Thinking about the end of the Watchtower

by JeffT 34 Replies latest jw friends

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  JeffT

  First, a word about the Watchtower’s financial position: nobody (outside the Watchtower organization) knows. The WTBS is not required to disclose its finances, and doesn’t. We can speculate, but that is all we are doing.

  Secondly, and more importantly, I think the XJW community needs to consider what the demise of the WTBS might mean for Jehovah’s Witnesses. For generations now, they have been trained to look to the authority of the Governing Body for any decision they may need to make. As we all know, they aren’t allowed to think for themselves on the most basic matters. Where will these people turn when they’re way of life is kicked out from under them?

  I think that should something major happen to the Society we will see a wave of depression, anxiety and suicide the likes of which we’ve never seen. I expect that most Witnesses will eventually (or sooner) find somebody to tell them what to do. It would not be difficult for somebody (perhaps even the current governing body) to set up a new religion that looks very much like the old one. We’ll still be fighting the same enemy, he’ll just go by a different name.
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  sparrowdown

  Strangely and sadly if WT collapsed I think many JWs would still refuse to believe that WT is anything other than poor pure persecuted Christ's brothers and continue to pray for them and live as JWs.

  Those that are left with the WT security rug pulled out from under them will have to figure it out just like any of the millions of people worldwide leftover from controlling regimes that fell suddenly had to cope and figure it out.

  The German people who were in support of Hilter had to figure it out. People are resilient.

  That's life.Things change.
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  whathehadas

  Some of the original ExJW predicted that the WT would break up into splinter groups. It's highly probable that a governing body member or a overly ambitious elder would lead a group or two. At the end of the day, the WT beliefs would get carried over in some form to another group
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  voltaire2

  Don't forget the WT is a religion formed from the remnants of people who had been followers of Miller. Christians from many denominations really expected Christ's return in 1843 and 1844. When that movement fell apart people reorganized into several religions which are still with us today. When (if) the JWs fall apart, they'll likely just come back in another (or more than one) incarnation. There really is nothing new under the sun, I'm afraid.
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  Lee Elder

  There is always a market for desperate, gullible sheep.

  http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/national/biblical-prophecy-claims-the-world-will-end-on-sept-23-christian-numerologists-claim
  
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  shepherdless

  This topic is something I have been thinking about for a while.

  I think that should something major happen to the Society we will see a wave of depression, anxiety and suicide the likes of which we’ve never seen.

  I am sure it will be bad, but I doubt there will be large numbers of suicides. I think it will be similar to post-1975. A lot will leave and a lot will find some other reason to continue to believe. Another historical guide is the "Great Disappointment" of 1844. After the Great Disappointment, instead of disbanding, Millerites went on to form the Adventist churches.

  I expect that most Witnesses will eventually (or sooner) find somebody to tell them what to do. It would not be difficult for somebody (perhaps even the current governing body) to set up a new religion that looks very much like the old one. We’ll still be fighting the same enemy, he’ll just go by a different name.

  Yes, this worries me the most. Borg ver 2.0 will have a free hand to ditch the inconvenient aspects of its history and iron out the flaws in its theology. Borg ver 2.0 might be more difficult to deal with.

  However, Borg ver 2.0 will have some major hurdles. Firstly the current Borg is busy consuming all the cash and assets, selling surplus Kingdom Halls, etc. There may be less and less infrastructure available for Borg ver 2.0 to use. Secondly, the very centralised style of religion where everything globally is micromanaged from New York would be very hard to re-create in a relatively short period of time, and it would be a very daunting financial risk for even a member of the GB to try to do.

  In any event, even though I thing the Borg has serious long-term financial issues, I am not expecting the Borg to collapse in the near future.
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  Fisherman

  Let's say hypothetically that wt lost all property and money -like in Russia. Would that be the end of JW movement? Never. The nation of 7 million or more JW true believers don't need the wt corporations to exist, neither does the gb nor the organizational structure that leads JW. They will rebuild and restructure and use other means to govern and expand the movement. JW are not going to loose faith and start believing in other things if the wt as it is known today has to work out of a basement or a garage. WT leadership is going to push forward no matter what happens until the movement is vindicated or destroyed.
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  smiddy3

  The WT religion would probably end up with a lot of "Jimmy Swaggart" type ministries around the world all doing their own thing.
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  Gorbatchov

  My opinion is that with the current transformation with all the use of media like movied, video and tablets, and all the choir, gospel, country and reli pop music, the wts is searching for an adjusted place in the religion landscape.

  G.
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  Vetiver

  Hmm, I really don't see the Watchtower really falling completely. As a failed artist, just to see the body of work in paintings created before computer generated images became the thing is amazing. These artists, musicians, architects, and people work for free. I don't know who builds the main structures and such, but they made this thing in to a well oiled machine. I can't imagine putting my work, helping clean and maintain gardens, restrooms, make sandwiches, (when assemblies still served food), rudimentary construction, traffic difector at 6 am on a Saturday, child labor into a cummalitive amount of monetary gain. I gave of my time money and youth. I don't remember superintendents living luxiourosly either. Since it's recognized as a religion, you are free from taxes to. Now, if everything fell in to bankruptcy, I have a feeling they will blame Satan and new prophecies would pop up, and ...I'm starting to piss myself off just thinking about this. I'm gonna go watch Netflix for a bit.