How Internet Affects Wtbts

[DoubtingThomas]

I found this portion of an article on another web site to be interesting on the use of the Internet in our time (The Last Days) and how it has effected the WTBTS:

Can the Society, or anything like it, have a future in an Internetted world?

Perhaps. There are several options available to it. The most obvious is to do what Raymond Franz tried to get it to do, a quarter-century ago: admit it was wrong. But this, of course, is the least likely option to be taken. Only one modern American institution has ever admitted that it was fundamentally in error — the Worldwide Church of God, an Adventist church that, influenced by the Witnesses, once referred to its members as "in the Truth," and to everyone else as out of it. During the 1990s, the WCG leadership surveyed its distinctive teachings and announced that they could not be squared with the Bible. The reward for its courage was the loss of 50–60% of its membership. This is an example that the Watchtower Society will be very reluctant to follow.

It is much more likely to choose one of two other options, roughly the same two that confront all other truth-challenged institutions in the modern world.

The first option is for the Society to keep trying to isolate its own version of truth from the checkable truth of the Internet. If it does that, the Watchtower movement will become a living fossil, a fellowship confined to people who, like the Amish, are content to remain in a world that predates the net.

The second option is for the Society to adapt its version of truth, bit by bit, to the fact-gathering capability of the Internet and the free society that the Internet exemplifies.

[Nash]

Hi DT,

I believe that I have read this article before. It's too bad that the WTS won't admit its errors. At least many of their problems would more than likely be solved. But, as we can see from history and prophecy, the WTS will probably not admit error.

Nash

[Elihu]

just a few questions, i dont really expect answers to ,but regardless, questions that have bothered me for some time.
who are these people who hide behind the organisation title of the Watch tower ?
is there democratic debate about WT doctrine and scriptural interpretation?
If there are people at the governing body level who disagree with the 1914 doctrine and can see that Watchmans words are scripturally true,
why do they not fight for the truth to be known.?

are people at elder level within the congregations afraid to challenge WT scriptural interpretation, or even hold debate about something if a person provides scriptural foundation for questioning a teaching.

The reason i ask this is because i have a friend who is a Long serving Jehovahs witness
i met him at work and i approached him about his beliefs during a time of hardship in my life, we spent my hours together studying scripture, and i feel i owe it to him at some time when i feel it is right to approach him about the reality of the presence of Christ and the future of the WT.

how would you do this?. what would capture a faithfull servant of Jehovahs attention to get them to even consider a different view on the 1914 doctrine.

at the moment it all seems such an impossible task.

Elihu

[Nambo]

just a few questions, i dont really expect answers to ,but regardless, questions that have bothered me for some time.
who are these people who hide behind the organisation title of the Watch tower ?
is there democratic debate about WT doctrine and scriptural interpretation?
If there are people at the governing body level who disagree with the 1914 doctrine and can see that Watchmans words are scripturally true,
why do they not fight for the truth to be known.?

are people at elder level within the congregations afraid to challenge WT scriptural interpretation, or even hold debate about something if a person provides scriptural foundation for questioning a teaching.

The reason i ask this is because i have a friend who is a Long serving Jehovahs witness
i met him at work and i approached him about his beliefs during a time of hardship in my life, we spent my hours together studying scripture, and i feel i owe it to him at some time when i feel it is right to approach him about the reality of the presence of Christ and the future of the WT.

how would you do this?. what would capture a faithfull servant of Jehovahs attention to get them to even consider a different view on the 1914 doctrine.

at the moment it all seems such an impossible task.

Elihu[/b]

Jehovahs Witnesses themselves could not even answer your question.
I only found out when I read Ray Franzs book, it certainly explains why things are going wrong and how its so difficult for any new light to shine through.

[Reader]

I will give it a crack, Elihu.

"who are these people who hide behind the organisation title of the Watch tower ?"

Two answers. There is a governing body in New York bethel. They ultimately consider themselves responsible for the spiritual well-being of the earth. But this is a huge, lumbering organization. There are many individuals from the congregation levels all the way to the higher eschalons of bethel who are zealous for the organization. They invent rules, bend rules, break rules, whatever it takes to increase the good image of the organization. They do this because they equate that image with Jehovah himself.

