Have we actually had a DECREASE in Jehovah's Witnesses ?

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

This afternoon (Saturday) was our weekend meeting, and the public speaker said that at the Orangeburg, SC Assembly last weekend it was said that the Brotherhood had dropped to 7,500,000 worldwide.

It was my impression that we were at somewhere around 8.2 million, and growing.

That means (if true) that even with several BILLION HOURS of public witnessing .... there was a net LOSS of 700,000 JWs.

So, have we actually had that much decrease, and does anybody have any "official" numbers to verify what I heard today from the platform?

[Jack Ryan]

Wait a minute!

Oh... nevermind.... we already got rid of the song "Theocracy's Increase".......

new light.

Continue on.

[Jack Ryan]

So for decades where we were told that our worldwide increase was PROOF of Jehovah's Blessing....

This would then be PROOF of what exactly?

Or am I just being too picky?

[Alithís Gnosis]

James Thomas Rook

The service year has not concluded. I seriously doubt that any information within a regional convention would have the results for next year totals. This year totals are posted in JW.org

*** w18 August pp. 4-5 par. 8 Do You Have the Facts? ***

⁸ There is another danger in quickly forwarding e-mails and text messages. In some lands, our work is under restriction or outright ban. Our opposers in such lands may purposely circulate reports designed to instill fear or to cause us to distrust one another. Consider what happened in the former Soviet Union. The secret police, known as the KGB, spread rumors that various prominent brothers had betrayed Jehovah’s people. Many put confidence in such false reports, and as a result, they separated themselves from Jehovah’s organization. How sad! Thankfully, many later returned, but some never did. Their faith was shipwrecked. (1 Tim. 1:19) How can we avoid such a disastrous outcome? Refuse to circulate negative or unsubstantiated reports. Do not be naive, or gullible. Be sure you have the facts.

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

Alithis Gnosis:

I see by your knowing where the correct answers may be found, but not posting them, that you have the same aversion to "heavy lifting" that I do.

That was the whole point of my ASKING ... I could find out the correct answer with several hours of research, but I am a chain saw kinda guy, and hoped that someone would already have more verifiable information at their fingertips than I do.

My thought was that if it was said at an Assembly ... they were using LAST YEARS figures, or whatever the Assembly speaker is reported by our Kingdom Hall Speaker to have said.

I completely agree with your quote:

3 hours ago, Alithís Gnosis said:

Do not be naive, or gullible. Be sure you have the facts.

That is why I am TRYING to check what I heard from the platform today .

The sword has to cut BOTH ways, except among the gullible, dull, and stupid.

I do not trust ANYBODY at face value, and I do not care about "rumors shipwrecking" my or anyone else's faith, as mentioned in your quote.

That is why I see the following video clips as just normal human stupidity.

 

2 CHAIR pORNEA .mp4Gravity Electricity Wind .mp4

[Alithís Gnosis]

17 hours ago, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

My thought was that if it was said at an Assembly ... they were using LAST YEARS figures, or whatever the Assembly speaker is reported by our Kingdom Hall Speaker to have said.

If this is true, then they would be using the same information posted in JW.org. Meanwhile, the service year ends in September.

[Evacuated]

On 7/7/2018 at 11:45 PM, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

decrease

Everything else is cutting back......why such alarm?

[Jack Ryan]

My convention acknowledges lack of numbers in witnesses

To justify the fact that they outnumber us by 1 v 800, they use bible scriptures that show 2 battles were won with less numbers than the enemy lol. Those who went did they say something similar and how do you feel about that?

[Witness]

 

[Srecko Sostar]

On 7/8/2018 at 1:29 AM, Alithís Gnosis said:

The secret police, known as the KGB, spread rumors that various prominent brothers had betrayed Jehovah’s people

Why would be rumors that "Prominent Brothers" (in fact who are at all Prominent, by whom they are named as Prominent, all are equal ----IN THEORY only, haha) betrayed others? What is false with that, in general.

Judas the one of 12, and if we want to use same terminology as GB, Judas the prominent brother of first congregation betrayed Jesus. 

[Evacuated]

Great video. I am sure some is missing, but after extracting the cynical interjections by those two people, (Who are they??? I really don't know who their audience could possibly be??), it still makes for an interesting insight. 48% utilisation for peak times in USA!!! Get a grip you guys, lose some weight!! Get them buildings closed! No wonder we need some unemotional and efficient centralisation of strategy.

By the way, we couldn't merge due to logistical practicalities, but after reducing our KH seating by about 25%, we found meeting ambience improved greatly, and after 6 months we are now having to put seating back in to accomodate newly interested attendees. 

There is something to be said for the principle at John 15:2:

"He takes away every branch in me not bearing fruit, and he cleans every one bearing fruit, so that it may bear more fruit."

 

[Srecko Sostar]

One more thing about how many JW people are in the World. If i remember good enough Bible reports on how JHVH was never, never, never pleased if somebody want to count and in fact count people in tribes, Israel nation. And some very horror punishment came after this FORBIDDEN ACTIVITY took place. 

Well if WT teaching members how they must follow and respect all Bible principles and examples from day first and first letter of the Good Book, then why WT counting members at all? Did Jesus want reports of how many followers he have?   

And one more detail too. If they count they count only male members. Not women and children ... (baptized or not ---these is for this age of course in those times they was "baptized" in other way).