Will JW.ORG actually harm the WT Society Long Term ?

by flipper 80 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  flipper

  My son and I were discussing this yesterday over coffee. Since the WT Society in previous years virtually demonized going on the Internet at all for JW's - now WT leaders are doing a complete turn around or about face probably so as to " compete " or keep up with all the anti-JW websites that are out there to give the WT Society point of view.

  However- it very well may backfire on them as once people start doing google searches looking for JW.org it WILL bring up all the other websites dealing with ANY JW issues and in the privacy of their own homes out of curiosity I'm sure lots of JW's are going to want to check out some of these sites to see what all the " apostate " hoopla is all about. I wonder how many JW's will do this and will it have an effect in opening more minds to other views ? What are your opinions on this and if you still attend have you heard any JW's talking about other websites other than JW.org ? Just curious of your opinions on this. Hopefully this will backfire on the WT Society and arouse JW's to surf the Internet more so. Look forward to your opinions
• 

  Oubliette

  I submit as evidence to support your thesis one JWN member, stuckinarut2.

  Brother Stuck, by his own admission, routinely posts here on JWN during meetings while working the sound!
• 

  galaxie

  Their JW.ORG campaign is reeking of exaggerated symbolism, very reminiscent of worldly commercial advertising.

  The decision making from the top of the borg strikes of panic in the face of modern technology, which not so long ago they roundly condemned as a tool of satan.

  Outright hypocrisy.
• 

  punkofnice

  I have often felt that the WBT$ is reactive rather than pro active. In other words they just fight against negative happenings rather than start positive ones. The JW.Org should sink them but they will ramp up the passive aggressive vile guilt tripping on the poor rank and file.

  There will be little influx from people where the internet is available which is of no use to the WBT$ because they want money to protect their paedophile like minded compadres.

  They will survive because they are corrupt to the core but I hope they have shot themselves in the foot with the internet.
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  OnTheWayOut

  Your hardcore JW's and those that are convinced by the paranoia machine that is the dangerous mind control cult will be deathly afraid of googling "Jehovah's Witnesses."

  But WTS is damned if they do and damned if they don't.

  Literature is ceasing to be profitable, not entirely yet as they still print. BUT IT IS GETTING THERE. They gotta plan for severe reduction of printing. Their recruitment efforts are virtually dead and their retention of born-ins is greatly greatly reducing. They have to get more hip/cool. There are many things to be said about them going whole-hog into their jw.org reinvention of themselves. I will say it cannot hurt their growth because they aren't really growing anyway.

  At the same time, what you say is true. Many will open other websites out of curiosity. I doubt members are hearing others talk about it, but maybe among the younger ones that is happening.
• 

  OneEyedJoe

  Brother Stuck, by his own admission, routinely posts here on JWN during meetings while working the sound!

  I've posted here a couple times while running microphones. Between getting to vent in real time about the stupid BS being spouted, and the adrenaline from having to seamlessly switch over to the WT when someone on my aisle gets called on, it makes the meetings slightly more tolerable.

  As far as the JW.org frenzy, I'm not sure if it'll help or hurt long-term. I'm leaning towards it hurting the cult, though, simply because it is a tacit approval for JWs to go online. I think the main issue, though, is just the internet in general. If anyone is having doubts, they'll eventually build to the point that they have to express it to someone, somehow. Expressing doubts to elders is an unwritten no-no (even if it's officially encouraged so that you can recieve 'spiritual direction') because you know it'll turn into a whole ordeal. So where is one to go so that they can anonymously express/discuss their issue with the organization? I was in that situation, and that's exactly how I ended up here. I was completely mentally out within 3 days. I think this would play out with or without JW.org.

  I will say, I'm a little bummed that they finally started releasing the KM on the site for everyone to get. Getting my KMs off of jwleaks was quite instrumental to my awakening. The unbiased nature of the site with it's "here's the documentation, you make your own assessment" style kept the "bitter appostate" alarm bells from ringing. Then little seeds like "why would someone bother to coin the acronym TTATT if there's nothing wrong with the org?" were planted, and it eventually led me here.
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  All for show

  I would agree with on the way out .... I am 37 with friends in late 20's and 30's who don't 'buy in' to all the WT nonsense. Meeting attendance and field service attendance not stellar, seeing all the hypocrisy and having aged parents with no cash or means to retire Looking at them for aide. I can't say if they are open to TTATT, as we all know the family ties bind deep as a born in. Most drink, party, and goof around....show up for CA and RC and snap selfies. Very few in my age range are devout/obsessive, but they exist.

  my siblings all laugh at when the internet was ' bad', While older JWs feel the society is progressive with the website, progressive?!
• 

  gonzobear

  I reckon the real reasoning behind jw.org is two fold.

  Firstly it's a great way to appear transparent whilst at the same time burying all the past doctrinal errors. 'Oh but everything's on line for everyone to see', they can say. But it only goes back 10 years, and even then who really is going to bother to look when first coming to the site? I've tried to search the site, it's functionality is terrible - and I don't believe that's cos the web designers didn't know what they were doing. Nope, it's deliberate so it's nearly impossible to find contradictory informaton unless you feel compelled to wade through stacks and stacks of trite nonsense.

  Secondly - and I think this is the real reason - they are trying to divert attention away from sites like this, where the real truth is to be found. Making sure people don't google JWs, and instead land straight on their site, controlling the information they have access to. And putting up the terms and conditions about use of copyrighted material means they have a legal - albeit shaky - leg to stand on when info is reproduced here and other places. That's probably why there were the recent apostate WTs too, keep people 'safe' online, put the fear of the dangerous other into followers.

  Also it makes them appear nicer and not as culty as they do if say an interested person's first point of contact was a meeting. For instance their talk about not shunning on the website - to paraphrase - 'no we don't shun, unless of course the person can't be helped, is beyond redemption blah blah, then we shun out of love'. It makes them look pretty acceptable and banal to the casual observer.

  It's a great exercise in brand loyalty too, they've created a strong brand identity with the website and their creepy blue square, which will make current JWs more likely to buy into it.

  Will it backfire? I hope so. For those on the fringes anyway it might. That was more than two reasons, I will stop now!
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  Still Totally ADD

  I think about 50% of those who come across a site other than the Wt. will look into it. Maybe not at once but as time goes by they will look at see what the other side is saying. I am only going by what happen to me. We should all remember the GB is run by a bunch of old men who for the most part do not know much about the internet. I think this new web site they have is like a new toy to them. It most likely makes them feel more important or computer hip in their eyes. Just because they tell the flock not to read apostate sites does not mean they won't. Apostate sites out rank them 10 to 1. This is what happens to a organization that was so hard nose about the internet for so long. They deserve whatever they get. Still Totally ADD
• 

  Vidiot

  OnTheWayOut - "Literature is ceasing to be profitable, not entirely yet as they still print. BUT IT IS GETTING THERE. They gotta plan for severe reduction of printing. Their recruitment efforts are virtually dead and their retention of born-ins is greatly greatly reducing. They have to get more hip/cool."

  Cult equivalent of a mid-life crisis, huh?

  x

  If that's the case, I say "harm".

  In my experience, when that happens to guys and they try to reinvent their image, they always end up looking stoopid.