A very puzzling situation concerning the Spanish Jehovah's Witnesses.

                                                               The Watchtower Organization now finds themselves in a major predicament and a very puzzling situation concerning the Spanish J.W.s. All through the 80s and 90s the org. put forth great efforts to attract the Hispanics.  Many English speaking J.W. servants were sent to Spanish speaking congregations to learn to speak the Spanish language and help their servant body.  More Spanish literature was printed, and many assemblies and conventions were held for the Spanish only.  The W.T.s aggressive recruitment efforts are now backfiring and the org. is finding themselves in a crucial situation.  Many Spanish Witnesses are now feeling betrayed by the W.T. and are "packing their bags".  The Hispanics are very family oriented and so many are driven by emotion and they will not allow an organization to "split them up" and shun family members for not  agreeing  with the Watchtower. The org. "smells the trouble ahead" and recently the governing body announced  that it is shutting down central American branches.  Our scheduled guest on the "six screens of the Watchtower" conference call will be  Jose Soto who recently left the Witnesses.  You won't believe what is going on in the Spanish congregations including illegal immigration! To  listen to the program click.... http://www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com/conferencecall-6-19-10.     Audio Recording

The shunning rule doesn't go over very well in the Hispanic community.  Hispanic families tend to be much more close-knit.  Shunning former members is the main way the WT keeps control of people.  A person can't hear what a family member has learned about the religions dark side if they are not allowed to speak to them.

This could be big.  In my area, the increase in Hispanic witnesses has exploded in the last 10 years or so.  The only increase I've seen among whites are (very few) born-ins being baptized.  If the Hispanic growth ceases, their numbers will seriously decline in the United States, in my opinion.

Where is that Kingdom Hall located at? All Blue Kingdom Hall?

Good.

Shunning doesn't sit too well with the Black community, either.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/175154/1/Black-Families-Shunning

Here's hoping for all all-out revolt against WT's directives.

Syl

Sylvia, I was thinking the same thing.  Shunning doesn't sit well in black families either.  Although I have seen it happen, most of the time the family just keeps contact with the df'd or da'd person on the down low.

Did I miss the announcement shutting down the Central American branches? I know about Spain and Ireland but that's all I've heard so far.

Keep in mind that many of the Spanish speaking JWs are converts. I think the shunning thing from family really hurts the multi-generational JWs since you often find not just parents but siblings, cousins, etc.

If you want an great example of the shelf life of the religion, look no further than Japan. Remember how the Japanese were held out as the gold standard JW? Now their numbers are dropping and congos dissolving. It took about 10 years from the beginning of the boom to the beginning of the bust.

Oh, yeah, I remember.

There was even an account of how one Japanese pioneer put in double the hours to make up for a pioneer that he killed before he himself became a JW. 

Syl

Hispanics are still filling up the KH. But there is one big, big problem. The Hispanics that are legal residents of the USA or American citizens are the only ones that can serve as MS and elders, “illegal” bros can’t.  So in my area (northeast of the usa) its normal to see Spanish speaking congregations made of 80-100 publishers with only 2 or 3 elders and a few MS.

Usually, the Hispanics JW don’t fully apply the shunning policy out-side of the KH, as a matter of fact, the COs are constantly complaining and reminding the Spanish speaking congregations that Hispanics are not obeying the “loving arrangement” of shunning expelled family members.

But you also have those hardcore Hispanics JW that will shun their DFed family. This issue is causing a lot of grievance, Hispanics bros and sis talk in disfavor of (behind closed doors) such a heartless stance.

There are 5 areas where I believe the WT is hurting when it comes to the Hispanics JW in the USA.

1-   As a community, we don’t have as much money as our American counterparts. So, our financial contributions to the WT are low.

2-   Many of us left our family and culture behind when we moved to the USA. So, not too many are willing to be missionaries.

3-   We like to be close to our family, so there are not too many Hispanic bethelite applicants. But I have to say that lately I’m seeing more Hispanics and African-American bethelites than before.

4-   To us “La Familia siempre viene primiero” (Family comes first) so as a whole (with a few exception) we don’t shun our DFed family members.

5-   Not too many qualified men to become elders, MS and COs. There were rumors of the SWT was planning on sponsoring visas for Mexican COs to come to the USA and attend the Spanish circuits.

Another reason as to why the WT is closing so many Central American branches, might be the Spanish bros (from Spain) rebellion. The WT was not expecting that, if the word spreads, that a Spanish speaking branch is opposing Brooklyn’s commands, the Central American branches could easily join in the revolution. That is why the WT only has American JW in high ranking position in those branches.  

This is very important, the Spanish bros (from Spain) are stressing the issue that an American Company used Spaniards funds, labor and contribution to built an branch in Spain, therefore, that this branch belongs to the Spaniards JW and not to the Americans in Brooklyn NY. That if they sell it, they’ll have to give the money back to the congregations in Spain. The Spaniards are upset, but they are saying, Ok you can sell it…but you can’t take that money to the USA, that money stays here en España. And the same could happen with the other Central America branches.

Also, the evangelical movement and the Baptists are growing at a great speed in many Latin American countries, so those Catholics that were looking for something different are finding it in those denominations.

I find the modern view of the WT Organisation slightly hypocritical.  Whilst I was at Bethel I had an uneasy task to do.

A young man, in his late teens had come to Bethel pleading for sponsorship as an Asylum seeker.  He was from Algeria, and only spoke French.  The Branch Overseer at the time called me to translate.  I had the unhappy task of informing this Brother that he had to go back to his home land.  He would probably face imprisonment there for refusing National Service and of course, as a proselytiser opposing Islam.

