Cults

by darth frosty 24 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  darth frosty

  I was just watching the repeat of the history channel cults program. Needless to say a lot of the cults they talked about and their beliefs reminded me of the dubs to an extent. But, it got me to thinking...has the WT$ ever featured an article on cults and recognizing them? I know they all the time talk about how others veiw them as a cult and then use that critism as proof that they are gods faithfull channel. I can not remember an article, that specifically talked about cults and recognizing them. Have you?
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  Junction-Guy

  Yes there was either a WT or an Awake few years back that had something about cults on the front page, I cant remember the exact issue, but I have read about it here, maybe someone else here remembers it too?
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  Hortensia

  I don't have an answer to your question - too long ago. But I'm watching the show for the first time right now - interesting that to be identified as a cult, a religion has to have a leader who is worshipped (GB), thought control, and exploitation from above. Have read with interest the JWD posts about the exploitation of Bethelites and pioneers. And as for thought control, how about endless meetings and conventions and bible studies and field service and judicial committees and gossip and spying on each other. Of course the WTBTS would deny that any of this is happening, but that's typical of cults, isn't it? However, the show is too upsetting, that polygamy guy exploiting the families of his followers, just terrible. I don't think I can watch the whole thing.
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  darth frosty

  I found it interesting the german cat That went to columbia and set up shop to build churches and hospital's and orphanages so he could molest little children. When the guy who use to work (slave ) there said they were told this is all done for god, I couldn't help but think about bethel, the regional building programs pioneering, all the thing witnesses do to get free labor out of people.
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  jwfacts

  I have just redone an article on cults at http://jwfacts.com/index_files/mindcontrol.htm that goes through the criteria that you may enjoy.

  A couple of articles they have written were about mind control, which was ironic as it describes Watchtower information to a tee.

  Awake! 1980 January 8 pp.13-14 Has Mass Persuasion Affected You?

  “The person most easily brainwashed is the “normal,” average individual. Such a one is already conditioned to accept opinions of others rather than to form strong convictions of his own. … Often propaganda is indirect and can cause a change in thinking without one’s being aware of it. In The Hidden Persuaders, author Vance Packard opens by saying: “[This book] is about the way many of us are being influenced and manipulated—far more than we realize—in the patterns of our everyday lives.” He later quotes Dr. Ernest Dichter, president of the Institute for Motivational Research, as saying that the successful ad agency “manipulates human motivations and desires and develops a need for goods with which the public has at one time been unfamiliar—perhaps even undesirous of purchasing.”

  The following quotes on propaganda are excerpts from the Watchtower articles The Manipulation of Information and Do Not Be a Victim of Propaganda! from the Watchtower publication Awake! 2000 June 22.

  “The cunning propagandist loves such shortcuts—especially those that short-circuit rational thought. Propaganda encourages this by agitating the emotions , by exploiting insecurities , by capitalizing on the ambiguity of language , and by bending rules of logic .

  … Certainly, the handiest trick of the propagandist is the use of outright lies .

  … Another very successful tactic of propaganda is generalization . Generalizations tend to obscure important facts about the real issues in question, and they are frequently used to demean entire groups of people.

  … Some people insult those who disagree with them by questioning character or motives instead of focusing on the facts.

  … The sly art of propaganda can paralyse thought , prevent clear thinking and discernment and condition individuals to act en masse.

  … Emotional appeals are fabricated by practiced publicists, who play on feelings as skillfully as a virtuoso plays the piano. For example, fear is an emotion that can becloud judgment.

  THERE is a difference—a big difference—between education and propaganda. Education shows you how to think. Propaganda tells you what to think. Good educators present all sides of an issue and encourage discussion. Propagandists relentlessly force you to hear their view and discourage discussion . Often their real motives are not apparent. They sift the facts , exploiting the useful ones and concealing the others. They also distort and twist facts, specializing in lies and half-truths. Your emotions, not your logical thinking abilities, are their target.

  The propagandist makes sure that his message appears to be the right and moral one and that it gives you a sense of importance and belonging if you follow it . You are one of the smart ones, you are not alone, you are comfortable and secure—so they say.

  …So we need to be selective. We need to scrutinize whatever is presented to us, deciding what to accept and what to reject.

  … Also, if possible, try to check the track record of those speaking. Are they known to speak the truth?”
• 

  nvrgnbk

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/130071/1.ashx

  Black Sheep posted this thread a few weeks ago. It's about a cult in New Zealand. It's a must see.

  Thanks again to Black Sheep for sharing this one.

  Nvr
• 

  nvrgnbk

  The following quotes on propaganda are excerpts from the Watchtower articles The Manipulation of Information and Do Not Be a Victim of Propaganda! from the Watchtower publication Awake! 2000 June 22.

  “The cunning propagandist loves such shortcuts—especially those that short-circuit rational thought. Propaganda encourages this by agitating the emotions , by exploiting insecurities , by capitalizing on the ambiguity of language , and by bending rules of logic .

  … Certainly, the handiest trick of the propagandist is the use of outright lies .

  … Another very successful tactic of propaganda is generalization . Generalizations tend to obscure important facts about the real issues in question, and they are frequently used to demean entire groups of people.

  … Some people insult those who disagree with them by questioning character or motives instead of focusing on the facts.

  … The sly art of propaganda can paralyse thought , prevent clear thinking and discernment and condition individuals to act en masse.

  … Emotional appeals are fabricated by practiced publicists, who play on feelings as skillfully as a virtuoso plays the piano. For example, fear is an emotion that can becloud judgment.

