Is The End of the "Preaching Work" Now In Sight?

There may not be any specific plan to end the "preaching work" but that doesn't mean that things can't evolve into such an outcome. Indeed, I now wonder if such a thing is probable!

First,  if (and it's a very big if) various nations develop case law that includes liability for volunteers, this will put the Watchtower in a bind. They will be forced to deny that publishers are volunteers ( has this already happened in Australia?).  If that happens, they may be forced to take action to actually shut down any organized preaching activity from Kingdom Halls or deny that they support it, etc.  Otherwise, they could be on the hook for every traffic accident by every Witness that runs over somebody while in field service, every child molested in connection with field service, etc.

Next, they may move all the printing to the internet and claim the "preaching work" is still going on.  Having publishers print out their own tracts adds a degree of separation, of protection.  They may go on demanding that publishers put in hours ( in general) but put all the onus on local Halls and individuals, away from themselves. Or they may emphasize internet witnessing and escape liability, period.  Such a thing could be a real temptation for them.......

Really dumb elders may not realize that they might end up 'on the hook' in such an arrangement .... but word would travel fast after any lawsuits develop.

Folks, this might be the tipping point.

metatron

Their plans to consolidate their website into one "JWBook" will get the rank and file talking. That's definitely purposeful. I think the new website will launch along with a bunch of policy changes because of the "Age of the Internet." They will paint themselves like they were genuses planning it all along and that they didn't actually just milk the printing press technology to the very end before choosing between switching to the new medium or perishing forever. I don't see them surviving the transition from analog to digital simply because of how late they are. If they had started eariler they might have been able to pull something out of their hindquarters since that's always been a strength. The Watchtower will become a shadow of itself, much like ancient Rome when it collapsed from the inside out. Likewise, what will be left is a bunch of people looking for rebuild Rome in all it's glory, but all will fall short of the decadence that could only be found in a time where there were real people, and then there were dirty people who worked for the real people.

-Sab

There will be NO END to the preaching work so long as there is money in other people's pockets that the wt wants in its own pocket.

Door to door work is busy work. Keeps them from thinking. I don't see it stopping. 

Most cults keep their members very busy, by design. For the WT, the preaching work (and the numerous meetings) serve to keep them busy. When they are not participating in these things, they feel guilty, which helps the leadership control them further.

It would be good...however, at an assembly I attended last year, we had a speaker from bethel who said they have a goal of wanting 10 million JW's before the end comes....my mouth opened up wide...now thinking of it...it seems they're just about numbers than really wanting to help people.

metatron --- have to say for yrs. your topics have made me happy.  I used to jump online to see if you'd posted more hopeful news.  You are the most optimistic poster re/watchtower's future.  Doesn't matter if it materializes --- it's just so encouraging.  I give up too easy but there you are w/another post, thankfully.

LV101

The only way I'd see it end is if -- as you stated, Metatron -- some laws came into play about volunteers and liability. Even then, the WTS would just change their methodology to adapt and get out of responsibility. Funny,whenever laws are passed that outlaw door to door preaching directly, the WTS never stops it and willingly allows its Witnesses to go to jail for it. But if the govts started fining the Tower directly over it...oh, I think that's very different.

As others have said, the preaching work is busy work. It also forces average Witnesses to constantly reinforce their devotion by investing their time and effort, especially when they do so in the face of opposition. People get a slight high from doing something that's hard when they think it's the right thing to do. That's one of the reasons they can be so rude and disrespectful to people in the process. It isn't about converts so much as it is about patting themselves on the back. Yet they feel guilty when they fail to do what they're told is right.

There is one problem with ending the preaching work...What will they use to support their non-profit tax exempt status?

Stole this from Terrys thread:

This Corporation was made legal in its already existing powers for another purpose entirely. Corporations acquire legitimacy by earning a profit.
In the case of a religious corporation the "profit" must not appear as mere monetary gain.
There has to be a public service aspect to generating millions of dollars that will escape taxation! Ordinary coporations must demonstrate to the Board of Directors that cash flow is equitable to investors and a justifiable return on investment has been made. The Watchtower Corporation had to generate a kind of marvellous "machine" you could pour money into and make it disappear in the form of the preaching work.

They have to have some 'public service' to escape taxation.

other religions don't preach, and they have tax exempt status.

I agree that the door to door activity is just a farce to keep people busy. It's value was worn out years ago

Thanks, LV101!

The thing here is it wouldn't be a matter of legislation, just case law/precedent.  It could happen gradually, across the country. I believe there was a nasty case some years ago involving a Catholic diocese and millions of dollars, involving an auto accident and a volunteer.

In such a context, C.O.'s might be very disadvantaged in taking out a group out in field service as agents/representatives/employees of the Watchtower Society.  I continue to think they must see the problem here and must deal with it eventually.

metatron

If there was another busy work that would benefit the society more, then the preaching would be simplified.

Simplified in the society's meaning = abolished

I think they will have an increase, no one enjoy the

door to door work, that stop many  from becoming

A JW,s.

Without preaching work, it would be harder to donate towards www.
Without preaching work, JW would be like any other religion who only donate to upkeep the KH.

Their tipping point was internet and there is no turning it back. Their growth in developed/ing nations mostly from born ins or uneducated who won't examine the internet prior to agreeing to study with witnesses. Third world countries where people just don't have the money that wts wants, which may very well be wts put an end to missionaries because the west was supporting t he poor nations rather than the money flowing into the wts' pockets.

As someone said, preaching work and meetings keeps witnesses busy, busy enough so they don't find too much time to enjoy the real life or make friends in the world.  It keeps them busy enough so they don't discover the truth about the wts.

so is the message in the preaching work ever going to change? wasn't that a prophesy?

i remember an elder commenting on how jdubs don't like preaching even though its all about the paradise hope.

then he said these ones really wont like it when the message changes and the door of the ark closed and we start preaching judgement because now it is too late for worldlies, no more paradise stories.

when was the last time you heard this type of talk?

are they phasing out the "message changing" prophesy?

As long as they wish to keep their head buried in the sand and refuse to acknowledge that the Age of Aquarius has dawned, they are going to keep on preaching.  Which is going to be all the more a waste of time, since not only they are fighting common sense in householders, but they are fighting against the Age of Aquarius.  Yet, some will fight right to the death for their religion, no matter how stupid it is.

Isaiah 6 : 11-12

"11 At this I said: “How long, O Jehovah?” Then he said: “Until the cities actually crash in ruins, to be without an inhabitant, and the houses be without earthling man, and the ground itself is ruined into a desolation; 12 and Jehovah actually removes earthling men far away, and the deserted condition does become very extensive in the midst of the land. "

One sister told me, while we were out door to door, "you do realize that doing this is just to keep us busy till Armageddon, don't you?"

All innocent () and rosy-eyed I was shocked, and checked back with the pioneer who was "coaching" me for the field service. She rephrased it and made it sound much more idealistic, but in effect confirmed it. I subsequently checked again with my study conductor, because it sounded so very cynical to me, and she confirmed it, also makieng it sound logical and idealistic.

They also quote the scripture that says "by no means will you comPlete the curcit of the cities of the sons of isreal beforethe son of man returns" .  They teach the preaching will never stop