Who has NOT read Combatting Cult Mind Control or Crisis of Conscience? (page 4)

breakfast of champions

MAD SWEENEY - YES! Please check out 'Brunists'! A good read from any perspective. Consider this my 'pimping/shameless plug'

cult classic

but I am also still interested in hearing how others have managed their exit without even understanding the coercive manipulation cults like the Borg use and how you avoid getting sucked into other psychologically manipulative belief systems when you don't know how they work.

I've always believed the JWs (and religion in general) to be like a family and my JW family is huge. Even as a child I saw how the older ones in the family would manipulate the younger ones into living a certain way. Not just with religion but socially and financially as well. I understood the reasons different ones would rebel and what would bring them back in line. It was always emotional. We were taught on the one hand that being different from them (non witnesses) was an honorable thing. But being different from us (the family) was a bad thing. My family uses the religion as a control mechanism.

I can tell you why each and every member of my family is a JW and what they're getting out of it. It has little to do with the religion itself. There are some deep-rooted issues surrounding sexuality, power, love and acceptance that has left my family wide open to cult thinking. I believe that if one can get to the root of who they are as an individual and accept that, then religion cannot enslave them.

I was always afraid. Afraid I would lose my family's love and support if I stopped serving Jehovah. Afraid the congregation would laugh at me, hate me and misunderstand me for leaving. Afraid Jehovah would destroy me and my dysfunctional family. I took a huge gamble leaving. But the fear just became too much.

I believe that we do sense when we're being manipulated. The key is understanding why we're allowing it. If one can get past their own ego they have a chance to get out.

ABibleStudent

If you want to read more about Steve Hassan, you can visit his website at www.freedomofmind . If you want to get “Combatting Cult Mind Control” for free go to your local library – that’s what I did. If you want to read the highlights of “Combatting Cult Mind Control” you can read Combating Destructive Mind Control – Part I and Combating Destructive Mind Control - Part II on JWN. If you want to read how to possibly adapt Steve Hassan’s techniques to born-in JWs you can read Combating Destructive Mind Control - Part III . It would be nice to add people’s experiences to those threads so that other new forum members would benefit from everyone’s experiences.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

ABibleStudent

Velour

I've not read either one.

I left a year ago and became obessed with what is truth and what is reality. I read everything I could get my hands on discussing god(s) and religion and nature (the arugment by design had the strongest hold on my mind). After leaving "Jehovah's one true organization", I figured I might as well question everything while I'm off being a "worldly" person. I decided that I wanted to live in reality, a reality based on truth, and anything outside of that I wouldn't waste my time on. This stance has helped me reshape my views and outlook on life. While it's done good in helping completely get rid of the fears the organization put into me, shedding prejudices, and learning how to think critically in order to make informed decisions, I've also had to face up to the fact that this is the only life I know for sure I'll have. In a major way, I've had to face my mortality and again cope with the loss of my sister to death.

Leaving wasn't difficult. Staying out of the organization wasn't difficult. Waiting is difficult. I'm just waiting for the day my younger siblings are old enough to contact me. I've had to grapple with the idea that I may never see them again should they choose to follow the Watchtower and never speak to me again. I've had to come to accept that reality for me is not being able to see them grow up to be beautiful adults, I'll be missing these wonderful years. But, I also understand how intertwined we as siblings were and I hope our connection is strong enough to make it through years of our parents and paranoid old men in NY walling us off from each other.

Other than that, I'm just living my life, going to therapy on occassion, dancing, prepping for school, and reading. I'm pretty happy and don't feel like I'm traumatized, unable to get over my time in the organization. I will look into these books, though.

What Now?

I haven't read 'Combating Mind Control'. After so many years of trying to tell people "Jehovah's Witnesses are not a cult!", I found it difficult to admit to myself that that's what I've been a part of all this time. Now I know that this book is definitely a must read and I will get myself a copy as soon as possible.

'Crisis of Conscience' was the big eye opener for me, although 'In Search of Christian Freedom' had more of an impact, in that it really tears apart the JW doctrine.

bsmart

Read Crisis of Conscience and have In Search of Christian Freedom... am still reading it in spurts. Combatting Cult Mind Control is on my search list on ebay. I got the others from ebay for less than $10.00 each including shipping. Good stuff!

leavingwt

Combatting Cult Mind Control is on my search list on ebay. I got the others from ebay for less than $10.00 each including shipping.

In the U.S., CCMC can be purchased as a used paperback for less than eight dollars, total.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0892813113/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

flipper

Since we are " pimping " Steve Hassan's & Ray Franz's books here - I'll describe how all 4 books from them affected me.

Ray Franz's " Crisis of Conscience " basically just confirmed my suspicions that the WT society was underhanded and dishonestly duping people. Excellent book! Learned lots of interesting facts of what goes on behind the scenes at bethel and in the GB meetings. As well as the Mexico/Malawi fiasco.

Ray Franz's second book " In Search of Christian Freedom " was somewhat more doctrinal , yet also had priceless experiences of unjust policies and revealed the unfair aspects of Disfellowshipping quite well and exposed the hypocrisy of the rule oriented WT society to the max. I just didn't like the Bible scriptures quoted that much, kind of skipped over that part. Also a very good book.

Steve Hassan's book " Combatting Cult Mind Control " was awesome. His books actually helped me recover emotionally and psychologically from the JW cult even more than Ray's books did. He gets down to the nitty gritty of the manipulative tactics that cults use in deceiving members and how to identify those traits in religions and in people. And how to recover from it. Awesome book.

Steve Hassan's second book " Releasing the bonds- Empowering People to Think For Themselves " I enjoyed immensely also as it gives people methods to use in talking to your cult controlled relatives and friends in order to help them break free from a cult. In this book Steve Hassan definitely mentions Jehovah's Witnesses as a cult and he goes into detail several times about experiences in overcoming JW cult mind control. I found this book empowering to assist my 2 JW daughters and I use methods he decribed quite often in trying to communicate to my JW daughters. It seems to work well , albeit slow and steady. I totally recommend this book too !

So there you have it. A brief synopses

factfinder

I have not read any of those books. I cannot afford them-I am broke, no job, way behind in rent.

I cannot get to the library.

As to how I have coped? Am I? I have had no councelling, my jw brother has disowned me, the only jw I still had contact with has convinced her manager not to hire me, my brother and sister who always HATED jws when I was one-have sided with my jw brother against me. My Jewish relatives have not had any contact with me since my Mom died 11 years ago-even though I told them I left the jws- now I know it is 100% personal and not related to religion.

I am starting to become agnostic, while still feeling a bit guilty.

I am angry at the WTS for ruining my life and angry at myself for letting them.

But some of what I have read by people posting on JWN has helped...

talesin

factfinder --- wow, you are having it rough! Keep reading, whatever helps ...

I am also still interested in hearing how others have managed their exit without even understanding the coercive manipulation cults like the Borg use

None of the books mentioned in this thread, had been written when I exited.

Lies, hypocrisy - these were my first real criticisms ... followed by a quick acknowledgement that none of those book-study books made any sense ... Daniel, Ezekier, whatever!

and how you avoid getting sucked into other psychologically manipulative belief systems when you don't know how they work

Religious myth never made sense to me as a 'belief system'. This part was easy ...

t

Who has NOT read Combatting Cult Mind Control or Crisis of Conscience?

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