A suggestion for discrediting the Society

by RunningMan 37 Replies latest jw friends

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  RunningMan

  In this forum, we often wonder what we can do to make the Society look bad. We come up with ideas like picketing assemblies, mail campaigns, legal action, and many others. Although these ideas are laudable and I would not want to discourage anyone, they sometimes create sympathy for the Witnesses, and make us look bitter and fanatical. Besides which, I wonder if they are really even necessary. In the past two weeks, the Society has done a spectacular job of publicly self destructing, all by themselves. Consider these two examples:

  1) A seriously ill girl in Calgary is given a chance to live by her father and the courts. There is already a tremendous amount of sympathy for the father. Then the Society flies in its corporate lawyer, and proceeds to shun the man. This is pasted all over the front page of the paper. No apostates are involved.

  2) A man suffering from depression is disfellowshipped for nothing more than doctrinal disagreements. The organization heaps social, psychological, family, and financial pressures upon him. He snaps, killing five innocent people and himself. Again, the Society did this all by themselves. No apostates are involved.

  My point is that the Society does a better job of discrediting themselves than an outsider could ever hope to accomplish. We don’t need dynamite to bring them down. All we need is a spotlight.

  I would like to make a suggestion. We need to make the following things available:

  Media kits: These kits would each have a concise summary of one issue, such as blood transfusions, shunning, etc, as well as a list of contacts. When we see the potential for local media interest, such as when a blood issue is already making news in an area, we could send this kit to local media outlets.

  Speakers bureau: A listing of persons in each region who are capable and willing to speak publicly in interviews, phone in shows, etc.

  With these two tools, we could really make an impact. Any comments?
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  TR

  Good ideas and thoughts, RM.

  I'm sure some of our more articulate members will step up to the plate.

  TR
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  WildTurkey

  Great idea RM, I think your ideas would be more effective then picketing.
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  Angharad

  Great suggestions RM
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  metatron

  You bring up a good point - a good argument for patience.

  We need to avoid doing anything that strengthens their
  naive sense of persecution. That's why I'm so happy to see
  stuff like tax problems or other bad press that is difficult
  for them to classify as persecution.

  metatron
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  Pathofthorns

  In this forum, we often wonder what we can do to make the Society look bad

  This is a poor choice of words which can be spun by the Society and sympathizers to mean what you are not necessarily intending. Like you say, it is the Society and the members that make themselves look bad by simply being themselves.

  Those of us here are merely endeavoring to be honest and factual. The Society frequently spins things and portrays things in a misleading way by telling half-truths designed for the consumption of an ignorant public. It is necessary for us to point out where only part of the truth is being told.

  It is extremely important for everything stated to the media by former Witnesses or inactive Witnesses to be fatual and honest. The slightest error often means a loss of total credibility.

  Your idea of information packages that are well researched and well presented backed up by supporting references seems to be a good one. The list of contact persons that could accurately represent these issues to the media is also a good one.

  Path
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  Guest 77

  Yes, let time do it's work. "...a time to plant and a time to uproot what was planted;..."

  As I said in my letters to them, you will do it to yourselves while the sheep suffer.

  Guest 77
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  new boy

  I like what G. Carlin said " If you want to protest, do what buddhis monks did in Viet Nam, set your themself on fire---- they knew how to stage a f---ing protest" Well, when I was in N.Y. bethel we had apostates yell and scream at us all day long. No one cared, in fact it made us feel better, we were Gods people, we loved persucuation. You want to get some attendtion, don't say a word, set in front of the 124 building, and set yourself on fire. If 20 people did that, you would get their attendtion--------and the worlds too. One a week for 20 weeks at 11:45 on fridays, as they are all walking to lunch--------any volunteers? I would be first to go but my doctor says I can't leave the house, its bad for my health!
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  Carmel

  Since yesterday I have been having an exchange with Wendy at the Oregonian in Portland. Essentially, she feels she needs to remain "neutral" and present a "balanced" story. My comment to her was in so doing, she inadvertantly was promulgating the party line of the JWs and that apparently reporting facts wasn't as important as opinions regardless of their veracity. Wendy was a little defensive but thanked me for taking iterest. When I told here I was df'd simply for dissobedience to my parents when I was 14 yrs old and shunned by my entire family, she understood how pathetic the practice is.

  Little by little, if we take advantage of the opportunities the Dubs present, the Brooklyn Berlin wall will crumble.
  Newboy,
  I think your idea of a well documented position paper on each issue, or practice is a good one and I would be gratefull if someone would put it together as I would have opportunities to use them in public fora.

  carmel
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  discuss

  In this forum, we often wonder what we can do to make the Society look bad

  As I am new semi new to this board. Are most here
  consumed with making the Society look bad? It would
  seem to be a refusal to move on. It would in fact be
  just as the Society has said of "tearing down"
  and never "building up".