This is a great thread. I've often wondered how my father got drawn into this cult.
If I'm so intelligent how did I get drawn in to it all?
by Lozhasleft 53 Replies latest jw friends
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VoidEater
These decisions are rarely made at an intellectual level. The pitch is made to our gut-level dears of inadaquacy, and the scared kid part of us often responds.
Some of us get better and move on.
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Quirky1
I was a sucker too..
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LongHairGal
If they said someting along the lines of: 'we are a controlling, cult-like, semi-religion that makes divine claims and we want to hold you down and exploit you' - - I am sure no well-adjusted person would ever join! So, naturally, they did not lay their cards on the table and this is why I was seduced into it.
I was simply interested in end time prophecy and it was never my intention of joining an ever-changing dictatorship with bait and switch tactics, outright hypocrisy and delusional power-hungry people.
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Incognito
Witnesses also often target people who are undergoing a major life changing circumstance (critical illness, death in family, new baby, etc) as this can bring out the emotional aspects of a person who would normally be considered analytical, sceptical, resistant or unemotional. These circumstances often cause people to question the meaning of life or look for ways to a better future for their new child, opening the door for anyone providing somewhat logical answers to their concerns.
Some years ago, 'The Society' had been promoting witnesses to push their 'Studies' to become baptised within 6 months of association. I think that this is no longer promoted as much as I believe it's not as successful as converting over a longer term.
I believe people are less resistive to new ideas with the ideas more easily adopted if they are presented gradually and repeatedly over an extended time. How many new converts would have converted if everything they needed to know about becoming a JW was made known to them all at once?
With new ideas gradually presented over an extended time, the 'Study' will probably not even realize that they're being conditioned to think and act differently whereas if information was presented all at once, not only would it be too much to absorb, there would be too much to consciously change in their life and they'd probably not be willing do it.
Witnesses also employ pre-emptive scenarios to promote that only JW's are the true religion. A typical example would be for a JW to inform their Study early on that the Bible said that 'True Christians' would be hated for knowing and proclaiming the Truth. The Study is told that their family may not like them and may hate them for studying with JW's although these same family members would probably not have a problem if the Study were interested in becoming a Catholic, Baptist or Anglican. This would then be presented as having the true religion as only the 'True' religion would be hated. If the Studies family expressed any negativity toward JW's, this might then support that JW's must have the 'True' religion.
Considering the KH love bombing, a new 'associate' may feel that they have finally found a place where they fit-in and belong. Even if the person recognized something was wrong with the doctrines, the fact of meeting so many nice, friendly, smiling and seemingly intelligent people, places the Study as minority so they might consider that they've not understood something properly, further making it easier and more likely for them to suppress their doubts.
Once adopted within the group, the new convert is treated as though there is something wrong with them if they express questions or alternate thoughts on subjects that have already been discussed previously. Their new JW friend who spent so much time on them, likely will now become upset and expresses regret for wasting time that would have been better spent converting other people. Fear of acceptance and loss of friendship makes it more difficult for the person studying to back-away from proceeding with becoming a full fledged JW.
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Lozhasleft
I appreciate all your replies and am able to gain something from each of them, thank you ....right now I'm concluding that hindsight is a wonderful thing ...thats all..
Loz x
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straightshooter
I spent two years at college and was looking for the true religion. After reading the WTS publications it just fell into place that this religion was different and the WTS teachings about the Trinity, hellfire, war, idolatry had a ring of truth to me. Now I see beyond these teachings. I now know more about how the WTS organization operates. I see that not all their teachings are true. But these things I did not know at the beginning.
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PSacramento
Cults fill a void, typically some sort of spiritual one or one of belonging to something greater than we are.
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aligot ripounsous
I was straddling on the thin limit between humility and condescension : Although I could see that I was fairly more educated than many JWs around me, I wanted to believe that the very fact that this religion was appealing to simple people could be seen as a sign of its genuineness and approval by God. I still believe that it must be so, the problem is, where is that approved religion ?
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Lozhasleft
I wanted all the answers to life's big questions...I had no respect for Christendom since I'd seen their fruits as a child...I looked at many religions especially after I heard about the JWs from a neighbour ...I tried to prove them wrong and couldnt...they did appear to be living by the bible...but it took years before I made the big commitment. I believed it was the very best thing I could do for our children, their lives and their futures.When I look at it now in the light of how things have turned out I think it all seems so obvious...the mind control, the power games, the deceit, and god only knows what happened to the love they are meant to have among themselves......
Loz x