Huge discrepancy between English and German wikipedia articles about JWs

by Zana 7 Replies latest jw friends

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  Zana

  The English version seems fairly balanced. To me it almost has an apostate feel, citing CoC or describing doctrine changes and interesting details about WT history. But the German version? Copied right out of WT magazines! Example

  The religion makes no provision for members to criticize or contribute to official teachings[35] and all Witnesses are expected to abide by the doctrines and organizational requirements as determined by the Governing Body.[36] Watch Tower Society publications strongly discourage Witnesses from formulating doctrines and "private ideas" reached through independent Bible research.[37][38][39][40] Members who promote privately developed teachings contrary to those of the Governing Body may be expelled and shunned.[37][41][42]

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah's_Witnesses_beliefs

  Laut dem 1993 erschienenen Buch Jehovas Zeugen – Verkündiger des Königreiches dienen Rückfragen und begründete Zweifel einzelner Zeugen Jehovas sowie neue Informationen zu einzelnen Sachgebieten als Anstoß für die Leitende Körperschaft, die Lehre immer wieder neu anhand der Bibel zu überprüfen. Die Leitende Körperschaft nimmt diese Überprüfungen in „begründeten Fällen“ zum Anlass, einzelne Lehrpunkte zu ändern.

  https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehre_der_Zeugen_Jehovas
  

  Google translation (slightly edited by me):
  

  "According to the 1993 book "Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of the kingdom" queries and reasonable doubt of individual Jehovah's Witnesses as well as new information on individual topics serve as impetus for the Governing Body, to re-examine the doctrine time and again on the basis of the Bible. The Governing Body uses these checks in "well-founded cases" as an opportunity to change individual points of doctrine."

  Not sure what to say. LOL?!?
  

  If anybody manages to get German JWs start researching the Org with wikipedia, they will just stay sound asleep.
  
• 

  Crazyguy

  The site can be edited and maybe the Borg has less people in Germany editing the real truth to contend with.
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  nonjwspouse

  It seems from reading I have done, and other people's research about the German JW ( thank you Birdie) , is that they have been very indoctrinated for more than one reason, even possibly as far back as before, during and after the 2nd WW. Hiding German Nazis from persecution when they were converting to the JW. It may be generational at this point.

  Interesting stuff. Worth delving into research. Simply seeing this discrepancy in the German WIKI is enough to make you wonder.
  
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  ILoveTTATT2

  The same thing happens with other languages, such as Spanish. That is why it is important for exJW's who speak another language to help in translating or editing pages.
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  prologos

  The two paragraphs give totally different meanings. The german text is actually unique in admitting that the input by outsiders, letter writers, gave the impetus, the push to prompt the governing body to make [minor] changes to doctrines. Not that the 7 needed reminding, for example, that the generation of 1914, had failed. If you ever wrote a letter to Brooklyn you ill find out how far you get.

  The german text mentions nothing about verboten and bestrafung, expelling, shunning. How un-german.!! the softening of Europe?
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  careful

  Thanks for this post!
  
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  Zana

  Today I've looked into some of the Spanish wikipedia articles. Seem ok to me, more or less balanced with a good amount of criticism included. Apart from the general JW article they also have an extra article about criticism of JWs and additionally one about JW child sex abuse (only four languages have that last one: English, Spanish, Portuguese and Finnish). The Spanish one has a word count of about 5500. In the German wiki there is no specific JW sex abuse article. This topic is included in the general JW article as its last(!) paragraph and contains less than 300 words. The ARC is not mentioned at all.
  
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  John Free

  Ilovettatt2 makes an important point. Jwfacts is unavailable in so many languages, and most quotes from older Borg publications are from publications that exsist in very few languages. Hence, much of the European and Asian dub community have little access to ttatt. And exdubs can unfortunately remain indoctrinated.