The Ideas Thread - all are welcome!

by cedars 54 Replies latest jw friends

  • cedars
    cedars

    ABibleStudent / Robert - quite a lot of people still send letters or fliers, particularly businesses - and that was what came to mind when I heard the words "letter-writing campaign" as opposed to "email campaign". I personally agree that emails are a far more cost-effective way to approach people. The problem is that people have become very savvy when it comes to deleting emails from people they don't know, particularly emails with subject headings that seem dubious. An email campaign would have to be extremely well written indeed, so as to entice someone to open it and get past the first few sentences. I'm not sure that's possible without being overtly misleading, however I am always open to suggestions. There is also the legal issue of "spamming", although a simple way around that is to say something like "if you object to this email, please email back that you no longer wish to receive similar emails, and you will be taken off our list" etc. I agree wholeheartedly with your comments about JWs in general being victims. It is for this precise reason that I want to help them, and this would serve as the basis for any campaign - i.e. helping these victims rather than hurting or offending them. See my earlier post about "LOVE JWs, hate WATCHTOWER" etc. I agree with your ideas for "do not call" stickers and fliers. They need to be punchy and informative, with addresses of relevant websites such as jwfacts.

    AGuest - you raise good points about the kind of objections diehard Witnesses might raise to counter the Mexico/Malawi or UN/NGO scandals. However, my point was that the Society's FAILURE to mention these subjects in their books (such as the reasoning book) should make these issues even more disturbing to the average Witness. Why haven't there been humble admissions of these blatant errors of judgment? If people want to question the authenticity of documented evidence provided by Ray Franz in his book Crisis of Conscience (regarding Mexico/Malawi) or Paul Grundy on jwfacts.com (UN/NGO) then that is their prerogative. However, we need to give sincere people, who perhaps already have doubts but don't know how far the rabbit hole goes, the opportunity to hear about these scandals and make an informed decision on that basis. I believe it's a worthy goal to at least get the information infront of people, and what they then decide to do with it is entirely their decision. I personally believe that you can't get through to a Witness unless they have their own private doubts already, which I believe a vast majority do. It is these people I want to reach, not the mindless automatons who never question anything that is served up to them by the Society.

    soft+gentle - I appreciate your concerns. Let me go on record as saying that I would never condone violence against any Witness, or indeed any illegal acts being committed against his or her person, or indeed the Society as a legal corporation. As I have repeatedly stressed, we want to HELP ordinary Witnesses, and not harm them in any way whatsoever. "The Ideas Thread" will not entertain any suggestions that would involve criminal acts being perpetrated in any way, and to be fair, none have been suggested thus far. I think this speaks volumes for the motives and intentions of those who frequent sites such as this.

  • soft+gentle
    soft+gentle

    well, cedars, you have explained your motives very well and if this was desseminated on a large scale it would be viewed as criminal

    You'll forgive me if I don't lose too much sleep over how the Society implements its policies towards blocks of flats etc. Knowing what I know now, the preaching work that these people engage in is a pointless endeavor, since it only serves to promote the Watchtower Society and encourage people to enslave themselves and their families to its twisted teachings which are demonstrably false.

  • cedars
    cedars

    soft+gentle - please can you explain how the above quote constitutes a criminal statement?

  • soft+gentle
    soft+gentle

    where did I say it constitutes a criminal statment?

  • cedars
    cedars

    "if this was desseminated on a large scale it would be viewed as criminal" - you then posted the quote...

  • soft+gentle
    soft+gentle

    yes and thats what i meant.

  • cedars
    cedars

    And now I'm asking you to explain? You've made an accusation, surely you have the courage to follow through with an explanation to support your assertion?

  • soft+gentle
    soft+gentle

    well, cedars, you have explained your motives very well and if this was desseminated on a large scale it would be viewed as criminal

    You'll forgive me if I don't lose too much sleep over how the Society implements its policies towards blocks of flats etc. Knowing what I know now, the preaching work that these people engage in is a pointless endeavor, since it only serves to promote the Watchtower Society and encourage people to enslave themselves and their families to its twisted teachings which are demonstrably false.

  • Farkel
    Farkel

    : Even if it's a hair-brained idea that you would never actually have the courage to go ahead and execute, I want to hear it .

    There are poll-takers and then there are the real movers and shakers. You are the former.

    Real movers and shakers don't take polls. They take action.

    Farkel

  • cedars
    cedars

    soft+gentle - I assume you have repeated yourself because you lack the courage to explain why the above quoted text would be viewed as criminal if widely disseminated?

    Please think about item 2 of the posting guidelines before you express yourself on this issue. Have I contravened site rules in any way?

    Farkel - thanks for your words of, erm, derision for the JW Survey?

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