by Farkel 83 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Farkel,
I would only add that those who were adults in the "glory days" are now the aging lifers of the Borg. As they slowly wind down to the end of their spring and cease ticking, there will be a double-fold drop in ranks as their children realize the pointlessness of the sacrifices made with such zeal by the older generation.
Great post.
Eric.
"If God had not intended man to drink, well, he just wouldn't have."
Yeah,
But what is sad is not that the foundations are falling apart, but the followers who really did love God are left with no where to go. Because they incorperated salvation and their religion as one the followers missed the whole point of the bible. That salvation was thru Jesus... not man.
If we who have left need support, think of those scrambling in a daze now as they walk out their doors with no where to go.
I guess that is why we are here. To welcome the newbies.
Farkel,
I agree. The Glory Days Are Over. I was there in the late 50's, the 60's and 70's. Then they began to change so much. They lost their glow and became even more restrictive and dogmatic.
They just don't realize it yet, but they are done. They won't bow out gracefully.
People are becoming educated, and with education comes the freedom to think for one's self. The age of technology has opened the doors wide, and many are going through. They are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. The real truth.
They could have changed with the times. Modified their abuse, but no, they have chosen this route.
I fear there will be so many broken people who have absolutely nothing to hold onto, when the WTBTS closes it's doors one night, posting a sign that in the light of day, reads: OUT OF BUSINESS.
When that time comes, we are going to be very busy on sites such as this one.
Sentinel
ERIC SAYS:
there will be a double-fold drop in ranks as their children realize the pointlessness of the sacrifices made with such zeal by the older generation
@@@@@@@@@
I was thinking the same thing the next genration of young jw don't care about REACHING OUT, SERVING WHERE THE NEED IS GREAT = vacation pioneering, etc
One of the best indicator is the baptisms
i have been a jw all my life and only in the last 5yrs have i ever HEARD OF A CONVENTION WITH NO BAPTISM-
when i was at bethel i was told that 1% was what the Service Dept expected from conventions and circuit assemblies
1000 at a circuit is suppose to produce at least 10 folks and you expect to see at least 6or 7 studies and 3 or 4 jw kids
but you know it's bad when you got 1000 folks and 3 get baptized 2 being jw kids and 1 bible study which means 1000 jw preached for 6 months and they only got 1 person to get baptized
we will never see the numbers go up again in the WESTERN countries again
Great editorial, Farkel! You should send it to newspaper and/or magazine editors around the country. I betcha somebody WOULD publish it and maybe even interview you to go along with it!
JT, I liked your breakdown of baptism numbers. That IS revealing! All those hours walking and lugging my heavy-over-stuffed-bookbag over my shoulder for 10-11 years, and the ONLY person who I 'witnessed to'(TM) who ever came into the truth/got baptized was a construction guy who was working on the office building I worked in. And I 'planted that seed'(TM) to him at the office while I was at work, so it wasn't even in the door-to-door work!(TM) (It took him a few years, but he eventually did get baptized). All the other 'bible studies'(TM) generated from door-to-door, well they all were flakes and none of them ever 'took hold of the truth'(TM) to the point of getting baptized.
Grits
Great post, Farkel. We have not deserted the Ark but are leaving the Titanic.
Farkel, as you note, the 70's was a pivital decade. As 1975 approached the rules got tougher. They banned smoking. They tighted down on the dating and social practices of the young. They also applauded self sacrifice. After the 1975 fiasco, I thought they would lighten up. They didn't. They tighted it down even more, probably because of the problems at Bethel in the late 70's.
As you know, the decrease in growth began in the mid sixties, and now they are in decline in major countries. Their baptisms have dropped dramaticly over the last ten years. Baptisms are an indicator of future growth or decline, and the numbers are just not there.
Another fact is that in the 40's and 50's the memorial attendence was about 10% higher than the number of peak publishers. This would indicate that true believers and their Bible studies showed up. Now the memorial attendence is about twice as high as the number of publishers. This indicates to me that many who show up are relatives who are there once a year to appease their family, kind of like the nominal Christians in other religions that only go to church on Christmas and Easter.
Yes, indeed, times have changed.
I started studying in 1992, was baptized in 1993. At this time, some of the org's former glory was still lingering about. Fred Franz was still alive, the "Live Forever" book was being used to conduct studies (instead of the watered-down "Knowledge" book), they hadn't backed off of the 1914-generation or the sheep-and-goat doctrines yet, going to Bethel or missionary school was still a big deal, etc. In my short 9 1/2 years in the borg, the wheels really came off. They're running on fumes right now.
larc,
: As you know, the decrease in growth began in the mid sixties,
No, I didn't know that. From what I recall, the increase in growth from 1966 to 1974 was pretty impressive. Care to enlighten me and other dummies like me who didn't know any differently?
Farkel
"EricGuy"
: Without reading beyond Farkel's first couple paragraphs, or reading the assumed succeeding "atta-boys"...
Now why do you suppose that is? You don't get people to pay attention to your crap and I am lucky enough to get people to read my crap and I get a few "atta-boys" along the way. And you don't. Shame on you, "EricGuy". You simply need to be more "stylish" and pander to those people who long for TRUTH dished out in ways they can actually understand.
I guess that is the difference between you and me, "EricGuy." I speak simply and honestly about what it is, and you whine.
Farkel
