JWTalk.net and the Desire to be Open, Honest, and Loyal

[Brother_Bliss]

We received some valuable feedback and as a result the administrators have decided to implement the following changes for the sake of clarification, openness, honesty, and loyalty. We would like to share 3 of the points that were brought to our attention, and what we have done to address them. More adjustments will be made as necessary.

 

1. The previous favicon (the image that shows in your browser tab and in your browser bookmarks/favorites) bore too much resemblance to the official website and app logos used by Jehovah's organization. See (The Watchtower, April 2018, Questions from Readers). If someone saved the link to JWTalk in their bookmarks/favorites, the favicon could be confused with JW Library. This, in turn, gives the appearance that JWTalk is an official extension of the organization, when that is certainly not the case. Therefore, we have changed the icon. The JWTalk community is not sponsored by the faithful and discreet slave nor operated by any legal entity used by the organization known as Jehovah's Witnesses. We certainly never intended to give that appearance, deceive, or cause confusion in this way. 

 

2. The description for the "Bible Research, Personal Study, & Scriptural Discussion" section may have given the impression that we encourage independent interpretation of Bible passages as well as scrutinizing the accuracy of the New World Translation. See Our Kingdom Ministry, September 2007, Question Box.  This article in Our Kingdom Ministry also says "They have created Web sites and chat rooms for the purpose of exchanging and debating their views" and it was a review of the consistent negative references to Chat Rooms in our literature that was a large part of the deciding factors that led the Administrator team here at JWTalk to abandon the trials of 3rd-party Chat software.

 

Also, JWTalk.net does not encourage debate. Our Community Membership Policy has always contained the following statements...

 

Quote

 

"The same behavior expected of you in the congregation is expected here in our online community. Our site is operated by and for true Christians. This is a site for real Jehovah's Witnesses to engage in peaceful discussion, and not a place for argumentative debates. Therefore, your goal in contributing to a topic should be to share something of interest that will build up your brothers and sisters."

 

"Keep in mind that this is a forum for discussion, and not a place for heated debate."

 

 

The Bible Research, Personal Study, & Scriptural Discussion area is for sharing the results of your own research that delighted you to the extent that you want to share your joy with others, or to request help understanding a Bible passage or current understandings better. It is not for airing your own interpretations, for "no prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation" but rather, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" (2 Pet. 1:20, 21; Genesis 40:8). Likewise, it is by no means a forum for debate. If a conversation is drifting away from discussing and leaning more towards debate, please click the Report button on the post so that the Staff can look into steering the conversation back on topic or perhaps even lock the thread.

 

With that said, the group description has been changed for clarification.

 

BEFORE: A private members only forum for in-depth discussion of the Bible, interpretation, translation, and anything related to your personal study and research. This is a theocratic discussion forum for encouragement and spiritual growth.

 

NOW: A private section for discussing the Bible, our literature and current understandings, and gems from your personal study and research. This is a theocratic group for building faith in God's Word and trust in his faithful and discreet slave.

 

3. The language in the footer could have been giving the false impression that our community is endorsed by, sponsored by, or sanctioned by the faithful and discreet slave. As such, we made the following changes to the blurb found in the footer as follows... 

 

BEFORE: Since 2006, JWTalk has proved to be the only legitimate community for real Jehovah's Witnesses on the web.

 

AFTER: Since 2006, JWTalk has proved to be a well-moderated online community for real Jehovah's Witnesses on the web.

 

Every registered member knows that we are a pro-JW community, and that while we are not an official channel used by Jehovah's organization, it is our vision that every member of JWTalk Community must be living in harmony with Bible standards and believe the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses that are expressed in their literature as well as on JW.org. However, unregistered guests that come across our site through a web link or search result may be wary, as they should be. At the same time, there have been cases of individuals who were under the impression that we were an official channel of communication for Jehovah's Witnesses, which has been evident through feedback like we recently received, as well as occasional messages sent through the Contact Us form, which we always redirect to our official website.

 

With that said, we appreciate all the feedback we get, as we strive to keep the community as safe and clean as possible for everyone, and at the same time avoid the impression that we're under the umbrella of services provided by the faithful and discreet slave.

 

 

 

[Fiona]

Wow... what spiritual and humble people you are.
I had no issues with any of that yet you changed it because of feedback so as not to cause stumbling or any misrepresentation of Jehovahs organization.

Thank you for all your continued efforts to keep this forum positive and scriptural.
I very much appreciate your hard work.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Tortuga]

2 minutes ago, Fiona said:

Wow... what spiritual and humble people you are.
I had no issues with any of that yet you changed it because of feedback so as not to cause stumbling or any misrepresentation of Jehovahs organization.

Thank you for all your continued efforts to keep this forum positive and scriptural.
I very much appreciate your hard work.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 

Bob and the administrators do a great job and they use the feedback they get to constantly improve this site so it is a better haven for our brothers and sisters. 

