Are Jehovah's Witnesses a cult? (No Exit)

by sacolton 44 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  R.Crusoe

  It would seem that the 'apostate' psychology is a tried and tested method of self-preservation amongst group psychologies fighting to become dominating influences in 'natural selection' down the centuries.

  Some are looking at natural selection as ways of enabling certain 'conditions' to survive millenia by imposing fundamentals which slowly evolve with the territory and time frame.

  It is almost like a trial and error social science in which the only 'truth' will be whether it works or not and NOT anything to do with whether it is supported by DIVINITY.

  In some respects the model is an excellent one because in 'THEORY' this very model could be used to make moves toward world peace. Stating divinity is at its helm is a fundamental flaw however since it allows humans to take on the image of the supernatural and thus fails in its quest to establish harmony and equality by replacing it with fear and control!

  Science itself is a 'work in progress' and so cannot fix fundamentals as 'for ever and ever'.

  But how does science enable itself to remain a dominant force for its own intent if other powers take over what it can or cannot influence in its own right - in its own endeavours to effect solutions for mankind as a whole?

  And furthermore, how can science eliminate unethical influences from its inner chambers when they weild powers and influence due to there having investments in it which could equally damage its own progress were it to object?

  And so we have the light and the dark revolving around one another in some sort of disharmony effecting a living form with a cumulative chaotic harmony of its own evolution.

  Is there a pure light in free of darkness?

  Is it possible?

  Where is the path?
• 

  R.Crusoe

  It would seem that the 'apostate' psychology is a tried and tested method of self-preservation amongst group psychologies fighting to become dominating influences in 'natural selection' down the centuries.

  Some are looking at natural selection as ways of enabling certain 'conditions' to survive millenia by imposing fundamentals which slowly evolve with the territory and time frame.

  It is almost like a trial and error social science in which the only 'truth' will be whether it works or not and NOT anything to do with whether it is supported by DIVINITY.

  In some respects the model is an excellent one because in 'THEORY' this very model could be used to make moves toward world peace. Stating divinity is at its helm is a fundamental flaw however since it allows humans to take on the image of the supernatural and thus fails in its quest to establish harmony and equality by replacing it with fear and control!

  Science itself is a 'work in progress' and so cannot fix fundamentals as 'for ever and ever'.

  But how does science enable itself to remain a dominant force for its own intent if other powers take over what it can or cannot influence in its own right - in its own endeavours to effect solutions for mankind as a whole?

  And furthermore, how can science eliminate unethical influences from its inner chambers when they weild powers and influence due to there having investments in it which could equally damage its own progress were it to object?

  And so we have the light and the dark revolving around one another in some sort of disharmony effecting a living form with a cumulative chaotic harmony of its own evolution.

  Is there a pure light in free of darkness?

  Is it possible?

  Where is the path?
• 

  sacolton

  Indoctrination of members
  Members have to learn and believe all of that dogma. The indoctrination can be anything from merely making people listen to sermons to prolonged intense study to industrial-strength brainwashing. Christian cults are notorious for having "Bible Study" meetings every night. Other cults listen to lectures by the leader, or meet to study his writings, or listen to his tapes, or watch videotapes...

  This is interesting because all JWs have to finish the Knowledge Book in order to be indoctrinated into the organization as a official Jehovah's Witness - after you meet with 3 elders to go over what you "learned" and finally baptism giving approval to the three important questions. I think it's safe to say the estimated time for one to enter Bible Study and The Knowledge Book - meet with elders and get baptised takes about six months to one year.

  Instant Community
  You get a ready-made extended family when you join the cult. Sometimes, you move into their living quarters upon joining, and really get an all-encompassing community. Or you just spend all of your spare time at the temple or center or meeting hall, only associating with other members, who are your new circle of friends.

  No Graduates

  No one ever learns as much as the Guru knows; no one ever rises to the level of the Guru's wisdom, so no one ever finishes his or her training, and nobody ever graduates.

  Cult-speakThe cult has its own language. The cult invents new terminology or euphemisms for many things. The cult may also redefine many common words to mean something quite different. Cult-speak is also called "bombastic redefinition of the familiar", or "loading the language".

  1. The Governing Body
  2. Paradise Earth
  3. The Anointed
• 

  BONEZZ

  If a church (any church or organization), prevents normal family relationships from taking place to further their own agenda...they are a cult!

  -BONEZZ
• 

  Robert7

  I think Franz put it well in COC, it's not a cult, but a religion with many cult-like traits. Does that make it a cult, I don't necessarily think so, but the fact we're discussing this shows that they are somewhere in the middle...
• 

  blondie

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/91207/1.ashx

  Combatting Cult Mind Control : The #1 Best-selling Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults
  by Steven Hassan
  ISBN: 0892813113

  In his book, he uses a model that most longtime readers of this site know about, called the "BITE" model:

  Steven Hassans B.I.T.E model:
  B ehaviour Control
  I nformation Control
  T hought Control
  E motional Control

  Under each type of control, he lists identifying traits to determine if your group is being manipulated with any of the controls listed above (1-4)

  What I have done is taken each type of control (#'s 1-4 above) and taken each identifying trait under each one and supported each trait with quotes from the Society's publications.

