Will Embracing the Internet lead to Increased Growth for the Watchtower?

by jwfacts 74 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Retrovirus

  Wha Happened: Interesting, I hadn't known they villanized the VCR - before coming out with their own tapes and DVDs.

  Based on my experience with the "Bible study" - I think that to indoctrinate someone you need face to face contact. Establish that they are needy, love bomb them, then start with the "rules" they must follow to "belong".

  So I'd guess that the internet site would be lite on facts and dogma, much more so than the official site, but push the "looming Armageddon" and the "big happy family safe in Jehovah's care". And you can be part of it - just meet us at your local KH!

  How effective will it be? Depends how well they do it. Main thing is, it cannot address the biggest problem - they cannot keep members in, especially not the born-in kids.

  Anyway, time will tell.

  Retro
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  blondie

  I live in a university city....yet few congregations even have a computer/printer in the KH library, even not being hooked to the internet.

  I actually lived for a time before computers and many jws don't have computers (or won't admit to it) and this is not a 3rd world country. Now if the WTS/elders give people permission to get computers maybe, but then that works against the strong anti-pornography dance the WTS has been trotting out in almost every study article.

  I remember when www.watchtower.org was set up and announced. A year later many jws were afraid to logon thinking it was an anti-jw site. Hardly any knew about www.jw-media.org and I wonder how many know of and use www.jw.org.

  Few even saw that www.watchtower.org was printed at the bottom of the magazines.
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  Lozhasleft

  An earlier comment made me think we should put Kingdom Halls on TripAdvisor lol...imagine them reading the reviews?!

  I think its hopeful that JWs given the go ahead will be enticed to sites like this and begin the research...

  Loz x
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  mind blown

  They already have a site, which doesn't seem to be ensaring more victims. There's so much daming material and info. there's no way they'll ever be able to recover. As Blondie also mentioned the majority of those other countries can't afford computers, much less know how to opperate one. Even here in the states, Mahattan for instance, there's more JW's and KHS in lower class areas on the island. I was shocked to find this out! Bethel has been in Brooklyn for how many years, and they have only been able to attract people in the lower income statues on the island of Mahattan and Brooklyn?! In fact there's not one KH on Manhattan in a nice area.

  I honestly feel it's a ploy to streamline overhead and product. It can be utilized for great money making potential and it's been mentioned they're going to give their site a facelift which I'm sure will be more appealing to the RnF. An internet store is open 24/7 for business world wide, how many JW's does that make? They'll sell more must haves to the flock. It's a known fact people shop more online these days... PDF files, Hotel reservations, CD's, Music, order hard copy litrature, emergency to go bags LOL.....
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  mind blown

  Ps.....unless they start having free beer give aways,.....the crowds will come running
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  slimboyfat

  I don't think the motivation for reducing the magazines truthfully has anything to do with a newly devised strategy for using the Internet any more than the abandonment of the book study groups truly had anything to do with gas prices. It's just spin.

  The letter simply notes that 400,000 people view their website daily. It states absolutely nothing in terms of a new strategy for utilising the Internet in new or imaginative ways.
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  Doubting Bro

  It's just a cost saving measure. There's no way that the JWS use of the internet is going to help them over the long term. There are too many ways to invalidate the theology to newcomers that it just won't work. The religion just isn't getting new recruits outside the third world and once that's played out, they will simply fade away over the next 100 years or so.

  Either there is a major reformation to suit the needs of the current population or they are doomed to the fringe, or the edge of the fringe because its a fringe religion now. Maybe not to us that have been impacted but to society as a whole, it is.
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  watson

  Oh boy. I am picturing 4,000 northern New York Bethelites working feverishly at their computers, preaching the word, developing new marketing programs, etc. Will be interesting.
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  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  "Since each issue will contain less material, it may be possible for more translation teams to be able to translate every issue of Awake! and the public edition of The Watchtower, thus increasing the number of languages in which they are available."

  "it may be possible..."? Why the 'may,' either they will translate into more languages, or they will not.

  If they actually translate into more languages, will they please start translating into Klingon! At least they would get some Trekkies visiting their website.

  My prediction is that they will next reduce the number of languages they print in... "The Governing Body has noted the growing tendency for people to use fewer primary languages. Based on these changing conditions, God's printing presses will only print Awake! and The Watchtower in 20 languages. Additionally, these magazines will be reduced to four pages."
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  AuntBee

  Billy the ex: "Hab SoSII' Quch!"

  haha, just kidding.