The bOrg Cult Tactics

by pale.emperor 26 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  pale.emperor

  I'm wondering if the bOrg actually studied mind control and coercion tactics deliberately or wether they just evolved over time through trial and error. What do you think?

  From reading Steve Hassans books, studying hypnosis and methods psychopaths use it all seems very complex. Like it would never occur to me to do A, B and C in the right order at the right time in order to get control of someone or control their lives.

  For example, repetition of words (the word "loyalty" was a big one in the last convention), using loaded language, encouraging people not to trust their own thoughts, restricting their information, demonising those who leave etc. There's people who go to college to study influence methods (salesmen, politicians). Do you think there's a GB guide list?
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  Tallon

  Good question P E;

  Could be a combination of both; person(s) past and present within the WTBTS having knowledgeable of mind control and coercion techniques as well as trial and error over the years.
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  GrreatTeacher

  Well, Charlie Russell was a salesman first. He owned very successful clothing stores. Then, a religious publishing house.

  I think the trick was getting his salesforce to not realize that they were actually salesmen. That's the beginning of doublethink and manipulation, IMHO.
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  pale.emperor

  It seems to be when Rutherford got his greedy hands on it when it became a cult. Russel I can forgive, lots of crack-pot doomsday sects popped up around that time. Rutherford saw potential and turned it into a real cult I think.
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  scratchme1010

  I'm wondering if the bOrg actually studied mind control and coercion tactics deliberately or wether they just evolved over time through trial and error. What do you think?
  

  My opinion, I don't think that many controlling groups, cults or cult leaders intentionally start a group or organization with the intention of controlling or coerce people. Many cult leaders have goodness at heart in the beginning. Later when they get a taste of power and control over other people is when they start getting ideas. Some others do start cults and organizations with the intention of having power and control over others. The bOrg is an organization made of a number of people, not just one leader, and it has evolved through the years. I believe that the level of control and coercion is deliberate now, and in high amounts, but I don't think that that's how that organization stared. I may be completely wrong as I have no idea about what the intention of Charles T Russel was when he founded the WT.

  Many religions organizations that are very demanding (like the bOrg) tend to attract narcissistic, power hungry people in their leadership. I don't think that power, control and coercion are things that they need to get formally trained on, though.
  
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  Finkelstein

  Rutherford was a cunning opportunistic power player and power keeper , he proclaimed that god had exclusively chosen him (1919) and the Watchtower Corporation which he happened to be the leading executive director/editor of .
  

  He essentially exploited his " Legal " Constitutional right as an American citizen to create his own religious organization.

  But really the sociological template for procuring power toward himself was established thousands of years ago by the ancients who established their subsequent power and control by telling fictitious proclamations that they too were direct spiritual channels to their specific god(s).

  What Rutherford did and this is clear to see now that he made up specific doctrines that would continue to cultivate attention to the organization and the literature he published for a predetermined and extenuating amount of time, that can be recognized by him holding on to the precariously failed concocted date of 1914 by his predecessor C T Russell as still a notably important theological date.
  
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  stuckinarut2

  I doubt they set out to deliberately use those tactics, but they certainly have become very good at manipulation....
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  berrygerry

  For example, repetition of words (the word "loyalty" was a big one in the last convention), using loaded language,

  
  

  You may be right.

  
  

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfXkwE0881E
  
  
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  Chook

  Everything is planned and I mean every single word.
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  dubstepped

  I think Scratchme nailed it. They don't sit down one day and decide to go full cult. I think that what starts as good motives starts leaning toward control, and as that intensifies over the years as the leaders take more power and subordinates willingly give it up there's just a natural progression that results in common characteristics seen across multiple groups. Those in charge start controlling more with the reasoning that it's for the good of the people. It's a progression, borne of control with good intent, that simply gets out of control and more extreme over time.