How Fear is Weaponized

by Sea Breeze 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Sea Breeze

  Fear is used by politicians, marketeers, social scientists, military psy-ops tacticians and just about anyone who wants to manipulate or destabilize another.

  To illustrate, look at this 1964 political ad by Pres. Johnson against Barry Goldwater:

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=66&v=dDTBnsqxZ3k&feature=emb_logo

  1 John 4: 18 reads: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
  
  Living a life free from fear as an EX JW has been far more challenging than I thought it would be. I grew up on a steady diet of Armageddon images as most of us born-ins did. If you became a JW after age 13 or 14 don't even try to compare yourself to us born-ins. You have something to return to after you leave that we never had. A fear-free life. Us born-ins have only ever known intense, graphic fear from our earliest memories.

  So what to do about it?
  
  I believe the ultimate fear is fear of death..... and what may come after. Even if its nothing, that is something to fear because of the good things in life that you will miss.

  Once the issue of death is dealt with, life takes on new meaning. I think we should spend more time thinking about death and less time worrying about it once we have come to terms with it.
  
  JW's have never come to terms with their own pending demise. Their entire theology is built around "never dying". It's crazy. So many beliefs and philosophies deal with this very important question. But not the WT. They just wave their hand and proclaim Jesus' return any day now and millions now living will never die.
  
  They are terrified of dying at Armageddon and are easy to manipulate because of that.
  
  Anyone have any thoughts on this?
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  hoser

  It took me some time to accept the reality of my own mortality but it sure feels good to know that I too won’t get out of this world alive. I don’t fear death. I only fear the uncertainty of the manner of my demise. I don’t want to go slow and painful, I would like an unexpected sudden heart attack or massive deadly stroke as my killer.

  Knowing I will die helps me to be frugal with my time as it is a limited commodity. Someone famous once said “don’t squander time because that’s the stuff life is made of”.

  I am a born in pimo lucky enough to break free from the mental chains of the watchtower cult.
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  subtlevirtue

  some animals do not die!

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_immortality

  I think it is our generation that will live for ever
  
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  smiddy3

  The catholic Church and others use Hell fire as a means to intimidate people and Jehovah`s Witnesses use Armageddon to intimidate their followers.
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  BluesBrother

  The older you get in life, the closer you are to dying. Even old dubs now recognize that . The concept of living forever without experiencing death has now disappeared, except for the young.

  What happens at death, where do we go? Nobody knows . Shakespeare called it the "undiscovered country" ((Hamlet).. 400 years later we know no more.

  In my later years now, is dearh to be feared? No... I don't want to linger into a lonely, painful miserable old age. Lets go while life is still enjoyable.

  Yes , we myst try to enjoy every day that God gives us , before:

  " The silver cord is removed and the golden bowl is crushed.................then the dust returns to the earth, just as it happened to be" . Ecclesiastes 12.
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  JoenB75

  Some people fear this some that. When the enemy soldiers come, it is usually bad news for the civilians. Years ago many people feared a nuclear bomb immensely but against all odds it never happened yet. Climate change, overpopulation the bad things have many names. I remember my father forced himself to drink sour milk by exclaiming how yummy it was. I have some funny sad images in my head of dad sticking some milk bottle in my mother's face to determine if it was fresh. She got tired of it but perhaps he could not determine himself. Yummy yummy he said while drinking it. That is probably how he survived as child. Some deal with old age the same way. I am comforted by being clay in the master's hand and a child of Jesus. Our life situation is as it is but it is how we deal with the situation.
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  JoenB75

  But true as Ses Breeze, JWs have not come to terms with own demise. A combination of theological positions gave/give them the grotesque hope that they will never die of old age. I think my parents lost all hope when they gradually after 1975 realized the wts did not have "the truth"
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  Half banana

  Those who have be destabilised through the fear of God are more susceptible to external control. This is indeed why JWs can't easily cope with the normal world and they remain, head in the sand, hearts fixated on mere beliefs and stubbornly loyal to the devils they know.

  How sad for JWs who lose out on all accounts -- they don't get to enjoy this world (they gave their life to the governing body of the Watchtower organisation) and they die like the rest of us.

  Paradise and heaven are fictions. . . prove to me otherwise.
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  Fadeaway1962

  Not only a fear of Armageddon but the pictures of a paradise earth with snow capped mountains and lakes surrounded by animals and plenty of food and our loved ones and a resurrected loved one walking towards you , and the opportunity of talking to your favourite Bible character .

  The fear of displeasing god and not being able to enjoy these things when the faithful would as a child and a youth put a lot of fear in me.

  Now fear dying but not death ,as others have said would not want a slow painful death , but to enjoy the time I have left .
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  truth_b_known

  Love and Fear are the two base emotions. All other emotions stem from them. The very word "emotion" comes from the Latin "to move." That is to say to cause someone to take action.

  All fear and anxiety are is the human brain trying to prolong the life of itself. Your brain causes you to concentrate on past pain and the anxiety of future pain to work out a solution to avoid said future pain. Pain from the past and anxiety of the future create prison that robs you of joy, peace, and happiness. Living in the present is important because that is the only place life really exists.

  Western culture is obsessed with preserving the Self. It teaches that each person is separate. We are taught as children this and we create this fictitious persona that fears coming to an end. That is why Christianity is obsessed with salvation. Salvation is nothing more than giving your ego immortality so it can rest easy at night.

  Like all other living organisms, humans do not have and never had "everlasting life." We are born. We live and then we die to make room so other have a chance to live.

  Fear of death isn't the real issue. It is fear of not living forever that is the issue. Once a person no longer desires to live forever religious control groups no longer have control over the individual.