If This Isn't A Cult----What Is It???? (page 2)

confusedjw

Look at the classic lists of charactoristics of cults, and witnesses will nail 9 out of 10 of them every time.
Try it. It's scary.

HOLY CRAP there is ONE they don't nail !

It's a con-game that took hold years ago when people (marks) were more trusting and loving. Promoting fear, the leaders (players) were able to branch out state to state and country to country . . .thus establishing the WTBTS of today.

minimus

I believe Rutherford was the main reason the cult came into existence although certainly, people were mesmerized by Russell.

franklin J

yes, a cult.

...but it is "Jehovahs cult"

...and this is the way "Jehovah" wants it......and no women allowed to play....

SO PLAY BY THE RULES OR YOU DON'T PLAY AT ALL

Tigerman

I think you're right, Minimus. What I know about Rutherford points in that direction.

M.J.

Here's a summary of WTS control. Actually the following text is a comparison I made between the WTS and a prominent "self improvement" cult movement. The black text comes from a description of the control methods of this other cult. The blue text represents my substituted words/phrases to make it apply to the WTS. The red text is additional commentary:

Charles Russel , the founder of the Watchtower Society , put together his theology from his involvement with various disciplines and religious movements as Adventism , Freemasonry , pyramidology , and Arianism . He originally offered training through his magazine , Herald of the Morning , which later changed its name to Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence , later The Watchtower , and eventually through today?s offshoot organization known as The Watchtower Society . The current corporation?still claims to be founded by Russell but it is overseen by?leaders who deny many connections with Russel?s writings , due to the controversies and bad publicity he had generated with his rantings in the past.

The Watchtower Society?s

basic methodology is transforming the way you think and view reality?The ideology includes numerous complex concepts and a new language ( theocratic, worldly, publisher, anointed remnant, other sheep, goat, The Truth, new light, etc .) designed to help you think in terms of the new system and bring about your salvation . Such concepts include: the "greater fulfilment" of most biblical prophecy lies in the activities of the Watchtower Society , access to God and salvation comes only through the Watchtower Society, and that you must be freed from ? your past satanic and worldly influences ,? and follow the direction of "God?s organization" . Your transformation and dedication to the new reality becomes your highest commitment.

A

WTS "education"?consists of a?set of experiences and interactive sessions to gain your trust, compliance, and submission to the direction of the WTS . A study puts you through a regiment of reading and interactions that have the effect of challenging your beliefs and emotionally bonding you to the group. Key emotional attractions, particularly if you are going through a time of emotional vulnerability, include the group?s showering of attention and love onto you, their display of confidence about the future, their sense of community and closeness, the perception that they seem to have all the answers to life?s problems, the impressiveness of thier training, education, and discipline, and the exciting prospect of joining the one, exclusive group on earth with God and "the truth" on their side ?These cognitive and emotional experiences seem to mystically and overwhelmingly demonstrate to you the universal truth of the organization's ideology. At the same time they break down your old beliefs, what you think about yourself, your ideals, and your way of viewing reality. When your beliefs and identity are suddenly challenged in such a way, it is intensely disorienting and confusing. As you come to accept the "higher truth" that is being "demonstrated" to you through these experiences, this actually relieves your anxiety and confusion. In this way, you are gradually adopting this new "reality" defined by the Watchtower Society.

?Joining together with the rest of the group through this set of shared experiences into a new, "right" way of viewing the world has a strong emotional effect and produces a strong sense of bonding between the

you and the group . This includes feelings of love, elation, sense of community, and a sense that the group's purpose is higher than yourself. All this appears to come about spontaneously and spiritually . You are constantly reminded by the members that this is the only place where this kind of "transformation" and "experience" can take place. In addition to the positive emotions, negative emotions such as fear serve to bind you to the group as well. You are told that Satan is very angry that you have stumbled onto the "truth," and is going to try EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to keep you away from these wonderful promises of Jehovah: "He will use your relatives and your friends, your mates and your parents to try and dissuade you." The group will protect you from the Enemy who is ever-present outside of the group. As you become involved, you are totally focusing on the new activities, new life goals, and new lifestyle which really seem to work for you, so you become oblivious to the inherent manipulation taking place and are too occupied to question what is happening and why. Members feel it is okay to use such high-pressure recruitment techniques on uninformed and unsuspecting persons?because they are bringing about "transformation" and equipping people to carry out the higher purpose of ushering in the "New System" to come . Such techniques could even include lying or not readily revealing the whole truth regarding: the organization, its history, certain doctrines, life in the organization, etc.

Part of the WTS doctrine is that in order to satisfy God and secure salvation, followers must "work to remake their personalities in God's image." (WT, 1/15/85, p.18),

which is an expectation that is inherently impossible to fulfill. As a result, you never feel as if you are doing enough or like you?ve truly grasped it well enough and this causes you to increase your reliance on the group and the WTS direction to guide you. You are directed to participate in all activities and meetings and continue on your quest to master it. You are told: "Spend all of your spare time with us that you can. It's a protection from the influences of the Wicked One, and will help you make your stand for the TRUTH."

