Proto-joiner

From JUOD

Proto-joiners are defined as those who would have been joiners, but lived before the dawn of the JUOD Movement. They should not be confused with those who were going to join, but then didn't—members of the latter group are actually non-joiners. The term is used extensively in the subject of Pre-Mathewson Joining, and its exact meaning differs between theories.

Pre-Mathewson Joining

This is a topic of much controversy within JUOD. The basic dilemma has to do with joiners who existed before Harley P. Mathewson. Since Mathewson founded the JUOD Movement and created The Proposition, no one who died before that could have possibly joined in a traditional sense. However, history clearly indicates that many such joiners did exist (for examples, see Notable proto-joiners). To account for this mystery, several theories have been developed.

Theories

• The Proto-Joining Theory does not consider Proto-joiners to be true joiners. This definition is by far the simplest.
• The Reincarnation Theory does consider Proto-joiners to be true joiners. It suggests that Mathewson was around much earlier than his known date of birth, and is perhaps eternally present.
• The Time Travel Theory also considers Proto-joiners to be true joiners. It suggests that Mathewson created and operated his own time machine at some point, in order to retroactively influence joiners.

See also: Notable proto-joiners