Letters to Russia: False report

[Tortuga]

I thought it might be a good idea to have a spot where we can post false or questionable reports about the letter campaign. 

 

If you receive an unverified report, please post it here and hopefully someone will be able to verify it's source before it is shared.

[Tortuga]

From Brother  Walker:

 

This image has been making the rounds on Instagram. It has since been exposed as a fake.

 

 

I quote directly from one of the JW channels on Instagram:

 

Quote

This picture is not associated with the letter writing campaign to Russia. It is from a January 2016 article regarding millions of letters and packages for a young severely burned 8-year girl in Rotterdam, NY who wanted a few cards for her Christmas card tree. (See the link below)

http://www.timesunion.com/local/amp/Sa-fyre-response-leaves-a-good-feeling-about-6757243.php

 

And while I'm on the subject: A word of warning to brothers following the campaign on Instagram. Opponents have figured out some of the hashtags. You'll find very anti-jw stuff mixed in with all our brothers posting about the Campaign.

Edited March 29, 2017 by Tortuga

[Omoyeme]

1 hour ago, Tortuga said:

And while I'm on the subject: A word of warning to brothers following the campaign on Instagram. Opponents have figured out some of the hashtags. You'll find very anti-jw stuff mixed in with all our brothers posting about the Campaign.

 

I noticed this just a couple of days ago.  On YT and other social websites opposers/apostates/just-plain-jwhaters are taking it upon themselves to send their own batch of letters to Russia in "support" of the ban!!  (And while I was researching the "#stopthejwban" hashtag, I came across an opposing jw website.  It only took me a momentary glance across 2 or 3 comments to realize/confirm what I have long suspected...that there are moles in Jehovah's organization (i.e. publishers and others with responsibilities pretending to be jw's) while they spew their deep hatred for us on this opposing website.  (Which will remain unnamed.)

 

I'm so disgusted!...Why? Why pretend?

[Daxsector]

Well this actually comes from our friends not following the slaves CLEAR direction. The letter said nothing about posting pictures of us writing letters via instagram and Facebook during this campaign. Neither did they mention that we should use social media hashtags to bring attention to it. We were directed simply to write letters.  

[Old]

3 minutes ago, Daxsector said:

Well this actually comes from our friends not following the slaves CLEAR direction. The letter said nothing about posting pictures of us writing letters via instagram and Facebook during this campaign. Neither did they mention that we should use social media hashtags to bring attention to it. We were directed simply to write letters.  

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. The only clear direction I came across is to write letters and not send email.

 

These are the instructions in our letter datd March 20, 2017

• If you own a personal business, you may use business letterhead.
• Use your own language. There is no need to have letters translated into Russian. If you are
fluent in Russian, you may write letters in Russian.
• Letters should be one page in length and should be typewritten or neatly handwritten.
• Give attention to proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation.—be pp. 71-73.
• Add your personal signature to the letter.
• No copies of letters need to be sent to the elders, to the branch office, or to anyone else.
• Literature should not be included.
• Use your personal return address on the envelope. Be sure that the address of the official
you are writing to matches that listed at the end of these instructions.
• Send by postal mail with sufficient international postage. Do not use e-mail.
 

Perhaps you have a source of clear direction regarding social media, photos, etc.? Something us common folk need to read. 

That being said I personally am very uncomfortable with posting any thing regarding our activity in unrestricted social media.

 

[Daxsector]

We are also taught not to go beyond what is written. Posting images to instagram with hashtags is doing just that and it opens us up to apostates and other haters. This letter is supposed to go just to the Russian Officials, if it gets attention from the press, so be it. 

 

[DancesWithWife]

11 minutes ago, Daxsector said:

Well this actually comes from our friends not following the slaves CLEAR direction. The letter said nothing about posting pictures of us writing letters via instagram and Facebook during this campaign. Neither did they mention that we should use social media hashtags to bring attention to it. We were directed simply to write letters.  

Letters are still a powerful tool. The FDS is well aware of the use of social media. No where in the instructions was there a directive not to put on social media. There was no clear direction we could put on there either. They asked us to mail letters without literature in them, keep them professional and one page.

 

The Brothers themselves have made use of social media and really that's what public websites end up being. There have been songs about the ministry and cart witnessing. There is a need to be careful. Social media, blogs, facebook, instagram are all useful and have a purpose. 

 

Have you seen this site and it is different than jw.org because that site is banned.https://jw-russia.org/news/17032811-115.html you can use https://translate.google.com/ to translate.

 

We just had two articles on being modest that would apply here when we are interjecting our views into matters.

[Daxsector]

The same can be said of being modest by following the directions given and not adding to it. For example, that image is now circulating to the friends in our congregation and they are posting it like crazy. 

1 minute ago, Daxsector said:

The same can be said of being modest by following the directions given and not adding to it.  

 

Edited March 30, 2017 by Daxsector

[DancesWithWife]

2 minutes ago, Daxsector said:

We are also taught not to go beyond what is written. Posting images to instagram with hashtags is doing just that and it opens us up to apostates and other haters. This letter is supposed to go just to the Russian Officials, if it gets attention from the press, so be it. 

 

The letter writing was on the news release section so it is open to everyone including apostates. Apostates and haters have been around long before social media came into play. Socail media has proven to be very effective in getting a message out quickly. 