Members

are told that if they don't do the work of Jehovah by recruiting others to join, they will lose their salvation ?Your commitment to wanting to grow and maintain your " salvation " has the effect of forcing you to conform to the group's standards?and therefore?you submit yourself to the group's authority. The group's ideology gains control of your thoughts by turning you against the inner voice of DOUBT in your mind. The idea of being an elite warrior of Jehovah allows you to be disciplined, surrender to the authority of the group, and permit the loss of your individual freedom, because the group's purpose becomes more important than yourself. If a person is only concerned with ordinary life and career and is not committed to "doing the work", he is not considered " spiritual " and committed to Jehovah . The concepts preached in WTS publications are meant to make you question your day-to-day thought processes and actions to evaluate whether they are in compliance with WTS doctrine . Members always try to find an interpretation for the events in their lives which will conform to the ideology , such as current events, calamities, positive and negative experiences, and scientific accounts which seem to confirm WTS concepts . You must rid your mind of anything not consistent with "The Truth" in order to remain committed. WTS doctrine directs you against allowing yourself to critically analyze or question it. ( See the January 15, 1983 Watchtower page 27 article section entitled, "Fight Against Independent Thinking." )

Another effect of your transformation is that you feel an emotional high with the sense that you are part of an exclusive and historically important community of transformed individuals. The attitude is that every person on earth is either enlightened and conforming to the principles of the

WTS , or they are unenlightened and their life will not work and they will be destroyed. All views outside of the WTS are misleading and are even demonic . There is no in-between. People come to think that the new system is good and all past associations, if they don't agree with the system, are negative and satanic . You must either get these people transformed, resist them, or immediately fade them out of your life. If the world or those outside the group stimulates the person's old way of thinking, guilt or shame may result. As a result the person will try and isolate themselves from such stimuli. The people in the system become your new "family" and your support system. People? model themselves in the WTS?s definition of the "ideal Christian image" in manner of dress, personal hygene ( beards looked down upon, male earrings and long hair are out ) , demeanor, and often even begin to talk alike, ?and use the same voice inflection and language. A person who remains committed will try and recruit friends and family and if unsuccessful, there may be divorce, family breakups, and dropping of former friends. People will stop attending their ( former ) church, which is considered a satanic environment and serving an evil purpose which runs counter to the ideology of the WTS . They devote more and more time to the activities for the organization and less with the family and outside friends, as they gain an ever-increasing sense of urgency about "the work".

According to many former long-term members, the total merging of yourself with the group makes it difficult to leave the group without feeling that you have given up the meaning of your life, not kept your commitments, not kept your word, and given up your whole sense of identity and your enlightenment?that's a lot to lose, plus realizing that those people who you've grown to love and identify as your "family" are going to label you as

an "Apostate", and you will be shunned. The WTS additionally promotes intense fears about leaving the total security of "God?s organization" into an evil world dominated by Satan and demonic forces. Terrible, unspoken consequences will most likely befall you and you will be considered far worse off than before you joined the organization. In addition, the tremendous fear and shame of destruction at Armageddon along with the guilt of "betraying Jehovah" and your "spiritual" brothers and sisters must be dealt with. Even when you know you're making the right decision of leaving intellectually, it's very difficult to deal with emotionally?another identity crisis. The power of emotion triggered by past experiences is demonstrated in people who have common phobias. Although intellectually they know there is nothing to fear about a given situation, a past experience relating to that situation may cause their mind to be bombarded by terrible images, causing them to be completely overcome by irrational fear. This illustrates how emotional issues can be difficult to overcome. Former participants recognize that there are many positive things you can learn about yourself in any intense group experience, yet they call into question the methods of influence and manipulation used by the group in order to bring about such "learning". Someone who is considering participation in the WTS should at least be made aware of some of the methods used beforehand, which may never otherwise occur to them after they become a part of the group. With this knowledge, one can make an informed and sound decision on whether or not to go through with it.

minimus

MJ.....Whoever wrote that piece knows JWS!

hopelesslystained

Yes, I feel jws qualify as a Cult. When I was attending meetings (way back) I remember it being acknowledged as a cult from the podium as ?Jehovah?s Cult? like Franklin mentioned. Cults have been around since the beginning of history, such as the ?Cult of Isis? and many other Gods and Goddesses. Sort of a ?club? in my opinion. One chooses a ?way? (club, cult) that is comfortable and makes them happy. A way of daily living, spirituality, with a supportive and gratifying social life. The problem with jws? ?way? is the destructiveness of their social rules, their ?visions of grandeur? for only their group, which incidentally, one of the signs of schizophrenia is a person having ?visions of grandeur?. They offer promises of a happy eternal life on Earth, which will be a huge wonderful garden with animals, people, bugs, et all getting along fabulously with no concerns. And any concerns you just may have should simply be put aside because Jehovah will take care of it in your best interests. Who wouldn?t want such a reward??? The trouble is there are too many holes in their story and ?way?. Too many seriously troubled and unhappy lives for those who have had any contact with them. *.... .? ´¨¨)) -:¦:- *¸.?´ .?´¨¨)) ((¸¸.?´ ..?´ Hopelesslystained-:¦:- -:¦:- ((¸¸.?´

Morgan

The extreme behavior of this org...

No blood transfusions
Shunning (in the extreme)
R&F cannot partake of emblems
Peddeling thier mags/books
Cannot read/discuss anything contrary to F&DS material
Anyone outside of org are considered 'worldly'
Can only marry within the org
Spirituality is based on works
Christ is not the R&F's mediator
Love for neighbor is shown only through preaching, not humanitarian acts
While in the field members will discuss which house they will have after the big A
Some pictures in literature are horrific (they seem to be fasinated with the death of others)
Hide the sins of child abusers
2 witness rule
Women must wear dresses to all meeting/field service/studies
Men cannot have beards
Outcast own family members
Put org above the Christ
4 doors cars are preferred
New light replaces old

There are more, add to it.

Some of these may be considered quirks yet, they are extreme. No balance, just rules that determine if one is spititualy strong.

minimus

They getcha by "interactive sessions".

If This Isn't A Cult----What Is It????

Share this