Zzyzx wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 8:27 pm
How do we explain: “Among all U.S. adults who were raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses, two-thirds (66%) no longer identify with the group.” (when other religious groups lose close to one-third (35%)?
There are those that believe people just stay in their religion because they've been brainwashed as children to do so or are paralyzed by social conditioning or fear of change or ostracism from their group. In some counties, Islam for example has near 100% retention rate when it comes to those raised in the faith but one has to wonder if that would the case if the there wasn't a tradition that supported the death penalty for leaving.
Jehovah's Witnesses on the other hand don't force their children to join their faith and once adults they are free to make their own religious choices. Since more than half choose not to follow the religion of their parents it seems
leaving the religion of their parents is not a particularly hard thing to do.
JWs don't see this as particularly problematic, as our faith isnt passed on genetically.
To gain a more complete picture one does well to differentiate between
CONVERT retention figures and the "retention" of those raised by Witness parents.
The high infant retention rate of various other religions are arguably indicative of childhood indoctriaction, excessive cultural or social pressure or lax counting criteria*
* Contrary to many religions Jehovahs witnesses include ONLY baptized ministers that actively participate in their preaching work in their membership figures.
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?
To refer to a "low" retention rate implies a rate below what should be expected, however there is no reason to expect that the retention rate for those raised in the faith be much higher than that
found any informed adult population. Since it seems reasonable to conclude 40% of informed adults would NOT choose to become one of Jehovahs Witnesses, there is no reason to see that same number as "low" at all when considering an infant retention rate.
JW
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