JWs, cults and the new magazine arrangement

drew sagan

I just remembered something from back in my 'active' JW days. (ahem... little over a year ago)

From time to time you hear JWs talk about how unfair it is that they are a called a cult. I remember this coming up in the car groups from time to time. I specifically remember the same exact excuse being given each time for why JWs are not a cult....

'How can we be a cult when we go door to door and offer all of our literature for people to read for themselves. What can we be hiding?'

I heard this dozens of times during my life as a JW. I even felt it myself. I no doubt would think that many JWs out there feel the same way right now.

But the tables have turned. No longer will JWs offer all of their information to the public. (Not that they ever did before anyway, but at least they thought they did). Their popular excuse to why they are no longer a cult is gone. I wonder what they will come up with next?

WTWizard

I can think of a few that they never offered the public. The Kingdumb Misery comes to mind first. There is the Hounder handbook, which the flock isn't even supposed to look at, let alone place. There are numerous forms and rulebooks that you have to be admitted to ~~prison~~Bethel or sign up to pioneer to even look at. None of those are available to the public.

Now that they are going to have the Kool-Aid edition of the Craptower, that's just one more piece of literature that they are not offering the public. Like the Kingdumb Misery, the flock will have to live up to the doctrines placed here and the public will not be able to see it. Obviously, they are a cult.

Maybe there is one more thing they are going to have to do to disqualify them as a cult. They will have to allow the members to think independently, even encouraging them to do that. An organization that encourages its members to think on their own cannot be a cult; if it was, it would not hold together long. And the Craptower Society flunks in that department hands down. With every movement in the boasting sessions and in service choreographed, obviously independent thinking is missing.

drew sagan

There always was a reason for not letting people have a KM or a 'Organized' book, since such things dealt strictly with JWs.

The main thing I'm thinking of is the Public Talk / Watchtower meeting they have. It used to be that members of the public would given the same study materials that JWs had (indluding placing many of the books used at the book study). Now such study materials are no longer available to people not in the congregation. What used to be something out in the open now is something that can only be received 'by invitation only'.

Gopher

So -- does someone know the answer to this:

If a stranger comes to a 2008 Watchtower Study meeting and doesn't have the "members-only" version, will they have extras in the back to hand out to such visitors, or will they make the person just sit there without a copy of the indoctrination papers?

(Maybe that'll be a tough call, what will the Society say about this?)

eclipse

Walk into a sunday meeting,

dressed as a ''worldy'' interested person come 2008, when the ''new wacktower arrangement'' is implemented,

and see if they give you a kool-aid version of the craptower.

stevenyc

Interesting thought Drew.

Although if you take into consideration the TMS materials, they are not for public consumption. And the 'flock' book is not even for congregational consumption. In this way they have always had members only material.

steve

emptywords

Simply by the elders hand book is enough to answer that, it's a cult full stop.

Mary

When I spoke to my Dub sister about the new arrangement of offering one set of mags at the door, and the other one for Witnesses, she said "It's about time!" As far as she's concerned, it's a great idea. I can see alot of Dubs thinking that. After all, say someone placed the WT last year that talked about how to treat disfellowshipped children, telling family members not to have contact with disfellowshipped relatives not living at home. Let's say a 'worldly' person read that. They'd be shocked. Let's say they ask the Witnesses about it on their Return Visit. The Witnesses would be embarassed that one of their most destructive and disgusting doctrines is out there in print for all the world to see. No matter what scripture they might try and use to defend their stand, it's not going to go over on an unbrainwashed person-----they're simply going to be shocked and horrified at the mere thought of cutting their kids off like that.

What if the householder says "Did Christ ever treat anyone like that?" The answer of course is 'no', but this is stuff they don't want the general public knowing about.

sparrow

Can someone give me a brief run down on what is happening with the new kool-aid WT? I hadn't heard about it before now.

Shazard

Mary that's why we are out there to preach "good news".

JWs, cults and the new magazine arrangement

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