Preying on the vulnerable (page 2)

MeneMene

It the vulnerable people like blondie listed that are more likely to be sucked into a cult.

lfcviking

but I do think they put that little extra in when they realise they have the attention of a vulnerable person

I agree with 'Dedpoet'. I think the JW's try to convert EVERYBODY regardless of whatever situation their in. But in the case of people who they sense are 'vunerable' i think they see a more & easier opportunity here.

choosing life

JWs definately are trained to find vulnerabilities in people and then use these to exploit them and attempt to convert them to their beliefs. They even have a conversation starter that asks the person, "If you could fix one problem in the world, what would it be?" Then they go from the person's reply as how best to indoctrinate them.

I was 20 when I was approached and going through some major changes in life. I fell for their paradise and never having to die- hook, line and sinker. Their methods of controlling how much and what information a study is allowed is another example. What if they were honest from the very start? How many would join if they knew the consequences to their life that would result? They are experts at hiding the ugly side of "the truth" from newly interested ones.

Then they go about seperating people from their families by saying Satan is going to try and stop them from learning "the truth" through their loved ones. How sick is that? Maybe you should rant, because I feel one coming on.

compound complex

Dear Choosing Life and Others,

Not at all in disagreement with your points - they are perfectly valid. When you say that JWs are trained to do thus and so, as in deceptive recruitment tactics, were we actually aware of deliberately spinning a web of deceit? I was not. I had some doubts, but I truly believed there was a kingdom that would bring true peace and security - you know, the "undeniable" scriptural proof. I believed that peoples' lives depended upon getting into the ark. And until I heard the term "love-bombing" - which I now realize is what actually does go on - I saw myself and JW friends doing all that was humanly possible to bring hope and comfort to the down-trodden. Not for a moment did we ever seek to take advantage of the lowly one. I, of course, was deceived AS TO THE END RESULT, only getting fully hit with the reality of it all early this year. The ton of bricks scenario. Therefore, who in the congregation are the ones KNOWING it's all a sham but deliberately preying on the vulnerable with an ulterior motive?

Your points are all so clear from where we are now. We are angry at ourselves for having been duped, but then, did we know we were "duping" our potential converts and purposefully withholding information on the identity of the FDS and the true nature of shunning? I was so unaware of the LIES! Yet, I was an accomplice. And WT dogma doesn't let worldly "innocents" off the hook if they're part of Babylon the Great. No matter that they're ignorant of some hidden wrong committed by their church. Community guilt, guilt by association.

Maybe I just need to get past the wording, but how else could you have expressed it? No complaints - just confused!

Compound-Complex

zensim

"Then they go about seperating people from their families by saying Satan is going to try and stop them from learning "the truth" through their loved ones. How sick is that? "

I often felt that leaving the org must have been like becoming a witness for some people (not really knowing though, having been brought up since birth as jw), having to turn your back on family and friends for the 'truth'.

Gill

Zensim - Welcome! I totally agree with you. It's just as difficult, when it comes to leaving, as it must be to join.

Either way you have to lose, be it friends or family.

LittleToe

Gary / DedPoet:I should have added evangelical existentialists to the list, too.

Dawkins is a good example of an evangelical atheist. There are a few on this site that enjoy emulating his example, rather than to merely be happy to present evidence for discussion.

To be fair, most of the folks on this site don't present their information like that. The few times I see it I comment about it, such as when Nic or JamesThomas get into a good ole rant (I know their skin is thick enough for me to use them as examples, without offense ), or when some "ne'er-been-a-JW-born-again-fundy" jumps into the fray without a care

I guess its a matter of perspective, but being in a minority group (e.g. Christian) makes you sensitive to the hypocracy of certain accusations. Evangelism certainly isn't limited to the Christian faith group! I believe that calling people on such things allows a broader discussion, though I'd hate to be accused of being so pedantic on the subject that I stepped over into "political correctness".

I hope that helps. It's merely an opinion...

dedpoet

Hi LT,

Thanks for clearing that up. I tend to agree with you on this statement:

Dawkins is a good example of an evangelical atheist. There are a few on this site that enjoy emulating his example, rather than to merely be happy to present evidence for discussion.

My atheism is based on my own experiences, and is an entirely personal view, which I have never conciously tried to persuade anyone else to share. I dislike being told what I should and shouldn't believe, so it would be somewhat hypocritical of me to try and preach to anyone else, and I left the hypocrisy behind when I quit the wts.

I don't find discussions with evangelists, whether their agenda be spiritual, political or atheistic, paricularly stimulating anyway, and generally tend to avoid them.

dedpoet

compound complex

Input Please: my questions follow Choosing Life's post.

Many thanx,

CoCo

dedpoet

Hi CoCo,

We weren't aware, as jws, that we were spinning a web of deceit. We were merely repeating what we had been taught, which at the time we had accepted as the truth. It's only after you see through the wts dogma and realise the falsehoods they teach that you realise you were telling people things that were simply not true. That isn't lying, because you weren't conscious it was a lie.

I don't think anyone in the congregation is initially aware of the falsehoods either, that realisation comes later. The governing body may have some insight into that, but maybe they totally believe what they are writing and preaching as well, I am unable to ask them, even if I thought they would tell me. It is part of the jws method of teaching to give the prospective new convert a progressive understanding of wts doctrine, starting with the best parts first, and gradually introducing them to the more unpleasant aspects, like shunning, once they are more fully indoctrinated, and hence more likely to accept the necessity for such measures to exist. I was no more aware that I was withholding information that may have influenced the people I studied withs' desire to become a jw than my study conductor was with me. We were brainwashed into believing that the method we used was the best way to help these people, so we followed it without a second thought.

You say that not for one moment did any of us seek to take advantage of the lowly one, and to some extent, I agree with you, we didn't consciously do that, but I know from experience that if a jw came across a vulnerable person, someone obviously in distress in the course of his ministry, he would put a little more into extolling the virtues and promises of the kingdom if that person showed interest. I did so myself when I was a jw, because I felt at the time that I was offerring a person who seemed to have little or no hope something to hope for, at least in the future. I wouldn't say we were trained to be on the lookout for vulnerable people, but I would most certainly say that most jws would try to take advantage of that kind of situation given the opportunity.

dedpoet

Preying on the vulnerable

Share this