Seems to me most of this discussion like sooooooo much religious debate comes down to semantics - what my definition of the word means against yours - may I suggest that the real question is perhaps more fundamental: Which belief system is right(and anyone not religious still has a belief system that they think is 'right')? Surely Jesus' band of Christians was a 'cult' when it started (it has every hallmark!) so maybe being labelled a cult isn't the problem. If the cult (I prefer sect! It has a better Latin root meaning:) brings a better life to someone then maybe that's good - if it does the opposite then its bad.
If JWs Are A Cult, I Believe Roman Catholicism Is Too
by minimus 45 Replies latest jw friends
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Stromboli
Pole,
yep, agreed.
Now does it make any sense to join an org like that? if someone (after JWs) felt the need to join wouldn't you find it strange? knowing that if you take it seriouly as JWs it's another "cult" and if you don't take it seriously what's the point of joining? This is actualy a real question because I don't understand why someone would do that after JWs.....
The semantic cycle is actually exposed by the question. To be able to assert it without entering the cycle you need to get out of Orgs all together.(however that brings other problems) That's why the question: "Do religious orgs make any sense?" can be seen as a consequence of the initial question.
If it depends on the subjective relation of individuals with the org aren't all inherently a cult to some extent? if so why would one join it?
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Pole
Stromboli,
if someone (after JWs) felt the need to join wouldn't you find it strange?
Well, I would only hope having been a JW has at least taught the person to be a liberal Catholic :-).
On a personal note, I definitely find it strange when a former witness goes devoutely Catholic. The key thing to my mental recovery was finding out "the truth" about organised religion, then refuting the Bible as an "insipred" book, and finally seeing through all those God metaphors that have been around since the beginning. That's what really crippled me for a while.
Narkissos,
Leaving sematics aside, don't you think it makes more sense to address the issue in pragmatic terms? Like: which of the two cults (if you like) has a worse effect on the totality of its members? Which one has a worse historical track? Which one does more harm than good and in which coutries/social groups? Does a general comparison really make sense?
Check out James's squirrel: (if the marxist.com domain doesn't scare you away :-))
http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/us/james.htm
Pole -
minimus
I will never understand how a JW can become a devout JW, either....Of course I can, it's easy to join another cult because of the mentality and conditioning one has.
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Narkissos
Pole,
Thanks for the link: quite an interesting read (in the context of the early 20th century).
And I do agree that any political approach of religions/cults cannot be anything but pragmatic. Beliefs actually don't matter, only their practical effects do.
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