Apologists on social media.

[New World Explorer]

18 hours ago, Jwanon said:

Also, I am not saying that everyone should start doing apologetics online. I am not advocating for this at all, it would be a bad idea for the reasons that Carlos has mentionned

 

What I think is that if someone is comfortable with a form of ministry, it is their personal load to carry

I have read enough through this topic to encourage you to consider this simple fact: Who draws people to the truth? Answer : Jehovah.

So Jehovah is well aware of everything that is going on and we do not need to be going to the extremes defending the truth. 

Point to jw.org.. if they have sincere question we help them more ... 

The whole "mess" (yes mess, as there is potential to expose yourself to apostate material) getting involved with apologetics is not how Jehovah operates and draws people to himself. 

Focus your energy on ministry that is organized and monitored by Jesus Christ our King, and they together with Jehovah will do the rest. 

[Dages]

The other danger, that is even more insidious, is that it will impact something very important in your preaching work.

People online are extremely disrespectful, they don't want to be convinced, they want to debate.

Bad behaviour, bad faith, no christian qualities... swimming in such a pool isn't good for us.

Yes, doing many researches will have improved your knowledge, but facing people online will affect your love. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

[jrnievas]

11 hours ago, Jwanon said:

Ok but put yourself in people's shoes. They hear a claim about Jehovah's Witnesses, either from opposers, or from the media, or from someone who heard this claim and is repeating it. 

 

If there is nobody to refute these claims, all they will know is that particular claim without any way of knowing if it is true or not. They will never have the opportunity to hear our perspective if we never share our perspective.

 

They will remain ignorant of the truth if we don't proclaim the truth

 

Let's not forget what Jesus said in Matthew 11:19.

 

Though there are circumstances when Jesus boldly responded to those who slandered him, but he didn't focused and used his energy and his free time in this kind of work.—Matthew 15:1-3; Mark 3:22-30.

 

Sometimes, the best thing we can do is to trust Jehovah.. trust Him that those people who may not know him today, will know him in the near future before the ends come.. and on our part, the best we can do is to use our free time in participating fully in preaching work in public.. and to help our brothers and sisters in this work while we have time.. Let's not be distracted by those people who just want to argue, but do not really want to support Jehovah's work.. 

 

and, to be honest, we really don't have any power to know who really the honest hearted ones, whether those people we interact are honest hearted or not..

[Witness1970]

Jeremiah knew when it was better to walk away.  We have to learn the correct time to walk away ourselves.

[carlos]

Our Kingdom Ministry from November 1997 stated: "There is no need for any individual to prepare Internet pages about Jehovah’s Witnesses, our activities, or our beliefs. Our official site presents accurate information for any who want it."

 

The position of the Slave is quite clear there. While they understand our intentions may be the best, we are told not to create websites to give a witness or to explain our beliefs. It's better to direct people to our official site.

 

I have mixed feelings about websites that do not discuss our beliefs but our history as an organization, and often debunk widespread lies about us. They often contain well-researched information about episodes of our history that are not easy to find, even in our publications. A friend of mine had such a website and I contributed a couple articles many years ago. He often received appreciation emails from brothers who were in doubt after reading apostate materials and felt very relieved when they read the real story there. On the other hand, all that research took a lot of time. And obviously in order to reply to the claims of apostates, the author had to become familiarized with those claims first, which is not a good idea at all.

 

[Dages]

1 hour ago, carlos said:

Our Kingdom Ministry from November 1997 stated: "There is no need for any individual to prepare Internet pages about Jehovah’s Witnesses, our activities, or our beliefs. Our official site presents accurate information for any who want it."

 

The position of the Slave is quite clear there. While they understand our intentions may be the best, we are told not to create websites to give a witness or to explain our beliefs. It's better to direct people to our official site.

 

I have mixed feelings about websites that do not discuss our beliefs but our history as an organization, and often debunk widespread lies about us. They often contain well-researched information about episodes of our history that are not easy to find, even in our publications. A friend of mine had such a website and I contributed a couple articles many years ago. He often received appreciation emails from brothers who were in doubt after reading apostate materials and felt very relieved when they read the real story there. On the other hand, all that research took a lot of time. And obviously in order to reply to the claims of apostates, the author had to become familiarized with those claims first, which is not a good idea at all.

