I was a lurker a few months ago. I was lead here mainly by typing the words jehovahs witnesses in the search box and hitting enter. This was one of the first sites that came up. I was very curious to see what former jws like myself were thinking, and to hear about some of their experiences. Being here has been very therapeutic, even though I was lead here without the bitterness. To all lurkers don't be afraid to challenge your belief system. Self exploration is not necessarily a bad thing.
How Can We Help Lurkers???
by minimus 22 Replies latest jw friends
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shamus
By doing what we're doing right now, and keeping things civil. The way some people fight in public here is shameful. If things are that bad, PM each other and fight that way. I don't like seeing it.
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Stephanus
Scoobysnax, for all my disagreement with some of your posts, I think you've got guts - I'd like to see more Jehovah's Witnesses who believe it's the truth but aren't afraid to associate with those who don't - that's real balls, that is!
And besides, anyone with the good taste to use Scooby Doo as both his ID and his Avatar can't be all bad.
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gitasatsangha
yes but Scoob just suggested Betty Page was a cross-dressing male. I can't accept that kind of apostacy.
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minimus
Lurkers lurk for a few reasons. One was to "do the fade". Another reason is for validation. If some muster the courage to get on sites such as these, they are looking for that loophole that proves that the Witnesses do not have the truth.
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gitasatsangha
How can we help Lakers? Its a very puzzling questions. The main problem is that they've made some bad trades and have very little hope of attracting fresh talent for awhile. Conventional wisdom says to go at it like last year and hope for the best. Shaq won't need surgury in the summer, so he will be ready to go, as will Kobe. So they won't be so slow into the beginning of the season. But the problem of depth on the bench remains. Hire people with the numbers and the experience. As a suggestion I would probably try to attract another big Forward. Yes I am suggesting they get Karl Malone. he has the depth and experience that can help the Lakers out next time around. As goes Scottie Pippen. The advantage of bringing Pippen on as a free agent is that he has a lot of previous experience being coached by Phil Jackson. It should be noted, Karl "The Mailman" Malone has made a direct statement about wanting to be on a championship caliber team if he remains in the NBA.
ooops. sorry you said lurkers not lakers.
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minimus
Gita, you actually are helping "lurkers" (not Lakers), LAUGH. We need silliness like that at times, except on my threads.
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Gadget
I think a big thig for me, as a lurker, is how the arguments are presented. A lot of people have had bad experiences which make them feel very strongly about stuff, but if you go spouting off people are just going to turn off. I came here because I looked around, and still am, and saw so much hypocrasy and wanted to know what was really going on, FACTS not just how people feel. When you've been associated with something for a long time you automaticaly follow the rules, no matter what you really think. So if they hear someone spouting off they think "Its apostate, I can't read that", but if its just facts they'll read it, think on it and come back for more. Remember all that logical coherant devolopement stuff they taught you int the TMS?
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minimus
Gadget, I agree that it is FACTS that ultimately helps a person to leave the "truth". And if such facts are not properly presented to a lurker, the result can be that the person reading the board can get turned away. Presentation is key to helping a sincere person learn the real truth about the "truth". If a person learns the facts through insulting responses or intimidation, the result will be that the person lurking will not embrace the "facts". When we start to learn what really is true about the organization, it can be very scary or depressing. That's why I feel new ones need kind support in their quest for truth.
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InquiryMan
I support Minimus on this. (In fact we do have many similiarities in background) I, definitely, go here for facts. Of course, for a witness to come here in the first place, involves a certain amount of "independent thinking", "doubt" as far as the organization goes or just plain curiosity. The anger/emotional outburst might turn some off, although it is understandable that those who have experienced abuse or ill-treatment of other kinds need to vent. However, there are those though, that have had quite a happy, content life as a JW, that might want to investigate due to what is felt to be dishonesty/double standards or "secrecy" on the part of the Society. They need to feel that their newly found "gnosis" is epi-gnosis (accurate knowledge) and just not hearsay or half-truths. They might gather this information from various sources and thus makes a complete picture. Thus to me, newspaper articles exposing WTBS, or conflicting quotes from the literature itself (type Undisfellowshipped) etc are valuable. The more fluffy stuff (resembling "What is your favorite color/coke etc on witness sites, although with a more "daring content") is not of much interest, and even may turn some lurkers off. That also of course involved threads with profanity/etc). Some might even be put off from the very concept that various viewpoints are tolerated, having the JW mindset of "unity". One might respect one another, without agreeing on all points. Also people do have various experiences as being a JW, all not necessarly negative (at least all the time). Some witnesses sugarcoat every aspect of being a JW. I am not willing to go to the other extreme, putting a negative view on all aspects of JW life, although having lost all confidence in the WTBS. Also, some, whereas find it ok to question the WTBS, find it offensive to see downgrading remarks of God and/or Jesus, wanting to separate organizational discord and major tenets or core beliefs. However, for all this is a journey, and it involved different challenges along the way, both positive and some less positive.