Kind of looking for a quick update

free2beme

I have been out of the religion since 1996. I used to come to former Witness boards a lot in the distant past, and then I lost interest in the subject. However, with a couple relatives still in and passing the 1914 one hundred year mark, I find myself looking to see what a modern Jehovah's Witness is believing. Could I get kind of an update on some things. Namely the following.

Do they still believe the end could come at any moment? I grew up being told that I might wake tomorrow to the end, because of the generation of 1914 (I know that changed). Do they still believe the end is close and how do they account for so much time to have passed?

Are they still saying the preaching work is done, and if so do they still consider China as not included in the world?

I read some where a while back that 2034 was some how being passed around as a new date, do to something with Noah and some crazy time frame of 120 years past 1914. Is this being taught.

When I looked at the number of Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide, it does not look like much growth since I left. Maybe a million or so, but not much growth in the United States. I also noticed that countries like Japan were shrinking. How is this being handled?

Who is the head of the religion now? (Please do not say Jesus Christ, as we know that is BS).

I heard through someone that people who faded (Like myself) are now supposed to be treated as DFed to wrap up that loop hole. Is this true?

One last question. What is up with jw.com, as I was in front of a Walmart and the Witnesses had a booth and were heavily promoting it. Did they change their views on the usefulness of the internet (When I was there, it was still aol).

I appreciate some updates, as I never ask Witness relatives. If I did, they would think I was wanting back in or positioning myself to attack them.

Wild_Thing

Yes, now the internet is a wonderful blessing from Jehovah! And everybody carries around their electronic devices.

And ... are you sitting down? Now, there's this: http://tv.jw.org

berrygerry

1a. Yes.
1b. They don't. (Although, see the phenomenal explanation - WARNING place airbags around your brain - http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102014240 )

2. They don't say one way or another.

3. TBA

4. It isn't - just total numbers - mainly in Africa

5. GB is now exclusively the FDS (legal runs it, though)

6. Yes.

7. Yes. New light - JW Internet is good - the rest is bad and from Satan.

Village Idiot

Goodness, free2beme, haven't you been a member of this forum for 10 years with over 4,000 posts?!

Well here goes,

Do they still believe the end could come at any moment? I grew up being told that I might wake tomorrow to the end, because of the generation of 1914 (I know that changed). Do they still believe the end is close and how do they account for so much time to have passed?

Yes, always. They changed the interpretation in the 1990s and then changed it again recently. I'd tell you what they currently teach but it is completely incomprehensible. Something about there being "overlapping generations".

Are they still saying the preaching work is done, and if so do they still consider China as not included in the world?

They don't care about China although I'm sure they'll explain it away as they've always have.

I read some where a while back that 2034 was some how being passed around as a new date, do to something with Noah and some crazy time frame of 120 years past 1914. Is this being taught.

Nope.

When I looked at the number of Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide, it does not look like much growth since I left. Maybe a million or so, but not much growth in the United States. I also noticed that countries like Japan were shrinking. How is this being handled?

They, like most organizations that try to expand, run upon a law of diminishing results where it's harder and harder to just add a few extra to their numbers. Also, because of the stressfulness of being a witness they have a high dropout rate. I'm surprised they're not diminishing in the US but you can't trust their statistics.

Religion loves misery though, so it's not surprising that they would be growing in impoverished nations.

I heard through someone that people who faded (Like myself) are now supposed to be treated as DFed to wrap up that loop hole. Is this true?

Yes but it's not the first time they've done that. They did it in the 1980s and it was the reason Ray Franz was disfelowshipped for having dinner with his employer/landlord who had disassociated himself.

One last question. What is up with jw.com, as I was in front of a Walmart and the Witnesses had a booth and were heavily promoting it. Did they change their views on the usefulness of the internet (When I was there, it was still aol).

It's jw.org and they are going full tilt on the Internet. They even have a JW channel at http://tv.jw.org/#home. They also have a children's cartoon featuring a pencil necked boy named Caleb and his pencil necked sister Sophia.

