slimboyfat

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Posts by slimboyfat

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  583

  What is the purpose of life?

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  while reading the magazines the other day it occurred to me that jws never really had a very good answer to that question.

  because it was aimed at young people and it said something along the lines, "if you believe in god you have a purpose, but if you don't believe in god your life has no purpose or meaning".

  i think that is a faulty analysis of the situation.

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  slimboyfat

  Have others considered that Marxism might offer an answer to the meaning of life?
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  slimboyfat

  • She took the book home and read the first pages, got scared , wrapped it up in gift paper and hid it under her bed, strange behavior ?

  Isn't it the calm, normal reactions to any sort of criticism that let you know JWs are simply well adjusted folks who happen to have figured out God and the meaning of life?
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  slimboyfat

  The prices Hassan charges a few wealthy clients for his exclusive services is really the least interesting thing. How about discussing the actual content of his book? To which there are upsides and downsides as I wrote above.
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  slimboyfat

  Weak answer. It's like saying no medical student should ever be interested in how much a doctor gets paid. People, complex beings as we are, are perfectly capable of being motivated by more than one thing at once.

  Hassan clearly is interested in helping people. He's also interested in making money. Good luck to him.

  If there was any suggestion that he pressures people to buy services they can't afford or he has hidden charges that would clearly be wrong. I haven't seen anyone suggest that. He appears to be charging wealthy people a high price for an exclusive service. Such is the capitalist world all over. That's the system we operate under. If you don't like it attack the system, not the person playing by the rules.
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  slimboyfat

  It is not unreasonable to suggest that his main motivation might be wealth

  So what? And can't it be both wealth and helping people? If he can charge $400 and people are willing to pay it, then why on earth should he charge $200 or $100?

  What self-employed person tells a customer to pay less that they are prepared to pay? What employee tells his boss to cut his pay?

  Are we going to go after lawyers and doctors next?
  
  
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  slimboyfat

  Yes Ruby as a fully paid up poststructuralist I have problems with the idea of an "authentic" personality. We are multifaceted, complex and contradictory, at least I am (no I'm not).

  To be fair to Hassan he heavily qualifies the idea of authentic personality opposed to cult personality. He spends a lot of time talking about looking for good aspects of cult experience, drawing upon it.

  I think you hit upon the major problem of JWs looking to Hassan for advice or guidance. He is set up to help families rescue children who get messed up with cults as inexperienced young adulls. This may apply to a few young people who become JWs but it is not the typical scenario. Many JWs are trapped as JWs because of family not despite them.
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  slimboyfat

  Maybe, maybe not but they certainly need to be dissuaded from spreading the lies that tear families apart. So yes, even the happy, functional JWs need to be, if not rescued, made aware.
  We mustn't give them a free pass.

  You make a great point. The people who live happy lives as JWs do so, to some extent, at the expense of those who are discarded and shunned. So I can see an argument for confronting even happy JWs because their practices harm a minority who are mistreated.

  But still I have a bias toward just letting happy JWs get on with being happy JWs. These are difficlt issues to weigh up. I don't think there are easy answers either way.
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  slimboyfat

  Joe, Mr Hassan is a self-employed businessman. As far as I know he never claimed to be a charity or any kind of volunteer. He offers a service. If it's good people will pay for it. If not they won't. If you thought he was some kind of self-less do good Saint who is not interested in making money then that is your mistake not his.

  He is nothing like JWs. JWs try to control people, what they can read, who they can talk to, what they can do, plus take their time and money for the privilege.

  Hassan helps people leave such control. And he charges money to help people get family out of cults.
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  slimboyfat

  Ruby I think you are correct JWs are very different from the Moonies and no where near as bad judging by his experience. The problem with lumping all such groups together is it can seem as if they are all the same. JWs do not engage in sleep deprivation or group confessions and blackmail or sex with cult leaders or any of the more extreme cult behaviour.

  What they do on a massive scale is information control, shunning and stigmatisation. These are harmful practices that Hassan fairly highlights in relation to JWs.

  I agree that Hassan's book is not ideal for JWs because an intervention type scenario (he promotes a milder, "strategic" form of this now) is not terribly appropriate for JWs.

  Unlike many cult groups, I think the uncomfortable fact (for some angry former JWs) is that many JWs are very happy as JWs and they function well in normal society. Do such people need to be rescued? You could argue they believe nonsense and they could do better in life. But that's true of many people. It's no warrant to go meddling in their lives.

  On the other hand many people suffer as JWs for various reasons and could do with a helping hand out of the organisation. Reaching and helping those ones, without harassing the many JWs who are happy as they are, is bound to be a tremendous challenge for any sort of activist interested in thoughtful engagment.
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  slimboyfat

  Why?