by JT 32 Replies latest jw friends
Announcement you WON'T see in the next Watchtower:
"Just as the Society used to point to Japan as being the leading edge of growth and progress in the worldwide organization, we can now rejoice that Japan is taking the lead in moving in the opposite direction."
This is all news to me.
I left the JW's back in 1966. In the 1970's I was reading from non-JW sources about what was happening in Africa.
In the jungles of Africa there were many different tribal chiefs. If the JW missionaries converted a chief to the JW religion, then that became the religion of the whole tribe. So, for example, if a tribe had 1500 members in that community, they automatically had 1500 new members (i.e. men, women and children, with baptisms for any who were of the age of accountability).
Then afterwards, when the Chief decided he didn't believe the religion anymore, they had to disfellowship not only the chief (for apostasy), but the rest of the tribe as well, since they followed their chief into whatever he believed next..
I am not saying Japanese society operates exactly like Africa, but aren't there a great many Japanese villagers who follow their leaders, and hence they have a lot of cultish groups?
Therefore my question is "If the numbers were/are dropping off, is this part of the influence?"
Rod P.
domo arrigato, Mr. Robato.......................The Japanese are way too cool for borg infiltration!
The Japanese have always been "smart"...
That's what happened.
u/d (of the not so smart class)
I don't know if they are necessarily "smarter" than we are, but they don't seem to have the fear of being properly educated that JWs in this country seem to display. I think that the availability of information has had more of an impact on the Japanese than it has here. Maybe they are not so quick to click off "apostate" information on the web, or maybe they find value in questioning and researching. I don't know...
Maybe their culture as a whole has a more pragmatic view of religion and belief, so even though there are fanatical groups, the mainstream has left as Brooklyn has tightened the noose on what can and can't be done with information and education. Who knows, I'm just happy to see the 0% and negative growth.
I am not saying Japanese society operates exactly like Africa, but aren't there a great many Japanese villagers who follow their leaders, and hence they have a lot of cultish groups?
I think that today's Japanese do not think of themselves as 'villagers'! Although, they used to be very locally organized into the Japanese versions... (there's a lot of interesting history/development I'll pass over..)
But it IS true that Japanese see themselves as Japanese, almost always, over against any other describing factor (like religion). If a practice/belief/attitude comes around that isn't Japanese, it will be a fashion, and then go the way of the wind. That is why it is hard for religions other than Shinto and Buddhism to really take hold; Shinto is the home-grown religion, and Buddhism has been round long enough to be the adopted co-religion (they divide the rituals of life between them: marriages and babies to Shinto; death issues to Buddhism).
There is a very deep-rooted patriotism there. Also, an incredible sense of obligation to family. They feel like a big family (village) to each other. They appreciate this asset much like the JWs appreciate their own sense of belonging, imo. Anything seen as non-Japanese will not stick very well, or for very long.
bebu
is there notre any ex brother or sister from japan to explain us what happenned really?
Nothing like a Grande Green Tea Frappachino
The Japs don't like to be fooled around and perhaps after the 1995 generation change they caught on to what the GB was really up to and lost interest in the cult. That was and still is the major seduction of the dubs the imminent end and the paradise: no growing old, no disease, no death, no disagreeable conditions in life.
Good comments. Could be also that the Japanese culture always took religion very seriously. Note that during WW II they were fighting for their deified emperor. Even after the hiroshima and nagasaki bombings they would not give up... until emperor hirohito told them too and had to basically admit to them that he wasnt a god.
The point I am making is that after WW II the US really started to westernize Japan. The JW's went in there and took advantage of their inherent religious fanatisism and made many converts but now as the younger, more americanized generations are getting older, taking over govt., making up a larger % of the populace they dont care so much for religion anymore. In short.. they are becoming more like us here.
