How many Witnesses would drink the cool aid at a "Jonestown?"

by Witness 007 23 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  Finkelstein

  There are similarities of the Jones Town cult and the Jehovah's Witness cult in that they both tried to segregate from mainstream society, claiming outside of the established organization there is evil, harm and despair but inside is paradise utopia, where there is harmonious peace, love and happiness..
  

  They both professed that their organization in the future will be persecuted or infiltrated by outside forces to try and break up the organization and that certain steps of action are needed and necessary in preparation for this.

  So there is or was an alluring segment of each organization as well a fear inducing segment mentally indoctrinated to build and sustain the organization as they were created..
  
• 

  bennyk

  
  

  [old post 13.05.2010]

  It is not a likely scenario. However, purely as idle musing...

  What is published in The Watchtower is viewed by many Witnesses as the very words of Almighty God. The directives of the Governing Body are viewed as "Law" by many/most Elders. The Society has been very adroitly conditioning its followers to accept its interpretations unhesitatingly. Those who are viewed as "strong" Witnesses are those who question nothing.

  The Society would first need to prune the Witness ranks of people who would vocalize their doubts regarding the Society's teachings and directives. The silly interpretation of the "Generation" would be followed by other such nonsense designed to remove independent thinkers. The Society would also need to pare the number of "weak" (nominal) Witnesses who could derail the scheme by their reluctance to follow the Society's every command.

  The remaining Witnesses would be conditioned over a period of time to accept the idea that faithful death is preferable to life in "Satan's System of Things." Watchtower articles would revisit such scriptures as Psalms 116:15 ("Precious in the eyes of Jehovah is the death of his loyal ones.") and Luke 9:24 ("For whoever wants to save his soul will lose it; but whoever loses his soul for my sake is the one who will save it.")

  Then, when extreme world conditions warrant it (war, pestilence, famine), an announcement would be made that all Witnesses (and only Witnesses -- the Faithful--) would be meeting on a specific day for a most special declaration of New Light from the Governing Body.

  On that day, the CoBE would read an official letter from the Society stating that 'the Faithful Slave now understands that the Great Crowd's coming out of the Great Tribulation (Rev. 7:14) will occur today!!! The New Light given by Jehovah is that the "New Heavens and New Earth" of Revelation 21:1 are literal and already existing, and that Jehovah's people will be spared the evil coming upon the entire inhabited earth by being "transferred" as was Enoch. "And Enoch was no more, for God took him."!!! (Gen. 6:24).

  Game over.

  My speculation (based solely on my relatives and the people in the congregation I last attended): 20% of current Witnesses would drink...
  
• 

  Vidiot

  Finkelstein - "...So there is or was an alluring segment of each organization as well a fear inducing segment mentally indoctrinated to build and sustain the organization as they were created..."

  Are you suggesting that for some converts, the fear-mongering and alleged possibility of persecution actually attracted them?

  Jeezus, what kind of mindset does a person have to have for that?
• 

  RubaDub

  75% would be "partakers."

  Rub a Dub
• 

  OrphanCrow

  Vidiot: Jeezus, what kind of mindset does a person have to have for that?

  Masochism

  -pleasure in being abused or dominated : a taste for suffering
  
• 

  blisterfeet

  This is one of my biggest fears. I will wake up one day and get a text message (cuz I certainly would not get a phone call) that my whole family is dead. I believe that if the uberdubs were instructed to do something of this nature, many many many people would do it. 😢
• 

  Betheliesalot

  I don't think they would hand out a pill in the current environment because it would kill their golden goose with no more donations coming in. It could come about if they are overwhelmed with pressure to pay more and more lawsuits and the GB truly sees the end (theirs).
• 

  OrphanCrow

  I think that the idea of a world wide "drink the kool aid Jonestown" scenario is unrealistic and irrational.

  For one thing, the GB and all their true believer followers do not believe that they will die. They believe they are going to live forever and never die. They are going to survive the apocalypse. Drinking the kool aid is in direct opposition to this fundamental doctrine - "we will live forever! we will never die!"

  However, the kool aid behavior has been acted out in isolated family groups, especially among those who have left or been disfellowshipped. There are several cases where the irrational fear of not surviving Armageddon has lead to mass killings within JW families, especially where one individual has seen the kool aid option as the last resort for their family's chance at eternal life.

  The promise of eternal life has an evil counterpart - if you die before Armageddon, you get a second chance.

  So, the ones who I think are the most in danger from this cult and who would drink the kool aid readily are those who are no longer inside that special golden circle but still believe that jehobah will kill them at Armageddon. They want their second chance. So they will drink and they will spike their loved ones drinks as well.

  Many have already. Tragically.
• 

  blisterfeet

  I don’t think it would be specifically “kool aid”. I do see the gb prepping the mindset regularly though.

  Remember the song that said “fear not those who kill the body, but cannot destroy the soul, faithful to the end continue, I will help you reach your goal”.

  I might have the words a little off but the point is there. They do not fear death, as long as they are “faithful until the end” they are satisfied with themselves. If the old men upstairs communicated to their followers ending lives was the ultimate display of loyalty and obedience I believe this direction would be followed.

  many already do follow this direction, choosing not to take a simple blood transfusion and choosing to die instead. Right now it’s circumstantial that the faithful have the opportunity to display this act of loyalty. If the puppet masters found it more beneficial to shut everyone up quickly and completely I think they would have no choice but to trickle this poison through the ranks.

  Jonestown was a beautiful place at one time, they only killed themselves when rev jones had his henchmen kill a congrassmen and he knew it was over.
• 

  Finkelstein

  Vidiot asks .....

  Are you suggesting that for some converts, the fear-mongering and

  alleged possibility of persecution actually attracted them?

  Not necessarily more like a partial propagation mixed in with other indoctrination that paradise is available to those who stand firm and protect the organization from outside persecutors and many times the first generation Christians are used as an analogy.