I think it pays sometimes to look back at our life with the Jehovah's Witnesses and review what made the organization a cult. After all, for years we were told by the Society that we were not in a cult and we argued this point in the door-to-door activity. I found these thoughts on a web-site and I gave personal examples of how I felt and what I saw back in the days of the religion's influence on my life. So what is a cult?
Cult members are
focused on a "living leader" to whom members seem to display excessively zealous, unquestioning commitment.
When I was a Witness, I was told I needed to trust in the "Faithful and Discreet Slave" and needed to follow the direction of the Governing Body. If I had a question about scripture or life, I was encouraged to research ONLY in the Societies publications. If I found information in other publications that confused me, I was scorned and counseled for not looking to the "Faithful and Discreet Slave" who provided food at the proper time.
Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged.
Many times in my Witness life, I came up with questions that I wanted to ask about the Bible and Organization. I did not feel free to word things the way I wanted and often lost sleep due to stress of wondering how my questions would find answers. I worried about losing my life, family members and friends. When I did ask questions that could not be answered, like "how can they change the generation thing after so many years?" I was answered with "Do not let Satan into your mind and trust the "Faithful and Discreet Slave."
The leaders are preoccupied with [raising] money.
Although I gave maybe a total of $20 in twenty-five years of activity. I did see a huge amount of focus on getting people to give money to the organization in backdoor formats. Meaning, life insurance policies that were made payable to the organization. Willing percentage of your estate to the organization. As well as not allowing the congregation to keep any money in the account, other then what was needed for bills. All extra was sent to the Society and could only be returned through loans, with a percentage of interest.
The cult leaders generates within their members "a polarized " mentality. Their people evolve an "us-versus-them " mentality.
I always felt it was us against the world. I saw anyone that was not a Witness, as my enemy or controlled by Satan and the demons. When people slowed my progress, I prayed for Jehovah to stop them. When they did things that made my meeting attendance difficult, I saw them as being controlled by Satan. I only cared about people that were Witnesses and honestly had no love for anyone that was not a Witness, they were nothing more then walking corpses to me and their death in accidents or disasters was a by-product of the world they loved. This included my father, who my mother often mentioned as being controlled by Satan. Because he did not accept Jehovah and wanted to get his kids out of the religion. When she divorced him, she considered her actions and what happened to be a blessing of Jehovah to free her from Satan's influence.
The cult leaders has a clearly defined "anti-authoritarian " disposition.
Besides the silentlambs issue that is mentioned on here a lot. I also felt like the government of the worlds were out to get US and would one day turn on us in a fulfillment of Bible prophesies. I thought the USA and Britain were the newest and most evil of all governments and I honestly looked with excitement to them turning on us. I wanted it to happen, so that the end would come sooner and take all the evil worldly people away. I paid taxes, but I did not vote or believe in serving in the military. I considered everyone who did, to be evil and supporting the system controlled by Satan.
Cult members are seen occasionally to take on a new personality.This phrase was actually even used in the organization. I often refer to this look as the "don't bother knocking, there is no one home" appearance. This look is seen with a lot of people who have stopped thinking deep and allowed all their thoughts to be controlled by a central organization. The look was seen on me, and is still apparent on relatives that still consider themselves Witnesses. It is truly the walk and look of the living brain dead.
Some points that I did not see mentioned, but I also consider cult traits are.
When I look at all these points and know that each one can be applied many times over and over. It often makes me feel a little foolish. Why? Because I actually spent 25 years of my life in this mess and never saw it for what it was, until I got out of it. It makes me wonder, "what else in this life am I turning a blind eye too." Is there going to be a time in the future that I see destructive flaws in the government, my relationships and even reality itself? It seems to me that we accept what we are taught, WAY TO EASY!
Edited by - whyhideit on 11 January 2003 0:43:37