If They Weren't a Cult Before.....

AllTimeJeff

I just wanted to officially change something on my viewpoint. I have thought about this for a few days. I used to think that while they were in some ways controlling, that JW's did not meet the criteria of a cult totally. However, in the last year or so, JW's have"

Announced a "Believers Only" version of the WT. Non JW's will continue to get the "Old McDonald Had a Farm" version with pretty pictures and sentence structure worthy of a 5th grader.

They continue to teach that any outside information about the history and goings on of JW's are lies done by "apostates". This is an effort to keep their followers from learning the truth about their UN scandal and the lies about 1914 being a real date related to anything.

They have forbidden elders to use outside secular sources in preparing talks. Only secular sources found in WT's may be used, although those have been more spare as well.

They have reigned in all WT conductors. From now on, no WT conductor can use any research he found. All answers to the nonsense questions must come only from the paragraph and the conductor and the commentors can only use scriptures that are cited in the paragraph.

Do you remember all those properties that were sold for millions of dollars last year? Do you remember the setlement that was reached with all of those pedophile cases? Cash for silence.

Everything mentioned above has occurred in the last 365 days.

This represents an offical attack on the truth and knowledge, on personal freedoms. It represents a very clear effort to control both how their flock acts and thinks.

If you came to the conclusion that they were a cult before I did, congrats! I needed to see what happened in the last year before I reconsidered. But I can't ignore all of this happening at once. If they were a borderline mind control cult before all of this, they most certainly are now!

I think cults like JW's need their own category, but these actions nonetheless are troubling and dangerous.

sweet pea

Well said - would love to send your post to my in-laws!! (in the vain chance they may become OUT-laws as a result!)

mjarka911

Jeff It's hard to argue with that. I too only thought about the local leaders when I left and felt that it wasn't a cult. It doesn't take long, however, to think about those at the top jobs and what they MUST know about the inner workings and decision making.

Shepherd Book

It took me a while to admit they are a cult too, Jeff. For a time, I felt that either the definition of the word "Cult" has to be so vague that it would not only cover JWs, but also a bunch of more main-stream religions, or the word was so restrictive, that it didn't apply to JWs. But now I think it is a cult.

Your points about their actions during the past year are note-worthy, but can you back this stuff up? I don't mean to criticize, but it'd be nice if I could point to certain magazine articles or Kingdom Ministries when discussing this stuff with others. I know the Question Box from the Sept 07 Km touches on some of this, but is there anything else, specifically regarding points number 3 and 4?

AllTimeJeff

Basically, the items for the WT study came from a letter to bodies of elders. It is floating around here somewhere and I have read it.

The Public Talk has been shortened to 30 minutes, and a friend read the letter on a KH's info board where she said that is what the letter said. To cut from 45 to 30 minute talks, take about 5 minutes out of each section, and remove all secular sources. Use only sources from the outline.

darth frosty

very succinct and all true. Its a cult.

purplesofa

great info

purps

Shepherd Book

Thanks, Jeff.

I will have to locate that letter. If anyone can direct me, I'd appreciate it.

WTWizard

I think this is going to allow them to put mind-control in high gear. Before, they had to cater to public interests to a certain degree, since anyone could find the material and use it in court, post it in newspapers, or have the sense to not join if it was too far out. Now, they are going to have the Kool-Aid Puketowers to put anything in, and no one will see it until they are too far along. I have posted outlandish predictions about what could be put there; those possibilities still stand (but with no way of knowing which will actually happen and when).

They are also cracking down on secular education. No Internet. No college. No independent Bible study groups or use of independent sources to cross-reference the NWT. No secular material at all allowed in Puketower studies or the Public Talk. They want people to take their word only for it, without letting them cross-reference with anything. This is also going to embolden them to make totally absurd rules, since people will not be allowed to cross-examine them to see that totally banning education, entertainment, and fun while absolutely regulating every little movement in the Field Circus is not in the Bible.

This is shaping up worse than the Kool-Aid cult. They only killed a few hundred disciples with the poison Kool-Aid. This Kool-Aid doesn't physically kill, but it leads to whole lives lived in an "emergency" state, stagnation, and wholly ruined lives. These people are lost as productive members of society, and thus might as well be dead. This is no time to be hanging around in the Witless cult.

cultswatter

As if the WTS really cares about the dollars er hours submitted

If They Weren't a Cult Before.....

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