by cptkirk 35 Replies latest watchtower scandals
cptkirk - yes you're right they are exposed to many depressing things, but you'd think they have a higher level of education and a more scientific and rational way of thinking.
DoC - again, there's a real or perceived need for a moral environment that could easily be filled otherwise, AND JW relatives, so not truely PURE converts..
Agent zero said, i certainly don't think a blanket statement or generalization can be made about it, because there are ALWAYS exceptions. as was already brought out, often people who seem to have it all together outwardly, have other internal issues others don't know about.
Very true in my opinion, that making generalizations is risky. I actually agree with the OP, in that many people are attracted to the religion because of problems in their life. The Society promotes the religion on that basis...no more hunger, no more financial worries, no more war, no more violence, no more anything that stems from our imperfect nature, no more problems associated with this old system, come join our spiritual paradise now. Naturally people with problems will be attracted.
But not all who come in have problems. The religion is also promoted on the basis of 'Truth', worshiping God in the right way, loving God and neighbor, and many respond actually believing it is all that.
Another thing that attracted me personally, that I did not mention previously, was the people and friendships that had developed. I liked the people! And still do. Most witnesses are good, caring people -- but as I've learned, blind as well -- and being one of them provided a very strong sense of community, a powerful motivator for me. However I'm sure the same sense of community can be had with Mormons, Adventists, and other groups as well. It's the organization that is the big problem; witnesses are so misled by it.
Sizemik said, For those converting prior to the internet age . . . obtaining any external information at all on Jehovah's Witnesses was next to impossible . . . and publically available knowledge of this group was non-existent.
That is huge Sizemik. I remember hearing of only one book before I became a witness, and that was 'Thirty Years a Watchtower Slave'. To my discredit, I did not bother to get a copy and read it. One of the great scriptures used by withesses, then and now, is 1Th 5:21, "Make sure of all things and hold fast to what is fine." If I had actually applied that safeguard it would have made a huge difference in the path I chose, but I ignored it. I had already accepted that the Society was telling the truth, and I let the organization do my 'making sure' for me.
Now it's different. The internet is a life saver. I research lots of information about JWs, almost every day. And I use Amazon and Ebay to buy old literature so I can read for myself what the Society once said, rather than accepting what most witnesses say about the past, which is usually to blame the followers for having a 'misunderstanding.'
If most witnesses used the internet to research and investigate the religion, the organization would crumble. But they are afraid of it, because the Society has demonized both the internet and those who dispense information there. I remember when I first went on and looked up something about witnesses. I could feel my heart start pounding, I did a double check of the house to make sure I was alone, my breathing became heavy. I felt guilty.
A relative, now in her 70s, tells me it was different in the '50s when she was active. The Society used to welcome investigation. Put it to the test, they would say. We have nothing to hide. But it was safe enough to say that then, since, as you noted Sizemik, there was no readily available information exposing the Society's past.
In reality the Society has everything to hide, and getting at the information is easy, once you get past the fear of displeasing an organization, and use the available resources...the internet!
ScenicViewer . . . good post.
You cover the subject well . . . I agree with everything you state.
I learned about "30 Years a WT Slave" about 6 years after baptised . . . but never read it of course.
The internet became established about 12 years too late . . . or I was born 12 years too early. Information control is indeed a huge factor . . . and the comprimising nature of the 'net is easily seen in the WTS response ever since.
this topic is a 'good read' thanks
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yea that was a good post sv. the point about welcoming criticism. when you weigh cult against truth, what does it sound like the wts is? you see how hard they try to hide things. does a religion of truth do that? to me you don't even have to go any further in denouncing this religion as quackery. can you imagine walking into a courtroom , and every time a piece of evidence is submitted, the defense has steam coming out of their ears? running around like a cartoon character trying to cover people's eyes, and pushing their ears closed while making baby sounds with their mouth? or even going one step further and trying to contrive double talk arguments, which make no sense, then frantically trying to use peer pressure to shut down discussion? yea THAT'S THE TRUTH!!!! SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE TRUTH! heh.
seriously if you follow a religion like this, that's fine. but why dont you do yourself a biggggg favor, and stop calling yourself "the truth"? it's a dis-service to humanity. because if humanity ever actually did find the truth, we wouldn't even be able to identify it. seeing that we had been brainwashed to believe truth could be steeped in falsehood, so long as you repeated the truthiness enough, and refused debate.
yea there are some ok people in the jw cult. the thing i learned is, once there is a problem, you see even those people that seemed so nice and impartial...are just as guilty as the twisted ones. i can see how someone from inside the cult could be reading this, and think they're smart. saying to themselves something like, "he must of gotten caught doing something bad, and he doesn't like that even the mellow witnesses showed their displeasure to him. so now he(me), is acting out his anger regarding this". unfortunately this is also part of your brainwashing. i assure you, to make sure i was seeing what i was seeing correctly, i completely removed any personal feelings i may have had. i watched the mellow witnesses become just as guilty as the twisted ones. if you do more hours in service, or you are a ms and the othe person isn't...doesn't matter if your argument is the sky is blue, they will tell you it's orange. it's brainwashing 101. and all witnesses are on the brainwashed frequency, all of them. because if you're not, you're going to be out soon. and trust me, if you aren't on the brainwashed frequency, they know you aren't, and deep down, they really hate you. high control group, brainwashing. sad to tell you, that's all it is. there is no holy spirit doing this. i assure you, if there even is a "holy spirit", it would not need to use simple man made brainwashing techniques, to accomplish it's purpose.
I knew several...I think it depends on the location of the congregation. If it is in Beverly Hills, the chances are better that the person is well to do...if it is in an economically deprived area, I would guess it unlikely.
