The WT Isn't Going Away (sorry got long)

by LostGeneration 46 Replies latest jw friends

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  LostGeneration

  VG- False analogy, all of those items were easily replaced by newer, better items/technology. You can't replace a belief system where you also get all of your friends and family along with the package.

  jook- While their doctrines are shit, I'd say their evolution over the last 3-5 years has been very smart. They have let up in very tiny ways on the time commitments of their adherents (less meeting time, shorter assemblies, etc) while slowly reaching into their pockets. Contributions have never been high as the accounts servants are reporting, so they are starting to condition the minds of the rank and file that this is going to be part of the deal from now on.

  Meta - Thanks for the new title. As a quasi-apologist, I'll tell it like it is because it does active JWs no good to give them false hope that the WT is some house of cards that is going away any day now. Examples?

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/16051/1/The-Organization-is-Dying#.U4IWVfldVn8

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/16939/1/Will-Watchtower-Fold-Like-The-Taliban#.U4IWhfldVn8

  Twelve years ago! Today there are more JWs, the internet has probaby 50 times as much opposing content, and the WT has much more cash than they did back then. It works because the people involved in it want it to work!

  Until you or I can promise them everlasting life with endless fruit platters and a petting zoo, then its going to work.
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  bruh2012

  The WT is going away! the GB cannot give us information past the "new scrolls" opening the start of the 1,000 years and will not even attempt it! if they did it will show them up as making up stuff because there is nothing scriptural they can hook on.

  The GB/144000 has told us when their run will end in that life changing article this past year.

  They then presented the article that dealt with listening to the Elders since they will take over things eventually from the local level. Then recently the CO (their link to the local congregations) taking more control.

  Now preparing for the "there is nothing else to worry about" comfort time with a steady flow of cash to cover anything that comes their way, new fresh facilities, new controls in place they will be good to go til their rapture. Hoping yes hoping that their legacy go into the 1,000 years.

  True depending on when God decides to bring a new age we will have the WT in america the land of the free - unless they are made to go away due to a barriage of lawsuits even then they would just get knocked around.
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  startingover

  I think many JW's consider their work with the RBC to be their donation. I think there will be a decrease in the building and remodeling with the new arrangement, but if these JW's are used to donating only their time, it will be hard to get them to start donating cash.
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  metatron

  Much more cash? Really?

  Where are the two Awake magazines per month? Where's the vast number of books they used to print? Where's the food service at assemblies?

  Where are the District Overseers going? What are the 20+ year laid off Bethelites doing for a living? Where's the 32 page magazines? Where are the 3 day assemblies going?

  15 minute publishers? 70 hour pioneers? BOE letters with rules for what porn is OK because it's impossible to enforce? What happened to demonizing the internet? How did that turn out?

  Much of the Organization has successfully been defeated or chipped away. This process will continue. We are winning.

  It isn't blitzkreig style as I hoped but I'll take a successful Fabian strategy.

  metatron
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  factfinder

  Just to mention about book production. They still print a huge number of books each year. In 2012 they printed over 80 million, in 2013 it was over 100 million and will likely be over 100 million agaiin this year.

  The study magazines, large print and simplified English are still 32 pages.
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  DATA-DOG

  Whatever happens, happens. There is no reason to delay doing what YOU want or need to do. If you really believe the future GB are going to cut you a check when you get old, then keep contributing. Otherwise, fade. Don't play their games.

  DD
• 

  kaik

  I agree with the LG that the WT will not go away in our lifetime. What would cause WT to cave in would be a split where 1/2 of members would secede and create own church independent from GB. But this will not happen becasue everyone who left the cult knows that it is faith build on BS without any deeper spiritual and social values. When it comes to income stream, it is huge, tax free, and probably worth hundreds of millions of dollars per year. I talked to my relatives in Europe that told me that every congregation is now donating about $1500 per month into organization on top of the other expenses they need to run and maintain their KH. If there is 250 KH is Czech Republic, they generate over 4.5 millions of dollars per year. And that is not all the money from assemblies and memorials. Consider much wealthier KH is Western Europe and Northern America, the mothers fleece their members by millions of dollars. If CZ is the medium in income world-wide and its applied across all the KHs, borg receives about 2.4 billions per year. Think about it, it is a huge business.
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  kneehighmiah

  I want someone to answer me how the watchtower plans to replace the boatloads of young ones who walk away each year. the organization is like the United States social security system. It unsustainable. The majority of JWs are over 50 years old! That is a fact. Go to JWfacts and look at the statistics. We haven't had a large recruitment spike in nearly 20 years. Yes if youre a baby boomer the Borg May not fold in your lifetime, but it will eventually fold as have many billion dollar corporations.

  The governing body does not run the organization. They are a bunch of goofballs that's why they were fired back in 2000-2001. The real watchtower rulers are smart guys If the smart guys behind the scenes expected more growth, they wouldn't be cashing out and stealing alL The money from the congregations. Investing in income producing funds is a retirement/exit strategy. it works so that you can maximize your liquid assets before you die/go out of business. In my financial management class what was one of the strategies that retirees are encouraged to do? Oh yeah that's right, get a reverse mortgage, or sell your house and move to a smaller one. Hmmm what did the watchtower just do? The game is up and they know it. But they are wisely not getting caught with their pants down. with one letter they just stole Everyone's money and claimed ownership overly every kingdomhall in the world. The proceeds from the sell of any hall, now goes straight to them. On top of that they call all real estate shots at the branch level, no more RBCs.

  I can't believe how no one can see what they're prepaRing for. remember even here in the United States most witnesses are not wealty. We never sent off anything close to $1500 to the society per month and nobody donates anything at the memorial. At a memorial of nearly 300 people we recieved $70. I was accounts servant in an all black congregation, so maybe we are just cheap. Most educated people in the US are not JWs. Trust me, the watchtower is not making as much money as everyone claims they are. If they were, they wouldn't feel the need to do what they just did. Remember the guys behind the scenes are smart.
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  kneehighmiah

  Kaik. Sorry but there's no way they collect 2.4 billon. That would mean every publisher donates $25 a month. So that would mean my congregation of 120 should contribute 3000 a month. They didn't, in fact it was nowhere close to that amount. But let's pretend they did. Much of that money would still be eaten up to pay bills. So the branch wouldn't receive that full $3000 it would need to reach 2.4 billion. My congregation typically sent around $600-800 to the branch each month and paid kingdom hall expenses of about $600 a month for a total of $12-1400 total deposited in the boxes Each month.
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  Vidiot

  Maybe someone should start a thread with two lists...

  ...one showing all the arguments that suggest the WTS will continue to survive/thrive vs. one showing all the arguments that suggest the the WTS will decline/collapse.

  The list with more entries would probably be the likeliest outcome.