  This first one is #1BEHAVIOR CONTROL. The traits from the book are in RED, and the Society's quotes are in black. I'll do controls 2,3,4 in separate entries.

  (continues)
• 

  AK - Jeff

  Dubs just ignore the person(s), while this might cause emotional damage to most it is far from forcing physical and emotional damage on them.

  Come back when you have grown up and spent 48 years of your life in there. It causes emotional damage every damned time, son.

  Jeff
• 

  Burger Time

  Again I said for some it does and in fact for most it probably does. But this isn't forcing damage.
• 

  sacolton

  Group-think, Suppression of Dissent, and Enforced Conformity in ThinkingThe cult has standard answers for almost everything, and members are expected to parrot those answers. Willfulness or independence or skeptical thinking is seen as bad. Members accept the leader's reality as their own.

  Ask a candid question, Get a canned answer.

  There are two corollaries:
  

  • A) Independent or critical thinking is discouraged, especially critical thoughts about the leader or the group or the cult's teachings.
  • B) Positive thoughts and statements about the leader and the group are encouraged.

  In cults, no criticism of the leader, his teachings, or his organization is seen as valid -- such criticism is always automatically wrong, just because it criticizes the guru, his teachings, or his group. (And of course such criticism of the guru or his group also breaks Cult Rule Number One, "The Guru Is Always Right".)

  Try telling the WTBTS that 607 BCE is wrong.

  In many cults, the attitude is, "Those who agree with us are 'saved'. Those who disagree with us, or criticize our group, our beliefs, or our leader, are 'the lost', or the 'unsaved'."

  Likewise, in cults, there is a reversal of judgement. The cult itself is never judged, or subject to judgement; the people who comment on the cult are judged by what they say about the cult. People who say good things about the cult are deemed (by the cult) to be good people. People who say bad things about the cult are deemed to be bad people.

  Group-think usually means no real thought at all; just repeat the buzz-words and slogans and follow the program. And group-think usually just means that the group thinks that the Guru is always right.

  Another aspect of group-think is something that might be called "group-feel." The cult dictates what feelings or emotions good members are supposed to feel. Usually, all members are supposed to maintain a cheerful disposition all of the time, happily proclaiming that the guru and his teachings are just wonderful and will save the world, or some such thing. Anger is permitted only when criticizing non-conforming or under-performing cult members, or when faulting outsiders -- especially when condemning "enemies" of the cult and other outsiders who criticize the cult, and when condemning competing cults or groups. Otherwise, everybody wears a smiley happy face. Negative emotions about the cult or its leader are considered especially bad -- a sure sign that someone is failing the standards of holiness.

  IrrationalityThe beliefs of the cult are irrational, illogical, or superstitious, and fly in the face of evidence to the contrary.

  Many cults believe that God will answer all of their prayers and rearrange the world to suit them. They imagine that they get miracles from God on demand. (Often, their theology isn't too clear about just why they get miracles on demand when lots of other people obviously don't -- like the millions of sick and starving and tsunami-drowned people around the world.)

  A corollary to all of this irrational nonsense is the implicit assumption that you are not supposed to criticize it. Cults often demand that people stop thinking logically and just "have faith". Cults consider it immoral, or at least a serious spiritual failing, for someone to say that the cherished tenets of the group are illogical and crazy. Cults will even claim that you are harming other cult members by questioning the craziness -- you are keeping them from going to Heaven, or you are weakening their faith, or you are leading them into temptation and to their downfall.

  Suspension of disbeliefThe cult member is supposed to take on a childish naïveté, and simply believe whatever he is told, no matter how unlikely, unrealistic, irrational, illogical, or outrageous it may be. And he does.

  For example:

  • Fortunate coincidences are accepted as proof that God favors the Guru and his cult: "The Big Man upstairs is really looking out for us."

  So the suspension of disbelief is also another veiled ego game, where the follower likes to believe that he is very important, involved in very important work, doing the Lord's Will and saving the world...
  
  "If the leader and his religion are saving the world, and I follow the leader, then I am saving the world, which makes me very good and very important, and deserving of a place in Heaven."("But if the leader is a fraud and a con artist, then that makes me a gullible fool. So the leader must be a saint, because I'd rather not be a fool...")

  • Cult members are playing spiritual make-believe, and they sure don't want to hear that their "guaranteed" ticket to Heaven is actually a counterfeit that they bought from a con-artist ticket scalper.
• 

  SirNose586

  Again I said for some it does and in fact for most it probably does. But this isn't forcing damage.

  Don't forget, there are benign cults and destructive cults--while Scientology definitely fits in the latter, the Witnesses are the former. With the Borg you can leave with the only damage being your personal contacts (mental toll does place, but this isn't measurable)....