Jehovah's Witnesses are not a CULT ...

by Fatfreek 63 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Haulin Oats

  I seem to recall the WT years back about whether or not witnesses are a cult. There was some dark, demonic figure on an article page along with piss-poor definitions of a cult. Then of course, flash-forward to pages of happy, cheery witlesses going door to door. The reader was then left to decide after reading that they clearly weren't a cult.

  You won't find a single corporation, business, company who would purposely put themselves in a negative light by defining themselves as a cult, pyramid scheme, etc. Thats like Ford admitting the Pinto was a shit car (which it was). The sales brochure just happened to gloss-over the poor engineering design of the fuel tank placement and instead laid a nice fresh red herring down instead to draw the readers attention to its "compact, efficient" use of storage and "economy" gas mileage.

  Therefore, you need third-party groups to offer an unbiased opine about car X, brand Y, or religion Z. Which is why we have things like Consumer reports, Amazon book reviews, etc.

  Any religion/company/whatever that hands out a biased, one-sided report about the definition of their existence and then expects the public to adhere to that definition....come on.
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  discreetslave

  ConcernedJW you mean to tell me JW's don't have ritualistic practices.

  Field service reports, studying publications, mentioning the org. or faithful slave in prayer. The mad dash before the Co, knowing there will be a release at the convention, the memorial is creepy & devoid of feeling. Can you preach door to door using the Bible alone?

  Today I went to visit my old business territory. I told them I was no longer a JW & why. One of the customers said they sound like a cult. She was 22 years old, the first time she'd heard any details about Jw's and she could plainly see they are a cult.

  I went to speak to my baptist neighbor asked her to pray with me. She said "they are a cult dear, that's why you couldn't sense Holy Spirit there."

  Twice today others could plainly see what we were to blind to.
• 

  breakfast of champions

  My wife and I were discussing the "public talk" this Sunday, which by any standards was a disaster. The "brother" delivering this fine information came off as a smug, ignorant asshole, and indeed HE IS.

  So one of my wife's comments to me was about part of the talk where he 'encouraged' members of the congregation to basically 'rat each other out' to the elders if they thought something was wrong. Her words were," It's bad enough people think we're a cult, and then he goes saying something like that."

  My reply was to the effect that, although not appropriate for a PT, what he said was basically true - THIS IS WHAT IS DONE IN OUR SO-CALLED "Christian congregation."

  This is going to be one long, strange trip....
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  Concerned JW

  Rocky girl last time I look jews were a religion! My point simply was that Steve Hassan clearly doesn't consider jews a cult therefore he obviously doesn't consider all religions cults and so has a defining line of what religions he considered cults or not. But this is beside the point that "Cult" when applied to religions is usually used from a personal dislike of a particular religion or people that have a vested interest in playing down other religions against their own religion (this point to discreetslave that thinks a Baptist neighbour is an unbiased authority on whether Jehovah's witnesses are a cult or not)

  Since "Cult" is mainly used as a derogative/perjorative term it is as Band on the Run points useless to be used in any objective sense. It is a term used for mud slinging and name calling. I think it's usage shows a lack of objectivity in those using it in a perjorative sense.

  Discreetslave I lock my door and goto work everyday are these ritualistic practises? I think maybe you should check a dictionary definition on ritualistic religious practises. Practical adminitrative tools are not ritualistic practises simply by virtue of being done repetitively.
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  leavingwt

  Concerned JW: Hassan believes that many cults are harmless. Have you read his book?
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  Concerned JW

  I'm not sure what that has to do with my point leagingwt? Are you saying Steve Hassan personally thinks all religions are cults but divides them into harmful and harmless? Steve Hassan obviously has put a lot into this subject but his books are only indicative of his opinion on what being a cult means and I think he doesn't even mention witnesses. Jehovah's witnesses are read into his books by those that have a personal interest in classing them as a cult.
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  Mad Sweeney

  Edited. sorry. circle-talkers who avoid questions annoy me.
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  Mad Sweeney

  Question one: Why does the Watchtower forbid its members from having close association with former members?

  Question two: Have you read either of Hassan's books? (this is a ONE WORD ANSWER)

  Quit avoiding those questions Concerned JW.

  Now about the word cult. It seems like many here are confusing the sociological definition of the word with the colloquial use of the word with Hassan's use of the word. Sociologists and other social scientists use the term cult to basically mean a religion. We who post here, your Baptist neighbor, and most of the rest of North America use the term to mean an organization that exerts control over the behaviors, thoughts, and emotions of its members and recruits as well as limiting and controlling the information their members are allowed access to. Steve Hassan, being a professional who KNOWS that the term refers basically to any religion, uses the phrase "dangerous cult" to describe organizations that exert control over behavior, information, thought, and emotions (BITE) and to differentiate them from plain old cults/religions.

  So in short, yes, normal people like you and I tend to use the word "cult" as a perjorative word. That then raises the questions: Is the Watchtower organization a "dangerous cult" based on Steve Hassan's definition from Combatting Cult Mind Control? Has the Watchtower organization earned the colloquial perjorative "cult" based on the way they control their members?

  It has been demonstrated that the answer to both those questions is yes. We could re-hash it but google is your friend.
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  InterestedOne

  Concerned JW, it was a simple yes or no question. Very simple. Have you read Combatting Cult Mind Control by Steven Hassan?
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  Concerned JW

  Is this where I am supposed to fall into the trap of answering a question that by answering it would mean I accept that Steve Hassan's book which doesn't mention Witnesses applies to them in anyway? It is a book about "Cults" not established Religions! First you have to establish Jehovah's witnesses are a cult!

  I also think it has been quite adequately shown that the usage of "Cult" is too perjorative a term to be used without bias. Especially as Witnesses are an established and recognised religion.

  I'm also fairly certain Steve Hassan didn't mean for his book to become a "How to identify (read your religion into) a cult" book. But to be used with already well established "Cults".