Originally posted by FMF
I read somewhere recently that by far the biggest segment of the new members that your organization has been getting for years has been the children of JWs being baptized. Is it true? Is there another 'demographic' amongst new recruits that's bigger?

you read recently? where did you read it? Is it a reliable source?

Yes we do have children and yes those children may be baptised. What it is in comparison to others who become baptised I cannot say.

Originally posted by divegeester
If you look and the statement of beliefs of virtually all mainstream Christian churches you will find it included. It may not be included overtly in some of the bigger denominations anymore as the topic can be considered controversial and their primary driver is member numbers.

where is that definition? did you make it up?

Originally posted by divegeester
If you look and the statement of beliefs of virtually all mainstream Christian churches you will find it included. It may not be included overtly in some of the bigger denominations anymore as the topic can be considered controversial and their primary driver is member numbers.

If its not included overtly are you saying that those churches
that do not accept Christ as a deity are not Christians?

My "Christian" education was limited to the odd "RE" lesson I
could not avoid but I don't remember this being taught.

I'm surprised.

Originally posted by FMF
I read somewhere recently that by far the biggest segment of the new members that your organization has been getting for years has been the children of JWs being baptized. Is it true? Is there another 'demographic' amongst new recruits that's bigger?

That is surely true of any religion?

Originally posted by wolfgang59
If its not included overtly are you saying that those churches
that do not accept Christ as a deity are not Christians?

My "Christian" education was limited to the odd "RE" lesson I
could not avoid but I don't remember this being taught.

I'm surprised.

Lucky you i had to go to Sunday school!

Originally posted by divegeester
I hardly think you or your cult are in a position of strength when it comes to criticising other people beliefs considering the stuff you believe. I think "swallowing a camel but straining at a gnat" is the phrase that best fits. Nevertheless, here you are telling the entire Chrisitan faith that they are wrong and you are right.

Just saying what the Bible says. Is that hard to swallow?

Originally posted by divegeester
I note that roigam persistently avoids debate when cornered, but surely he is capable of answering my post himself. Or are you "talking the beating" for him as you once said about Galveston75?

Sorry I missed this thread as we were too busy commemorating the sacrificial death of Christ Jesus that gives us our only chance to regain everlasting life.
I'm catching up tho.

Originally posted by divegeester
All religions are influenced by each other, this is well known. So what.

Your religion is a horrible pernicious cult steeped in error, falsehood and dangerous unsociable practices.

So what is your point.

Hey "D" are you in a lot of Pain?
You seem cranky and not able to focuson reason.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Yes we do have children and yes those children may be baptised. What it is in comparison to others who become baptised I cannot say.

If you don't know what proportion of new members are simply children being inducted, then if you are asked about any comment you happen to make about the size or the rate of growth of your organisation, we can simply remind ourselves of the fact that you admitted that you don't know about it and "cannot say".

Originally posted by wolfgang59
That is surely true of any religion?

I think there are churches that are stagnant and in decline due to their long standing reliance on inducting the next generation and, at the same time, there are many evangelical and charismatic Christian groups benefitting from the number of spiritually hungry people and disaffected Christians out there attracted to more exuberant and less hidebound religious communities and practices.

If I were to be converted and recruited to one of these groups, I would experience no family fallout. I know many Catholics here for example who have moved to Protestant groups and vice versa without experiencing much more than the misgivings and grumpiness of parents and uncles and aunts.

Of course, it's a different story for the children of JWs. If by far the biggest share of their growth is coming from "recruiting" their own children, then the psychological pressures that are applied [for which the JW corporation and its members are infamous], quite rightly deserve scrutiny ~ or at least a footnote ~ whenever the size or growth of the group is boasted about.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Lucky you i had to go to Sunday school!

All the kids in my family (both older and younger) went to Sunday School,
I never did. My parents must have known I was a devote atheist even then!

Originally posted by FMF
I think there are churches that are stagnant and in decline due to their long standing reliance on inducting the next generation and, at the same time, there are many evangelical and charismatic Christian groups benefitting from the number of spiritually hungry people and disaffected Christians out there attracted to more exuberant and less hidebound religious c ...[text shortened]... e scrutiny ~ or at least a footnote ~ whenever the size or growth of the group is boasted about.

My gut feeling is that all religions rely on their
offspring to keep things going. Religion is hereditary!

I agree some Christians may go window shopping and
try out a number of churches but I don't think many jump
to Hinduism or Islam ... its just another denomination.

Originally posted by wolfgang59
I agree some Christians may go window shopping and
try out a number of churches but I don't think many jump
to Hinduism or Islam ... its just another denomination.

That was what I was on about ~ Christian denominations shrinking and expanding as Christians move around ~ I don't think I was clear. In the JWs' case, seeing as they put so much emphasis on going door to door to convert and recruit people - much more systematic and rigorous than most other Christian groups I can think of ~ then the suggestion that their purported growth might lean rather heavily on baptizing their own children is inconvenient to put it mildly.

Originally posted by FMF
That was what I was on about ~ Christian denominations shrinking and expanding as Christians move around ~ I don't think I was clear. In the JWs' case, seeing as they put so much emphasis on going door to door to convert and recruit people - much more systematic and rigorous than most other Christian groups I can think of ~ then the suggestion that their purport ...[text shortened]... owth might lean rather heavily on baptizing their own children is inconvenient to put it mildly.

Yes - given their evangelical style it could be demoralising tofor them to see those figures.

Interesting to see would be numbers for all religions of converts.
I suggest it would be very small, ... very, very small.

Originally posted by wolfgang59
All the kids in my family (both older and younger) went to Sunday School,
I never did. My parents must have known I was a devote atheist even then!

Maybe your parents believed you were a child of the Devil.