What if... The Governing Body promoted online preaching

by pirata 20 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  pirata

  Imagine this scenario:

  Step 1) The Governing Body produces a brochure entitled: "Addressing Misconceptions about Jehovah's Witnesses". It brings all the apostate arguments out of the woodwork and addresses them (whether or not the answers make sense doesn't really matter). A few leave the truth as they are stumbled over the content. The rest rejoice that the Governing Body has humbly admitted their mistakes, giving further proof that they are the faithful and discreet slave.

  Step 2) After completing a study of the brochure at the bookstudy, a new avenue of preaching is announced: Online Preaching. Different circuits are assigned ownership of different websites to clear up misconceptions about JWs and try to prevent weak or new ones from being stumbled by apostates online. Imagine a few thousand JWs assigned to participate in JWN.

  What do you think the net effect would be?
• 

  FreeAtLast1914

  Interesting concept, but there's no way in hell the WT Society would ever encourage more web use. They fear the internet like Superman fears kryptonite.
• 

  Outaservice

  Nobody would go door to door then. I know I would not have!

  Outaservice
• 

  ziddina

  Actually, I can see that happening....

  If the Watchtower Society survives that long....

  There are so many JWs who are doing this already; there will either be a number of disfellowshippings over this, or (AND!) they will eventually institute the practice as "noo Lite"...

  Of course, they WON'T allow Jehovah's Witnesses disfellowshipped for "Internet" association with apostates, to come back into the [cult] fold, WITHOUT a lengthy period of "loving discipline"...

  (I think poor "5th Generation" has been given some sort of 'ultimatum' about posting online, as he has posted a "farewell" on this board within the last few hours, and frankly? It sounds final...)

  So sad...

  Zid
• 

  ruruj

  What do you think the net effect would be?

  - Like WT swallowing their own vomit.

  - Bring out the Hypocrisy cyber-cannon!
• 

  sooner7nc

  A more interesting proposal is "What would happen if they all gathered together and shot each other in the face with a .45?"

  Now that's a proposal I can get behind!
• 

  peacedog

  Imo, the fact that the Society doesn't promote online witnessing (in fact, is opposed to it and essentially forbids it) speaks to their reasons for knocking on doors in the first place. If the purpose of the door-to-door work was to make new recruits - if that was their true goal - they should be all over online witnessing. But in actuality the door-to-door work has nothing to do with making new recruits. It's all about isolating the dubbies from society at large and making them feel "special" and "chosen".
• 

  clarity

  I doubt that the GB would allow this. They would lose control, ha ha imagine having 7 million loose cannons on the net! I agree Peacedog, it kept us isolated from worldlies (well, actually most people kept away from us!) & gave us a sense of superiority!

  clarity
• 

  StandFirm

  What pirata suggests is very interesting.
  
  On the one hand, it would be very fun to take over the internet. A brochure like you mentioned could be produced - it has been done before:
  
  *** yb99 pp. 139-143 Germany ***
  Now, replacing the former persecutors of Jehovah’s people, apostates took up the cudgel to beat their former Christian associates. (Matt. 24:48-51) During the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, these apostates became more vocal, their false accusations more numerous and virulent. Producers of some TV talk shows presented the apostates as being “experts” on Jehovah’s Witnesses....Of course, there are many people who accept without question what they hear on TV or read in the newspapers. In view of the frequency of the attacks on Jehovah’s Witnesses by the media, the Society prepared a 32-page brochure specifically to counteract this flood of misleading propaganda. It is entitled Your Neighbors, Jehovah’s Witnesses—Who Are They?...Initially, the brochure was intended only for people who raised questions about false charges being made against the Witnesses. [Later the cover was changed to make it more general-purpose.]
  
  On the other hand, wouldn't it detract from the work of finding honest-hearted ones? Those who hate Witnesses or are biased against them or oppose them will do so with or without the internet.
  
  Also, just as Witnesses create discussion forums designed to keep out opposers, so would the opposers were the Witnesses to take over the internet. So the end result is basically what you have now. As it is, both sides are already out there with our official website. Besides, people are smart, and those who have questions about what they hear about us on the internet or elsewhere can simply ask us about what they've heard.
  
  So I don't think what pirata suggests would do us any good. Except for that brochure - I would love for such a thing to be released! So you all can keep up the opposition - the harder you push, the harder we push back!
• 

  poopsiecakes

  perhaps djeggnog is a little toe dipping into this idea...