Is The Internet The Worst Thing That Could Happen To The Organization?

by minimus 55 Replies latest jw friends

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  AllTimeJeff

  Is it the worse thing that could happen outside of a scandal? Sure, because it publicizes the scandals, et al.

  One of the ironic things that the GB tries to do is to appear reasonable in all of their hyper controlling rules. In all of the articles that demonize the internet, WT and Awake, they almost always start out with the fact that kids who get on the internet get taken by predators, that marriages are regularly broken up by meeting random strangers in chat rooms, that most of the information available is false or at least shouldn't be accepted at face value. (oh and critics of the WTBTS are on and they are so powerful being under the control of Satan that it could destroy your faith)

  Basically, there is nothing good on the internet ever. They try to make it seem that they are looking out for you, but as we all know, they are looking out for themselves.

  There's another thread here on the GB that I want to comment on about what the GB knows, etc. This is what makes it so insidioius. They realize that much of what on the internet is true.

  It is a loose confederation of people who probably have little in common other then their past, but that demonstrates how powerful the bond is, and the desire to expose what the GB wants to hide.
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  paul from cleveland

  The internet has been around for awhile and the organization continues to grow.
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  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  Time is Watchtower Corporation's worst enemy.
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  Mad Sweeney

  The internet has been around for awhile and the organization continues to grow.

  I'm not sure the growth is in countries where there is widespread Internet. America and western Europe are not growing. The increase in publisher peak doesn't mesh with the number of baptisms. Lots of people are leaving. Lots more are simply fading. Don't believe the hype at the Service Meeting. Look at all the stats in the yearbook and you'll see.
• 

  Farkel

  :Is The Internet The Worst Thing That Could Happen To The Organization?

  Maybe, but not necessarily. Losing their tax-exempt status world-wide would kill them. Their cash flow is way down and paying taxes on what is remaining would hurt. All of the money realized from real estate sales would be subject to taxation. Even more importantly, they would have to OPEN UP THEIR ACCOUNTING BOOKS to outside scrutiny and that alone is a huge can of worms form them. All of their scams would see the light of day and I suspect criminal prosecution could follow.

  Also, if a good percentage of members simply ignored their shunning rules, what are they going to do? Disfellowship half their members? That tactic could backfire on them in a huge way.

  Farkel
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  yadda yadda 2

  Geez another thread about the internet threatening JW's. Must be about the 200th thread on this subject since I joined this forum. Yes, we all know the internet is a threat to the WBTS.
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  dgp

  It seems to me that the internet alone would do them no harm. Now, the existence of so many people who have left the organization and are willing to speak up in fora like this one IS a big threat. The internet is simply a means to convey what so many of you have to say. It also helps former witnesses, disfellowshipped and dissasociated to get in touch and become stronger.

  The developing world has less access to the internet, but not as little as some people think. What they do not have, however, is the large number of people who have left the organization. In some countries that might not matter much. I remember that a person from Iceland was posting here. Many Scandinavians speak English, so Icelandics must, too, and they get to benefit from your own fora. I believe it would be a bit more difficult for Albanians, for example.
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  AllTimeJeff

  Lets try to quantify it this way. If you look at the countries with the greatest growth in the latest yearbook, and somehow figure out their internet saturation, I think that could be telling.

  In Cameroon, I was in 3 cities, Douala, Yaounde, and Bamenda. Most people had no computers at all. (I kid you not, electricity and a tv were luxery items) Anyone who wanted to get on the internet had to usually go to these internet cafe's, where you had to prepay and charge by the hour. Money was limited, so anyone on the computer, on the internet, were doing email, news. Yes, they would google Jehovah's Witnesses. But I promise you, there was no time to do any more then a brief glance at what was there.

  It is my belief that only those with private internet access really have an opportunity to investigate JW's on the internet. And it is easier to name the countries that do have this, (i.e. cheap internet access) such as USA and Canada. Great Britain. Australia, for example, then those that don't.

  Anyway, the countries which have the money that the WTBTS needs to survive are also the countries that have cheap unfettered internet access. Bummer for them.

  I don't think the internet will bring down JW's by itself. I do think it has sprung a slow leak that is impossible to fix for the GB.
• 

  Aussie Oz

  I think it is, i hope it is...

  but, those who want to believe the whitewash will still gravatate to the pro JW blogs etc. Most of them are not studious enough to research anything. Those that are trying to control their doubts will be more likely to dig deeper, and thank the internet for that!

  when i was in, about the only access to 'apostate' info was seeing a placard carrying apostate outside a convention.

  oz
• 

  Sunspot

  Farkel wrote: " Maybe, but not necessarily. Losing their tax-exempt status world-wide would kill them. Their cash flow is way down and paying taxes on what is remaining would hurt. All of the money realized from real estate sales would be subject to taxation. Even more importantly, they would have to OPEN UP THEIR ACCOUNTING BOOKS to outside scrutiny and that alone is a huge can of worms form them. All of their scams would see the light of day and I suspect criminal prosecution could follow."

  I agree with this, as them being expected to reveal what is in the accounting books of "the only pure religion on earth" would definitely also reveal what secretive and totally underhanded weasels they have always been. But back to the subject of the internet.....

  That as JWs, we were continually being proudly told that the WTS was the only religion that taught accurate knowledge, and the internet has completely DESTROYED this idea by revealing ALL the hogwash and pure garbage they have taught for years as "food from God".....wasn't. It has been truly shown to be the best guesses and the delusional ideas of men.

  Annie