Have you ever read the review of Steven Hassan's books on Cult news.com?

by Enzo 144 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  bohm

  Enzo: And by the way Bohm, I have study, and I am trained in Psychology, and I am proud of it.

  Is that why you respond to every critical point by a personal attack? BTW, you have given absolutely NO reason to suspect you have a degree of any sorts. Quite frankly I find it amazing you would be able to make it through a university program in europe with such a poor grasp of english.

  in Europe and other Countries where we live in a Democracy, we have a free expression..to debate,

  no fucking shit!

  Thus if you can accept another vision, or criticism, than you have a problem, and your behaviour contradicts your BITE model (see information control)

  I think the reason may be because I am very stressed..perhaps because some alien ghosts are clinging to my soul or somesuch.. do you know some way this can be tested?
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  jgnat

  I have yet to see any citations for alternative works that would assist exiting cult members. I would be most interested in reading these.
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  Londo111

  I don’t get the need to ‘act professional’, since this is not a professional forum. It is a forum for those affected by the Watchtower religion.

  For the record, I don’t see why such emphasis is placed of ‘court cases’. Few of us here are going to court…though some that have child custody issues may need to. Unfortunately, courts and other government institutions, especially in the United States, have a poor track record in handling cults and coming to the aid of its victims. Sometimes they get things right, but I’m not holding my breath. The system is too easily manipulated by those who have the power, money, and influence.

  By Xenu’s nuked volcanos, there is something strange about Enzo’s whole discussion that alerts my spidey-sense, I just can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it is the manipulative usage of language. It feels like the trollish way a JW apologist argues, but we are not talking about Watchtower theology or practices, a subject that is steered way clear of.
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  Enzo

  Onethewayout: Thank you for your comment.. I hope that I can Read a lot of your interesting comments in future Topics.

  . Oubliette: nice picture, I think that you would be a good writer of cartoons.. or a caberetier.. (Someone who can entertain an audience)
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  Oubliette

  
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  DATA-DOG

  Enzo, I don't mind being straightforward. That being said, why don't you bug out and shut the hell up. You are a stammering buffoon with a total of 15 posts. To be blunt, no one gives a shit what you think. You hide behind a facade of intellectualism, but you contribute nothing of consequence with your idiocy.

  Good day from the United States of America. So sorry, pardon my French.

  DD
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  jgnat

  Margaret Singer, PhD and noted (cited) expert on cults, was no longer accepted for testimony as an expert witness by the late eighties.

  I await.
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  Oubliette

  I think I've lost my faith in Einstein's theory of general relativity because the courts never ruled on its veracity.

  
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  jgnat

  Janja Lalich, PhD, is a promising candidate. She is the author of the book, "Bounded Choice..." in 2004. An extract from one of her case studies,

  "...charismatic authority, the transcendent belief system, the
  system of control, and the system of influence. The result of this interactive
  dynamic is a “self-sealing system,” that is, a social system that is closed to
  disconfirming evidence and structured in such a way that everything reinforces
  the system."

  Charismatic Authority - The WTS would claim they don't have a "charismatic leader" like other cults, but I would argue that the Governing Body is revered and respected without question in the same way.

  Transcendent Belief System - it offers a total explanation of past, present, and future, including a path to salvation. Well, yes, the WTS offers that. Exiting believers are often lost afterwards, lamenting "where else" will they get the Truth (TM)?

  Systems of Control - includes the overt rules, regulations, and procedures that guide and control members’ behavior. God, there's enough of those!

  Systems of Influence - the network of interactions and social influence residing in the group’s social relations. I've watched a study graduate from t-shirt, to dress shirt, to shirt and tie within a few months. He is treated kindly throughout, but there is no question from the congregation's point of view that he will eventually conform.

  http://cultresearch.org/pdf/bc_in_csr.pdf

  All very good to understanding the inner workings of high control groups. But how does an outsider provide any sort of alternative? How can they help their loved-ones wake up from the dream/nightmare, consider a simpler mode of living outside the influence of the group?
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  Enzo

  hey oubliette: a nice research, but if I made a rational analys , I am not convinced that these model proposed can be applied to every cult. Thank you for sharing it !