It would seem that for its day using the available tecnology was a progressive move. Did the society just decide one day in a watchtower that it was all wrong. How did everyone that had to do this work react. Really, if it was wrong, then the people doing it would have no choice but to admit to themselves that they did nothing more than annoy millions of people and get themselves beaten up for nothing. How did the society pull this off? what went wrong? and why to this day do they still not do it?
What is the real reason witnesses ceased phongraghs and radio broadcasts?
by Tyrone van leyen 36 Replies latest watchtower bible
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blondie
The WTS was forced out of the radio market by religious forces (and their supporters) that were tired of a WTS program that consisted of constant comments that they were demonized, led by the Devil, etc. Read the books from that time and you will see that the WTS (Rutherford) was constantly attacking the Catholic Church and their "dupes."
Reasons
1) Rutherford died in 1942
2) Under Knorr the WTS started training its members how to talk at the door through the Theocractic Ministry School and parts of the Service meeting. JWs actually started studying books with people on a weekly basis (bible studies in their lingo).
3) There were significantly more JWs after WW2 than before, more bodies to go door to door.
Radio and phonographs (came in after radio mostly was squashed) were to maximize the low numbers of JWs. Have you ever wondered how millions of tracts etc were "placed" when there were less than 100,000 JWs worldwide? They used the newspaper distribution services and paid for them to be distributed.
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fjtoth
Tyrone,
In addition to what Blondie said about use of the radio:
The JWs were also getting bad vibes from the public because groups like the KKK advertised and produced programs on some of the same stations. WBBR was sold in New York City because it was unprofitable. JWs were probably the only ones who listened to it, and it wasn't leading anybody to join the organization. The organization decided the money used for operating the station could be put to better advantage in the printing business. The guy who bought the station made a monstrous profit when he sold the station several years later.
Frank
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OnTheWayOut
JW's expanded membership under Knorr and the door-to-door recruitment methods they refined.
JW's received money for the literature that trained door-to-door sales people sold.
Today, even though it is less effective, JW's sell literature still
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fjtoth
An addional point of interest:
Here in Canada, we can thank JWs for the existence of the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).
In 1928 the government revoked the radio licenses of the International Bible Students Association (former name of Watch Tower Society) because of its attacks against the government, against other religions, and especially against the Catholic Church. This stirred a heated debate in Parliament with opposers of the ban arguing that the government was interfering with freedom of religion. Prime Minister Mackenzie King then set up a Royal Commission to help shape the future of Canadian Broadcasting. Because the Commission was fearful that other groups from the US like the newly-formed American networks and through them private groups like the Watchtower might get to dominate Canadian airwaves, the government-owned CBC was eventually born.
From time to time in "Golden Age" magazine articles,, the JWs let it be known that they were unhappy with the process that was leading up to the formation of the CBC which eventually began broadcasting nationwide in November 1936.
Frank
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Tyrone van leyen
Interesting that such methods proved ineffective on the world at large. Even religions of today that have such a meduim at there disposal seem more effective and even profitable. The witnesses of the day must have annoyed the shit out of people. If it was an effective means of doing the work there is no way they would have stopped it. Perhaps cults only seem appealing to those that are in them.
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fjtoth
If it was an effective means of doing the work there is no way they would have stopped it.
Amen to that. If JWs had been preaching the gospel as Jesus preached it, they would no doubt be far, far more widely known than they are, and for a good reason. They brought doom upon themselves by their calamity-howling, by their hatefulness toward others and by strutting around as though they and they alone have a relationship with God and Christ.
Frank
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Tyrone van leyen
Fascinating stuff, I didn't know that about cbc. That's a great station. So they really were annoying people everywhere. Perhaps if they didn't come across as so radical they would have had a greater appeal. That sure is an early start they got, and they blew it. As far as I'm concerned their only tested method is now failing as well, thanks to the information age. This religion and tecnology don't seem to mix very well. For this reason they will never be mainstream. That, and there arrogance I hope will consign them to the dustbins of history
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A Paduan
why to this day do they still not do it?
embarrassmentpersecution ! -
garybuss
You wrote: "What is the real reason witnesses ceased phongraghs and radio broadcasts?"
Rutherford died.