2013 Publisher Statistics now available from 2014 Yearbook.

by jwfacts 35 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  mariu

  Thanks for the graphs. Indeed, in Europe the situation is pretty much the same as the year before. It's still most interesting to me that those countries that were hit worst by the crisis (e.g. Spain, Greece) are seeing stagnation or even decrease, while some of the most affluent (Switzerland, Norway) are seeing at least a little bit of growth. My guess is that part of the reason is migration, but I'm not really sure. After all, Germany is slightly decreasing.

  And of course the ongoing stagnation in almost all of Eastern Europe, even some decrease in Poland and Bosnia (again, another country where you'd expect people to seek refuge in religion...). Given the high ratio of population to publishers, they would need considerable growth to catch up to the rest of Europe - but it's just not happening.
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  EdenOne

  mariu,

  one possible reason is that publishers are migrating from the countries more impacted with the finantial crisis, thus decreasing the numbers in their countries of origin, and move to more prosperous countries, thus increasing the numbers in the countries of destination. Germany currently isn't a very welcoming country for new imigrants, despite their relative prosperity.

  Eden
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  mariu

  Germany currently isn't a very welcoming country for new imigrants, despite their relative prosperity.

  Well I'm not so sure. Thanks to the EU/EEA, anyone can legally migrate anywhere within the participating countries (only exception being Croatia these days), and I don't see Switzerland or Norway being that much more welcoming than Germany to immigrants these days. Sweden has been taking on many immigrants from outside of Europe (and continues to do so, e.g. from Syria), but publisher counts are still stagnating.

  Even factoring in immigration, it's still interesting to see that people in the crisis-torn European lands, what with crazy unemployment rates and resultant poverty, aren't fleeing into the arms of The Truth en masse...
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  TheOldHippie

  "Thanks to the EU/EEA, anyone can legally migrate anywhere within the participating countries (only exception being Croatia these days), and I don't see Switzerland or Norway being that much more welcoming than Germany to immigrants these days. Sweden has been taking on many immigrants from outside of Europe (and continues to do so, e.g. from Syria), but publisher counts are still stagnating."

  Welcoming to immigrants: depends on whether they come from outside Europe or not. Sweden with stagnating numbers - but the majority of immigrants come from Syria, Iraq, in short Moslem countries and not much increase can be expected from these nationals. Norway has a huge immigration from Poland and Lithuania, and has an increase partly due to these nationals. Close to one in eight publishers come from these countries. Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic etc experience a stagnation and even decrease in the population and therefore have a very ageing population, because the younger ones leave for the wealthier European countries.

  One has to look at the population development of the countries in question before making quick comments. Japan has a very much ageing population and will decrease hugely during the years to come.
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  mariu

  Thanks for the background on Norway, TOH.

  Again, even considering migration, the overall picture in Europe is stagnation. And the baptism counts still keep falling from their highs in the mid-1990s. Frankly I'm surprised that publisher counts can still keep their levels when in some places baptisms have dropped to a third or so from 20 years ago - and that's not just a short spike, but an ongoing trend.

  Here's an interesting graph of the baptisms in Germany, Austria and Switzerland - affluent European countries that have been popular immigration destinations for many decades:

  
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  sir82

  Once everyone had a chance to get baptized the Armageddon will happen.

  That's funny. You're cute.

  So, Armageddon apparently won't come for another 2-3 thousand years, since there are well over 1 billion Chinese who have never even heard the term "Jehovah's Witness" let alone have a "chance to get baptized".
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  bats in the belfry

  .

  Taufen in DACH: Most of the baptisms in Germany/Austria/Switzerland are JW kids.
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  mariu

  Most of the baptisms in Germany/Austria/Switzerland are JW kids.

  Not long ago, there was a fairly good percentage of (mostly ex-Yugoslav) immigrants in the tubs, but I suppose that source is drying up as well.
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  jwfacts

  That is an interesting point that countries with low birth rates are getting almost no growth. I was just looking at http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/258866/1/Protest-at-district-convention-in-Budapest-Hungary about the flash mob in Hungary, where there is negative growth, and it really stood out how old most of the people.
• 

  WTWizard

  Inflation. All they need is children to be forced to become witlesses and dragged out in field circus instead of play, and those numbers go up without basis. Program their souls that the only way they can succeed is stay active as jokehovians and make them afraid of Satan, and they will stay in but miserable. Putting in the time so they won't be hounded by the hounders. Staying away from freedom because they are afraid that Satan will "possess their souls" (when it is actually angels, and joke-hova, extorting concessions from them and blaming Satan who really wants us free).

  And I notice the amount of time wasted. They are pushed harder to get more field circus time. Hounder-hounders put the kabosh on coffee breaks and dead time. They start threatening that joke-hova is watching how much time we are spending at Starbucks or McDonalds, in the car warming up, having Chinese fire drills with the arrangements (they can be made in under 2 minutes, with no confusion), waiting for someone to not be ready, driving too slowly, taking the long way to calls, or waiting for territory. Finish Street A, now what? Instead of immediately driving to Street B, they sit in the car--joke-hova wants them out on Street B now, even if they are not warmed up or cooled off. And still the time per publisher goes up.

  More than one in 8 publishers is a regular pious-sneer. Why? Houndings? Do they put in fake time slips? One way to pious-sneer is to show up for field circus, waste 30 minutes holding what amounts to Chinese fire drills with the groups, and then disappear and report a fake 80 or 90 hours for the month. I bet if the guilt trips were to stop, these numbers would go down because, when you are trying to force people into a religion, you need guilt to prop it up. That is how they program poverty and misery. People are not drawn to this, so they need to threaten. They also need to threaten those in the territory to get them to join. What's next, hunting down all those "not living up to their joke-hova dedication", taking them to court, and getting court orders for each and every one of them to pious-sneer and do as much as they absolutely can?