 

Makes me think about the first christians against the gnostics... little by little, they included their view to counter it... but they poisoned themselves in the mean time.

[Pionner_who]

9 hours ago, Tortuga said:

Você iniciou muitos tópicos e fez muitas perguntas neste site. Essas perguntas vêm de pessoas em seus sites de mídia social? Você está usando as informações que está obtendo aqui para ajudá-lo a defender a verdade? Estamos, sem saber, dando a você informações que podem ser compartilhadas com apóstatas? Você compartilhou informações confidenciais ou 'somente para membros'?

And that's how Tortuga discovered the truth! 😅

[Tortuga]

On 8/24/2024 at 3:09 PM, Nathansantos said:

In Brazil, a somewhat strange idea has been developing over the past few years. Brothers are creating pages on social media (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok) to, according to them, defend the organization. This defense ranges from beliefs to responding to critics and apostates. When they are questioned, they say they are not doing anything wrong, because our publications explained that this is wrong (I think maybe they should study a little more 😅). Unfortunately, some who have gone down this path are no longer brothers, and others have turned their apologist channels into apostate ones. But here's the question: Is this something that only happens in Brazil, or does it also occur in the countries of other brothers?

There are a lot of excellent comments here, here is another point to consider.

 

The carts that we use are like a social media site, they are put in public areas where the people are.

Now look at how they are used.

Two publishers are there to help and support each other

The cart directs the person to JW.org 

If someone is interested, then arrangements are made for someone in the local congregation to help them in person

If someone is argumentative, the cart is moved to another area.

 

Think about the guidelines that are provided for cart work and see how they could apply to using social media site. The best thing to do is stop using the social media sites and volunteer to do cart work. When Jehovah draws someone, it will be to the cart, not the social media site. 

[Landon1285]

25 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

There are a lot of excellent comments here, here is another point to consider.

 

The carts that we use are like a social media site, they are put in public areas where the people are.

Now look at how they are used.

Two publishers are there to help and support each other

The cart directs the person to JW.org 

If someone is interested, then arrangements are made for someone in the local congregation to help them in person

If someone is argumentative, the cart is moved to another area.

 

Think about the guidelines that are provided for cart work and see how they could apply to using social media site. The best thing to do is stop using the social media sites and volunteer to do cart work. When Jehovah draws someone, it will be to the cart, not the social media site. 

Agreed we must strike a balance between clarity and detail. 

 

An encyclopedic response (online or irl) to an exigent person doesn't bear much fruit if they haven't been drawn by Jehovah. 

 

Often sincere ones especially at the carts have asked us deep questions without being critical of us or our work. When it gets to a point where more questions are asked we offer free Bible lessons so that they'll understand the framework of the truth better-allowing them the opportunity to compare their knowledge. 

 

[Qapla]

Another aspect to consider ... I live in an area where we have 80,000 students come every fall quarter. It is the 5th largest university in the US.

• What if I used a local radio/TV station to give talks live and include call-in session to answer questions
• What if I found a building I could use to hold meetings in every week to preach to any students who wanted to come
• What if I rented a venue and arranged a day or two of talks from a stage to reach these students in large groups?

 

Sounds like a good idea. I would be able to reach more of the 80,000 students at one time. I could cover topics I know people wonder about. I could address those untrue things people say about us. I could finally put those issues to rest!

 

But would it actually produce better results than we get now calling on them in our ministry as directed by the FDS? 

 

Or would it maybe lead me down a path where I may get "puffed up with pride" because "look how many people I am reaching at one time" ... even if I am not following the admonition of the FDS as to how the ministry is arranged. It would be like I am trying to start an evangelical radio or TV show like the clergy and starting my own church as well as holding my own assemblies.

 

There must be a reason the FDS has not created an organized social media preaching arrangement ... maybe we should follow the chariot instead of trying to direct it.

