The Watchtower is under siege from inside and outside

by suavojr 26 Replies latest jw friends

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  Splash

  There's a generational transformation going on as well.

  The older ones in the congregation are too invested and too technophobic to learn anything other than what is in the WT.
  These ones will take their dying breath while in allegiance to the WT (probably while on f.service).

  The younger ones are technology and information hungry and very comfortable researching everything.

  As time goes on and the older ones shuffle off their mortal coil, there will be fewer young ones filling the numbers.
  We are already seeing a dearth of qualified men, and all new recruits are, by and large, young teen born-ins.

  When there are a lot of young ones together there is peer pressure to stay in, but as the leaving and fading gathers momentum then that peer pressure reduces and the the leaving escalates.

  This doesn't happen overnight, it doesn't happen in a year, but over the coming two to three decades there will be a natural attrition which will not be compensated for. This will be intensified every time the WT comes out with another wacky idea.

  It's a slow process, but like the melting of the icecaps it has already started and is not easy to reverse.

  Splash.
• 

  DJS

  Splash,

  Rational, factual and well stated. I agree. It's kind of like the 'Arab Spring," which was initiated in large part by the 20 something Internet cafe young Arabs but 'hijacked" by their parents (Muslim Brotherhood, et al.). But time is on the younger generation's side, just as it is with the Borg. Nice comment.
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  dozy

  " I've been thinking, and I think have already mentioned on this forum, that it will be rare, if not dang near impossible, from now on for JWs to attract quality new ones (from the outside) and have them advance to the point of baptism. By "quality new ones", I mean just normal people with a decent dose of common sense and a decent dose of book sense.

  I don't see any of that kind of people coming in now. I don't even see them getting to the point of coming to meetings or having Bible studies for any significant length of time. "

  I've honestly not seen any adult baptised in the last 20 years who could be regarded as a "quality" person. It's not just JWs - all the cults are struggling. I asked the local Mormon missionaries who were just coming to the end of their 2 year passage if they had managed to convert anyone and they said the only one was a rather nutty lady of our mutual acquaintence who also had studied on and off with JWs for years. They were just chuffed to be getting back on the plane to Utah , find some pretty girl , get married and have some babies. Anyone who even is inclined to get involved with a funny religion with any nous just googles these days and finds out the facts before they commit themselves.
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  hoser

  You have a good point dozy. many churches are struggling to keep membership in North America. I know a catholic who is in management in the diocese. He says that only the old people attend and that very soon they will be forced to close parishes.
• 

  suavojr

  splash said:

  There's a generational transformation going on as well. The younger ones are technology and information hungry and very comfortable researching everything. As time goes on and the older ones shuffle off their mortal coil, there will be fewer young ones filling the numbers.

  Very well said, they are having problems recruiting new quality people and the younger ones are not afraid of technology and are hungry for knowledge.

  In my congo we have JW's with professional careers such as:

  • VP's in the banking industry
  • Regional Managers in manufacturing
  • Managers in the technology industry
  • Nurses
  • Supervisors in many different industries

  All these JW's make healthy contributions, just to mention a few examples, just from 10 JW's we get almost $1,500 each month and we have 150 publishers. (I know this because I am the account servant) But all this money comes from smart people who are die hard JW's but have a career, how will the WT survive with poor quality people that can’t move things forward financially?

  The young ones are dropping like flies in my area and the adults brothers are not reaching out. The WT has a big problem in their hands and the leaders know it.
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  kneehighmiah

  Hey JWfacts, can you post hte numbers about how many hours it takes to get a new person baptized? If possible can you determine if this number of hours is higher in western lands compared to the worldwide average? I believe these numbers will show how the org is slowly dying. Many religions have come and gone throughout the 20th century. Just because JWs made it for 100 years doesn't mean they will last forever without significant changes. Totalitarian governments tend to be short lived. In the grand scheme of things 100 years is a very short time. The WT will fade away within 30 years. There are no intelligent young people to take charge and the failed prophecies will be fully evident. Something new will take its place.
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  suavojr

  Unless kneehighmiah that a major worldwide event takes place and they use it to boost their so called prophecies