Is the Watchtower Society strong enough to win this war with the internet?

by jack w 76 Replies latest jw friends

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  jack w

  Hello,

  Could it be that the wts actually thinks it can win this war? I mean, they are forcing sites to close down, suing the people that run them etc. etc. I wonder if this is the way they want to "handle" the internet problem. Are they nuts? or do they have the money, support, and wherewithal to actually pull it off? The wts is a powerful organization. They have a ton of money, and the means to do alot of things, but is it enough? I'm starting to get a little concerned about the latest sites closing down, and the wts' ability to affect these closures.

  I thought the societys' approach was going to be just to try and ignore these anti-jw sites, but it seems they are pulling up their bootstraps and going to war against the internet apostates. And by the accounts I'm seeing, they are winning. How long will it be before they can say: "Hey, WE NEVER SAID THAT" in answer to people who ask about contradictions in their past literature and so forth. They change the bound volumes to reflect "current thinking" and unless you have the original versions of their literature, you won't be able to prove that they have been contradictory. How will this affect "new ones" who research the jw's?

  Does the society have the clout and power to actually win the war of (mis) information with the general public and jw's alike?

  How long will it be before THIS SITE gets shut down?

  When the powers that be in Bethel got together to discuss their strategy in regards to the handling of the "internet issue" in closed sessions, do you think that after discussing other options, they decided.."Let's go after 'em. We've got the money, the support, and Jehovahs' backing. Let's go for it!. This internet apostate scourge MUST BE STOPPED! We're losing too many because of it!???????" Do they feel it's their only chance of saving their sorry butts?

  It's obvious they aren't just going to lay down.

  Thoughts and comments are appreciated.

  Thanks,

  Jack.
• 

  daniel-p

  Very interesting topic.
  
  In answer to your question: NO. The Watchtower has already lost the war and they know it. They are cutting their losses. You can see it in how they reason with people. "If people have doubts, they must not be of our sort."
  
  They are using the same tactic as the RIAA is in their war against music piracy. Unfortunately (for them) they lost it before it began. WIth all the pressure and guilt trips they give downloaders it just fuels the invention of new methods to get what they want. It is a NEW world, and some people/corporations/organizations cannot seem to deal with it. When the law has become obsolete (whether digital copyright law or Biblical interpretation) the law must change in order for authority to retain legitimacy.
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  oldflame

  I don't see how this could happen, afterall there are not to many laws for the internet. Just about anyone can get into porn sites including children on the net, I don't see anyone trying to stop that. Here in America we have a constitution that allows for freedom of speach and no watchtower is going to take that away from Americans..................
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  integ

  I don't know. They are a powerful organization with a boatload of money. They've already shut down two sites (that i know of) already.

  Who's next? How can it be stopped?

  Does Simon have enough in his armor bag to keep the Tower from shutting him down too?

  -Integ.
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  skyman

  No these is their Achilles Heel
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  Tigerman

  This is just the beginning . . .the internet and the people that it's touching are off to a good start. That is

  why we must stay the course. We must get organized if there is going to be change. Organized

  resistance is the WTS " Boogeyman".

  He's in their closet and under their bed. We just have to nuture him so he'll come out to ________ ( fill

  in the space with what it is you'd like to see happen to the Watchtower Society.
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  Apostanator

  As far as I can see it,,,the Watchtower may have the means and the strength to win the war with the internet but they do not have the intelligence. They have demonized the internet but have their own website. When I have the oportunity to speak to a witness and mention that the Watchtower has it's own site, they give me the deer in the headlights look. Most of the rank & file don't even know that the Borg has their own sight. I give them the Watchtowers www adress and tell them to go look it up. Once their on the web, it's only a matter of time before they start to think.
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  stillAwitness

  I don't think they can win this war over the internet. Isn't the number of wittnesses being baptized per year decreasing primarily thanks to the easy access to information from the web?

  There really are no government regualtions to control information being spread throught the internet and you can't sue a site just because its an anti-whatever kind of site.

  Think of all the anti-Britney Spears sites? Come on, she could never shut down every single one even if she really wanted to.

  Give it up FDS! Its going down!
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  Lady Lee

  I don't know if they could or would try to come after Simon. Although he does provide the site most quotes are for informational and educational benefit.

  No one has posted an entire book - just excerpts for discussion. Although people post links Simon is not responsible for putting them there. Nor is he responsible for what those links contain.

  Is the Watchtower Society strong enough to win this war with the internet?

  In their arrogance I think they will try.But "winning" (and I use that term rather loosely because I don't see Quotes as having lost) one battle is not winning the war.

  Considering how much information is on the net now it is like a boy plugging a huge gaping hole in the dam with a nothing more than a paper plug. It's all wet and doesn't stop the flow.

  Just look at all the mirror sites for Quotes that are going up. For every action the WTS tries there will be an opposite response.

  An information war on the internet cannot be stopped. And just because one person knows when to fight and when to surrender in no way means the war is won. We are multiplying - very quickly
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  fairchild

  No, they are not strong enough to win the war against the internet. The very fact that they had two websites shut down proves that the internet is becoming a serious threat to them. For every site they shut down, 10 new sites appear. No way they can win this one. Simply type in your browser "watchtower quotes" and look at the THOUSANDS of sites that come up, 99% of them contain damaging information to the WTS. There aren't enough hours in a day or enough lawyers in a city to attack all of those sites. My guess is that somewhere in the near future, they will strictly forbid their members to use the internet. Just like smoking was once allowed and then it was not allowed anymore. Mind my words, this is going to happen. They will make using the internet a reason to DF a person, because keeping their members away from the internet is going to be the only sure way to keep them away from information they are not supposed to see.They will give it some twist, they will say that the internet is an instrument of Satan and it should be avoided as much as a ouija board should be avoided.