Are Witnesses now partially accepting the internet?

ellderwho

I started this thread asking the question because since my parents retired to Florida (Gods waiting room) Ive been getting all kinds of internet Witness junk from my mom, ie. email stories, video clips of Pat Robertsons' comments about using the name Jehovah, Andy Rooney of 60minutes stories.

Also the email header is filled with adresses of Im sure all witnesses. I know my mom doesnt have any worldly friends.

So just recently I started sending stuff back, like the Deputy Dog thread( just the link to the story) about memory in the size of a sugar cube, I sent that to stepdad elder-Bob. And the worlds fastest growing religions story from another thread, I sent that to mom.

Anyone else "in the loop" get email witness stuff?

mrsjones5

No matter how much the society stresses not to be on the internet I believe the rank and file are all up in the internet. For a few it's a means to get out. For the others who play on the net and stay in the org with blinders firmly on...I really don't know what to say about them.

Josie

M.J.

Funny but my JW wife will go straight to the web to get the scoop on marketing schemes, medical practices, products, just about anything. Too bad the internet wasn't widespread when she was becoming a dub.

blondie

The WTS is not anti everything on the internet, in the same way they are not anti-everything re television, radio, newspapers, magazines, movies, etc.

The WTS gives enough ~~guidelines~~ rules. But if there is not a definite rule, many JWs feel that gives them permission.

Thus many JWs feel DBs are okay but not chatrooms.

Many JWs have to use the internet for their employment as well.

So I'm not surprised that JWs send e-mails to each other or form JW DBs or know that there is nothing wrong with shopping on the internet.

Blondie

V

The internet is not banned by the Society and never has been.

In fact the WTS has two official websites (www.watchtower.org and www.jw-media.org) as well as email addresses for most administrative positions in branches around the world.

Most JWs I know have an email address and regularly pass on JW-interesting content as well as normal emails.

The Society does demonise chat rooms and apostate sites, even discouraging pro-JW websites that contain favourable content.

carla

Isn't it odd though that they can reconcile using the internet for business or other things but ALL negative things about jw's are liars and out to 'get' god's org? They have no problem finding opinions on a product they need for business and believe the anecdotal stories there, just nothing from all you 'apostates'. At any rate, jw's are so very helpful when trying to explain cognitive dissonance.

Little Drummer Boy

Isn't it odd though that they can reconcile using the internet for business or other things but ALL negative things about jw's are liars and out to 'get' god's org? They have no problem finding opinions on a product they need for business and believe the anecdotal stories there, just nothing from all you 'apostates'. At any rate, jw's are so very helpful when trying to explain cognitive dissonance.

I just don't see the contradiction you propose. I'm sorry, but your supposition is flawed at the basic level. If I type in "cars" in Google, I don't get back search results that will lead me to apostate ex-jw sites. It just doesn't happen. Never has, never will. I suppose if someone were randomly clicking on every link in existance that they would eventually come across something to do with dubs. I was a dub for 14 years and had the net most of that time. I was told by the society NOT to try to find sites about jws (except the official one), so I didn't. I didn't start looking for anti-jw sites until I was very close to DA'ing. In other words, I did what I was supposed to do as a dub. Then they pissed me of, not by doctrine (which I had accepted), or by research that I had found (remember I wasn't looking for any, so there wasn't any to find from my former perspective), but by their actions. Their actions at the congregational level drove me away. It wasn't the "evil" internet. Ergo, no cognitive dissonance.

Hhmmm, haven't had my morning coffee and I'm grumpy. Does it show?

carla

Go get your coffee. My point is that the internet is 'dangerous' in the mind of my jw anyway. Yet, he has no problem searching a product and seeing the opinions on products, anecdotal stories about product be it negative or positive. He then decides on the product using the opinions of those posted on a site. However, ALL sites about jw's and the anecdotal stories told are false, lies, and sour grapes. How then can he believe the opinions on any other subject on the internet? His point is that I don't really know any of you and I wasn't at the jc meetings, kh, etc... so it is probably all bs and anyone who got df'd was because they are gross sinners (usually sexual) not for any matters regarding beliefs or questioning such beliefs. How does he know if the negative comments regarding a product isn't written by a disgruntled employee? One who has 'it out' for the company, and so forth? Yet, he has no problem with using such sites to decide matters of little importance. When his life, health, spirituality is at stake, he won't take a look at what the other side has to say. Why? because like a good little dub he is told not to. And to listen to any of you would somehow be disloyal to jah. How sad that their faith is so weak it could so easily be destroyed by looking at both sides of the coin. But then their faith is not in God but in an organization.

Wild_Thing

I have two JW sisters and a JW mom and all them have computers with high speed internet. My mom barely knows how to use it, buy sisters are quite a whiz at it. They use for everything! But as far as for spititual things and connecting with other JWs its still a no no.

I remember when I first got a computer years ago and I hooked it up to dial up ... the only internet we had back then. My sister came over to see the new fangled contraption and we decided to see if there were witness websites online (we heard you could print off the scriptures for the current meetings already prepared by someone (obviously I was still a JW back then). Anyway, we did and search and some 'apostate' sites came up on the search page like Freeminds and the little snipit said something about the JWs being a cult.

My sister threw her hand over eyes and was screaming 'get it off! get it off!' I was the funniest damn thing I had ever seen! I showed her the miracle of the 'Back' button and how we could modify our search by typing "-cult" she was okay, but I still remember her reaction and have wondered if she would do the same thing today.

ellderwho

My point is that the internet is 'dangerous' in the mind of my jw anyway.

Yes this is my point. My feeling is that information on the internet might not be as bad as the dub thought. I guess its kinda like opening up a newspaper. Or maybe a tabloid at the grocery store.

Either way it just seems like, as I stated in my original post, that stories in general seem to be passed around quite frequently. I figured the net for the dub was just for business, not play.

Are Witnesses now partially accepting the internet?

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