by acolytes 67 Replies latest jw friends
Most organizations do NOT shun people to the point that parents and children can't even talk to each other.
Most organizations do not put the pictures of children that died and could have lived on their Magazines.
Most organizations don't advocate commiting suicide over a dietary restriction.
Most organizations don't PROMOTE the deaths of billons of people as a good sign of good things to come.
not every religion is controlling, but probably most at least try - or tried - to.
My family left the Presbyterians when I was about 7 or 8 and became Methodists. Nobody in either religion gave a hoot about the change.
They left the Methodists when I was about 12 and became witnesses. The Methodists did not give a hoot about it.
When we left the JWs, years later, in the late 1970s - the JWs did a holy-cow freak-out and held Judicial Committees on us. And we had not even joined another religion.
Justification of JWs by saying "all religions are controlling" simply does not hold water if you consider the extreme degree of control the JWs attempt.
well... most religions probably don't do that, but many do, first of all, islam comes to mind.
well... most religions probably don't do that, but many do, first of all, islam comes to mind.
So, what is your point? That Islam or other hyper-controlling religions somehow make what the JWs do OK?
i live in an area where the catholic church still has everything in it's grip. many of those who leave the catholic church are treated pretty much the same way as JWs treat disfellowshipped/disassociated or otherwise shunned people. no big difference there. and even worse the muslims around here. they'd even kill their own dauther or sister for "honor", when she'd decide to not live up to their religions morals or simply does not believe it anymore.
so yeah, JWs are quite bad and probably the worst thing you know and definitely the worst thing i personally experienced in that context, but boy, there are far worse organisations out there.
no, that's not my point. my point is simply that they are not the only ones. just answering the original question the way i look at it.
All religiouse organisations see themselfs as better than other religiouse organisations.
I haven't stuided every single religion on the planet so I can't make a blanket statement covering them all but it has been my observation of most religions that I have had contact with or know a little about...they're judgemental.
They may preach love, mercy, helping mankind, but in the end to be saved, go to heaven, live in paradise, whatever, you must believe and accept their way...the only way to gain salvation or god's blessing. If you do not accept their beliefs, then you will face destruction, eternal damnation, whatever.
Some religions are more benign than others, but when stripped down to the essence of their beliefs, it's still there.
Back to the original question: What makes JWs worse than (most) other organizations (I take that to mean religious organizations)? Like James Woods said...the blood doctrine that forces parents to martyr their children to prove their faith in their god organization. Even the vengeful Hebrew God hated child sacrifce, yet the JW God Jehovah revels in it.
The DFing with subsequent shunning is probably the next worst thing. To cut off parents, children, siblings because they choose to not follow in their footsteps regarding faith and religion is a cult tactic to keep people in line, not a biblical edict.
JWs may not be the worst among all religious organizations, but they're certainly not benign. They are dangerous to people who accept them as God's channel and give it all authority.
i'd even say, it's kind of releaving to see that i'm not the only one who grew up as a weirdo due to some faith company.
PS: i want to add, they always see themselves as oh so special in every account, but i won't do them that favor. they aren't special in anything, not in their doctrines, not because of using the name of g. hofer, not because of disfellowshipping, not because of having their own bible, having some old crazies directing them or anything else. it's religion, baby.
my point is simply that they are not the only ones. just answering the original question the way i look at it.
Which is the point I was making above: (you could arguably add extreme fundamentalist Islam to the list) -
Worse than any other organization? You cannot really make that argument when you consider communism, the Peoples Temple, or the Nazi party...but it is quite arguably one of the very short list of the worst established religions of the U.S.
However, in the final analysis, I don't see any moral difference between killing your daughter over blood transfusion as being any different than an "honor killing" over refusing to take on traditional customs.
Especially when the official governing body of the religion celebrates the deaths of the children on the front cover of the Awake. The JWs are certainly not as big as Islam, but they are certainly every bit as bad as even the most extreme branches of Islam.
There is simply no excuse for the deliberate act of letting children die for lack of established medical treatment.
i live in an area where the catholic church still has everything in it's grip. many of those who leave the catholic church are treated pretty much the same way as JWs treat disfellowshipped/disassociated or otherwise shunned people. no big difference there
The RCC has an open door policy, anyone is allowed to come and go as they want, heck they don't even shun the excommunicated.
This is one of the things that JW's like to point out as a matter of fact, as a critique of the RCC ( at least I have heard it a few times).
