With the recent celebration of the Memorial, there's been some discussion here
(e.g., http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=24881&site=3)
and in other recent threads about the "social phenomenon" that is the partakers at the Memorial.
I've been looking at some actuarial data recently, and I've found that this "remnant" are UNEXPECTEDLY more vigorous than the other members of their generation. With my tongue planted firmly in my cheek I have concluded that this is evidence of the operation of the Holy Spirit upon this "class" even if none of the members of the class personally experience this benefit.
Here's an example - the number of memorial partakers in 1988 was approximately 8,000 - the same as it is today. The WTS will tell you in confidence that they figure that about HALF of the partakers last week are either LIARS or FOOLS and that the "actual" figure is closer to around 4,000 "real" members of this special class.
This is interesting: if the spirit-led WTS is right, from 1988 to 2002 the number of this class decreased by ONLY 50%.
How does this compare with the general population?
Well, if you look at the generation - can I use that word? - of Americans who were born in 1900, you find that only 13% of them were alive in 1988. By the year 2000, only 0.8% of that generation remained. If the count of the "remnant" of the "annointed" followed this pattern, there would be FEWER THAN 500 partakers alive today on planet earth.
The only possible explanation is that "something" has preserved this special class. I didn't know that snake oil could be so beneficial.
- Nathan Natas, UADNA
(Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America)