Posts by slimboyfat

28

Baptism statistics from CO

by neat blue dog in

just went to the assembly yesterday and during the final talk the circuit overseer said:.

'sure, there are some adults baptised here and there, but do you want to know something wonderful?

the vast majority of those getting baptized are teens and preteens!

Fudging the numbers looks like the least painful option, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's what they do. (Or have been doing) Except I'm not quite sure how they would pull it off because it would require collusion from branch staff who would presumably need to cooperate with overstating the numbers. Tricky.

In any case, no matter what they decide to do about publishing or inflating the numbers, they can't hide the number of congregations figure. Congregations are publicly listed and they can't close congregations without it being public knowledge. So congregation numbers are the key figure to watch. Congregation numbers have already started to decrease in the United States and much of Europe. Watch that space!

28

Baptism statistics from CO

by neat blue dog in

just went to the assembly yesterday and during the final talk the circuit overseer said:.

'sure, there are some adults baptised here and there, but do you want to know something wonderful?

the vast majority of those getting baptized are teens and preteens!

slimboyfat

Not only would dropping the field service reports mean that Watchtower can't keep tabs on elders and others. But I seriously doubt if many JWs would keep going on the ministry in the long term if it was no longer a measure of activity.

Dropping the reports would be painful. But publishing declines would be painful too. What to do?

28

Baptism statistics from CO

by neat blue dog in

just went to the assembly yesterday and during the final talk the circuit overseer said:.

'sure, there are some adults baptised here and there, but do you want to know something wonderful?

the vast majority of those getting baptized are teens and preteens!

slimboyfat

JWs are in decline, and it looks like it's gaining pace.

Will they publish the numbers this year? Will they fudge the numbers?

They might want to stop publishing the numbers, but if they stop publishing the numbers then they have no good reason for collecting field service reports. And collecting field service reports is useful for keeping tabs on ordinary JWs and for assessing elders and aspiring elders. So it presents a dilemma whether to stop publishing the numbers or not.

20

Getting your WT files deleted (UK)

by Splash in

the uk are tightening up their data protection laws to make it easier for individuals to get hold of the information organisations hold on them and to get it deleted.. i think paul grundy (jwfacts) went through this with wt once and found it very time consuming and difficult.. will wt now abide by the law and hand over or permanently delete the records it keeps when requested?it would mean every uk exjw could have their report card info, personal file with age, sex, baptism date, judicial information, appointment/deletion/disfellowshipping dates, letters of disassociation, letters of recommendation when you move, phone number and address permanently removed.

anyone acting for the wt (elders) who retain this information, eg your phone number in their phone or the secretary keeping your historical monthly report details, will be in violation.

failure to comply will incur a fine.. expect a letter to all boe's any time soon explaining why this does not apply to them.. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40826062.

slimboyfat

Question: would it be possible to get your files removed and deleted WITHOUT this being treated as a statement of disassociation? (With announcement and subsequent shunning)

I get the feeling some elders would say to inactive JWs who want their records removed: sure we will remove your records, and of course we will announce you're no longer a JW at the same time. As a kind of threat or retaliation for causing them trouble or making a fuss.

Would be fine for DFed and DAed people who don't care to to go back.

13

"... climate of disfellowshipping in Hull currently... " - Hull Daily Mail

by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

article from the above news paper... .

http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/hull-jehovahs-witnesses-speak-out-444185.

maybe boe in north east england having an attack of zealous fervour!

slimboyfat

Mark is talking about this on the Witness No More YouTube channel. If people are following.

i can't help thinking it must all be rather exciting for the local JWs to be under such a concerted "attack" from local apostates, as they see it.

59

Need help understanding the Overlapping Generation teaching

by Jules Saturn in

so this is a topic that seriously boggles my mind and please correct me if i'm wrong.

to me, the jw definition of the overlapping generation teaching is that the lives of the anointed from 1914 overlap with the lives of the anointed right now.

david splane used the example of fred franz and how he finished his "earthly course" in 1992 but while he did, he had a lot of "contemporaries" that outlived him and are currently living today.

slimboyfat

Need help understanding the Overlapping Generation teaching

Is is that you, brother Splane?

192

Question for SBF

by Fisherman in

slimboyfat, it appears that wts is going, gone digital.

can you show your view what is wts next move after they are completely gone from kings county and settled in warwick?

- this thread is your if you want it..

slimboyfat

That's interesting, where do you get a figure for attendance at general conference? Mormons I was talking to told me they sometimes watch general conference at home on the television. They don't necessarily need to go to church.

Which makes me wonder actually. Are people listening on the phone counted as attending the memorial these days I wonder?

192

Question for SBF

by Fisherman in

slimboyfat, it appears that wts is going, gone digital.

can you show your view what is wts next move after they are completely gone from kings county and settled in warwick?

- this thread is your if you want it..

slimboyfat

To put it even more dramatically, even the 20 million who attended the JW memorial are more active than the inactive "members" of the Mormon church, the majority of whom never attend a Mormon church at all.

The Mormon church counts every single person who has ever been baptised as a member of the church, regardless of whether they attend or whether they still believe in the church. Mormons can only be removed from the membership total if they write a letter to the church renouncing membership, which relatively few ever do. If you stop attending church they still count you. If you attend a different church they still count you. If you move and they lose touch with you they still count you. They still count you until you are 115. Only then are you removed from the membership total and presumed likely dead.

192

Question for SBF

by Fisherman in

slimboyfat, it appears that wts is going, gone digital.

can you show your view what is wts next move after they are completely gone from kings county and settled in warwick?

- this thread is your if you want it..

slimboyfat

“The majority of members on church records are inactive or less active. Approximately 30% of worldwide membership was active as of 2012, suggesting that 30% of members attended church regularly and followed most basic church teachings…The ten countries with the most members account for 79% of worldwide membership and experience an average member activity rate of 22%…” –Cumorah.com, Matt Martinich

192

Question for SBF

by Fisherman in

slimboyfat, it appears that wts is going, gone digital.

can you show your view what is wts next move after they are completely gone from kings county and settled in warwick?

- this thread is your if you want it..

slimboyfat

Yes Mormon activity rates average around 30%, making about 4.5 million active members worldwide.