Posted by CHR [CoHeRent] on November 30, 1999 at 07:05:58 {JEfy6n1mcI7cQFrDkMPUUtwfKrw5tY}:
Intro by conductor – Last week we saw how the internet is good for research and for communication, but that there are dangers that can be encountered from strangers, apostates, immorality, and excessive drain on our time.
I thought this was a promising way to start. Incidentally, this was also a different congregation than the one I reported on last week.
Study Aids for the Internet (par 19-23) A discussion on posting theocratic research (public talk outlines, WT study scriptures, source material for the Theocratic Ministry school, suggestions for field ministry presentations) on the internet, and using research posted by others.
Congregation comments: Only publications provided by Jehovah’s organization will stimulate our minds, not work provided by others. Using other’s research can be compared to cheating. Let’s not “wing it” through the truth. We must dig for silver.
Conclusion: We can conclude that downloading theocratic information from websites is wrong.
Using Our Time Wisely (par 24-26) A discussion of how internet use can affect our time.
Congregation Comments: Are we balanced? The internet can be like TV in terms of how it can drain our time. The key is balance. We must focus our time on spiritual matters and kingdom interests. Now is not the time to be on the internet or in chatrooms.
Internet E-Mail (par 27-32) A discussion of proper use of e-mail.
Congregation comments: E-mail is OK if time spent on it is balanced. Should only be used to communicate with family and friends, perhaps even only with those who live far away and cannot be conveniently contacted another way. However, it is UNLOVING to receive an experience from a brother by e-mail and then turn around and e-mail it to others, even if you feel it would encourage others. Also, sending frivolous messages, jokes, greeting cards, can result in wasting the recipient’s time. (The conductor then related how much time it took to download such messages, read the message … now he just makes generous use of the delete button)
The rest of the article discussed the "limited" use that the internet affords. Interestingly, the conductor gave an example by showing some research he had downloaded off the net, as he commented "it only took a second". What? Only a second to search, download, then print?
Even with such coverage, most of the brotheres in this KH are on the net already because of job related responsibilities and they readily acknowledge it. I think that the warnings focused on in this article are akin to preaching to the choir. The real threat to the Society, that of extensive lateral communication and sharing of dissident views, was not even mentioned. And I do not think that creating paranoia over the internet will last very long as we have just seem the tip of the iceberg as far as the effect the net will have on people's lives.