They wlll always have new people coming in but the majority of the congro's are getting older particularly the inner city ones were it is expensive to live. They are struggling to get men to be Elders and m.s's and this can only get worse as very few young ones stay around. Karter.
With up to 70% of young ones leaving what's the future of the jw's?
by karter 23 Replies latest jw friends
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Londo111
It's a cult. Not everyone gets or remains indoctrinated.
99.99% of those preached to are not interested and most who do study eventually quit along the way.
Those who are born-in do not have a choice but to undergo the indoctrination process. But even so, only a minority get and stay indoctrinated. Even for those indoctrinated, eventually some do fall afoul of the many rules and find themselves thrown out.
I wish I had been smart enough to get while the getting was good like most of the other kids who I grew up with.
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ToesUp
They will still be around. There will be those who just stick around for family and friends (they know TTATT but can't leave) and then there are those who know NOTHING else. We have family members who have NO life out of WT. No jobs or they are self employed. They live in there own little world. None of them have planned for the future (old age and retirement) so are now scrambling or worrying about their financial future.
WT will be a much smaller cult than is has been in the past but it will never go away. There is a sucker born every minute, so there will be those who are down and out in life that will gulp down the WT kool aid.
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DesirousOfChange
WT will be a much smaller cult than is has been in the past but it will never go away. There is a sucker born every minute, so there will be those who are down and out in life that will gulp down the WT kool aid.
An economic downturn (as predicted after the Trump win) is an example of when some people look for an excuse for their dire situation in life and for an easy "fix" for their problems. There is better excuse than: "it is not your fault -- it is Satan's fault" and no better "fix" than: "Don't worry, be happy, Jehovah is going to fix it all.........soon.". . . . Doc
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ToesUp
Exactly DOC! Just look at how full the Kingdom Halls were just after 9/11. People you had not seen in years just showed up. Shortly thereafter, they all disappeared again. Poof...gone!
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steve2
Rural and small town kingdom halls are closing, with the few Witnesses in those regions needing to travel extra distances to get the nearest halls - I can't see how having a greater distance between kingdom halls will result in "newly interested ones" wanting to travel so far to attend - and it will likely be a disincentive to at least some active JWs to do so.
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scratchme1010
They wlll always have new people coming in but the majority of the congro's are getting older particularly the inner city ones were it is expensive to live. They are struggling to get men to be Elders and m.s's and this can only get worse as very few young ones stay around. Karter.
Seems like people are still having a hard time understanding that the WT is no longer relying on their people, nor on their preaching to thrive financially. They have a real estate business that is thriving and growing, so they can't care less if they lose people in the long run as that's no longer what they rely on to survive.
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Spiral
scratchme1010 Seems like people are still having a hard time understanding that the WT is no longer relying on their people, nor on their preaching to thrive financially. They have a real estate business that is thriving and growing, so they can't care less if they lose people in the long run as that's no longer what they rely on to survive.
I agree. In the end, as long as the income flows from the real estate business, they (meaning, the smarter businessmen hinding behind the GB) probably don't really care about what the publisher numbers are. If they can survive the financial fallout of what might be an upcoming child abuse scandal, they will think they are "set".
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Crazyguy
All those that leave a certain percentage still believe in it so some always come back. I think with all the problems With the cult and the internet more people will wake up when out but again theres always those that stil believe and come back. -
Sorry
Honestly, I think they won't necessarily care since, as previously mentioned, their real estate ventures are thriving. However, if they care about their numbers dwindling, they have 2 options (unlikely they'll do it).
1) They can change much of the doctrines and claim it as "new light" and line it up with better, more accepted interpretations (they won't do this because then they lose their special snowflake status)
2) utilise the benefits of social media, get involved with more charities and programs and expand beyond the door to door ministry (they won't do it because goes against "preaching is the only meaningful work" schtick)
The Org is definitely going to keep taking hits with the power of the internet however...