This blog does not serve the purpose for which it was
intended. The number of deleted and disallowed comments is increasing because
some blog readers cannot ‘play nicely.’ One called us liars. [I was
beginning to believe you, but ...]
The immediate solution is to shut the blog down. I will
start by disallowing further comments. There will be no more posts to this
blog, at least for the foreseeable future. The blog as it is today will remain
as a resource. But nothing new will appear here until volume 2 is finished.
Other than Bruce, our blog editors should remove themselves
within the next week. This is not open for debate. It’s not your blog. It
belongs to Bruce and me. Neither of us wants to deal with reader abuse.
Comments will close sometime next week.
Special thanks to Jerome and Roberto who supported this blog in many ways. I appreciate our constant and faithful readers.
Special thanks to Jerome and Roberto who supported this blog in many ways. I appreciate our constant and faithful readers.
13 comments:
I just fixed my PC, today...
I am sorrow, but this is your blog, not mine, and so I respect your decision Rachael and Bruce. Thanks for the privilege you have given me to support this unique blog. It's been a fantastic experience for me. And you both are beautiful people
(Roberto)
How sad, that there are some who insist on attacking instead of discussing. But we all know that is part of the decline in civil discourse, throughout society - which is true whether one attributes it to "the last days" or to cyclical social trends.
Of course, I blame much of it on the cult of the internet, whereby people cloaked in anonymity are enabled to disrupt at will the endeavours of others. Also to blame is the general culture of narcissism, which allows so many to think their opinions are the center of the universe. :(
Just wondering, rhetorically, if your detractors are Americans - this country has become so polarized during the past decade that intelligent discussion has largely been replaced by invective on an unprecedented scale. Whatever ever happened to "I believe you might be mistaken, and here's why I think so..."? Nooooo ... it's been replaced by "YOU'RE A BIG FAT LIAR!"
I can't imagine how discouraging this must be for both of you, having thrown the best of your research open in order to share it with others. I respect your decision to freeze the blog for now, as the sabotage (and that's what it really is) can only distract you from your mission. Thank you so much for leaving it as a resource, also for giving those of us who appreciate its purpose the opportunity for final comments during the next week.
I concur with your special thanks to Jerome and Roberto, and also to those who have been loyal supporters of the blog, not detractors or "trolls".
I am confident that you will find another way to promote your research, perhaps thru a more restricted forum; whatever you choose, I plan to support your choice. I am thankful that the blog and your books have been made available, and that you have welcomed, respected, and posted my input and comments, limited though they have been.
Best to both of you, and to your collaborators.
Thanks Andrew. We hope that by shuttering this blog for a while the rude, indifferent, and stupid will go away. I especially would love to see one reader from Florida turn into a man and simply stop visiting the blog. I'd like to see the Russian and Korean trolls disappear. There's an English visitor who thinks he has a well-rounded sense of humor. I do not find him funny. The amateur opposition writers who try to post their theological opinions have been a constant irritant. There's more, but it doesn't matter. For the near future, we won't see any of that.
Faithful, truly interested readers should check back once a month or so.
Count me among the faithful. :)
What don't opposition writers get about "THIS BLOG IS ABOUT HISTORY, NOT THEOLOGY"??
Maybe about HISTORY of theology, but NOT ABOUT THEOLOGY!
Would be nice iF they had some "central authority" who could instruct them: "The Witnesses are apostates (from orthodox C~dom, that is) - DO NOT TALK TO THEM ON THEIR BLOGS!" Of course, one of the central arguments of many of them is not to accept a central authority - which is their decision.
Sadly, even if they had a central authority (Jehovah's Anti-Witnesses??) it would probably do about as much good as the Witnesses' genuine central authority telling them "DO NOT TALK TO APOSTATES ON THE INTERNET!" Whether one agrees with that approach or not, is seems it's always Brother Why-Don't-They-Appoint-Me-An-Elder, Sister Psycho, or "Hey, Look at Me Guys, I'm Anointed, Why Don't They Bring Me to Bethel to Run Things!" who engages in debates with detractors (my preferred term for them - not all opponents are former Witnesses, hence the term "apostate" doesn't apply as a blanket term).
Two weeks ago, when the call went out for protest letters to Russia, a friend emailed me 'I sure hope there is a screening process in place to monitor what brother all-crazy and sister emotionally-unstable will write Putin.'
I replied that I'm positive some terminally lonely sister would write Putin and ask him for a date. Before you laugh, they do it to incarcerated prisoners all the time, despite repeated warnings. "All he needs is a good woman to convert him from being a murderer/swindler/child molester/Catholic/Baptist/Black Muslin/gay man/totalitarian dictator/fill-in-the-blank." Ugh! That's another problem with the internet - it gives everyone, no matter how disreputable or unreliable, a free public forum.
I guess the best approach one can fall back on is "DON'T FEED THE TROLLS!"
Thanks again for taking decisive action, for the good of the project.
And thanks for entertaining my rant.
:)
"It's been a fantastic experience for me. And you both are beautiful people."
Couldn´t express it any better. Love, German Girl
Many thanks for the interesting blog Bruce and Rachael. Also to Jerome and Roberto. I take comfort in thinking that the closure of the blog might hasten the arrival of volume 2.
Gary
Why not a private blog with access for people you trust?
We are considering that, Bernard. We have an abeyant private blog that we can, with some difficulty, reactivate. And we may do so.
The private blog - I think it was called Watch Tower History two - worked very well for several years. People were only allowed on there by the blog owners, and they could ax anyone instantly who didn't behave. So the only comments the blog received were sensible ones from people committed to the project. It didn't need regular posts to maintain interest, just posts when there was something to be reviewed or a project for readers to share in. It is nice to know that Bruce and Rachael might consider that again. Whatever they decide, the comments here show that there is a committed core of people who care about the success of this project.
I want to add my thanks to those who have already commented. For many years, I wished to know more about Russell and his associates, and this blog has been a dream come true for me. Thank you again for all of your incredibly hard work, and the example you have set for producing accurate and verifiable research. I am looking forward to Volume 2.
Andrew
I want to echo Andrews last comment. Glad to know the hard work goes on. My thanks and best wishes ~~
It was a nice discovery to find your blog several years ago when I was doing my research for my doctoral dissertation.
I would like to thank Bruce and Rachael for their work, and also for giving me some important data for my studies. I have tried to participate with a few comments during these years... sorry because my english do not permit me to collaborate more.
Thanks, also to other people that have post interesting articles and comments like Jerome, Roberto, Andrew, etc.
Miquel Angel
Thanks for your time on this blog. I wish you a workable solution.
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