I am Lady Lee.
What is the power the Internet has against the WTS, and how best to use it?
by jwfacts 43 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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Rabbit
Slim
I have already shown that the Internet is actually a blessing for the Watchtower Society, and is in fact causing apostates more problems than they realise at present. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/100638/1.ashx
#1 - You haven't "shown" or proven any such thing. You've given us your opinion.
#2 - When I first came here I was in crises over JW related issues. I talked til I was 'blue-in-the-face' to the Elders, friends and relatives and never got helpful answers. As a matter of fact, as time went on, I started getting 'warnings' that my questions & comments were "dangerous to my spirituality". I was told in no uncertain terms...I was bordering on "apostate thinking." Why ? Because, I wasn't "Waiting on Jehovah," to solve my family problems. It was actually the Elders not getting off their asses and even trying to help, although I realize now -- they have no REAL training in family matters or psychology. They were 'fish-out-of-water.'
#3 - You said there isn't the "interpersonal discussion" among doubting JW's, because of the Internet. Are you really that delusional to not realize the very simple elementary reason why that may be true ?? Fear...FEAR of being 'marked' or 'disassociating' yourself by asking the wrong questions or saying the wrong thing to the wrong people. I was actually told to "Shut up! And stop asking those questions." It seems my questions were "unanswerable" and showed them a "lack of faith" on my part and that was "dangerous."
So, what else could I do ? I went on-line, trying to find help somewhere, I was thinking about the Official WT site. I thought somehow I could ask or find my answers anonymously there. The WT site was useless...but, WAIT...what's this ? There were THOUSANDS of hits to other articles, web-sites, support groups -- all about Witnesses and mostly not very complimentary. At first I was very scared, but, my family problems had gone without help for 5 years, I am nothing if not persistent.
Eventually I found JWD -- within a month I had found a handful of people with experiences just like mine or even worse. Now I had kindred spirits out there who understood and helped me. I began to understand it was the WT and their draconian rule of fear mongering that paralyzes even the good meaning elders and rank-and-file JW's from being truly helpful. Real communication is crushed in the name of a pseudo "unity" image.
And then SlimFatBoy shows his true snootiness...
The “Apostafest” of lesser apostates is the poor relative in the Internet age of the great ex-Witness gatherings in the pre-Internet period. Apostasy is all but dead: in the flicker of a hyperlink.
"...lesser apostates..." LESSER APOSTATES ?? *sigh* How truly, truly ignorant & judgmental you are... you really need to crawl before you walk and learn to read before you write an instruction book.
And then: "Apostasy is all but dead: in the flicker of a hyperlink."
Wishful thing on your part. Btw, I don't believe for one second that you are not an active JW or at the least, you are paralyzed with fear of taking the next step.
May the goddess of Good Luck smile upon you...
Rabbit
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slimboyfat
And then SlimFatBoy shows his true snootiness...
The “Apostafest” of lesser apostates is the poor relative in the Internet age of the great ex-Witness gatherings in the pre-Internet period. Apostasy is all but dead: in the flicker of a hyperlink.
"...lesser apostates..." LESSER APOSTATES ?? *sigh* How truly, truly ignorant & judgmental you are... you really need to crawl before you walk and learn to read before you write an instruction book.
Goodness, can't you take a bit of tongue in cheek?
I don;t really believe in "lesser" and "greater" apostates - it was a rhetorical flourish.
Slim
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Rabbit
I don;t really believe in "lesser" and "greater" apostates - it was a rhetorical flourish.
Slim
Sure. As long as you don't get called on it.
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slimboyfat
By the way, I wouldn't class you along with those lesser apostates anyway.
Slim
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Poztate
*** w51 3/15 p. 164 Time Better than Money ***
Blondie...Thank you for that interesting quote. They did in fact try to "demonize" television. They had fears that it would divert peoples attention away from them and lessen the control they exercised over peoples minds. We finally got T.V in 1956. It had one grainy black and white channel. It is a passive thing to watch T.V. and yet the WT still had a fear of it.But instead of a moderate use of television by people generally, what do we frequently find? The evening meal over, the family rush for their seats before the television screen, there to sit for hours, till bedtime. No time for family conversation. No time for study. No time to serve God. Only time for television. Just time to sit before the screen and soak up propaganda and entertainment. So absorbed are they that they may refuse to leave their seats before the television for an hour a week, to share in a home Bible study.
But will television deliver them at Armageddon? Will their little god of the living room shelter them from Jehovah’s wrath? Time consumed on it might have been used to study, to transform their mind, to make it over, to gain godly wisdom, which is not to be compared to rubies, silver, gold, money or television; but instead they will be "destroyed for lack of knowledge". (Hos. 4:6) The marvelous invention has been misused by them till it has become a satanic snare to capture their mind, to keep their eye glued to a television screen, not allowing them time to see the sign of the second presence of Christ or to mentally discern the import of such sign and learn what they should do to successfully meet the crisis.
Fast forward to today and the internet. We can connect instantly (almost) to people, find information and discuss ideas with people from around the world. The WT can no longer isolate DA'ed or DF'ed persons. The control and power has shifted from the institution to the grass root level. It can only get better for us from now on and what is good for us is disaster for them.
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Fatfreek
This is a great thread. There are so many good suggestions here. Yes, there are pros and cons but that is where we can shine in contrast to the WTS.
First, LadyLee, thanks for setting me straight. I assure you that there were no ulterior motive in my questions. Second, I've been enjoying your life chapters (another thread) very much. That certainly takes a bunch of courage on your part.
Back on topic, SlimBoyFat, your mention of the larger apostate gatherings caught my eye. I've never been to one and frankly, I think I'll pass if one comes along again. My next gathering will be my first and if it pans out will be in Dallas at the end of July. I'm looking forward to the more informal atmosphere that it seems to offer, a gathering in some park or by a lake where children can scream and adults can hoist a can of beer if they want. I'm not one for the drone of the formal one-speaker-speaks and the lemmings listen. Most of us are out and that is the wonderful and common ingredient. But we may not all think alike with some leaning towards atheism, agnosticism, mainstream Christianity -- whatever. And that's okay. It's the common ingredient that links us and that's what appeals to me when I get to meet up with those in the same sandals.
Fats
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under_believer
Will their little god of the living room shelter them from Jehovah’s wrath?
That is by far the best thing I have ever read in a Society publication in a lifetime of reading Society publications. I want to have that engraved on a plaque. OMG every time I look at it it makes me ROFL over again. It's so perfect.
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Rabbit
Fats My next gathering will be my first and if it pans out will be in Dallas at the end of July. I'm looking forward to the more informal atmosphere that it seems to offer, a gathering in some park or by a lake where children can scream and adults can hoist a can of beer if they want. I'm not one for the drone of the formal one-speaker-speaks and the lemmings listen.
I love that sentence about the lemmings !
Hey, please come to our ApostaSweatFest in Dallas, we'll be there and I would be glad to meet you.
Slim, that invite goes for you, too. If you really want to be fair -- go to a Fest. Englishman is having his BBQ in Mery Olde England soon.You'll quickly find out how much "individualism" Ex-JW's really have and...how utterly refreshing it is to accept others different beliefs and to be respected for your own, too.
You have no idea how good that feels -- kinda like taking a dump after a 'Close Encounter of the 3rd kind'...religious anal retentiveness...the worst kind of constipation.
Try it.
Rabbit
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Fatfreek
Hey, Rabbit. That's the Fest I was referring to, the one Little Toe inspired. It'll be my utmost pleasure to shake your hand.
Fats