[Beggar for the Spirit]

Thanks Bob and Administrators! 

I really appreciate this clear explanation about how our discussions on this forum should be:

Quote

The Bible Research, Personal Study, & Scriptural Discussion forum is for sharing the results of your own research that delighted you to the extent that you want to share your joy with others, or to request help understanding a Bible passage or current understandings better. It is not for airing your own interpretations, for "no prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation" but rather, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" (2 Pet. 1:20, 21; Genesis 40:8). Likewise, it is by no means a forum for debate. If a conversation is drifting away from discussing and leaning more towards debate, please click the Report button on the post so that the Staff can look into steering the conversation back on topic or perhaps even lock the thread.

The reason I appreciated that explanation is because while the vast majority of discussion forums on the internet allow and promote the airing of all types of personal views/opinions, this forum is different because as true Christians our goal is to try our best to seek and promote only 1 view, Jehovah's view!  

Yes because we are imperfect we may initially have certain personal thoughts, guesses or speculations about a scripture or about a current/past world event. But rather than just airing such initial thoughts/speculations, as Witnesses of Jehovah we first consult the Bible and explanations by the FDS to get Jehovah's view. If we cannot find an explanation to a question in our literature, or we are not sure if we are understanding a scripture or a WT article correctly, then this forum provides a wonderful and safe place to ask and discuss various scriptures and spiritual understandings. 

I was also thinking about how our posts/comments here on JWtalk can be like a small mirror. If we look at some of our past posts/comments, do they "reflect" a spirit of humility and a seeking of Jehovah's viewpoint? Or do my posts sometimes "reflect" a spirit of independent thinking? Do I tend to first express my personal thoughts on a topic or question before searching/verifying Jehovah's viewpoint in the Bible and in our literature? So I am grateful for JWtalk, to the Administrators and Moderators and to my fellow members, because I truly want to always be seeking Jehovah's viewpoint and this forum assists me in doing this. 

 

This reminds me of my most favorite question!

Spoiler

“. . .‘Where is Jehovah?” (JER 2:6)

 

*** w03 5/1 p. 8 par. 3 Do You Ask, “Where Is Jehovah?” ***

On matters that affect our lives, he(Jehovah) provides a sound basis for us to determine his position, that is, how he views such matters and whether our desires are in harmony with his purposes.

He wants us to make inquiry about such things and to put forth earnest effort to find the answers.

 

Edited April 21, 2020 by Beggar for the Spirit

[Hinata]

Changing the favicon is certainly a good choice, but I think the background should be either transparent, or at least be a circle shaped. It doesn’t look good for design.

[trottigy]

7 hours ago, YukitoMatsuzuki said:

Changing the favicon is certainly a good choice, but I think the background should be either transparent, or at least be a circle shaped. It doesn’t look good for design.

We'll play around with it until we get something that fits best.

 

You can always post an example of your idea.

[Brother_Bliss]

12 hours ago, Beggar for the Spirit said:

If we cannot find an explanation to a question in our literature, or we are not sure if we are understanding a scripture or a WT article correctly, then this forum provides a wonderful and safe place to ask and discuss various scriptures and spiritual understandings. 

Exactly. Do your own research FIRST, then post afterward. We really dislike silly questions and non-sense topics, which is why we changed our mind on giving them a place by removing the "Spiritual Meaderings and Simple Musings" forum. If you want to post just to hear yourself think out loud, well, you have Facebook for that, lol

 

 

[Tortuga]

1 hour ago, Dismal_Bliss said:

If you want to post just to hear yourself think out loud, well, you have Facebook for that,

Someone suggested that we create a "Cranial Flatulence" forum but it was voted down by a thin margin...

[Sheep]

6 hours ago, Bro Richard said:

Someone suggested that we create a "Cranial Flatulence" forum but it was voted down by a thin margin...

Nah! That would not have been a good idea! Once in a while I have an idea in my head about a certain scripture or article. But if I express myself it would likely sound like cranial (or some other kind of) flatulence.

 

Why do you think I never posted anything in "Spiritual Meanderings and Simple Musings"?

[Sister Twister]

On 4/21/2020 at 4:00 AM, Dismal_Bliss said:

We received some valuable feedback and as a result the administrators have decided to implement the following changes for the sake of clarification, openness, honesty, and loyalty. We would like to share 3 of the points that were brought to our attention, and what we have done to address them. More adjustments will be made as necessary.