 

Through out history, information has been distorted and changed to suit the needs of those in charge. And it has not changed in the present either. Information is just flowing at a faster speed.

[Daxsector]

very true point.

[DancesWithWife]

4 minutes ago, Daxsector said:

The same can be said of being modest by following the directions given and not adding to it. For example, that image is now circulating to the friends in our congregation and they are posting it like crazy. 

 

 

This could include many things that are not covered. The Bible itself does not have a rule or guideline for everything. The closest I have found is at  1 Corinthians 10:31 New International Version
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

New Living Translation
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

English Standard Version
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

[Old]

10 minutes ago, Daxsector said:

The same can be said of being modest by following the directions given and not adding to it. 

I go back a long way, I can remember when we did quick build KHs, they were not in our directions given at the time, somebody just added them. Obvious lack of modesty. 

 

 

Edited March 30, 2017 by Old

[DancesWithWife]

To me this is where the last two study Watchtowers would apply. Some of us obviously have a difference of on whether we should post to social media. I think it best if I bow out of this conversation at this point. I respect those who do not want to post to social media and those who are careful in their postings. 

1 minute ago, Old said:

I go back a long way, I can remember when we did quick build KHs, they were not in our directions given at the time, somebody just added them. 

 

 

That's how the Woodburn Assembly Hall and the Holt, Michigan Assembly Halls were built in the middle 70's.

 

[carlos]

In the letter that was read to the congregation inviting us to join the campaign, I think it said the purpose of this campaign is to raise public awareness of the situation of our brothers in Russia. Maybe not those words exactly, since I didn't hear it in English, but that idea caught my attention.

 

If I don't remember it wrong and it did say "raise public awareness" that means we want everyone to know about this situation. Maybe one of our elders can check the actual wording.

 

On the other hand, it's always good to be careful with what we share online.

Edited March 30, 2017 by carlos

[Daxsector]

That is the correct wording, we just need to careful with using social media, especially when it is so easy to send fake news.

[Old]

Direct quote: "To draw international attention to these serious matters, the Governing Body is arranging
a global letter-writing campaign."

[GordonP]

1 hour ago, Daxsector said:

The same can be said of being modest by following the directions given and not adding to it. For example, that image is now circulating to the friends in our congregation and they are posting it like crazy. 

 

 

We even have it circulating here in S Africa. "Be modest in walking with your God" means, be excited about our brothers efforts yes, but exercise caution because it is satan's world.  

[shali]

Personally, I don't see a problem with "haters" sending letters - no matter how you slice it, our volume of letters will far exceed the volume of their letters, to a ridiculous degree.  Plus with perhaps 10's of millions of letters coming in, how many do you think will really get read before April 5th?  Jehovah can direct it so that those letters from  apostates and haters will be overlooked or ignored all together.  I don't feel they are a threat at all to what we are doing - more like a bug buzzing around your head - annoying.

Edited March 30, 2017 by shali

[GordonP]

10 minutes ago, shali said:

Personally, I don't see a problem with "haters" sending letters ... Jehovah can direct it so that those letters from  apostates and haters will be overlooked or ignored all together.  I don't feel they are a threat at all to what we are doing - more like a bug buzzing around your head - annoying.

 

It did not matter how much the Rabsheka shouted, even in the Jewish language , Jehovah still destroyed 185 000 soldiers in one night! 

[Tortuga]

2 hours ago, Daxsector said:

The same can be said of being modest by following the directions given and not adding to it. For example, that image is now circulating to the friends in our congregation and they are posting it like crazy. 

That is a completely separate issue. Instead of focusing on whether or not to use social media, those friends should focus on how they use social media.

[Tortuga]

2 hours ago, DancesWithWife said:

Have you seen this site and it is different than jw.org because that site is banned.https://jw-russia.org/news/17032811-115.html you can use https://translate.google.com/ to translate.

I love all of the pictures of letters, I noticed that most of them are from Instagram and Twitter...

 

BTW: I use Chrome to open the site and it automatically translated each page.

[DancesWithWife]

24 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

BTW: I use Chrome to open the site and it automatically translated each page.

I found that out too. My wife and I use the same computer so to keep bookmarks and other things seperate I use Mozilla. 

[Old]

3 hours ago, DancesWithWife said:

 

That's how the Woodburn Assembly Hall and the Holt, Michigan Assembly Halls were built in the middle 70's.

 

I was very unhappy with the way the Woodburn hall project was presented. Consenses was not an option, "If we get the money we are going to build it." However when all is said and done it proved to be a blessing. Jehovah's spirit was there, the human tools being used were ..... shall we say.... 'human'.

[DancesWithWife]

11 minutes ago, Old said:

I was very unhappy with the way the Woodburn hall project was presented. Consenses was not an option, "If we get the money we are going to build it." However when all is said and done it proved to be a blessing. Jehovah's spirit was there, the human tools being used were ..... shall we say.... 'human'.

We had our Congregation re-decorated and one of the Elders asked us how we liked it. We said we were surprised it was kind of drab and not really good for learning. I guess we should have been more discreet as it turns out his wife was one of the decorators. I have learned just be happy you have a place to meet...

[New World Explorer]

32 minutes ago, DancesWithWife said:

it was kind of drab and not really good for learning

(boy..that's funny)