words. Soon, they will specifically call on all R&F to NOT LEAVE ANY PART OF THEIR ESTATES TO DISFELLOWSHIPPED RELATIVES. This scare tactic will work. They've already begun demonizing us. The tired old loyalists are dying off and they know it. What better way to buy time, absorb the massive decline in membership and accumulate enormous tax-free wealth than to specifically punish members who leave their DF/Ex/apostate relatives any inheritance. Don't think it can happen??? Look at the strongarm tactic of threatening elders and MSs who attend or allow their kids to attend college with the fear of being deleted. It CAN happen. And I believe it will.

  Thoughts?
• 

  OUTLAW

  The Overlapping Generation covers it..

  Anyone who doesn`t like it can either leave,or get thrown out..

  Life goes on in Watchtower World..

  ....................;-)...OUTLAW
• 

  DarioKehl

  I know of 2 people who are still in but don't believe anything. The only reason they're staying in is because they have a lot of inheritance coming their way. Good thing my parents don't have much! I'd hate to be bound by the fear of losing a fortune. Mark my words... we will see this admonishment in print soon. I can just see it now:

  "Although many faithful servants of Jehovah have invested their time building spiritual treasures in heaven, some may have felt it necessary to build a financial savings as they near retirement age. As this system nears its end, it is wise for true Christians not to rely to heavily on their wealth since we will all soon be "throwing our gold into the street." However, many have made a fine witness by willing some assets in their personal or family estates to the WBTS to further the preaching work in the remaining days of this wicked system. In some cases, perhaps a certain beneficiary of an inheritence is no longer a faithful servant of Jehovah. IT WOULD BE UNWISE FOR TRUE CHRISTIANS TO INCLUDE SUCH PERSONS AS BENIFICIARIES IN ANY WILL. Rather than benefiting anyone who chooses to eat at the table of demons, would it not be more wise to forward such assets toward an effort for expanding the kingdom message? Perhaps a donation could be made to the worldwide preaching work or the international building fund."
• 

  sir82

  You can dream of a "massive walk-out", but it is extremely unlikely to happen.

  If the WTS can survive the 1975 fiasco, a major GB defection, and flip-flops on blood, college, generations, etc.....what could posibly happen that would cause this "massive walk-out"?

  Keep in mind that

  (1) Most JWs have invested years, if not decades into the JW lifestyle. They have no desire to leave. As another poster has often written, you could have GB members sodomizing sheep on a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and most JWs would say "But it's still the truth!"...

  (2) there are 10's if not 100's of millions of people in the world who want, perhaps even need, an authortiarian body to think for them and tell them exactly what to do. If the entire JW hierarchy were to go "poof" literally overnight, most of the 7 million JWs would quickly be gobbled up by the Mormons, Scientologists, any of the dozens of other high control groups that are out there.

  People are JWs, for the most part, because they feel most comfortable being controlled. They just happen to be JWs because they were born into it or the JWs got to them before the Mormons or Scientologists or Moonies or whoever did.

  Put another way: there are 10's or 100's of millions of cult members in the world. If the WTS were to entirely disappear, most of the 7 million JWs would soon find a home with all those other people who have a personality like theirs.

  The JWs are here for the long run, like it or not, because they have a pretty successful business model, are lucky enough to control $billions in real estate assets, and fill a need.
• 

  WTWizard

  "You spent this much time and energy in this religion. Why abandon it now when you are so close to the reward?"

  That will be the logic that many witlesses will use. Yes, I believe that leaving an inheritance to inactive or disfellowshipped relatives will be looked at like they now do college (or even worse, as "associating with the wicked one"). And I believe that this will coerce others to stay active in the cancer, wasting more of their lives because they must meet field circus and boasting session attendance quotas in order to receive their toilet papers when their relatives die. In fact, I believe they might threaten such with not being resurrected if they leave inheritance to inactive or disfellowshipped relatives.

  The primary means of preventing massive exodus is always the thought of being so near the payoff. You see that in gambling--slot machines and lottery tickets that make losers think they almost won, and to keep trying when the payoff is so close. You see it in the stock market--why get out of dollar-denominated assets (that are soon to become toilet paper) when a big rally is "so close". And you see it with the witlesses--they invested so much, are so close to winning, and do not want to be out of it when the payoff comes. Any more than someone wants to sell off stocks just before the price goes to the moon, the witlesses do not want to leave their positions just before their reward.

  However, it is all a scam. Usually, when someone uses that logic (especially someone that is trying to sell items or has stake in your continuing to hold and expand your position in an investment), they are trying to dump their own stakes so you take a bath. They gain your money. In the case of religion, they want for you to stay faithful so they can reap your assets. They know people do not want to take a bath on the time and energy already invested on the religion. So, they scam them into investing even more until they die--ensuring that they will take an even worse bath. Part of it is threatening that they will lose everything if they pull out now--even leaving an inactive/disfellowshipped relative an inheritance.

  Effectively, this fear of taking a bath on their religious "investment" is what keeps witlesses from leaving en masse. They went through 1975, and stay in. They went through the "a generation", they stay in. They will stay in when 2014 comes and goes, because they don't want to take their bath and cut their losses. Some only invested 3 or 4 years of their lives; others, 20 or more years. But, either way, the lie that they are so close to their "reward(??)" will make them want to hold on because the amount they already wasted is small compared to what is left. So, they are scammed into staying in despite all this crap.
• 

  breakfast of champions

  As much as I would like to see a mass exodus, I think you can only really expect to see growth slow and even go negative especially in Europe, N America and other countries with access to Internet and education.
  There is definitely something to be said for people 'hanging in there' simply because they've already invested so much. 'When Prophecy Fails' by Festinger is a perfect example of this phenomena.