Hey Frobrisher,
I wanted to see if different points of view were accepted, or if it had a one track mind of it's own
Different views most certainly are accepted. Sometimes they generate strong reactions, but hey, that's what community discourse is all about.
I just wanted to respond a bit to your points on unconditional love. When a friend first started telling me that the Witness culture is based on conditional love, I said exactly the same thing as you. But I've since learned much more about psychological and emotional health, and what exactly conditional love is. Conditional love as practiced among the Witnesses is inhibitive of growth at the best, and manipulative at the worst. Now, mind you, true unconditional love is very rare. I'm not saying the Witnesses are the only group that practice this - sadly, many fit the bill. It is also a cycle that passes itself down in the broader culture.
To illustrate the problems with conditional love, imagine a father that is a lawyer. From the time his son is very young, he makes it clear that he expects his son to follow in his footsteps. He rewards the son when the son plays "junior lawyer." As his son enters high school, the father tries to discourage the son from pursuits that might distract from his eventually becoming a lawyer.
Now let's imagine that the son begins to realize that he has no interest in becoming a lawyer. He wants to be a musician. The father is dismayed. He withdraws the smiling approval. He refuses to pay for college. The son is now faced with an ultimatum: lose the respect and love of my father, or do what I truly want to do. The son knows if he just signs up for that Advanced Placement Debate class, he can have the approval once again, but he begins to resent feeling manipulated in this way.
The sad part of this is that none of it is necessary. The father is selfish to demand his son follow a prescribed path. A truly loving parent would help the child to flourish in whatever field the child was well-suited for. By his actions, the father has subjected the son to emotional pain - who wants to choose between to terrible options in an ultimatum situation, when the situation that caused the ultimatum is entirely man-made and preventable?
In more extreme cases, a person may be under the compulsion of conditional love along many dimensions, such that they do not even realize it. The net effect is that they are compelled into a box that is not tailored to help them grow personally, but to suit the arbitrary whims of the person who supposedly loves them. When you think about the growth prospects of children raised in conditionally loving families, as opposed to unconditionally loving ones, the difference is astounding.
I encourage you to read more on this subject, as it has major implications. One really great book is "The Road Less Traveled," by M. Scott Peck. I think you'll find the first 50 pages fascinating, and they provide a good introduction to human growth and love.
Hope that helps!
SNG