OnTheWayOut

While they still believe the end could come any minute, they now teach that the "generation" in the Bible was one that started with anointed seeing the beginning of the sign about 1914 and includes the lifetime of other anointed ones whose lifespan overlaps theirs and continue's until the last part of the sign. (Yes, it makes no sense.) They don't really talk about how much time has passed except that it's short to Jehovah.

The work is done, the work goes on. They say it all. There was something about community responsibility, which means if China prevents the preaching, all the Chinese destroyed by God is on them, not him. Similar to a child destroyed because his parents rejected the doctrine.

the growth is tiny tiny tiny. Might soon be fictional. They act like they are growing. If they ever report negative numbers, they will probably say its evidence that the time is near.

While the 7 Governing Body members are the leaders, and more visible than they used to be, appearing on video on the Internet, lawyers probably make all the final decisions.

they could not beat off the Internet and embrace it now. They seem to be totally reinventing themselves as jw . Or and will be completely different from their past eventually.

PokerPlayerPhil

Village-Idiot nice summation of events, maybe this user's not aware of the troublesome old change in JW Theology of the "Never Ending Generation" Old Man Barr created while free-styling it at the AGM back in 2005? This teaching is blurred lines, no JW can explain the "Generation Teaching" using the Bible, Dictionary or historical doctrine of Judeo-Christian teachings, a teaching so distorted their trying to avoid talking about this little gem every-time someone brings it up! You did a great job bringing this guy up to speed, well done!

While listening to a news clip dating from the 1990s amazing how things on the politics spectrum has not changed one bit. People were worried Bill Clinton was going to take their guns (1996), Government was going to take over our lives and steal from the rich citizens protecting the poor. The Republicans were saying they were against spending-deficits (Gulf War 2, Medicare Part D Drug $1 Trillion dollar expansion) and claiming they were protecting the seniors from dipping in Social Securities Trust Fund (The Republicans have been trying to dig in to this Fund since the 1980s and recently some Republicans are trying to get their hands on the Social Security Trust Fund, what dicks!)

It's true, "Headline News is the same bad things happening to new people!", how soon we forget the past and that's how the Watchtower Religion likes it, they hope people forget how bad the Congregation was and hope their new brochure draws them back in this Black Hole of emotional and mental freedom!

TheListener

I am faded and not treated as disfellowshiped...yet

Also, the bookstudy was cancelled and wrapped into the TMS and the mags only come out once monyh. There is a public watchtower and a witness watchtower that contains the study articles.

There are 2 one day assemblies each year and the district is now called a regional and it's always 3 days. I think it will shrink to 2 days in a year or two.

The anointed numbers continue to climb. There are now over 14,000. 1935 no longer has significance.

free2beme

Thank you, and yes TEN YEARS since I joined this forum. However, while I read a lot then ... not so much now. It has been more the fact of time, and life moving on. However, things came up lately in which I wondered what was up in the JW world and knew this site was the place to find some REAL answers. SIMON sure has upgraded the place from the early years. Thanks for the responses.

FayeDunaway

Free, I came here for the exact same reason, wondered what the new stance was on 1914 and if the disfellowshipping policy was changing! And then I got addicted....

Im faded so I'm hoping there's not much truth in the 'treat faded as df'd' thing...but come to think of it, my family doesn't see me or talk to me unless something big happens...so maybe it's already happened and they just didn't tell me!

jwfacts

It is much the same at the core, but with plenty of minor adjustments. The Governing Body are pushing more than ever for total obedience.

I think the Watchtower's latest Generation teaching best highlights the plight of the religion. Since the generation is almost all dead, they now explain it as an overlapping generation. It is such a shallow concept, a grasping at straws, yet the older JWs lap it up, showing just how desperate they are for the end to come. I personally feel the younger ones are no longer as involved, and go along for the ride for family and friends.

Kind of looking for a quick update

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