He was the Watchtower Study conductor in the very small congregation.

I often wondered what happened to this poor soul...  what should the branch have done?  Any thoughts.. any one?

Podo

Hispanic Witnesses don't shun as "hard" as the Anglo ones do. At least, that is how it seems to me. Especially when it comes to close family.

I also have to say, and I hope not to offend our Anglo friends, that there is a great deal more warmth and unity in the Spanish language congos, than in the English ones. There are a lot more "extra-congregational activities." Picnics. Sports. Outings. It is much more social, from what I have seen. I've seen poor, aged sisters cared for, financially, by other members of the congregation. I never saw this in English congos.

But this is just anecdotal, of course.

That said, there are other differences too. Compare the orderliness of an English language DC with the chaos of Spanish ones. Cubans in particular want to do their own thing and are very difficult to "get into line" and "follow orders." Announce that you should NOT turn left out of the exit when leaving the assembly, and you'll be lucky if more than 2/3s do so. Anglo American Witnesses will follow these instructions.

Thinking from my personal experiences, the outstanding aspect of the Mexican Witnesses is their humility. I always admired that, especially when compared to Cubans. I remember after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, a great many of them, despite their poverty, came from all over the country to help with relief. It was a heart-warming thing to watch.

Hispanic Witness culture, in other words, isn't homogenous. 

The Hispanics that are legal residents of the USA or American citizens are the only ones that can serve as MS and elders, “illegal” bros can’t.

That's a much bigger problem in some parts of the country as compared to others. In majority Puerto Rican or Cuban congos, there isn't an issue. South American Hispanics also tend to not be illegal, like Venezuelans, Argentinians, Ecuadorians, and Colombians.

In KHs in areas with a lot of illegal Mexicans and other Central Americans, it is a big problem. It has a big effect on the quality of the "shepherding" too. The most polished, skilled, teaching elders tend to be from the kinds of areas where illegality is less of a problem, like in New York, Orlando, and Miami. They'll often send aspiring young MTS graduates to other areas to fill the void from these places. I've known a few.

If it wasn't for the Hispanic growth, Watchtower would be showing declining numbers in the US.

BTS

I was hoping you'd chime in here, Burns.  The Hispanic culture is MUCH more family oriented.  I've lived in the black community, their families tend to be closer as well.  We've had a big increase in Hispanic population in our area, the Kingdom Hall I attended now has split into a Spanish congregation and an English congregation.  The Spanish congregation is probaby twice the size of it's English counterpart.

Yes, they do seem to have more social activities.  But you can also drive by their homes and see them having a barbeque or big family gathering which always includes their non-Witness family too.

I wish the whole illegal immigration issue would be addressed.  I'm sure the Catholic churches around here don't require any papers to attend their services either.  It shouldn't fall to a religious entity to enforce laws.

We're having a wedding in the family next month.  I'm getting my first Hispanic cousin!!!  We all love him.  He's a great guy, he has a very nice family as well.  Not sure but I think he's a Baptist. 

As told by a long time Bethelite in the Service Department in NY, Spanish is now the number one language produced literature by the WTS.

Alligator Wisdom (aka Brother NOT Exerting Vigorously)

I'm getting my first Hispanic cousin!!!

That's what happens in America, over time. My family came from Cuba. Now, we've got all kinds of relatives from other places through marriage. 

We went to an English congo for a time when I was a child. There were several Black American families. They were very warm and loving. One black brother took me under his wing and would take me out in service in the evenings during the week. He was a pioneer. I remember being impressed that he could drive a car with a manual transmission. LOL

While we attended, I remember my father, telling me with some astonishment, how people could hate such nice people just because of the color of their skin. There was one older black sister that was just the sweetest most loving thing.

BTS

I remember our first Hispanics in my old congregation.  I was about 15 years old.  They spoke VERY limited English.  They could basically just say hello and smile. 

Hope I'm not hijacking this thread by telling this story.  Anyway, it was a rather large family.  A semi-elderly couple, several of their kids and their spouses, and their children.  They gave our drab congregation some life.  It was so exciting to have that many people we didn't know!  Both sides were trying to learn each other's language so we could actually talk instead of just smile and hug.

I actually learned a little Spanish from reading their Watchtower's along with mine.  It was hilarious!  Our Spanish really sucked and their English needed improvement, but we communicated.  I once told a sister "good nachos" after a meeting.  I was trying to tell her good-night--THAT  brought peals of laughter!

But back to the question at hand.  I can't imagine Hispanic people letting a board of old white men telling them to shun their family.

I can't imagine Hispanic people letting a board of old white men telling them to shun their family.

Dinah, girl, you rocked the house with that one!

Same thing my mother said about her DA'd daughter.

She said, in effect, they can kiss the blackness of my ...

Well, you get the picture.

LOL.

There is a town in Central Oregon where there were two Spanish Congregations in the same hall, the just recently had to recombine them into one congregation because so many had left.

In the congregation I was last in there were 4 congregations, 2 English and 2 Spanish, the Spanish were treated like the red headed illegitimate child, consulted last on big decisions but they had the best picnics and then the tables were turned.

Thinking from my personal experiences, the outstanding aspect of the Mexican Witnesses is their humility. I always admired that,

I worry that this humility may make them to easy prey to an organization looking for followers. The reason this religion took hold in the western world in the first place was because a hundred years ago, the general population did what they were told. by Doctors, religious leaders and teachers or anyone who seemed to have any authority.

Boy, my Mexican in-laws must really be the exception to this rule...