Posts by oldskool

87

The last video in the 2016 convention...

by problemaddict 2 in

...is an epic triumph is emotional manipulation.

bringing together all of the stories they told thus far and placing them int he "new world" complete with the little boy who was killed in a car accident coming back from the dead.. i have a good friend who is stuck in with family and plays the role.

he said everyone was crying, and the people next to him rated the videos by how many tissues they needed to dry their eyes.

oldskool

Congratulations Watchtower, you mastered the art of mixing 3.5 minutes of stock video with generic stock audio.

In your next film school assignment you will learn about writing a script.

16

JW.org videos....look like....

by Anders Andersen in

.... i just looked through some videos on the scientology and the mormon youtube channels.animated whiteboard animations, bad acting, compelling music...it's all the same as jw.org...or the other way around.the similarity is very striking to me.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghjomvjadbghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxf3pwvjoka.

i wonder why that is....

oldskool

All created in the United States of America baby!

All of these faiths have a capitalist like approach to faith and religion in general by developing authoritarian like top down organizational structures, large real estate and investment portfolios, aggressive marketing techniques, and unpublished financial information.

They are in the business on conquering and becoming the best religion they can be utilizing the capitalist modes of production with the added benefit that wage labor is absent and volunteer labor is utilized accordingly.

42

"Just don't overthink the truth"

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

so after almost a year of complete inactivity and non attendance, i ran into a nice brother from the local congregation.. after some nice chit-chat, he says "we really miss you and your family...etc...you were always the kind and supportive one, the approachable and encouraging one in the congregation.

your absence has confused so many".

i thanked him and said "oh no, no individual has stumbled us.

oldskool

YES!

The "truth" is an experience, and the "beliefs" are designed to get you to behave as a member of the experience. Doesn't really matter what the beliefs are, which is why, when pressed, lots of JWs just throw up their hands and say they don't care.

"Just come back and act like one of us, it's uncomfortable when nice people leave for no apparent reason, and you don't want us to feel uncomfortable about our faith do you?"

25

JW Broadcasting is the likely end of the road for JWs

by oldskool in

i started leaving the group in 04', and quit following what they do around 08'.

my recent posts express my reaction to what has happened since.. i just "tuned in" to the jw broadcasting episode for may 2016. it is worth a viewing.

gb member anthony morris describes what is basically the thrust of why this entire effort exists.

oldskool

JW`s would Go Along to Get Along..

The sister in your video is simply working on her Bathsheba talk in the ministry school

25

JW Broadcasting is the likely end of the road for JWs

by oldskool in

i started leaving the group in 04', and quit following what they do around 08'.

my recent posts express my reaction to what has happened since.. i just "tuned in" to the jw broadcasting episode for may 2016. it is worth a viewing.

gb member anthony morris describes what is basically the thrust of why this entire effort exists.

oldskool

great comments redvip2000

Kids today are participating in an incredible amount of screen time. The one place the WTS could differentiate is to create a place where screen based activity was less important, and social activity was more important. That was probably the WTS's biggest advantage, in terms of their pre JW.org days.

They have proven to be rather inadequate at understanding the needs of their followers.

I recall a rumor from the late 1970s- early 80s that claimed some high-ranking brothers had approached headquarters Bethel with a proposal for a youth program spurred out of concern for the attrition of young people from the organization. These brothers were portrayed as proud-minded and were told to 'wait on Jehovah'.

I remember this being posted here years ago. I tend to believe the story, but even if it didn't occur it sounds true enough to the WTS's mindset anyway.

Those that lead the group are in a massive bubble. JW.org feels straight out of the bubble. They have never learned to listen to their members. That tradition seems to continue on if full force.

25

JW Broadcasting is the likely end of the road for JWs

by oldskool in

i started leaving the group in 04', and quit following what they do around 08'.

my recent posts express my reaction to what has happened since.. i just "tuned in" to the jw broadcasting episode for may 2016. it is worth a viewing.

gb member anthony morris describes what is basically the thrust of why this entire effort exists.

oldskool

If they had any common sense they would also get more involved in the community. Ever heard of charity? How about a food drive or something? How about taking up some money for that family across town that lost their home in a fire?

Disaster relief, especially hurricane relief work, was one of those things that older JWs I used to speak with talked about fondly. They valued the act of getting out there and "doing something", and were completely behind it once the avenue was available for them to do so.
After hurricane Katrina I was waiting for this sort of moment to occur. A message would go out, and JWs from around the country would get together and do something. Instead it was rather lack luster. Reports were read that the Society had a response, but your job as a pub was to send in money.
Another thing that Mormons do better. I think the comparison between JW and Mormon is striking, because they are both American religions but only one seems to understand this reality.

This has always been a religious organization that looks much better 'on paper' than it does in practice in your local congregation. Now we can say, It looks much better on line that it does in practice in your local congregation. Young people dont need to ask about this grim reality; they are faced with it and leave - and we know that 'leaving' takes many forms.

I think that defining Jehovah's Witnesses as an experience for members separate from the image projected in their books is an important distinction that can't be overlooked. The WTS has always published a fantasy regarding what their organization actually is doing. At various points, I think the fantasy was much closer to reality, especially in the 60s/70s when growth was big and there was much to show. Since the mid 90s to the current time it appears the fantasy version of their reality is in high gear.

