If the WTBTS knew then what it knows now...

Pwned

Would the internet have been banned ouright from the beginning?

It seems like they have been trying to reign in control of JW's use of the internet for the last few years but Pandora's Box has already been opened. If they had just banned it from the beginning many dubs would have been afraid that if they went on the ineternet they would immediately be possesed by demons. (I'm sure the org would have started a few urban myths to back the legend up)

Honesty

Idiots thought they could get more converts with their official website because until Google came along the only thing popping up on your screen was the WTBTS website when you typed in Jehovah's Witnesses.

sweet tee

You're right honesty. When I typed in Jehovah's Witnesses about 2 1/2 years ago I found ex-JW's instead.

Thank God for Google

Pwned

Even dubs that I know always follow the WT's "suggestions" as law are embracing the internet more than ever, going broadband, etc. Are they afraid of a backlash from banning it at this point? Because I'm sure the argument could be made that no one truly needs it. People can read newspapers, write checks, use snail-mail etc.

the_classicist

I don't think they would, they're not the Amish. Besides, Bethel had been quite reliant on computers before the internet came around; they can't be an enemy of technology.

what_Truth?

NO.

If they could have seen this far ahead into the future they also would have banned TV and radio the same way the United Pennicostals did.

Pwned

shameless bump...

any other thoughts?

Euphemism

The WTBTS has been negative towards the 'net (and the non-Internet BBSes that were popular before the Web) since at least '93, when the Web was brand new:

w93 8/1 17 Modern computers have opened other avenues to bad association. Some commercial firms enable subscribers using a computer and a telephone to send a message to electronic bulletin boards; a person can thus post on the bulletin board a message that is open to all subscribers. This has led to so-called electronic debates on religious matters. A Christian might be drawn into such debates and may spend many hours with an apostate thinker who may have been disfellowshipped from the congregation. The direction at 2 John 9-11 underscores Paul?s fatherly counsel about avoiding bad associations.

km 9/95 6 As outlined on page 17 of the August 1, 1993, issue of The Watchtower, connecting a computer to an electronic bulletin board can open the way to serious spiritual dangers. Just as an unscrupulous individual can place on a bulletin board a virus?a program designed to corrupt and destroy computer files?apostates, clergymen, and persons seeking to corrupt others morally or otherwise can freely place their poisonous ideas on bulletin boards. Unless a bulletin board, even one labeled "JW Only," is properly supervised, with its use being limited to those who are mature, faithful servants of Jehovah, it could expose Christian users to "bad associations." (1 Cor. 15:33) The Society has received reports that such so-called private networks have been used not only to speculate regarding spiritual matters but also to give bad advice, spread gossip and false information, plant negative ideas, raise questions and doubts that subvert the faith of some, and disseminate private interpretations of Scripture. On the surface, some information may appear to be interesting and informative, and yet it may be laced with poisonous elements. Christians look to "the faithful and discreet slave" for timely spiritual food and for clarifications. (See The Watchtower of July 1, 1994, pages 9-11.) A Christian has the serious responsibility to safeguard his faith against all corrupting influences and, basic to that, should always know with whom he is associating.

The Society did not create a website until '97, long after a lot of ex-Witness material was already online:

km 11/97 3 In our technological age, some people obtain information from electronic sources, including the Internet. So the Society has put on the Internet some accurate information about the beliefs and activities of Jehovah?s Witnesses.
Our Internet Web site has the address http://www.watchtower.org and contains a selection of tracts, brochures, and Watchtower and Awake! articles in English, Chinese (Simplified), German, Russian, and Spanish, as well as in other languages. The publications on this Web site are already available through the congregations and are in use in the ministry. The purpose of our Web site is, not to release new publications, but to make information available to the public in electronic format. There is no need for any individual to prepare Internet pages about Jehovah?s Witnesses, our activities, or our beliefs. Our official site presents accurate information for any who want it.

At the time I left ('03), most Witnesses I knew--including the very 'spiritual'--had absolutely no problem using the 'net. But everyone knew that you shouldn't look up Jehovah's Witnesses online, and any hint of online dating was taboo. A good friend of mine was almost refused use of the KH for her wedding, even though she was a regular pioneer marrying a ministerial servant, because they had met online. The few of us who tried to create Witness-safe environments online had to hide what we did, or else defend ourselves against constant criticism.

Ultimaately, the Watchtower's position towards the 'net is of a piece with their overall policy of 'in the world, but not of it'. They allow their adherents enough flexibility to masquerade as normal members of society, but they rely on the indoctrination to keep them 'safe' from actual contact with dangerous ideas.

Pwned

Euphemism:

what ever happened to your old site? is it still around, have other sites replaced it? there were some classic posters on that site,do u keep in touch with any of them?

Euphemism

Pwned... there was quite a bit of drama over the site. Long story short, the site admins freaked out when they found out that I was an 'apostate'. They were afraid that I was planning to use the site for anti-JW covert ops. (Kind of like Obed.) So they shut down the site, deleted all the posts and members, and reopened the board at a secret location.

If the WTBTS knew then what it knows now...

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