The Internet: Viewed by the Governing Body and Former JW's. (page 2)

Two and a half years ago when the Congregation Book Study was abandoned we were encouraged to do more personal study. I did just that. However, the more I studied and the more I prayed, the more I realised something was seriously wrong.

I turned to the internet, this site and jwfacts in particular and found I was not alone in my doubts.

I am still trapped in until I can encourage my wife and family to take the same step. We are both mid sixties and raised as JW's so it will a long haul but I am sure we will exit together one day.

I only wish the internet had been around 50 years ago!

George

willyloman

There is no point launching a torpedo at a ship that is taking on water. Get your life preserver on first, then help anyone who wants to float away from the wreck.

Brilliant job, ATJ. Hope all is well w you.

Violia

ATJ- good post. The Borg runs people off just via it's hatefulness and backwardness. I had to really see the hateful nasty underbelly of the Borg before I would let myself look on the Internet. The net takes over then.

AllTimeJeff

St George, I hope that works out for you and your family.

Outlaw, only you can add the visual's to what many of us think.

I appreciate and agree with all of the comments, but I think Breakfast of Champions hit it best. Like the "Arab Spring" in the middle east and what it teaches, it is only when people decide to break free of their shackles that freedom is possible. Information was always available.

Dictators and despots, whether political or religious, are not looking to build anything on anything of quality that takes time. Fear is the mortar that mixes most quickly.

There are so many lessons to learn, but the biggest and best is the simplest, the one that I think is actually the biggest lesson of all of us being here.

We think that the information found on the internet caused us to leave. Sure, it helped me, and it helped you. I used to think that writing and exposing was key.

But could I do better than Randy Watters? Barbara Anderson? Ray freakin Franz?

Can you?

No, it really is a case of leading a horse to water, but not being able to make it drink.

The Arab Spring, imperfect as it is, demonstrates that information alone means nothing without the desire to be free.

If YOU want to waste your time in fantasies of bringing down the WT, you might as well try to write blogs in the hopes that you can bring democracy to Syria all on your own. Or maybe with a website dripping with blood....

If you want to get your family or loved ones out, you shouldn't be trying to forcefeed them information.

You should really test to see if they WANT to be free. That is really the only way out. And to be honest, most people don't want to be free and can't handle thinking for themselves. That is not exclusive of JW's either.

The internet didn't bring down JW's in the 90's and it won't in the future. It only freed those that wanted to be free, when they wanted to be free, when they were ready. That won't change.

No one leaves without being ready. Looking at it from that lens, the GB shouldn't really be as worried as they are. Sure, they can't give up the over 100 year old lie they protect. But no one will be interested in learning about those lies till they want to free anyway.

flipper

ALL TIME JEFF- Your statement " But no one will be interested in learning about those lies till they want to be free anyway . " Very true. And the catalyst or breaking point situation that motivates exiting JW's to leave can be many and varied as well. For some like myself, initially it was experiencing injustices personally from authority figures in the organization, then after being out - I began researching the skewed teachings. Some leave due to disagreeing with the teachings from the get-go. Some just implode due to the stresses of being in a high control organization which won't let a person breathe on their own at all.

But the WT society has a tiger by the tail with the Internet . Very true my friend. I'm sure it drives WT leaders nuts that they can't control what's written about them on the Internet. They can't stand not being in control. We all know that. But it's all good. The more access to information exiting JW's have then those sitting on the fence may very well fall on the non-Witness side of the fence. And that's a good thing as well. A free mind is a terrible thing to waste. Once their minds are freed - anything is possible ! They can start living in reality again

s0rt3d

Great post!

wobble

Thanks ATJeff, good post, I agree that the GB need not screech out their fear of the Internet as shrilly as they do, but it is a different world now than before the web.

I had doubts all my life, but little access to info. that would confirm my worries.

It is so different now, take the example of poster Cantleave,active JW Elder, does a little research on the Net to try to make the Memorial talk less mind and bum numbingly boring, and within a few hours his whole belief system had changed.

The house of cards that is JW/WT doctrine and history tumbled down.

I think the GB fear that many, many more will follow those like Cantleave, I do hope so.

BluesBrother

Communication between the masses has always scared the hell out of authority...because they lose control. When the Bible was laboriously hand copied in Latin by monks, the Catholic Church had it all to themselves...but then somebody invented printing and all of a sudden things changed . Worse still, somebody else translated bibles into common languages and distributed shed loads of them. Horror ! The Catholic Church had no control any more. They reacted as any dictator would, with violence and persecution...

Today the 'net has transformed communication and made information freely available in a way that we as young men could not have dreamed of. It has also evolved from a geeky amateur network to the mainstream of business and government. The WTS cannot ignore it or demand that its members abstain from it, they themselves have to use it ...Three Cheers For Information Freedom !

But you are right about people needing to be willing to face the truth. Most of the older ones that I know are so programmed that it would not matter (for example) if the G B admitted being corrupt with their money . They like being where they are . They are in a comfort zone that they do not want to leave "If we are wrong, So What?"

A gradual drying up of youth and converts though would result in long-term but steady downsizing, until eventually....they fade away.......

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Great post, Jeff! The Internet can make either truth or lies more accessible. Watchtower is most afraid of sheeples reading "the truth" on the Internet, so they have to paint the web as being full of porn and vampires.

I have to admit that I found porn first, since they made it sound so hot. Later I found the truth about "the truth."

The Internet: Viewed by the Governing Body and Former JW's.

mummatron

St George of England