25

JW Broadcasting is the likely end of the road for JWs

by oldskool in

i started leaving the group in 04', and quit following what they do around 08'.

my recent posts express my reaction to what has happened since.. i just "tuned in" to the jw broadcasting episode for may 2016. it is worth a viewing.

gb member anthony morris describes what is basically the thrust of why this entire effort exists.

oldskool

In one of the Caleb videos about gay couples it ends with a mother/daughter discussion on how to preach in school.

The WTS looses more kids as members than any other religion. I don't see JW broadcasting help this. There may be a tendency to this that they are now catering to kids better now by getting more sophisticated with media. They are still ignoring children. It's a gimmic that will backfire.

They've targeted kids for generations. The youth book, young people ask, videos, etc., and it's just more of the same but done better. Young people have lacked good experiences for generations too. The Borg aren't going anywhere. There will always be people susceptible to their indoctrination.

Correct, a media driven approach that doesn't take into consideration what creates memorable lasting value. They still don't get it, and by dabbling in video, only enhance the inevitable disparity between a youths experience and what is portrayed on screen.

25

JW Broadcasting is the likely end of the road for JWs

by oldskool in

i started leaving the group in 04', and quit following what they do around 08'.

my recent posts express my reaction to what has happened since.. i just "tuned in" to the jw broadcasting episode for may 2016. it is worth a viewing.

gb member anthony morris describes what is basically the thrust of why this entire effort exists.

oldskool

Similar to most political alliances, the membership within the JW org is filled with different factions, each with their own set of expectations (or lack thereof) for what the faith is all about. The task for the leadership is to create one vision that gets everybody moving in the same direction, without much loss, and stability for funding.

It's more likely that the simpler, more media friendly approach will win over more people than they lose because of it

If they are moving towards a more casual type of JW membership experience then this is possible. They still have the problem of moving beyond the apocalypticism that defined the group for so long. I think of the video with a GB member casually suggesting armageddeon will be before 2040 is an example of how the family values christian faith ethos still isn't all that JWs are. Their media never told the whole story about who they are as a group, its also about the situation on the ground.

If they were a generic christian faith with non mainstream beliefs they are still faced with the same issue that occurred during print based era. There is no real structure for youth to become attached to faith. Videos are a disposable media. Use it up and move on. Video can also be alienating, because the only interaction is between viewer and the screen.

I'm nostalgic for the tv/video of my youth, but I don't think you can draw a straight line between watching videos and remaining committed to a religious faith in an ever increasing non religious world (at least western world).

25

JW Broadcasting is the likely end of the road for JWs

by oldskool in

i started leaving the group in 04', and quit following what they do around 08'.

my recent posts express my reaction to what has happened since.. i just "tuned in" to the jw broadcasting episode for may 2016. it is worth a viewing.

gb member anthony morris describes what is basically the thrust of why this entire effort exists.

oldskool

I started leaving the group in 04', and quit following what they do around 08'. My recent posts express my reaction to what has happened since.

I just "tuned in" to the JW Broadcasting episode for May 2016. It is worth a viewing. GB member Anthony Morris describes what is basically the thrust of why this entire effort exists. Regarding the materials created for children he states:

- Two postings of an item every month is making quite an impression on little hearts.

- With bible principles being impressed on the hearts and minds of children so early, we prayerfully anticipate many spiritually minded teenagers in the years to come.

It's not unusual for a religion to target their youth for conversion, indoctrination, ect. But it actually is new for JWs.

The problem for JW broadcasting and other media driven modes of interaction with youth, is that it fails at understanding that actual in the flesh experiences matter too. This is something the JW leaders have never been good at, and still appear struggling to understand.

Let us say that this GB member gets his wish. Lots of young kids, dedicated to the religion, by being brought up since youth with videos and media. Is that what is going to be the motivating force that keeps kids around?

Digital technology is new, and at this point in the western world it is everywhere. We know that people become nostalgic for the media they watched as children. This will likely occur with kid JWs now.

However, to simply broadcast ideas through video is not to create memorable and lasting experiences children carry with them through life.

Watching what the JWs are doing with media, it is clear that they are attempting to follow in the footsteps of the Mormon faith by working to project a squeaky clean "family focused" faith that is projected through media. However, the Mormons are older, more refined, more unique, and more liberal (if you can believe it), probably have more money, and invest more in social efforts than JWs ever will. I am not defending mormonism, but simply mentioning that they are known for their creation of the "cultural hall" with a baskeball court in nearly every church.

What happens when all these JW kids are told how great their religion is but are never actually given pleasurable and memorable experiences with the group, except through media alone that tells them its good? Digital media may be powerful, but at the end of the day you need to back up words/images with action.

JW Broadcasting will likely do more harm than good. The kids will go along, because they are kids. But when they grow up, their loyalty is going out the door. Without real world activities, outreach and experiences for kids, the WTS is playing with fire by pretending it exists through visual media. These kids will eventually see right through the charade, be resentful, and probably leave in higher numbers than those the WTS has already lost.

30

JW Broadcasting reeks of desperation

by oldskool in

again, i'm a decade removed from the faith.

i'm catching up now, and can't believe what i'm seeing.. i get that jw leadership faced a dilemma.

there is no intellectual apparatus within the faith.

oldskool

@breakfast

Great experience! Prof Chomsky still remains very accessible. Also, if you're into his work, you might also enjoy Prof. David Harvey, his background is similar to mine (geography), he is a great speaker and writer. Sort of in the same vein, but more economics than foreign policy with the political stuff.