Posts by talesin

8

Food for thought -"How cults rewrite the brain"

by Thirteenth tribe in

https://www.ted.com/talks/ex_moonie_diane_benscoter_how_cults_think?utm_source=email&source=email&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ios-share.

try this link for more of a psychological angle on the jw s .

talesin

I was really wanting to say "use google or other types of searches, because no one source should always be accepted". It's good to look for articles by scholars and scientists. I found 2 papers that were quite interesting, as well as an article by a woman who formerly was a proponent of the memetic virus idea.

There's a lot to be said for having a bit of skepticism - don't be cynical, but look around and do your own research. The 'net has so much valuable information, and I'm often surprised that I get side-tracked and reading some super interesting stuff. I'm a big fan of facts.

Keep soaking up all the knowledge you can; enjoy your freedom. I love learning! It never ends. xx tal

8

Food for thought -"How cults rewrite the brain"

by Thirteenth tribe in

https://www.ted.com/talks/ex_moonie_diane_benscoter_how_cults_think?utm_source=email&source=email&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ios-share.

try this link for more of a psychological angle on the jw s .

talesin

I'm not buying it. Ted Talks are not the Gospel, and this one is a good example. It's an interesting forum, with lots of real scientists, and a wide array of others, giving some very good talks. This, however, is not science.

Memetics is pseudoscience. There's some really interesting papers, if you'd like to research the subject more; google is your friend. xx

18

Incredible documentary about the exclusive brethren and their extreme shunning policy

by Truthexplorer in

just watched this remarkable documentary about the exclusive brethren here in the uk.

their shunning policy is remarkably like watchtowers policy except even more extreme.

its heartbreaking how families are torn apart by such man made policies based on their interpretation of scriptures.

talesin

Right on, blondie!

We had this scary cult in my province - there are others. We learned about it when the father abducted the children and mother was fighting to bring them back to the USA. The cult actually moved away because of such issues - to New England.

http://factnet.org/children-and-northeast-kingdom-cult

excerpts:

The women of the Northeast Kingdom church in Island Pond wear babushkas. Their children are beaten with rods; the children are also forbidden to entertain fantasies. Members of the cult believe that we are living in the "end-times" and that only those living a sacrificial Christian life -- which is to say, them -- will survive; the rest of us will be consigned to the Lake of Fire. Jan has seen terrified children.

Cult children are not like other children. It's more than a matter of their not being allowed toys or coloring books. Their expressions are both vacant and watchful; they are preter- naturally grave. The old house, the silent children, re- minded me -- though I am not given to hysteria -- of a scene from Village of the Damned.

The state, he said, acted on these specific allegations, obtained during child custody hearings and from affidavits from former church members:
A named four-year-old was hit fifteen to twenty times for imagining that a block of wood was a truck.
A named seven-year-old was stripped naked by several persons besides her father for asking for more food. The spanking went on until her bottom bled.
A named three-and-a-half-year-old boy was "disciplined" until his neck bled.
A named thirteen-year-old girl was stripped to her underpants and hit with a rod for being deceitful. She had as a result more than eighty welts.
A named eleven-year-old was hit with a two-by-four for laughing at a church member, receiving a large blister and bruise.
According to Burchard's document, sworn statements by witnesses and victims attest to these acts of brutality; in several instances, photographic evidence exists.

18

Incredible documentary about the exclusive brethren and their extreme shunning policy

by Truthexplorer in

just watched this remarkable documentary about the exclusive brethren here in the uk.

their shunning policy is remarkably like watchtowers policy except even more extreme.

its heartbreaking how families are torn apart by such man made policies based on their interpretation of scriptures.

talesin

Very interesting doc. Not only their shunning policy, but their language and doctrines are stunningly close to the JWS. (I don't see their shunning as more severe, just different.)

I had to say, got choked up seeing that young mother, with the infant and toddler, checking the pregnancy test whilst her 18YO fiance smoking while sitting next to baby. So sad for this child, really, trying to find love in her children, and so , so sad for the children. The whole image gave me a lump in my throat.

I did a bit of googling on their leader, John Nelson Darby (called the Father of Dispensationalism), and after reading the following information in several sources, have to wonder if CTR learned some of his terminology and thoughts from Darby, who by that time, had quite a reputation. The similarities in language are eerily similar, and dispensationalism is one of the foundations of Zionism, is it not?

New England - I didn't check the referenced map, but perhaps, Pennsylvania? Hmmmm....

[bold is mine]

He made at least 5 missionary journeys to North America between 1862 and 1877. He worked mostly in New England, Ontario, and theGreat Lakes region, but took one extended journey from Toronto to Sydney by way of San Francisco, Hawaii, and New Zealand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Nelson_Darby

.

