Prediction of Watchtower in a Few Years

by Foolednomore 72 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Hellothere

  Reminds me of the Nixon vs Kennedy tv debate 1960. First televised Presidential TV debate. Nixon came to studio directly from hospital. Looking really tired and didn't put makeup on. Kennedy came suntanned and full of life force. Voter's at home liked Kennedy more for that reason and Nixon lost the election. He didn't realise how important television would be for election. There are similarities with how org put GB Infront of camera. Not thinking what image that would give. They made a good website with all different languages. But have they treated the flock much better they probably wouldn't have the troubles they have to day with ex JW community.

  Proverbs 18:19 An offended brother is harder to win than a fortified city, and disputes are like the bars of a castle
• 

  mikeflood

  Ohh...just one weekly meeting, as a consequence less KH. A bonus, one month your meeting is gonna be midweek, next Sundays. Preaching is gonna be mandatory as always, but just for campaigns several times a year.

  A wild guess, you are gonna be able to celebrate birthdays again, of course being circumspect.

  A big no, no for people to being in the WT is the amount of meetings and the celebration of birthdays
• 

  Balaamsass2

  I think it depends on how Watchtower will DEFINE what a JW is in the future....and how much they will use a "Theocratic strategy" to lie about membership numbers and activities. The "SPIN".

  Are we talking about the number of ACTIVE publishers getting a few hours of REAL service EVERY month? Active literate publishers with the internet, who know enough JW doctrine to answer questions prior to baptism? Watchtower IS seeing most growth in third-world places without internet access, with low literacy, and with little understanding of JW doctrine.

  Will Watchtower start counting members like the Catholic Church does...attendees for major holidays, weddings, baptisms, etc. (Humans DO like to socialize and have a "tribe")?

  If a group of people who can't read or understand JW dogma/literature, arrange a dozen benches under a big tree, and everyone "partakes" and takes turns talking...is that a NEW JW Congregation? :) ...it is all about who does the counting...is it not?

  A number of Adventist groups are gone. The Shakers are gone. Most Christian Scientists are gone. Quakers were BIG at one time. Most of the Russelites are gone.

  Most literate Americans and Europeans are becoming less religious. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/22/us-churches-closing-religion-covid-christianity

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Former_Christian_denominations

  I think that as long as there are assets to sell, and sheep to fleece, Watchtower will continue to exist in some form, if simply to insure a comfortable retirement for the elite. It will simply look different.
• 

  Vidiot

  What Balaamsass said.

  Take every stat the WT puts out with a Gibraltar-sized grain of salt.
• 

  joe134cd

  Balaamsan2 interestingly I have attended a SDA church, and found it to be full of mainly older folk with a lot of empty seats.

  I’ve also attended a Christian Science church and found that to be even worse. There were only an handful of attendees in a church that once seated 100.

  Both church locations were what I would consider prime realestate.
• 

  Foolednomore

  For real there is maybe aatthe most 2 to 3 million Jw's, not the 8 million that Watchtower boost about
• 

  joe134cd

  Foolednomore: I totally disagree with you. Here is a link to a mormon perspective of membership numbers. It starts at the 1:38 mark.

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/4801405261447168/comparison-between-jws-lds-sda-mexico

  Some interesting statistics. The 2020 census for Mexico stated that there were 1503909 who identified as JW. That same year Watchtower claimed to have a membership of 864689. This report says the JWs have a 177% truthfulness in reporting its membership in Mexico. Compared 23% for the lds and 102% for the SDA. Another thing that isn’t mentioned is that all 3 religions seem to be with in a ball park figure of each other.

  I live in a wealthy western country, and the census figure has always been twice that of what watchtower reports. It’s been like that for decades. Although I can only report of 2 different countries, I have anecdotally heard similar reports from various other parts of the world. The point I’m trying to make is that if Wt were cooking the books with 3mill one would expect for this to be exposed in the census, and this is just not the case.

  Ok then let’s look at Mexico and my country from a different perspective, and let’s say Wt is cooking the books by 55% e.g 8mill is actually 3mill. Then that would indicate a huge interest by the public, and certainly room for growth. What option would you like to accept?
• 

  Foolednomore

  What I see is alot of empty seats at KH's. Alot of Pimo's and Pimq's. In Europe and US, numbers are dropping.
• 

  joe134cd

  I have been to a number of different churches since leaving the JWs. From mainstream to some of the more colourful e.g iglasea ni Christo, Christian Science. Looking at things objectively, empty seats, and an ageing membership, is not something specific to the JWs.

  I hope you would watch the above link to Mormon stories podcast.

  All that I can say based on Mexico and the country I live in. Is that although it’s quite possible for Wt to lie, and I wouldn’t put it past them, the census doesn’t.
• 

  Disillusioned JW

  Regarding census numbers of people who claim to belong to a religion, keep in mind that many people who no longer believe in religion will say they are a member of a religion. Many people who were baptized (even as an infant) into a Christian religion consider themselves still in the religion even they are now agnostics or atheists and also no longer believe in religion, as long as they have not officially left religion.