by Mad Sweeney 69 Replies latest jw experiences
I highly recommend Randy Watters' book, below. Randy takes the research of Lifton and Hassan and explains how it applies to the Watchtower experience.
Understanding Mind Control Among Jehovah's Witnesses
http://www.freeminds-store.com/books/understanding-mind-control-among-jehovah-s-witnesses.html
LWT - A relative died after refusing one. She was not baptized, her parents were not uber dubs but would not go against her wishes. I think maybe 1% would accept one, if they knew they would have support after the procedure.
Why?
Edited: And I have to add that every time one of my relatives has had to have a procedure or operation they have been emphatic about not accepting a transfusion should the need arise. One of my siblings was ill as a child with loss of blood and my parents were prepared to refuse blood.
LWT - A relative died after refusing one. She was not baptized, her parents were not uber dubs but would not go against her wishes. I think maybe 1% would accept one, if they knew they would have support after the procedure.
Why?
Well, I had hoped that perhaps they were still JWs, but that they had dispensed with the most harmful doctrines. It does appear, however, that future generations of your family will be subjected to the most destructive aspects of it.
As many may recall, NONE of my extended family were JWs. My parents were recruited when I was ten. So, I have no experience with multi-generational JW family life. I can only imagine what it's like to walk away from WT and ALL of your family. I did not have to experience this.
It sounds like the JW religion is not only your family's culture, but they are most definitely 'captive to the concept' that WT is God's Organization.
LWT - So you've got my mind working here. Are you saying that it's more than family culture or habit? They really are under mind control?
LOL - posted at same time.
You know before thinking about your question I would have answered that my view of their being in the religion applied to 99% of them. I've changed my mind.
Wowsers!
LWT - So you've got my mind working here. Are you saying that it's more than family culture or habit? They really are under mind control?
'Mind Control' is a term that brings with it certain ideas that may or may not be accurate. 'Thought Reform' is a better term. Constant indoctrination and a highly-controlled environment can work numbers on a person's WAY of thinking. What motivates the loyal JW is fear of displeasing Jehovah (which is the organization leadership for all intents and purposes) and fear of losing the carrot, after having invested so much time/energy/self-sacrifice into being a JW. Remember how JWs are constantly told to not trust their own understanding and their own 'heart'? Why? This is to kill independent (critical) thinking. The logical conclusion is this: JWs are robots. They'll do anything they're told to do, including allow themselves to die, by rejecting proven, life-saving medical treatment.
Expect an email from me within the next 15 minutes.
Ok, waiting.
I get confused with Coc being used for "Crisis of Conscience" or "Captives of a Concept"
I've not read either. All it took was WT publications over time to see their deceit.
Jehovah does not change but the organization does
Wrong thinking in the past (old light) was really misunderstandings by R&F, not WT errors
Overlapping generations
The faithful and discreet slave (Why is it not Jesus himself?) ... class (no class in the Bible)
All it took was WT publications over time to see their deceit.
If you ever get curious as to why seven million people still believe it, and more join every day, read Hassan's book. The information has nothing to do with JWs, specifically. You'll learn how high-control groups operate. Business, political, religious and personality cults.
The way BITE works is really interesting to me. Each of the main three, Behaviors, Thoughts, and Emotions, have the power to influence the other two. Information, when controlled, limited, or presented in particular ways, influences all three.
For example, the thoughts and emotions of a cult member are consistently and persistently molded and reinforced via attendance at indoctrination sessions (meetings), participation in recruiting activities (field service), and use of loaded language (theocratic lingo). By regularly participating in these behaviors, the member becomes inclined to thinking they are important and worthwhile and feeling that they are a positive part of his/her well-being.
In the other direction, the thoughts and behaviors of a cult member are consistently and persistently molded and reinforced by inciting the emotions, particularly fear and guilt. You may think field service is a waste of time or you might think you have something more important to do than attend the meeting on Thursday night. You have been indoctrinated to feel guilt when such thoughts surface and to feel fear if or when you act on them. Those emotions influence your thoughts back into alignment with what the organization wants you to think (that field service is the best possible use of your time and that there is nothing more important than going to the meeting) and the behavior the organization wants follows. You go to meeting and go out in service. You have pushed down the rational thoughts of your genuine personality due to the emotional control of the cult personality.
Information control informs all of it. Fear of information that challenges the organization's viewpoints and guilt over even considering looking at any apostate material results in the member limiting his or her store of information/knowledge to ONLY what the organization wants them to know. Nothing else. With limited information like this, there is not much in the mind to provoke any independent thoughts, and when they do happen to arise, as in the above example, emotion control stifles them.*
Thus, the organization gets the desired behavior from its members, which is really all it is after.
(*These examples aren't meant to be exaustive. They are just a tiny sampling of the complex web of control that high-control organizations exercise over their members. The point is, B and I and T and E all interact and reinforce one another, and a successful cult will use all four on a consistent, persistent basis.)
