It's sort of funny how the internet has turned into the bugaboo of the Governing Body's existence. Imagine the nerve of people masquerading as IP addresses, with no congregation Secretary to track back to!
Of course, "apostates/former JW's" have a view of the internet that sometimes isn't all to realistic either. We have all seen the few that have tried to bring the WT down in an act of vengeful hubris.
I don't refer to those whom I think are real stalwarts, like Randy Watters, JW facts and Barbara Anderson to name a few. Not to mention the many moderators of former JW boards (like this one) who keep these JW discussion boards from resembling Vancouver after a game 7 hockey match.
I wonder if anyone has given thought to what the internet has actually turned out to be (aka, reality) as opposed to what the GB and former JW's view it as.
The GB views the internet as a danger. They are correct.
The GB thinks they can keep their flock away from the internet. They are incorrect.
Apostates think they can bring down Jehovah's Witnesses via the internet. They are not correct.
The GB tries to demonize almost every aspect of the internet, esp websites that promote former JW experiences and exposes.
Some apostates use the internet to spread myth's about JW's that aren't true (ritualistic Satan worship at Bethel) instead of exposing the very real and easy facts about JW's that make them dangerous in. (protection of pedophiles, hypocritical stand on blood medicine, and their lies on false prophecies and the behavior of their leadership, past and present) Oh, and they could try and present them in a reasonable manner, but that sometimes is a swing and miss too.
In reality, the internet and what it has become has exposed JW's and the cracks that were already there. Apostates didn't create them. The fact is, JW's and the GB were always happy to embrace any kind of new printing technology. Communication technology is dangerous however, because they instantly lost control of the message.
The issue has always been about the control of the message. During the morse code years prior to the internet, the GB didn't have to worry about Ray Franz. Even when CoC was first printed, most JW's weren't aware of the books existence. Througout the 1980's and into the early 90's, JW grew all over the world at a rapid rate, esp in Western countries. It wasn't until the internet blew up in the mid 90's that those events of 1979-1980 became easily available for the first time. And that is when JW's stopped growing in the West, which has continued to now. While Ray Franz has passed on, it seems that the majority of the sales for CoC the past 15 years have been via the internet. That isn't an accident.
That is why I speak out against the extreme fringe of "apostate" websites. It isn't that they aren't well meaning. Six Screens, like Six Flags, seems like a lot of fun, but at the end of the day, you only end up all wet.
It's time to realize that the internet ISN'T bringing down JW's now, and it won't in the future. JW's are doing that all on their own by holding onto their Flintsone theology and worldview. They are doing it to themselves. The internet is merely a resource for those who start to wake up on their own and need to follow the light out of that cultish cave. Sure, some informative websites like freeminds and jwfacts absolutely help a few. But I am sure that the owners of those sites would admit that they haven't started a movement of any kind, and that their best contribution has been as a resource to those who have already taken their first steps out of the borganization.
The internet for apostates has the same value as it does for anyone else. It brings us closer together. The biggest help it provides former JW's is access to real information. But you can lead a horse to water, you can't make him drink!
I write this tonight because it occurs to me that it is now more apparant then ever that Jehovah's Witnesses got it wrong. 1914? A SHAM PROPHECY. Do we need to picket Brooklyn? No. They are leaving Brooklyn with their tail between their legs. We didn't do that, they did it to themselves.
Their is no point at launching a torpedo at a ship that is taking on water. Get your life preserver on first, then help anyone who wants to float away from the wreck.
The internet is good for hanging out, getting some facts, healing, and moving on. It's a great place for those brave JW's who WANT to think for themselves to start that journey toward freedom. The internet DOESN'T have the power to actually get people to think. And that is the great truth of it all.
JW's and other cults like them (and they are out there, they aren't going anywhere) will always attract those that don't want to think for themselves. You can't help people like that.
Do you want freedom and to accept responsibility for your own life? Then the GB has already lost, and you are on your way to freedom.
Plus, you get to hang out with really cool, mostly anonymous former JW's like me! (lol) Well, if you want to I guess.....
PEACE!
