There seems to be very little in society that comes down to freedom of choice; by this I mean to be able to think and act in a manner that is completely without influence or manipulation from anything or anyone else. It is true that a few individuals try to isolate themselves from society in different ways, but is their decision to do this influenced by experiences they may or may not be aware of?
We all like to believe that we have the option of deciding for ourselves what we want to do with our lives, but the odds are stacked heavily against this by the control mechanisms in our society. These controls start at the top ie. governmental bodies, religious organisations etc. right down to advertisements and peer pressure.
It is true that society has to find a method of living together in relative harmony or we wouldn't survive; it is the degree of control used and whether the reasons behind that control have some genuine claims to altruism, which IMO, is the difference in whether it should be tolerated by society.
IMO all religious organisations control their members to varying degrees. However, not all of them are in the HIGH control group category. It has long been my understanding that spirituality and faith in God does not necessarily equate with religiosity and whilst some people feel the need to belong to a certain church, this is not a requisite for salvation.
Most of us on JWD have experienced to different degrees, the effects of being in one of the best examples of high control groups that is around. To see and hear the damage that has been done, supposedly in the name of God, surely cannot be right. True, the WT doesn't produce terrorists, go to war, or physically make people conform to it's authority, but does that mean that it is any less dangerous? No, just because the tactics employed by the WT are not outwardly shown by physical acts of violence doesn't mean that they aren't there; their methods are much more subtle, carried out covertly and all the more insidious for that reason.
As in all walks of life, whether it be in religious or governmental bodies, there are always individuals that have altruistic and sincere motives and this is true of the WT. This doesn't however, make it acceptable for any organisation to deceive people by pretending to be something they're not and inflicting emotional pain and suffering on them if they want to leave.
I have a friend that believes in Karma (the good/bad that we do to others comes back on ourselves). What do do think? Do you think this will be the case with the WT?
Maddie