Edited August 27 by Qapla

[Pionner_who]

This issue with the apologists seems very insidious to me, as it happened with my father. When he was a child, it was common in his state to work on cocoa farms. And at 10 years old, he already had to be in contact with those poisons. Two weeks ago, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. During the consultation, the urologist asked him about his life. When he explained that he worked with pesticides, the doctor said that this was what caused the cancer. Those who fight as apologists, debating with opponents, may not realize it yet. But the seed is in the heart, and I think it will soon grow.

[carlos]

On 8/26/2024 at 11:04 AM, Dages said:

People online are extremely disrespectful, they don't want to be convinced, they want to debate.

Bad behaviour, bad faith, no christian qualities... swimming in such a pool isn't good for us.

 

We have had members who used to participate in debates in social media, and they tended to treat others here the same they did in those debates. Instead of being kind, patient and respectful, agreeing to disagree or dropping a matter when you see it's hurting others, their communicating style was blunt, haughty, insensitive and trying to win arguments rather than having an enriching conversation.

 

Those individuals may know everything about Greek grammar and theology and obscure scriptures, but they cannot be used by Jehovah because they lack love.

[Jimi-L]

It is not wrong to engage in discussions online or to answer biblical questions. For example, Quora is a question-and-answer site where many brothers and sisters respond to biblical questions. However, it must be acknowledged that such an environment is not very conducive for teaching those whose sole purpose is to argue. Some brothers and sisters provide additional information that may not be found in our publications or has not been discussed publicly. Maybe this will help some brothers and sisters. Maybe they'll feel better after that. Such information can also be found on this forum. I have gained some "extra" from this forum. But probably quite often especially out there, when talking about public forums or blogs, they might feel even worse after apostates and other bullies entered the building, and we know they have come just looking for arguments and conflicts. There is danger! It is also REALLY easy to forget our Bible-baised christian manners online. How much shame would it bring to Jehovah if a brother or sister started arguing online? I've seen it. The results wouldn't be that different from the situation of the 1st-century Jews who 'have a zeal for God, but not according to accurate knowledge." (Romans 10:2)  

 

Although sometimes more detailed information is needed and in that case we have acquired it but usually not from our website, but e.g. in meetings or conventions. This is often the better way, especially if it's a sensitive issue. Sometimes the local branch has also given interviews etc to the media, again locally. See here the Organization's official position: https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/respond-to-accusations/. And if you really want "more" information about something, I'd say the best place would be this forum. Whether it's really something to aim for is a different matter. But we all mature and grow spiritually at different rates. Let us be patient. 

 

 

 

At the same time, again, simply engaging in discussion or answering some questions online is no way wrong. The Slave knows this very well. They also know that forums like this exist. It'd be more useful to ask WHY. Why do some use websites and for what? Do they believe that the Slave is not doing enough, or are they just trying to shirk their duty to preach by doing it online? Or do they want to refine some particular information, or perhaps do some personal research like each of us, but just online? Or do they feel that it is sometimes necessary to engage in discussions in such an environment where some sincere people can be reached, even if it is not actual preaching work, despite the obvious dangers? Anyone who undertakes this does so at their own risk. But somehow i feel for those brothers out there. We can say most of them are sincere, and we should thank them for that. But loving others isn't just about giving thanks—it's also about offering warnings or just paying heed. ❣️

 

Some of the blogs or sites that brothers have made provide interesting additional information. However, they are often based on our official websites. So they would be more like search engines or so-called 'tight packaging' rather than any apologist sites. I also feel that such websites are most beneficial to those of us who are academically oriented or highly educated. For many, the content would probably be too technical, in the same way some of the older publications may have been. And considering that during 2025, at Midweek Meeting Bible Study we'll start studying a book that is primarily intended for children... we probably don't need anything more than basic information right now, thinking about global needs.

