I like wine
I'll be sure to pick up a bottle (blueberry, right?) when I come through your area...
Is there any real difference...
by undercover 30 Replies latest jw friends
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undercover
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leavingwt
Syl, we'll bring a nice bottle for you.
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snowbird
Yay!!!
Blueberry it is.
Y'all will have to be very careful, however.
You know, the homies and all that jazz ...
Syl
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james_woods
I think the JWs have come (at least a little) to the realization that disruptive public protests are counterproductive.
For example, they quit using the sound cars to blast out recordings in front of other churches on Sunday Morning.
The radio stations (on which all the abrasive Rutherford propaganda went out) are gone.
They seldom (as far as I know) walk around in public with sandwich boards or display signs any more.
Conventions (at least in the U.S.) are not held in public venues - they are turning to their own private assembly halls.
What is left is door-to-door with literature. Given the success rate (infinitesmally low) of this, it is obvious that this is simply a prison camp-style "busy work assignment" to keep the rank & file in line...especially now that they no longer actually have a formal sales price system for the magazines. They have even given hinted instructions that JWs in door-to-door should practically avoid telling the public who they are, so as not to get run off the front porch.
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ProdigalSon
I think the main motivation behind the protesters is love. "Get out of this cult (or don't get involved) before your life is ruined like mine was"....
That's the main thing that keeps me coming to places like this one, but definitely not the only one....
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james_woods
I think the main motivation behind the protesters is love. "Get out of this cult (or don't get involved) before your life is ruined like mine was"....
I will grant you that - but I believe the point of the thread was: "are these public protest actions really valuable in helping people out of the cult"?
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mamalove
I think it just makes people feel good when they are doing the advertising. Makes them feel useful and win some brownie points. Let's face it, you are more popular in your circle if you can be bold. It wins recognition.
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james_woods
I think it just makes people feel good when they are doing the advertising. Makes them feel useful and win some brownie points. Let's face it, you are more popular in your circle if you can be bold. It wins recognition.
I agree with that too - but what I am wondering if this "feeling good through advertising" might actually do more harm than good - if it makes ex-JWs look like koo-koo nuts even to doubting JWs still in. There is a thread today on "worldwide protest against the watchtower" that I really have serious doubts about. I think some of us should take the responsibility of injecting a little sanity into the debate for the sake of our cause - helping people out of the cult.
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pirata
I like bohm's suggestions. People close their minds to direct attacks. A statement like "is it fair to ask other to examine their beliefs critically, but never perform a similar examination of your own?" is more likely to get people to think.
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Broken Promises
I agree with U/C.
Protests ala Danny Hazard and Rick Faranon (sp?) don't work on the general public. The general public don't care about JWs or their beliefs, except that they get bothered every once in a while by the JWs in their d-t-d work.
As for saying it makes the protesters feel better - well, isn't that a rather selfish reason for doing something that can be counter-productive (for current JWs who see it as persecution)?