  THERE is a difference—a big difference—between education and propaganda. Education shows you how to think. Propaganda tells you what to think. Good educators present all sides of an issue and encourage discussion. Propagandists relentlessly force you to hear their view and discourage discussion . Often their real motives are not apparent. They sift the facts , exploiting the useful ones and concealing the others. They also distort and twist facts, specializing in lies and half-truths. Your emotions, not your logical thinking abilities, are their target.

  The propagandist makes sure that his message appears to be the right and moral one and that it gives you a sense of importance and belonging if you follow it . You are one of the smart ones, you are not alone, you are comfortable and secure—so they say.

  …So we need to be selective. We need to scrutinize whatever is presented to us, deciding what to accept and what to reject.

  … Also, if possible, try to check the track record of those speaking. Are they known to speak the truth?”

  Thanks jwfacts. OMG! I was just thinking as I perused your list, how brain-washed were we to see these warnings in our own literature and yet discount them as applying to "other" organizations? I feel so duped.

  Nvr
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  jwfacts

  It is amazing that whilst JWs we read things that exactly summed up Watchtower teachings and yet could not apply it to ourselves. Mind control is frightening, and sad that it is so prevalent.
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  nvrgnbk

  Buddy. You answered correctly. Jesus is the leader of Jehovah's Witnesses. And the GB will let Him continue to lead as long as He does exactly as they tell Him to.

  Not liking the PhariseesGB very much right now,

  Nvr
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  ***

  w94 2/15 pp.3-4 Cults—What Are They?***

  Cults—What

  Are They?

  FEBRUARY 28, 1993—more than a hundred law-enforcement agents raided a compound of buildings housing dozens of men, women, and children. The object was to search for illegal weapons and to arrest a suspected criminal. The agents, however, were caught by surprise when a hail of bullets came flying toward them from inside the buildings. They returned the fire.

  This confrontation left ten dead and several wounded. During the following 50 days, hundreds of government agents laid siege to the compound with enough guns to wage a small war. The standoff ended in a showdown that left 86 dead, including at least 17 children.

  But who was the enemy? An army of drug-dealing mobsters? A guerrilla faction? No. As you may know, the "enemy" was a group of religious devotees, members of a cult. Their tragedy made an inconspicuous community on the plains of central Texas, U.S.A., the focus of international attention. The news media flooded the airwaves and the printed page with a barrage of reports, analyses, and comments on the dangers of fanatical cults.

  The public was reminded of previous instances in which cult members were led to death by their leaders: the 1969 Manson murders in California; the 1978 mass suicide of cult members in Jonestown, Guyana; the 1987 murder-suicide pact engineered by cult leader Park Soon-ja of Korea, which resulted in the death of 32 members. Significantly, most of these people claimed to be Christians and professed belief in the Bible.

  Understandably, many who respect the Bible as the Word of God are appalled at the brazen misuse of the Scriptures by these cults. As a result, over the years hundreds of organizations have been established for the purpose of monitoring cults and exposing their dangerous practices. Experts on cult behavior predict that the coming of a new millennium in a few years may trigger the proliferation of cults. One news magazine noted that according to anticult groups, there are thousands of cults "out there poised to snatch your body, control your mind, corrupt your soul. . . . Few are armed but most are considered dangerous. They’ll seduce you and fleece you, marry and bury you."

  What

  IsaCult?

  The term "cult" is used loosely by many who may not be fully aware of its connotations. To prevent confusion, some theologians actually avoid using the term.

  The

  WorldBookEncyclopedia explains that "traditionally, the term cult referred to any form of worship or ritual observance." By that criterion, all religious organizations could be classified as cults. However, in general usage today, the word "cult" has a different meaning. The same encyclopedia notes that "since the mid-1900’s, publicity about cults has altered the meaning of the term. Today, the term is applied to groups that follow a living leader who promotes new and unorthodox doctrines and practices."

  Endorsing the popular usage of the term, Newsweek magazine explains that cults "are normally small, fringe groups whose members derive their identity and purpose from a single, charismatic individual." Similarly, Asiaweek magazine notes that "the term [cult] itself is vague, but it usually denotes a new religious creed built around a charismatic leader, who often proclaims himself to be the personification of God."

  The language used in a joint resolution of the 100th Congress of the State of Maryland, U.S.A., also conveys the derogatory connotation of the term cult. The resolution states that "a cult is a group or movement exhibiting excessive devotion to a person or idea and employing unethically manipulative techniques of persuasion and control to advance the goals of its leaders."

  Clearly, cults are generally understood to be religious groups with radical views and practices that clash with what is accepted today as normal social behavior. Usually they conduct their religious activities in secrecy. Many of these cultic groups actually isolate themselves in communes. Their devotion to a self-proclaimed human leader is likely to be unconditional and exclusive. Often these leaders boast of having been divinely chosen or even of being themselves divine in nature.

  Occasionally, anticult organizations and the media have referred to Jehovah’s Witnesses as a cult. A number of recent newspaper articles lump the Witnesses with religious groups known for their questionable practices. But would it be accurate to refer to Jehovah’s Witnesses as a small fringe religious group? Cult members often isolate themselves from friends, family, and even society in general. Is that the case with Jehovah’s Witnesses? Are the Witnesses using deceptive and unethical techniques to recruit members?

  Cult leaders are known to use manipulative methods to control the minds of their followers. Is there any evidence that Jehovah’s Witnesses do this? Is their worship cloaked in secrecy? Are they following and venerating a human leader? Pointedly, are Jehovah’s Witnesses a cult?