JWFacts - Facts About Jehovah's Witnesses Transcript | |
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(OP) User ID: 73274634 Canada 04/17/2018 12:16 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | To be fair there is a number of people that die each year. The average death rate on a global basis is now .85%. (See video at 11:03) I've redone this graph taking out the ones who've died to see what number of people are actually voluntarily leaving or through being disfellowshipped or becoming inactive on their own behalf. To this I included the number of those disfellowshipped. Around about 1% of Jehovah's Witnesses are disfellowshipped each year. Start of reference In recent years disfellowshippings worldwide have been approximately 1 percent of publishers. - WT 1992, July 1, p. 19. End of reference About only one third of those Jehovah's Witnesses ever come back to the religion. Start of reference 36,671 persons had to be disfellowshipped... in that same period 14,508 persons were reinstated. - WT 1975, August 1, p. 466. (This equates to 36.9% being reinstated.) End of reference Start of reference During the service year of 1958-1959 there were 6,552 individuals disfellowshipped... and there were 1,596... reinstated. - WT 1960, December 1, p. 728 (This equates to 24% reinstated.) End of reference If I include .66% (net % disfellowshipped annually that do not return) for the numbers that are disfellowshipped each year from this I can work out how many are actually leaving of their own accord. These ones that leave of their own accord are the ones that become "inactive" (reported no preaching for 6 months). The number of "inactive" ones is made up of three figures; the ones that have died, the ones that have been disfellowshipped, and the ones that have voluntarily stopped preaching. To the former Jehovah's Witnesses, these ones that voluntarily stop preaching are known as "faders". This category of faders has seen a significant increase since 1995. However, they are the most volatile group because some of these faders have not really determined that the Watchtower Society is not the true religion; they just stop. Often, because they're still not sure of their beliefs, they will get "reactivated" whenever there is a period of crisis. If you look at the graph here (see video at 12:41) you'll see that there are a few years where the number that fade out is actually a negative amount, which means there's more people coming back into preaching than are leaving at that particular time. These are during periods of crisis. When we had 911, with the World Trade Center terrorist act, that created a lot of concern in people's minds who didn't really understand whether the Watchtower is true or not and so they got reactivated. It happened again in 2008 during the midst of the global financial crisis. There was also quite a significant number of earthquakes at that time. Then again in 2014 when it was the 100th year anniversary of "Jesus' invisible presence". These people that "fade" and get reactivated are quite volatile because then they'll fade out again. These are really weak-minded individuals in that they're unable to make a determination whether they believe it's "the truth" and work hard for it or whether they've come to understand that it is not the true religion. By Continent (2011) (see video at 13:50 and 14:16) Saturation - 1 JW for every X inhabitants Americas - 240 Oceania - 416 Europe - 462 Africa - 721 Asia/Middle East - 6,124 Comparing the number of Jehovah's Witnesses by continent highlights how dependent one's chance of being a Jehovah's Witness is on their place of birth. As an American religion, the Americas have the highest saturation of Jehovah's Witnesses with 1 witness for every 249 people. This is followed by Europe and then Oceania. These are all traditionally Christian continents. It immediately becomes apparent that the likelihood of becoming a Jehovah's Witness is dependent on being born in a Christian country. Africa has about half the rate of JW's as Europe, which follows on from Africa being fairly evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Christian African countries have high JW density levels similar to Latin America. In Hindu and Muslim countries, such as in Asia and the Middle East, there is a tiny fraction of Jehovah's Witnesses. Despite a population of over 4 billion people in Asia and the Middle East, half the world's population, the number of "publishers" increased in (2016) by only 12,000. 5 Year Figures Comparing the statistics over a five year timeframe evens out some of the spikes. If we look at this (see video at 15:11) we see that several hundred thousand people every five years end up leaving the religion. It comes out at about half the people baptized. Memorial Attendance Growth in Memorial attendance aligns closely with growth in "publishers" and represents about 2.6 times the number of publishers (see video at 15:30). The difference was 2 in the 1960's but steadily increased until it stabilized at about 2.6 the 1980's. Many of these attendees could be considered "fence sitters"; hedging their bets that if Armageddon is real and does occur they'll jump back on board just beforehand. Conclusion Start of reference Jehovah is not slow concerning his promise, as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with you because he does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance. - 2Peter 3:9, New World Translation, 2013 Revised Edition. End of reference The Watchtower explains that "The Last Days" have continued for so long because "Jehovah desires ALL to attain to repentance". Start of reference Consequently, he is exercising patience and is having the good news declared in all the earth so that people may have every opportunity to live. - WT 2006, February 1, p. 18. End of reference Watchtower teaches that only Jehovah's Witnesses will survive Armageddon. As we've seen from these graphs, your chance of ever hearing about Jehovah's Witnesses is next to none in over half of the world. Start of reference In terms of net gains (births minus deaths), we are adding over 200,000 people to this planet every day, or over 140 people every minute. That equals over 75 million more people every year, about the same as the combined populations of California and Canada. - [link to www.google.ca (secure)] End of reference Every single day on average there is 200,000 people born but only 224 that convert to being Jehovah's Witnesses. So 2Peter 3:9 does not make any sense if it's applied to Jehovah's Witnesses; that "Jehovah is holding off Armageddon so that everyone has the opportunity to live". In actual fact, every day that Armageddon has been "held off" since 1914 more and more people are going to be destroyed. In fact billions more are going to be destroyed and about 200,000 every single day are lined up for destruction if Watchtower doctrine is correct, that only Jehovah's Witnesses will survive Armageddon. Start of reference Why, during the 2015 service year, 8,220,105 Kingdom publishers have been active in the world field! The last part of (Isaiah's) prophecy should affect all Christians personally, for our heavenly Father says: “I myself, Jehovah, will speed it up in its own time.” - WT (Study Edition) 2016, August, p. 20. End of reference Another theme commonly stated by Watchtower is that Jehovah is "speeding up the work". Start of reference Jehovah is now speeding up the ingathering of sheeplike ones. Surely, then, this is no time for his people to slow down in their Kingdom-preaching and disciple-making work. - WT 1988, July 15th, p. 15. End of reference Statistics show that this is no longer true. (See video at 17:41 for graph showing "% Increase in Congregations"; peaking in 1973 at approximately 12% and steadily declining to below 1% in 2017.) Watchtower growth is steadily slowing. It will take major policy change for the Watchtower Society to have a hope of turning around this trend and to start growing at any significant rate. The expectation is that Jehovah's Witnesses will get to a zero and then eventually a negative growth rate over the coming years and decades. Let the facts fall wherever, whenever, and however they may. INTP - The Logician. 'Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.' - Albert Einstein. |
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Anonymous Coward User ID: 69778988 United States 04/17/2018 01:31 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Hmm God's weal what's the feel? Is means hit by the rod? A red line on ass doth it be from God? Or is't something God feel? His greatest appeal He spanketh some tribe beatin them as they deal In the courts is where you will have your appeal and the price is a PACER Of this planet's holy seal. |