"is there democratic debate about WT doctrine and scriptural interpretation?"

Only at the governing body level. All other debate is not only frowned upon, it is also punishable in most circumstances.

"If there are people at the governing body level who disagree with the 1914 doctrine and can see that Watchmans words are scripturally true,"

I have heard that to be true, but am not sure of the source, nor the veracity of that claim.

"why do they not fight for the truth to be known.?"

The scriptures show that the evil slave would have the upper hand at the time of the end. They may indeed be fighting, but are losing the battle to Satan's minions. Do not judge these people unless you see for yourself that they have done something grossly wrong.

"are people at elder level within the congregations afraid to challenge WT scriptural interpretation, or even hold debate about something if a person provides scriptural foundation for questioning a teaching."

An elder who openly challenges WT interpretation would be turfed so fast it would make your head spin. There is zero room for debate. Thereis only room for learning. Learn what the scriptures say. Learn what the WT says that means. Instruct based upon those two things. There is absolutely no room for debate upon anything 'fundamental' anytime, anyplace.

"how would you do this?. what would capture a faithfull servant of Jehovahs attention to get them to even consider a different view on the 1914 doctrine."

Either you will get his attention and he will listen, or he will dismiss you immediately. The likely reaction will be the second. In the door to door work one is conditioned to listen, dissect, then regurgitate WT teachings, so that will be the instinctive reaction.

When I've talked to others I have used the question "what is your faith based upon?" It is innocuous at first, but really shows the weaknesses of those who are not reliant upon Jehovah.

I hope things go well for your conversation

Regards,

Reader

[Molly]

Interesting subject Doubting Thomas

The control by the WTS over their flock can continue only so long as they can maintain an atmosphere of fear of the apostate from searching the internet. If any of the flock stumble onto a site with information that could set them free from the shackles of the WTS they have to be open-minded enough to consider the information. Many are too afraid they are in the clutches of the demons. Others are too afraid of the repercussions from the WTS to even do that. On the other hand, if one is bold enough to examine information and also consider it despite the consequences, they will have freed themselves.

In the end, I believe that Jehovah wants to find those who want to "worship the Father with spirit and truth, for, indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him." If we really want the truth, he'll make sure that we get it.

Molly

[Nash]

just a few questions, i dont really expect answers to ,but regardless, questions that have bothered me for some time.
who are these people who hide behind the organisation title of the Watch tower ?
is there democratic debate about WT doctrine and scriptural interpretation?
If there are people at the governing body level who disagree with the 1914 doctrine and can see that Watchmans words are scripturally true,
why do they not fight for the truth to be known.?

are people at elder level within the congregations afraid to challenge WT scriptural interpretation, or even hold debate about something if a person provides scriptural foundation for questioning a teaching.

The reason i ask this is because i have a friend who is a Long serving Jehovahs witness
i met him at work and i approached him about his beliefs during a time of hardship in my life, we spent my hours together studying scripture, and i feel i owe it to him at some time when i feel it is right to approach him about the reality of the presence of Christ and the future of the WT.

how would you do this?. what would capture a faithfull servant of Jehovahs attention to get them to even consider a different view on the 1914 doctrine.

at the moment it all seems such an impossible task.

Elihu[/b]

Just to add to Reader's thoughts, who did a great job at answering the question:

It's very hard to break the WTS mentality. I would say that many in the congregations have been programmed. It is not a malicious control per se; it exists nonetheless, and it is hard to 'snap out of it.'

The doctrines cannot be questioned, even if the doctrines make no sense. Prophecy cannot be questioned, even if the parallels make so sense. Excuses are made and bad behaviour is justified, and the way the congregations are set up, when issues occur the innocent are usually unjustly treated. This is because the WTS is becoming more and more business like every day (even if the WTS itself doesn't see it that way - but they can't see it- they are spiritually drunk!) and, as in the world, much business is corrupt and policies are implemented to stifle contention, even when such contention would prove positive in the long run.

I could write essays on these things but I'll stop here!

The above doesn't relate directly to your question, Elihu, but I just wanted to give you a sliver of the background in which your friend is exposed to.

