Ive just had a "Ooooooh sh@t" moment

by DS211 7 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  DS211

  Im reading Steven Hassans "Combatting cult mind control" and ive just had an "oooooooh sh@t" moment. So ive been learning about the differences between mind control abd brainwashing and also how much the WT correlates with these things. Now according to festinger, whom Hassan quotes a lot, cognitive dissoNance (three componants to mind control) requires only a change to behavior, thought, or emotions and the other two will follow suit. Now, the Wt utilizes behavior control but does it mostly through thought reform. Now, heres something Hassan says that shook me a little to the very core:

  on thought control: "indoctrinating members so thoroughly that they internalize group doctrine, incorporating a new language system (pure language of the Bible maybe?), and using thought-stopping techniques to keep their mind centered" (hassan ccmc, page 61)..now what shook me most is the next statements: "the internalized as 'the truth', the only 'map' of reality....not only serves to filter incoming information but also regulates how the information can be thought about....dividing everything into 'black and white', 'us versus them.'"

  and last "a member need not think for himself because the doctrine does the thinking for him"

  Reminds me of when they said "oh we have brothers who do research so you wont have to".....

  DS
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  LostGeneration

  Yep the filtration of all outside information is absolutely key.

  I remember presenting my findings on how the 607 date was incorrect to my father, a born in elder. He immediately dismissed it as an unimportant piece of trivia. He remains fully captive to all WT direction and will until his grave I'm afraid.
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  Faithful Witness

  I am reading the same book. It is enlightening and disheartening to read how a person can be transformed to such an extreme.

  I have a friend who was explaining to me today, how she literally thought she might get electocuted if she visited an ex-jw website, back when she was a teenager trapped inside the organization. She has been out for a long time, but she actually started shaking when she was telling me about it.
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  Witness My Fury

  Talking with my sis in law about noahs flood and the genesis account that it cant be taken literally in the 21st century as we have debunked it all as myth etc..... her response? ..."Putting all that aside, ..it's (the WTS) still the the TRUTH.

  I then explained what cognitive dissonance was and that she was just doing it. LOL
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  adamah

  WMF said-

  I then explained what cognitive dissonance was and that she was just doing it. LOL

  She likely wasn't experiencing cog dissonance (CD), but was AVOIDING experiencing it: that's what her curt dismissal was, a refusal to deal with a contradiction simply by dismissing and ignoring the inability to resolve the conflict. People only experience CD by NOT using some coping mechanism (like suppression, dismissal, etc).

  Adam
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  Oubliette

  Good for you! It is a strange, but liberating experience to realize you've been a victim of mind-control.

  Now comes the really hard work.
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  happy@last

  I had a few such moments reading that book, a must read if you have any doubts about whether it's a cult or not.
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  DS211

  Crazy stuff. It made me realize that since joing ive sublimated more, LIED more, and have become depressed more---something that never happened (depression) before i joined...and yet they claim its apostates that lie. its all about pointing the finger first with them.