 

I admit that when I first came to this forum, I was cautious and even skeptical. Now I trust our little community. So if anyone has a tough question or feels they 'need' more information, ask them to join this carefully moderated group of loving brothers and sisters. Apostates and troublemakers are usually removed quickly.  And my experience is that the longer you are here, probably your confidence will also strengthen so that eventually you no longer need an answer to every single question that troubles your mind, at least not now. We'll follow the Slave. We are humble and follow those taking a lead, "for we have heard that God is with you people." (Zechariah 8:23)

 

 

 

Edited August 27 by Jimi-L

[Pionner_who]

6 hours ago, Jimi-L said:

It is not wrong to engage in discussions online or to answer biblical questions. For example, Quora is a question-and-answer site where many brothers and sisters respond to biblical questions. However, it must be acknowledged that such an environment is not very conducive for teaching those whose sole purpose is to argue. Some brothers and sisters provide additional information that may not be found in our publications or has not been discussed publicly. Maybe this will help some brothers and sisters. Maybe they'll feel better after that. Such information can also be found on this forum. I have gained some "extra" from this forum. But probably quite often especially out there, when talking about public forums or blogs, they might feel even worse after apostates and other bullies entered the building, and we know they have come just looking for arguments and conflicts. There is danger! It is also REALLY easy to forget our Bible-baised christian manners online. How much shame would it bring to Jehovah if a brother or sister started arguing online? I've seen it. The results wouldn't be that different from the situation of the 1st-century Jews who 'have a zeal for God, but not according to accurate knowledge." (Romans 10:2)  

 

Although sometimes more detailed information is needed and in that case we have acquired it but usually not from our website, but e.g. in meetings or conventions. This is often the better way, especially if it's a sensitive issue. Sometimes the local branch has also given interviews etc to the media, again locally. See here the Organization's official position: https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/respond-to-accusations/. And if you really want "more" information about something, I'd say the best place would be this forum. Whether it's really something to aim for is a different matter. But we all mature and grow spiritually at different rates. Let us be patient. 

 

 

 

Ao mesmo tempo, novamente, simplesmente se envolver em discussões ou responder algumas perguntas online não é de forma alguma errado. O Escravo sabe disso muito bem. Eles também sabem que fóruns como este existem. Seria mais útil perguntar POR QUÊ. Por que alguns usam sites e para quê? Eles acreditam que o Escravo não está fazendo o suficiente, ou estão apenas tentando fugir de seu dever de pregar fazendo isso online? Ou eles querem refinar alguma informação específica, ou talvez fazer alguma pesquisa pessoal como cada um de nós, mas apenas online? Ou eles sentem que às vezes é necessário se envolver em discussões em um ambiente onde algumas pessoas sinceras podem ser alcançadas, mesmo que não seja um trabalho de pregação real, apesar dos perigos óbvios? Qualquer um que empreenda isso o faz por sua própria conta e risco. Mas de alguma forma eu sinto por esses irmãos lá fora. Podemos dizer que a maioria deles é sincera, e devemos agradecê-los por isso. Mas amar os outros não é apenas agradecer — é também oferecer avisos ou apenas prestar atenção.  ❣️

 

Alguns dos blogs ou sites que os irmãos fizeram fornecem informações adicionais interessantes. No entanto, eles geralmente são baseados em nossos sites oficiais. Então, eles seriam mais como mecanismos de busca ou os chamados "embalagens compactas" do que quaisquer sites apologistas. Eu também sinto que esses sites são mais benéficos para aqueles de nós que são academicamente orientados ou altamente educados. Para muitos, o conteúdo provavelmente seria muito técnico, da mesma forma que algumas das publicações mais antigas podem ter sido. E considerando que durante 2025, no Estudo Bíblico da Reunião de Meio de Semana, começaremos a estudar um livro que é destinado principalmente a crianças... provavelmente não precisamos de nada mais do que informações básicas agora, pensando nas necessidades globais.

