Last Generation Of Jehovah's witnesses?

by Dune 18 Replies latest jw friends

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  Dune

  
  Here's an interesting Idea my brother and I have been discussing when we do parking lot duty during the service meetings.

  We've come to the conclusion that this is essentially the last generation of Jehovah's Witnesses.

  I thought you'd have to be young to notice this, but its pretty apparent anywhere we go. The children and teenagers of the organization are apathetic, uncaring and..... suprisingly more inquisitive and untrusting than the generation of their parents.

  They really dont care and/or dont believe any of this. I'll go out of my way that 80% of the witness kids i grew up with have left the organization. So now at 19, out of what was a congregation full of young ones (12-15)) who were examples for other kids (or acted like they were like me),the only ones left are about 3 or 4.

  During field service a few months ago, i was talking to an elder and I moved to conversation to the possibility that the "world" will still be here when i'm 70. I kind of caught him off guard, and he said "If the world is still here when you're that old...." then his voice started to trail off and he changed the subject. This made me think. IF the WTBS is still around 50 years from now its going to be terribly weaker than what it is now.

  As with any organization or government, the originals are always the best. So 100 years after it's founding, the organization has become base and weak. I cant see the children of current witnesses taking over for the elders.and I cant even see them putting an effort to keep this going.

  What do you guys think?
• 

  Big Dog

  It has been said that the internet will be the downfall of the WBTS, which may well be. I never really thought about it but with children surfing the web almost as soon as they can walk and having access to all the info that is out there I think it will be harder to raise them a dub than it was say when I was a child and could be realatively isolated from unwelcome information.
• 

  TD

  They really dont care and/or dont believe any of this. I'll go out of my way that 80% of the witness kids i grew up with have left the organization. So now at 19, out of what was a congregation full of young ones (12-15)) who were examples for other kids (or acted like they were like me),the only ones left are about 3 or 4.

  I can remember hearing an attrition rate of 8 out of 10 being lamented from the platform clear back in the early 70's, so I would hazard a guess that what you describe has been the case with the Witnesses for decades now.

  The JW faith appeals primarily to unhappy adults who are deeply dissatisfied with their lot in life. Normal people, especially young people who are enthusiastic and optimistic about life's prospects are not easy converts. And when they are born into the faith and grow up taking it for granted there is no spark to kindle in the first place.
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  Doubtfully Yours

  I'm with you on this one Dune.

  The 'diehard' JWs are literally expiring, and with that will come many changes. Young JWs are a totally different breed.

  Good and exciting times coming for the WBTS!!!

  DY
• 

  Doubtfully Yours

  I don't believe there'll ever be a complete fall of the WBTS. They'll just continue to evolve with the times.

  DY
• 

  Finally-Free

  
  So, I wonder what steps the Watchtower will take to tighten its grip on people.

  Maybe they'll include a keystroke logger in an upcoming version of it's Watchtower CD Library.

  Damn, I shouldn't be giving them ideas...

  W
• 

  Utopian Reformist

  I hope that time, information, and the media will eventually cross over and connect and overlap all of the necessary areas and entities needed to globally communicate that the WTBS is a dangerous and harmful cult. Over the course of time, this may occur in a gradual fashion.
  
  As the world economies jockey and change positions in wealth, power and influence, the opportunity for the WTBS to continue financing its operations may experience steady and sharp decreases in funding ability.
  
  Last week's The Economist Magazine's front cover read the following headline "Why China heads the global economy" or something to that effect. We know the new and younger chinese are more liberal and desiring capitalistic lifestyles, despite their current government. Thus, when leadership changes, and more progress is made, the chinese will eventually be the largest, richest and most successful economy on the planet. What does this have to do with the WTBS?
  
  Well, currently, the WTBS receives the largest share of its contributions from USA witnesses and witnesses in Europe. That will change when the economies shrink and fall from their current positions. I am NOT predicting large scale economic collapse for the west, just an adjustment downward a few notches from the current number one and two positions.
  
  Once Russia, China, S. Korea, Japan are at/near the top of the G-8, the WTBS will no longer benefit from western generosity. As former communists, atheists, and former buddhists, I predict the WTBS will begin shaking and collapsing.
  
  Once they are forced to downsize as never before (sell property, sell investments, close facilities, release personnel, etc) then you will see a very different scenario.
  
  The WTBS will either make dramatic and drastic policy changes to keep membership and contributions, or they will start fading away. I predict that field service will eventually become a weekend/sabbatical ritual and no longer mandatory. I predict that conventions will shorten and official travel will be reduced to local and domestic only.
  
  I predict a change to digital content where members will download and print the materials they need for meetings and also a change to private e-mail. All in due time over the next 5-10 years.
• 

  DannyBloem

  
  I hope that it is true, but I do not think so.
  Not all people are willing to look into the matter. Much of this information was already avaiable in libraries for a long time. But who wanted to look it up as it was a 'wicked' thing.
  With the internet it is the same. Not all will try to look it up (the internet is powerfull though)
  Not everybody has access to the internet. In lot of countries this is not any importance yet.

  While catolics and protestants have seen their menberships drop to a few procent in the latest generation, the JW's are doing much better then those churches. This says something.

  Of course they need and will make some modifications. But then they can last a long time

  Danny
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  jaffacake

  The emphasis will perhaps continue to shift to third world countries...

  As long as there are vulnerable people in the world, the JWs will have a market.
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  joelbear

  They will always appeal to a certain segment of society. They still have tons of virgin territory in foreign countries. Take China for instance, they haven't even started recruiting there. No, they will be around for a loooooong time. Remember they have lots of assets and with assets you can keep a business going for a good long while. I am sure they also have a positve cash flow. If they didn't they would be hollering for contributions right and left.