Nash

[Jinnvisible]

The second option is for the Society to adapt its version of truth, bit by bit, to the fact-gathering capability of the Internet and the free society that the Internet exemplifies.[/b]

They do take notice of developments at Bethel.

If you notice many current news issues such as Globalism, Terroism, Obeisity ect. are addressed in the publications - as the general world events [or at least world media] throws them up.

That is to say that bethel has a very large and adept ear to the ground and in baseball terms `bats` whatever the general media pitches. New understandings are not very quickly assimilated, willingness does not exist for it.

Also of course the legal dept. has some seriously complex and difficult legal issues to deal with. Questions of the preaching work being banned in various countries requires a legal dept that in not only adept in corperate law but international law in order to address all kinds of legal concerns.

In recent decades the society has definately taken on a more animalistic, beastial or worldly nature. It is primarily defencive, something that Christ would not do at all costs. Christ would not defend himself at any cost and without consideration of unselfish concerns. The society does.

The move to reduce the awake publication and to create a duplicitous (two faced) watchtower one for the cong and one for the world is a strategic reaction. The internet offers the possibillity of a regular public watchtower study outside of organisational control. That is something that the elitist Bethel mindset would not voluntarily tolerate.

There is no true or false to alternative bible understandings in this mindset there is only freind or foe.

Imagine the entire annointed congregation being openly offered an alternate understanding for the application of prophesy in modern times, like a jury in a court case. What would really be the verdict if there were not threats of recrimination ?

Whilst the general intellectual atmosphere of boasting and basking in the Bethel global governmental lordship seems to be a premature `ruling of kings` this should not be mistaken for innocent nievity.

These premature kings are well aware that thier authoratative dominance that streches to peoples in over 200 countries is rooted in theology they will attack and evade anything which looks like an alternative model.

Just as sure as the governing body knows the touch issues globalism, obesity, terrorism. They also know the current alternative thinking and they will stratergise against it and attempt obsfucate anything that threatens Bethel Governmental Lordship.

Truth or Falicy are secondary concerns to Friend or Foe.

[Candace]

Elihu said, "What would capture a faithfull servant of Jehovah's attention to get them to even consider a different view on the 1914 doctrine?"

If someone is a faithful servant of Jehovah, then they cannot ignore what they see happening in the congregation. They will search for the truth, and Jehovah will help them find it.

On the other hand, those who are content with the way things are, and don't see the problems that have developed, they will close their eyes and ears to the truth. They don't want to see it or hear it, and no matter how convincing of an argument you present, they will not be open-minded about it.

I'm sure Jehovah is searching for those whose hearts are sincere, and his holy spirit can direct them.

(John 4:23) 23 Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for, indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him.

[Jeshurun]

My mother tells me that one day while speaking with a sister in her congregation, she accidentally slipped out some information, and had no choice but to tell the sister that she was given some information that came from the internet. (It came from me!) The sister has now been incessantly calling her nearly every day for months, telling her that she must dispose of this "apostate" information (this is the automatic assumption, since the GB does not publish on the Internet) immediately, pray to Jehovah for forgiveness, and refocus her attention on the spiritual food coming from Bethel. It amounts to spiritual harassment!

The sister has been repeatedly telling my mother that her salvation is in serious jeopardy.

I admire the sister's dedication, if only she could focus it toward Jehovah.

[Elihu]

thank you all for those insights into the mentality of the watchtower. I am absolutley sure that my friend loves Jehovah, the way he used to extract scripture for me to investigate and the effort and emotion that he put into showing me these scriptures has left an everlasting impression on me.

what you have told me is quite terrifying, and also quite ironic that part of witnessing work is to get people to open their minds to search for the truth and examine the scriptures "to see if these things were so"

and somehow They themselves have stopped questioning and searching so as to see if these things are so.

again, thank you, it is worse than i thought but "nothing is impossible for God"

many thanks brothers and sisters, for being brave enough and to love Jehovah and the truth enough to be here and to discuss openly such things as these.


Elihu

[Reader]

again, thank you, it is worse than i thought but "nothing is impossible for God"[/b]

What you have said here is both insightful and truthful