 

Admito que quando cheguei a este fórum pela primeira vez, eu era cauteloso e até mesmo cético. Agora confio em nossa pequena comunidade. Então, se alguém tiver uma pergunta difícil ou sentir que "precisa" de mais informações, peça para se juntar a este grupo cuidadosamente moderado de irmãos e irmãs amorosos. Apóstatas e encrenqueiros geralmente são removidos rapidamente. E minha experiência é que quanto mais tempo você estiver aqui, provavelmente sua confiança também se fortalecerá, de modo que, eventualmente, você não precisará mais de uma resposta para cada pergunta que perturba sua mente, pelo menos não agora. Seguiremos o Escravo. Somos humildes e seguimos aqueles que estão na liderança, "pois ouvimos que Deus está com vocês." (Zacarias 8:23)

 

 

 

"I understand, sister, but that's not exactly the point. What is being discussed here are people who use their platforms to publicly debate with opposing individuals. They post on YouTube with themes like Jehovah's Witnesses vs. Baptists, Catholics, Presbyterians... Or even worse, those who take material from Regions, opponents, and even apostates to create content. They do this under the idea that they are defenders of the organization."

[Tortuga]

On 8/25/2024 at 2:04 PM, Jwanon said:

Ok but put youself in people's shoes. They hear a claim about Jehovah's Witnesses, either from opposers, or from the media, or from someone who heard this claim and is repeating it. 

 

If there is nobody to refute these claims, all they will know is that particular claim without any way of knowing if it is true or not. They will never have the opportunity to hear our perspective if we never share our perspective.

 

They will remain ignorant of the truth if we don't proclaim the truth

 

There are sincere people out there who do not know right from wrong, our mission as Jehovah's Witnesses is to guide them to what is truthful and it begins with what we say to them

And we are encouraged to do that, one on one, face to face so we know who we are talking to and can see their reaction. 

[Tortuga]

On 8/24/2024 at 3:09 PM, Nathansantos said:

In Brazil, a somewhat strange idea has been developing over the past few years. Brothers are creating pages on social media (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok) to, according to them, defend the organization. This defense ranges from beliefs to responding to critics and apostates. When they are questioned, they say they are not doing anything wrong, because our publications explained that this is wrong (I think maybe they should study a little more 😅). Unfortunately, some who have gone down this path are no longer brothers, and others have turned their apologist channels into apostate ones. But here's the question: Is this something that only happens in Brazil, or does it also occur in the countries of other brothers?

We have many homes in our territory that are list as a Do Not Call because the person has requested that we do not call on them, but some of them are people that are violent and have threatened us. We also have registered sex offenders in the territory and their homes are designated for Brothers Only.

 

How do the brothers and sisters using social media sites to defend the truth protect themselves from sex offenders and violent people that hide who they are?

[Pionner_who]

On 26/08/2024 at 08:04, carlos said:

Nosso Ministério do Reino de novembro de 1997 declarou: "Não há necessidade de nenhum indivíduo preparar páginas da Internet sobre as Testemunhas de Jeová, nossas atividades ou nossas crenças. Nosso site oficial apresenta informações precisas para qualquer um que queira."

 

A posição do Escravo é bem clara ali. Enquanto eles entendem que nossas intenções podem ser as melhores, somos informados para não criar sites para dar testemunho ou explicar nossas crenças. É melhor direcionar as pessoas para nosso site oficial.

 

Tenho sentimentos mistos sobre sites que não discutem nossas crenças, mas nossa história como organização, e frequentemente desmascaram mentiras generalizadas sobre nós. Eles frequentemente contêm informações bem pesquisadas sobre episódios de nossa história que não são fáceis de encontrar, mesmo em nossas publicações. Um amigo meu tinha um site assim e eu contribuí com alguns artigos muitos anos atrás. Ele frequentemente recebia e-mails de agradecimento de irmãos que estavam em dúvida após ler materiais apóstatas e se sentiam muito aliviados quando liam a história real ali. Por outro lado, toda essa pesquisa levou muito tempo. E, obviamente, para responder às alegações dos apóstatas, o autor teve que se familiarizar com essas alegações primeiro, o que não é uma boa ideia.

 

Could you inform the reference of the publication? 

[Qapla]

4 hours ago, Nathansantos said:

Could you inform the reference of the publication? 

 

*** km 11/97 p. 3 Good News on the Internet ***
 

The article uses the "Watchtower.org" website name which has been updated to the current "jw.org" website

 

Edited September 1 by Qapla