25/25
The WBT$..
........................;-)...OUTLAW
25 ATTRIBUTES OF A CULT - How does the WTS rate?
by cantleave 23 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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flipper
CANTLEAVE- Thanks for posting this. I'd say yes indeed- the WT society ranks very high on that cult list with all those conditions applying to them. Although I'd add a #26 They also use FEAR to control and manipulate members
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cantleave
Simon 17, the JW's may not have a single Charismatic leader today, but they sure had one with Rutherford, and to some extent with Franz.
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breakfast of champions
These fit so well it is scary. Even as I child, I saw these signs but it was chalked up to 'imperfect men.'
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LongHairGal
CAN'T LEAVE: I would say the religion comes very close to being a cult. People forget one thing: the JW religion is not geographically isolated like the mormon compounds or the Guyana tragedy. If they were, they would most definitely become as bad and extreme as these groups are. Once those poor people left the US mainland to go live in the jungle somewhere, they sealed their doom!
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dgp
The fact that Jehovah's witnesses do not live in the same area has often been used to say that it's not a cult. I would say that it's a more insidious one: the control is more subtle and refined, which makes it worse.
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cantleave
Long Haired Girl:
Isolating yourself does not mean being geographically isolated. You can be isolated by actions and behaviour. Witnesses do get involved in the community, they do not share in holidays and activities that help develop social interaction amd they are taught anyone who is not a witness is "bad association" and should be avoided.
Witnesses are encouraged not to read anything other than witness literature and are kept so busy with "theocratic activity" that they have no time interests out side of the cult.
Also don't forget about places like patterson where many witnesses are literally isolated from the rest of the community.
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rocketman
The JW religion for the most part fits 24 of 25 (number 1 is debatable) of these criteria.
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blondie
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/91207/1/Cults-Steven-Hassans-BITE-model
I always liked IthinkIsee's expansion of the BITE model using WTS quotes.