Why are the number of Jehovah Witnesses decreasing so much?

[polonius]

PEW reports that:

"Jehovah’s Witnesses have a low retention rate relative to other U.S. religious groups. Among all U.S. adults who were raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses, two-thirds (66%) no longer identify with the group. By contrast, about two-thirds of those who were raised as evangelical Protestants (65%) and Mormons (64%) still say they are members of those respective groups."

Why, and what will be the long term effect?

[Tart]

I have studied with the JW's for dozens of hours. I dont mind them, i like them. The world kind of hates the JW's, mocks them, but i hate the world, so who cares. I just dont hold the convictions they do. Their so called laws, with the sabbath, the blood, holidays, the trinity, etc... I dont really care to hold these convictions... I personally am more concerned with Galatians 5:13-26 for personal convictions on Christianity beliefs...

[Tcg]

PEW reports that:

"Jehovah’s Witnesses have a low retention rate relative to other U.S. religious groups. Among all U.S. adults who were raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses, two-thirds (66%) no longer identify with the group. By contrast, about two-thirds of those who were raised as evangelical Protestants (65%) and Mormons (64%) still say they are members of those respective groups."

Why, and what will be the long term effect?

I wonder if it is not in part related to the demand that JWs accept every teaching precisely as the denomination teaches. Disagree slightly and your booted. I know I'd never join any group that demands I accept everything it teaches rather than allowing me to draw my own conclusions.

Perhaps absolute conformity is attractive to only a very few.


Tcg

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by polonius]

"Retention figures" refer to the number/percentage of children raised in the faith that continue on into adulthood. Since do not they force their children to become JW, its normal over half choose to leave or not become Witnesses when they reach adulthood.

Jehovah's Witnesses don't get their increase from their babies, their increase comes from CONVERTS.

The Jehovahs Witness religion increase due to the numbers of people not raised in the faith who join. The JWs overall have never been in the negative growth (decreasing), so you might like to provide evidence that the global figures presently are in decline.

[Tcg]

...you might like to provide evidence that the global figures presently are in decline.

Global figures? The OP clearly limits itself to the decline in the U.S. The first sentence makes that astoundingly clear:

• "Jehovah’s Witnesses have a low retention rate relative to other U.S. religious groups."
  
  <bolding mine>

Tcg

[2timothy316]

[Replying to post 1 by polonius]

"Retention figures" refer to the number/percentage of children raised in the faith that continue on into adulthood. Since do not they force their children to become JW, so its normal over half choose to leave or not become Witnesses when they reach adulthood.

Jehovah's Witnesses don't get their increase from their babies, their increase comes from CONVERTS.

The Jehovahs Witness religion increase due to the numbers of people not raised in the faith who join. The JWs overall have never been in the negative growth (decreasing), so you might like to provide evidence that the global figures presently are in decline.

The poll also might be taking ALL those that profess to be Jehovah's Witnesses but JWs actually don't count a person as a JW unless they are preaching actively. So all those that are bible students or just going to one or two meetings doesn't make a person a JWs by our count. If they are counting all of the ones that studied for awhile and went to meetings for awhile and did want to live by bible standards, then I can see were they would see what they think of as a 'retention problem'. Yet the Bible says that some would not 'grow' to maturity. (Matt 13:18-23) Even I, myself have had 3 students quit studying the Bible because they didn't want to follow what they read in it. Versus only 2 that are now preachers and teachers. One even got baptized this year. That's only a 40% success rating by world's standards. But to us it's huge because we value quality over quantity. Yet those three that quit couldn't be called Jehovah's Witnesses because they never moved on to give a witness to anyone. However, those in the world might call them JWs but we do not.

How we count who is and isn't be found here.
https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesse ... w-members/

One big reason we know we are growing is because we need new kingdom halls bad all over the world.

[JehovahsWitness]

That is correct, we have very much stricter standard for membership. In any case the JW figures are not decreasing. As I explained one shouldn't confuse detention levels with overall growth.


JW

[JehovahsWitness]

IS THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESS MEMBERSHIP IN DECLINE?

♦ANSWER No Jehovah's Witnesses membership has shown a steady increase of around 1.5 percent for decades (see charts below). The 2012 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches reports that of the top 25 major churches, only 6 reported an increase (several provided no updates, so they may have unreported increase). Of those the six churches on the increase the Jehovahs Witnesses ranked 4th.

The Huffington post reported back in 2011 that when adding all percentage figures in the previous 4 years, the fastest growing Christian church was the Jehovah's Witnesses with a 10.37% growth rate increase. It concluded that {quote} ...Jehovah's Witnesses experienced the greatest growth percentage overall, gaining 4.37 percent "{End Quote} Source: www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/15/repor ... 23701.html




CHURCHES ON THE INCREASE

The 2012 figures from The 2012 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches have JWs ranked 4th in overall percentage growth. The Catholic Church is down by 0.44 percent in the same region.

Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. : up 20 percent

Assemblies of God : up 3.99 percent

National Baptist Convention: up 3.95 percent

Jehovah’s Witnesses 1,184,249: up 1.85 percent

Seventh-day Adventist Church : up 1.61 percent

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints : up 1.62 percent

source: http://www.ncccusa.org/news/120209yearbook2012.html




RELATED POSTS


Is the Jehovahs Witness increase due to their high birth rates?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 64#p846164

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JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, THE 2ND COMING and ...RELIGIOUS TRUTH

[Tcg]

As I explained one shouldn't confuse detention levels with overall growth.

You are the only one who has done so. The OP text makes no reference to overall growth.


Tcg

[bjs]

The title of this thread and the information provided in the first post are definitely referring to different things.

The title suggests that JW numbers overall are shrinking, while the first post only addresses how many people raised as JWs remain in that specific faith.

There is an interesting discussion to be had about why those raised as JWs are leaving the movement. However, this thread is definitely a bait and switch.