Randy,
This is Jon from Japan. I visit your home
page frequently and always find it informative. Some time back one of the sites
listed the decline of JWs in many countries around the world including Japan.
There was a comment made about wondering why the rapid growth in Japan had
turned around so dramatically in recent years. As a person who has been deeply
involved working with JWs in Japan I think I am qualified to offer some light on
that matter.
First of all, please realize that Japan is
a country with TONS of new religions. Many people think that Japanese are
Buddhist. Strictly speaking that is not true. They are mainly animists and
agnostics with a Buddhist veneer. Consequently; when Japanese want to get
serious about religion, they tend to join some `new religion` which offers
something more dramatic than the normal ceremonial Buddhism. The draw for the WT
in the 70`s thru the 90`s was the `Study intensiveness` and the replacement
family. As Japanese families moved away from their home towns to the city and
husbands went away to their companies from early morning to late at night,
Japanese wives found themselves in a new environment with no friends and time on
their hands. The Witness who visited their homes became `instant friends` and
offered a system on how to raise `good kids` in a very uncertain time. The lie
persisted for many years with the pasted on smile and the strong sense of
mission with housewives running around on their scooters telling the good news
that the world is about to be destroyed. However, as time wore on the dirty
laundry began to get exposed. Namely, lots of divorces and over-zealous
discipline, resulting in child abuse and emotional breakdowns.
In addition to that, second generation Witnesses
burgeoned creating a whole mess of young people who don`t hold down regular jobs
and lack common sense. These days many second generation JWs are leaving the
organization. They`re hopping into bed with each other and smoking. Or else just
finding a job and trying to live a normal life.
On top of all that, starting ten years ago
several cults created very high profile scandals which were covered extensively
on TV. Mind Control became a household word. Steve Hassan`s book was translated
into Japanese and is said to have sold 2 million copies! As people started to
watch the TV specials they began to see the Watchtower similarities to other
cults.
In addition to that, many books and videos
were produced to show what the WT is really all about. We also spearheaded a
massive tract distribution of `warning tracts` all over the country. To date
about 7 million have been distributed door-to-door. We have also done lots of
one-on-one counseling and some exit-counseling. Other counselors and I have
accounted for at least 500 disassociations.
The current emphasis on cults in the media
and the obvious anti-social behavior of the Witnesses has caused their marked
decline. They`ve gone from double-digit growth 10 years ago to minus 1% this
year. Their numbers have dipped below the 220,000 mark, which they had
previously eclipsed. I expect they will continue to bounce between 0% and -1%
growth for the next couple of years.
The Watchtower here has made several moves
to remove the cult label. They tell the publishers NOT to bring small children
with them door-to-door (that is considered very odd here). They tell the
publishers not to gather in large numbers in public places before and after
door-to-door work. They now allow the kids to be involved in after school
activities, etc. They also set up a forum called `Stand Firm` which tells the
tale of how much they were persecuted by the Nazis. They instructed Witnesses to
not call each other `Brother so and so` when they attend the forum so as not to
stand out.
And they are still in the process of suing
a Baptist pastor who was heavy into exit-counseling. It`s always ironic to see `God`s
organization` using `Satan Court` to vindicate Jehovah`s name ...(?)
Keep up the good work. Jon Dugan
jwdugan@dion.d7.ne.jp
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