 

1. The previous favicon (the image that shows in your browser tab and in your browser bookmarks/favorites) bore too much resemblance to the official website and app logos used by Jehovah's organization. See (The Watchtower, April 2018, Questions from Readers). If someone saved the link to JWTalk in their bookmarks/favorites, the favicon could be confused with JW Library. This, in turn, gives the appearance that JWTalk is an official extension of the organization, when that is certainly not the case. Therefore, we have changed the icon. The JWTalk community is not sponsored by the faithful and discreet slave nor operated by any legal entity used by the organization known as Jehovah's Witnesses. We certainly never intended to give that appearance, deceive, or cause confusion in this way. 

 

2. The forum description for the "Bible Research, Personal Study, & Scriptural Discussion" forum may have given the impression that we encourage independent interpretation of Bible passages as well as scrutinizing the accuracy of the New World Translation. See Our Kingdom Ministry, September 2007, Question Box.  This article in Our Kingdom Ministry also says "They have created Web sites and chat rooms for the purpose of exchanging and debating their views" and it was a review of the consistent negative references to Chat Rooms in our literature that was a large part of the deciding factors that led the Administrator team here at JWTalk to abandon the trials of 3rd-party Chat software.

 

Also, JWTalk.net does not encourage debate. Our Forum Membership Policy has always contained the following statements...

 

 

The Bible Research, Personal Study, & Scriptural Discussion forum is for sharing the results of your own research that delighted you to the extent that you want to share your joy with others, or to request help understanding a Bible passage or current understandings better. It is not for airing your own interpretations, for "no prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation" but rather, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" (2 Pet. 1:20, 21; Genesis 40:8). Likewise, it is by no means a forum for debate. If a conversation is drifting away from discussing and leaning more towards debate, please click the Report button on the post so that the Staff can look into steering the conversation back on topic or perhaps even lock the thread.

 

With that said, the forum description has been changed for clarification.

 

BEFORE: A private members only forum for in-depth discussion of the Bible, interpretation, translation, and anything related to your personal study and research. This is a theocratic discussion forum for encouragement and spiritual growth.

 

NOW: A private forum for discussing the Bible, our literature and current understandings, and gems from your personal study and research. This is a theocratic forum for building faith in God's Word and trust in his faithful and discreet slave.

 

3. The language in the footer could have been giving the false impression that our community is endorsed by, sponsored by, or sanctioned by the faithful and discreet slave. As such, we made the following changes to the blurb found in the footer as follows... 

 

BEFORE: Since 2006, JWTalk has proved to be the only legitimate community for real Jehovah's Witnesses on the web.

 

AFTER: Since 2006, JWTalk has proved to be a well-moderated online community for real Jehovah's Witnesses on the web.

 

Every registered member knows that we are a pro-JW community, and that while we are not an official channel used by Jehovah's organization, it is our vision that every member of the JWTalk community must be living in harmony with Bible standards and believe the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses that are expressed in their literature as well as on JW.org. However, unregistered guests that come across our site through a web link or search result may be wary, as they should be. At the same time, there have been cases of individuals who were under the impression that we were an official channel of communication for Jehovah's Witnesses, which has been evident through feedback like we recently received, as well as occasional messages sent through the Contact Us form, which we always redirect to our official website.

 

With that said, we appreciate all the feedback we get, as we strive to keep the community as safe and clean as possible for everyone, and at the same time avoid the impression that we're under the umbrella of services provided by the faithful and discreet slave.

 

 

 

Thank you for the clarification and all the work you all do to keep it safe and in line with direction , it is very appreciated and feels a very safe place.

[Julie Patricia]

I appreciate your efforts to be loyal and open. May we know if experiences posted here are verified?

[carlos]

11 hours ago, Julie Patricia said:

I appreciate your efforts to be loyal and open. May we know if experiences posted here are verified?

It depends. There are over 4000 members here. We certainly encourage only posting verified experiences, but we cannot guarantee that every experience every member posts is verified.

 

If you are unsure about a specific experience, you can always ask the poster. 

[Qapla]

Likewise, if you are unsure of the validity of an experience you have heard 

 

 

Don't post it

[Brother_Bliss]

On 1/26/2022 at 12:31 PM, Julie Patricia said:

I appreciate your efforts to be loyal and open. May we know if experiences posted here are verified?

Well, if someone claims they are relating a personal experience, we would normally give them the benefit of the doubt. Personal or verified experiences in the ministry usually get shared in the "Our Meetings, Our Ministry, & Life as a Christian" forum.

 

And then there are the "experiences" that are often circulated via email or social media. They sound great and may even be encouraging, but it is really true? We have no way of knowing. Those 3rd party "experiences" will get posted or moved to the "Encouragement for the Worldwide Brotherhood" forum.

 

If it sounds a bit fanciful usually someone will call it out, lol.

[JROSSSIS]

Thanks for creating and supporting a safe space to talk about life in Jehovah’s Organization. Much appreciated!

[Mike047]

Thankyou, brothers, for your continual oversight of this great online facility. We truly appreciate the many hours that are spent in seeking to keep this site within the guidelines of the Christian congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses.