Mad Sweeney

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Posts by Mad Sweeney

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  25

  This thread is for people that do not really understand the control mechanisms of the Watchtower Society

  by Iamallcool in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  please feel free to explain the control mechanisms of the watchtower society.

  thank you!.

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  Mad Sweeney

  Brief explanation of FOG here: http://outofthefog.net/CommonNonBehaviors/FOG.html

  I also like Steve Hassan's BITE formula for mind control. It's a modern take on Robert Lifton's work.
  Behavior control

  Information control

  Thought control

  Emotion control

  Controllers harp on one or more of these to create cognitive dissonance in the victim, who then will change the other three (or two or whatever) so that all four are in harmony. Creating cognitive dissonance can also be used to break the control in much the same way.
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  20

  MUST READ: Books for Young JWs - a Required Reading List

  by Oubliette in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i've been contemplating a list of works of fiction that should be read by every young jehovah's witness, (12 - 18 years old).

  the goal is to plant seeds of truth and critical thinking skills which could ultimately invoking cognitive dissonance and help them wake up to the truth about "the truth" (ttatt).

  my idea is an adaptation of steven hassan's approach of not attacking a cult members beliefs directly, but rather indirectly by getting them to look at other similar belief systems and social structures, in this case fictional ones that mirror many of the destructive, oppressive features of jehovah's witnesses.

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  Mad Sweeney

  The Magic of Reality - Richard Dawkins
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  5

  Doomsday Cults.. Hidden in America

  by Tater-T in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z7cegbroz4.

  i'm surprised there wasn't a thread on this already... so i' guess i'll start it.. new series on discovery channel .. " hidden in america" first episode.

  " doomsday cults" ... it aired about a month ago, did anyone else see it?

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  Mad Sweeney

  I think it's hilarious how the JWs think they're so well-known in the USA and around the world. Since I left I've had to explain so much to so many people who have NO CLUE about the WT or JWs despite their "global witnessing work." Hidden in America, indeed. LOL.
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  12

  "The Truth Changes" with the text from the "Simplified" Edition WT

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the text i used in my analysis, "the truth changes: watchtower july 15, 2013" comes from the "study" edition of that magazine.. it is still available at: http://www.jwstudies.com/the_truth_changes.pdf.

  i have now used the text from the "simplified" edition, and it is available at:.

  http://www.jwstudies.com/the_truth_changes_in_the_simplified_watchtower.pdf.

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  Mad Sweeney

  What JeffT said.

  If Christ hasn't approved them yet, why should anyone listen to and obey them? How are they any different from any other self-appointed authority?

  They don't have answers to those questions, I don't believe.
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  22

  Under construction but live - FREEMINDS 2.0

  by Dogpatch in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  check out the new freeminds 2.0 currently at:.

  http://freeminds2.org.

  so the old and new will be combined all in one site shortly at freeminds.org.

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  Mad Sweeney

  Awesome!
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  17

  The Faithful & Discreet Slave Gets World Wide Notoriety In For The America's BIGGEST Payout In A Child Abuse Case 28,000,000 Leaving Jesus With No Choice Except To Find A Replacement

  by frankiespeakin in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  i know this has been posted before anyhow i thought this a good title to post it under:.

  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160605/candance-conti-molested-jehovahs-witnesses-member-age-nine-wins-28milion.html.

  woman molested by jehovah's witnesses member at age nine wins $28million in america's biggest religious sex abuse payout .

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  Mad Sweeney

  You've got it, metatron.

  Which makes me wonder just how they're going to spin an answer to those who ask the inevitable question: since you have not yet been appointed over all his belongings, why exactly should anyone listen to you? (I haven't read the entire July WT, only excerpts, so maybe they addressed this already.)
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  17

  The Faithful & Discreet Slave Gets World Wide Notoriety In For The America's BIGGEST Payout In A Child Abuse Case 28,000,000 Leaving Jesus With No Choice Except To Find A Replacement

  by frankiespeakin in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  i know this has been posted before anyhow i thought this a good title to post it under:.

  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160605/candance-conti-molested-jehovahs-witnesses-member-age-nine-wins-28milion.html.

  woman molested by jehovah's witnesses member at age nine wins $28million in america's biggest religious sex abuse payout .

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  Mad Sweeney

  17:15 in the video to get to the Borg trial section.
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  118

  Why did you stop believing in God?

  by The Quiet One in

  1. jw
  2. experiences
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  Mad Sweeney

  I stopped believing in everything.

  There are things with a preponderance of evidence, enough evidence for me to proceed through life as if they are true.

  There are things with a lack of evidence, such a lack that it is only practical for me to proceed through life as if they are false. Bible god is one of these.

  There are A LOT of things I simply don't know enough about to make an informed decision. These things are waiting for me to learn them. :)
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  10

  Build it and Make Them Come

  by OnTheWayOut in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  it's the same old story with watchtower, even at the local level.. my mother has to drive a slightly uncomfortable distance to her kingdom hall in affluent suburbia.

  she doesn't mind because the neighborhoods are nice and she sticks to main streets, but she is coming home by herself late on thursday night.

  (she is married to an unbeliever.

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  Mad Sweeney

  This thread wasn't about what I had hoped.

  But yeah, it's a shame how the Borg railroads the local congregations into keeping their Regional Building Racket going.
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  418

  Who has experienced a REAL demonic incident?

  by Monsieur in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  has anybody here experienced a bonafide, real, true incident in whicy 'demons' actually interacted with you or did something 'supernatural' that left you convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that satan and his demons exist??.

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  Mad Sweeney

  Freshman psych class taught me that eyewitness testimony is among the most unreliable forms of evidence around. My psych teacher would get out of jury duty every time just by saying he's a psychologist whose research focuses on the unreliability of eyewitness testimony.

  Just because you experience something doesn't mean you're qualified to interpret the experience.

  That said, just because something happens in your head doesn't mean it isn't real.

  But what does "real" mean? There is no evidence for actual invisible beings walking around our planet nor is there any testable hypothesis I know of for how such an invisible being could even be possible. (If there is, I think that would be cool to read about, so post a link. )