1/2 of the Jehovah’s witnesses have gone (page 3)

Biahi

I’ve been on vacation this past week (AZ), and popped in here just now. This is such great news! I hope I live long enough to watch the last of it circle the drain…

On another note, as I passed through the Phoenix airport, I saw 3 different carts set up, with 2 at each cart. I had to pass quickly, no time for chit chat, I was with a family group. I did manage to let 2 of the carts know that they were in a cult, and they should go home, and enjoy the beautiful day. One of the carts had 2 travelers stopped there. I told them not to take any of that literature, because it was a cult. The traveler said, “No, it isn’t.” Then I realized this was other JWs from somewhere else, just saying hi to fellow cult members. As reported elsewhere, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE approaches these carts with any interest. Just fellow JWs. What a waste of time!

And, Wing Commander, I think I know one of those wealthy legacy families. I’m unsure of their son, though. His profile looks normal, and, since I lurked on his LinkedIn profile, he mentions where he attended college. But I suppose that a male in a legacy family can attend college without repercussions. 🤷‍♀️

Balaamsass2

1/2 are gone, or... are all... 1/2 gone..?

I got a call from POMO JW today.

He is on a JW dating site. He changed his intro recently to include " I no longer believe the governing body are inspired or appointed by Jehovah" and "Not one of Watchtower's prophecies has come true". It has had no effect on the number of responses!

StephaneLaliberte

Only the truly old, and truly brain-dead and possibly ignorant, sheltered, homeschooled offspring remain.

My parents are still involved, and no, I wouldn’t describe them using the terms you mentioned. In fact, I still know many Jehovah’s Witnesses whom I would not characterize that way.

It’s easy to underestimate the influence a high-control group or cult can exert over intelligent, educated individuals. Among their members are accountants, lawyers, teachers, successful business owners, doctors, and more. These are people who genuinely believe in the core teachings and often find ways to suppress or rationalize the cognitive dissonance they inevitably face.

By reducing people in groups like the JWs to simply being ignorant or “brain-dead,” you risk overlooking the sophisticated and manipulative mechanisms that such movements use to maintain control — even over highly capable individuals.

Phizzy

Thanks Stephane, your perceptive Post, which is so true, has also brought me comfort, in that I have berated myself for not having fully "woken up" earlier in life than I did, but thinking on what you said, your Post describes what happened to me, suppressing Cognitive Dissonance etc. and explains how otherwise very intelligent and well educated ( in matters non-J.W ) people still remain entrapped.

The very important part of your Post is :

That we must not " overlook the sophisticated and manipulative mechanisms that such movements use to maintain control ."

DesirousOfChange

It’s easy to underestimate the influence a high-control group or cult can exert over intelligent, educated individuals. Among their members are accountants, lawyers, teachers, successful business owners, doctors, and more. These are people who genuinely believe in the core teachings and often find ways to suppress or rationalize the cognitive dissonance they inevitably face. ~ Stephane L.

Thank you so much for that statement! It might have taken just a little bit of the sting away that I have from evidently having been so gullible, ignorant, and brain-dead.

Doc

The greatest revenge is living a happy & successful life!

slimboyfat

In my area it’s pretty similar

Congregation had about 55 about attendance 30 years ago and about the same 55 now

District convention had about 9000 now about 8000 or 9000, not much difference

There are the same number of congregation around 115

A lot of the original people died and a lot more are immigrants now compared with 30 years ago but in terms of numbers pretty similar

NotFormer

Paradoxically, or at least anecdotally, I can't comment on the demise of the local JW congregation in my small regional city. I'm a recent blow-in, and my arrival here coincided with the JW's post-Covid resumption of the door to door work. We've had at least one visit per year from the JWs. Just last Friday I saw not one but two trolleys/carts in town to which "encounter" I devoted a thread:

https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/6545528670650368/there-some-sort-campaign-on

On a Tuesday evening, ironically while on my way to another church's Bible study, I see the Kingdom Hall carpark on the edge of town quite full. From my perspective, the local Kingdom Hall may well be in quite a healthy state. Of course, they could well be down to one healthy congregation, where once they had two. It would be great to be able to engage in the sorts of conversations that would yield such information, but I find that the JWs of today are not the robust engagers in conversation and debate that their ancestors of a mere two or three decades ago were. They disappear very quickly, drawing from my experiences with them since I've moved here.

My apologies for the above: that was a lot of waffle to basically say very little 😔 🙄

Ugot2bekiddingme1

As I say " Dumb People go to the Kingdumb Hall" I have voted with my feet. In this Day in age of the Internet where you can look things up, and your still a Jw, there must be something wrong with them.

moomanchu

Stephane

There is a profuse amount of information, experiences and history about JW'S that is readily available.

Members still in are there because of either sunk cost fallacy, fear, family ties, stupidity, willfull ignorance, need of a controlled group, narcissistic feelings or some combination of these.

One thing for sure, intelligence is not keeping anyone in.

Vidiot

NotFormer - “…they could well be down to one healthy congregation, where once they had two…”

This.

1/2 of the Jehovah’s witnesses have gone

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