Food for thought, and maybe some interesting research for anyone that is into it. tal

40

Next steps for the Austrailian Royal Commission

by Coded Logic in

since the watchtowers' lawyers have (a) failed to make any recommendations to the arc that would bring the watchtower up to date with "best practices and procedures" (b) have failed to submit a proposal for victim restitution (c) have failed to secure funding for a redress scheme and (d) have completely dismissed all the arcs' findings - what's the royal commission's next course of action?.

i see two possibilities:.

) negotiate a settlement with the watchtower.

talesin

shepherdless - we are Commonwealth cousins, and I figured (from what I've read) that the ARC is similar to our system,.

.

Also, in Canada, punitive damages are hard to win, and amounts awarded are pretty much infinitesimal compared to the ones in the USA.

Yes, class action suits are complex (it is an USA invention, but they are a very litigious society), but at least in Canada, it can be filed in one province, andanyone in the country may be able to join it. I won't question your knowledge of this, but merely ask if this may be the case in Australia as well? We've had a small class action suit here in Nova Scotia in recent years, and it was about CSA, and they won! The damages were under 6 figures per person, but it was enough to get some therapy and maybe a bit of a hand up in life for those living with PTSD.

I don't know why the font is SO SMALL, but I can't seem to change it. Apologies.

22

Child Broadcast Star is Going Home to Die.

by Slidin Fast in

the february broadcast has an item which in my view exploits a young very poorly girl.

it seems that the girl is quite a character and her faith seems to be strong.

she was baptised as a pre-pubescent innocent girl and is purported to be a regular pioneer at age 13. now read what her local paper says :-.

talesin

I'm sure much of the $200,000+ in donations came from r&f members, who would be happy to contribute to the death cult known as the WTS.

40

Next steps for the Austrailian Royal Commission

by Coded Logic in

since the watchtowers' lawyers have (a) failed to make any recommendations to the arc that would bring the watchtower up to date with "best practices and procedures" (b) have failed to submit a proposal for victim restitution (c) have failed to secure funding for a redress scheme and (d) have completely dismissed all the arcs' findings - what's the royal commission's next course of action?.

i see two possibilities:.

) negotiate a settlement with the watchtower.

talesin

If my understanding of the Australian sensibility is correct, they may be in big trouble. I could see that bold and straight-forward spirit that I admire, helping many to come forward. Think positive thoughts.

29

WBTS goes to Court of Appeal (Charity Commission investigation)

by Mephis in

after a number of high profile cases where both children and survivors clearly weren't adequately protected, the charity commission here in the uk launched an investigation into the wbts as a whole here in britain.

the main concerns are around the child safeguarding policies being inadequate.

wbts have fought every step of the way so far.. wbts have been to the high court, who told them to complain to the proper tribunal.. wbts have been to the proper tribunal, who told them that too darn right there were suitable grounds for the charity commission to want to investigate their inability to protect children.. and now the wbts have gone back to the court of appeal to demand that the charity commission inquiry be halted.. i hope the court of appeal tells them that, yes, they too need to have proper safeguarding measures for children and to get on with co-operating with the investigation.. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/charity-commission-defends-its-investigation-into-jehovahs-witness-charity-in-the-court-of-appeal.

talesin

Nu?

24

Df brother in shock I spoke to him at kh

by poopie in

jw
friends

i was vis it in a kh last night and i just thought i try something new.

when amen was said i bolted out hall low and behold there was anot her poor soul just ahead of me so since he did not know me but i knew he was df i said a greeting to him he seemed greatabsolutely shocked and horrified thst i was speaking to him he acknowledged my greeting and scurried off in t i the night it was a great moment for humankind..

talesin

Good question who are they supposed to talk to? Worldly people? It is evil.
They will have to wait longer if the elders find out they are associating with "worldlies". They are supposed to have NO friends, NO life. It's like being in the cult, only when you are not DF you pretend to be HAPPY, you have PHONY friends, and they all have plastic smiles, too.
The DF person is to come in at the last moment, and feel SHAMED. It's all about the shaming.

29

WBTS goes to Court of Appeal (Charity Commission investigation)

by Mephis in

after a number of high profile cases where both children and survivors clearly weren't adequately protected, the charity commission here in the uk launched an investigation into the wbts as a whole here in britain.

the main concerns are around the child safeguarding policies being inadequate.

wbts have fought every step of the way so far.. wbts have been to the high court, who told them to complain to the proper tribunal.. wbts have been to the proper tribunal, who told them that too darn right there were suitable grounds for the charity commission to want to investigate their inability to protect children.. and now the wbts have gone back to the court of appeal to demand that the charity commission inquiry be halted.. i hope the court of appeal tells them that, yes, they too need to have proper safeguarding measures for children and to get on with co-operating with the investigation.. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/charity-commission-defends-its-investigation-into-jehovahs-witness-charity-in-the-court-of-appeal.

talesin

Question: I seem to remember a Kingdom song that said, "we must watch how we talk,
watch how we walk" something like that. True????

Indeed. That clearly rings a bell, and I recognize the lines (chorus, I think). Thank the Goddess that the melody is NOT in my head. No JWS ear worms, thank-you-very-much! : P