If you think Watchtower is disappearing any time soon…

by Reservations 29 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Reservations

  You are sadly mistaken.

  I hear people say it on here all the time, and dare I say his name *cough* Lloyd evans *cough* has said it a number of times, that Watchtower is running scared and watchtower is in decline….

  We need to put in perspective the decrease from the 2020 report. It was 0.6%

  If we calculate a yearly -0.6 decrease over a 10 year period from 2020 figures it leaves us the grand total number of witnesses of:

  by 2030: - 7,933,479

  by 2040: - 7,471,357

  by 2050: - 7,036,154

  I agree that this is a significant decrease, but let’s not kid ourselves, the WT organisation will still be alive and well even with an annual 0.6% loss. Any reports of it’s near collapse are largely exaggerated.

  Although this all might sound pessimistic, I still hold on hope that something massive will cause the WTs collapse, one event that will bring it to its knees. But sadly, that’s all most of us can do, hope.

  Reservations
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  waton

  there was a steeper decline after 1925, 1975. so, if there is a great loss of members, look for a doctrinal failure, again.
• 

  FFGhost

  There is a market for:

  -- organizations that tell people who would rather not decide for themselves, what to do

  -- organizations that peddle too-good-to-be-true solutions for problems to non-critical thinkers

  -- organizations that allow small-minded people who would be (or are) failures in other aspects of life, to assert a measure of authority of others or meet some internally-contrived measure of "success"

  The WTS is far from unique in catering to this market. If the WTS were to "disappear" tomorrow, the market would still be there. The vacuum would be filled nearly instantly by some other organization(s). All the "displaced" JWs who have one or more of the needs outlined above would be "gobbled up" by those other organizations within months.

  The WTS is slowly, grudgingly, adapting to changing times. So long as they remain at least partially committed to rolling with societal changes, they will exist in some form or another. Almost certainly smaller, even less significant than they are now, but still there.
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  nowwhat?

  The end of the wt will be because of the millions of dollars of CSA lawsuits coming up. They are obviously hurting for money as it is with constant begging for money!
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  punkofnice

  Whereas speculation is interesting, I'll believe it when I see it.

  Even the Russellites are still around in some miniscule form/
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  truth_b_known

  Totally going away in the near future? Probably not.

  Re-structuring the business? Most definitely.

  I see the Watchtower transitioning from a company that publishes printed word and using Jehovah's Witnesses as a tax exemption instrument to a 21st century version of a tv evangelism company using Jehovah's Witnesses as tax exemption.
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  mickbobcat

  I don't give one good crap about how fast the cult is dying off. It can be here for a thousand years, but I will keep fighting it and telling everyone who will listen its a cult and dangerous.
  
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  Overrated

  There is a sucker born every minute, Watchtower will always find a fresh crop of suckers to RIP off. And they have us to warn the public.
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  Magnum

  I think it is flawed reasoning to assume a constant (or linear) rate of decrease. I believe the decrease will become greater (exponential) over the next few years.

  I think it's going to reach a point that a snowball or cascade effect will occur. I think the org fears going back to meeting in person because it's not going to be the same... the halls will be emptier and the preaching work will be weak. That can only have a negative effect on JWs. That effect could be contagious. As more and more wake up and leave or just become inactive, the effect can spread rapidly (exponentially).

  I've been monitoring exjw reddit and have found the number of JWs, especially young ones, leaving to be amazing. There are a lot of really insightful posts showing that these people have sized up the org, the religion, and the GB. They have seen through the deception. Young ones are not zealous and they are not deep-rooted in the org as the old-timers are, and the old-timers (those late 50's and above who can remember the glory days of JWdom) are dying off rapidly (and some are waking up, too). Barely any new ones will come in from the field, and those who do will not be the kind that can support and sustain the org. They won't be like the intelligent ones who became JWs in, for example, the 70's & 80's.

  It seems to me that the wind is not filling the sails of JWs anymore. JWism is a religion that is based on growth and a bold, strong preaching work. The growth is over and the preaching work is a faint, weak whisper. That will have to get a lot of JWs to start thinking. Also, the internet continues to destroy the org and the religion. And... as somebody already mentioned in this thread, the lawsuits are stacked up against the org.

  That "something massive" you mentioned could just be a tipping point at which a cascade effect occurs. There must be frustration now among the rank and file. There must be lack of zeal and lack of excitement. If they go back to meeting in person, the decreasing numbers will become more obvious. If they don't go back to meeting in person, the effect of meeting online could continue to weaken zeal (lots of anecdotal evidence on exjw reddit that it's doing that). The tipping could be reached and there could be a mass exodus. To me, the future looks really bad for JWdom.
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  joe134cd

  I would put it to the good people here that WT has done considerably well in its present environment. I would doubt the incidence of child abuse would be any greater, than say, the Boy Scouts. The mistake WT made was documenting it and their approach to it e.g 2 witnesses & Satans world. I watched the doco that aired in Australia last night and it was damning. This has to have an impact on wt. I believe they will probably go bankrupt before they lose their ideology.