by AK - Jeff 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
A friend of mine and I are in discussion on how a cult develops. How is the foundation laid for such? Do the founders know they are setting up something that is intent on controlling others? Or is it innocent and develops from a positive intent?
Jeff
Several things. Periods of change and turbulance give the right soil for them to spring up. About one in 20 people are rebels, leaders of above normal abilities. These types can advance in any direction, ranging in gradations from constructive to destructive. Destructive would criminal, as in gangs, mafia, etc. Constructive would be businesses, govts etc. Examples are henry ford, bill gates (i know, i know, i hate ms too), branson (virgin records, airline, etc). Cults are near the bottom, a lot like gangs.
Natural leaders have a few traits in common: see deeper into people/things, tenacious, inspire others, bring/keep order into their turf, have a grand vision, etc. Cult leaders are egocentric.
S
There are a few good books on this:
the true believer by eric hoffer,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_True_Believer
when prophesy fails by leon festinger
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Prophecy_Fails
S
This was my response to this thread: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/148405/1.ashx
Over the course of time, JF Rutherford insisted that others do as he said,
believe what he wrote, follow all of it. Over more time past his life, the
things that kept the faithful in line were adopted over the things that did not.
Knorr was an efficiency expert, so doing things in a military style was
the most efficient. It became more and more efficient as people were
allowed to deviate from the formula less and less.If, statistically, members left because of a good education or because of
hearing the truth from former members, then rules came to be about avoiding
former members and education was frowned on.If having recreation and overtime kept people from the meetings, then recreation
and overtime were ruled as bad.If the deeper issues lost people's interests, then simpler more direct messages
would be printed. If they were easier to remember with phrases and repetition,
then phrases and repetition would be used.Before you know it, the methods of a cult were the preferred methods of WTS.
This is an oversimplified model, but you get the idea.
So, IMO, Russell was sincere. He really wanted to help others to an accurate knowledge of
the Bible. (He was whacko, but sincere.) Rutherford was sincere up to some point. But he desired to be in the limelight and control
everything about the religious movement. The men who work their way up in WTS are
generally sincere up to some point in their life- they are self-sacrificing pioneers that finally
get some recognition. Once they get to the top (GB), most probably act like Rutherford and
enjoy the limelight and control of everything. They like the green handshakes more for the
kissing ass than for the actual money. They perpetuate the methods that keep JW's in
mental bondage because they think they know better. Many stay sincere, using cognitive dissonance to a high degree, insisting that Jehovah's
blessings are upon their 2/3rds majority and hiding or twisting of information. Some probably
realize the error of their ways, but are "in too deep" to admit any such error. These ones
know that they gave their whole life to this religion, and will have nothing if they walk away.
The higher up you go, the fewer would ever admit their own error. It would seem that many cults were started by scam artists who were not sincere. I have
little doubt (without doing too much looking in to it) that L. Ron Hubbard of Scientology and
John Smith of the Mormons were pure con artists who discovered how easy it was. I actually
believe that the origins of the Old Testament were similar- some priests conned the people to
donate money. The New Testament was different, but still many writers of several Gospels
knew their stories were not 100% true (including the 4 used in the Bible). It is possible that religious cults of today are no different than religions of the past that started
out as high-control groups and morphed into mainstream religion. Look at the success of the
Mormons to do so.
Religion is an opinion represented as something else. That something is always supernatural.
A cult is a differing opinion. Usually it forms in reaction to mainstream opinion.
Since both opinions don't really come from anything but imagination, it is a simple matter of interpretative determination.
Think of how this process works out in everyday life.
A family, for instance.
A family has members who must abide by the parent's rule of authority.
At some point there is disagreement and unwillingness to comply.
The dissenting member leaves and starts their own family using a different set of rules.
Cultures work the same way. Political opinions work the same way.
Each group characterizes the splinter dissident as "wrong" and characterizes them in a bad light.
Cults are usually Authority driven to a greater extent than mainstream.
Truly radical cults insulate members against outside opinion and use methods of enforcement which utilize fear and a deep sense of US vs THEM.
Cults are more deeply powered by fantasy than mainstream groups. The stronger the fantasy; the greater the need to act out the fantasy by exaggerated claims.
End Times groups bring fantasy to the edge of reality and dare members to choose as though life or death.
The racheting up of tension between reality and final fantasy ebbs and flows in cults. Old members tire and fall away or find themselves purged and new recruits take their place.
Cults are viral.
The boundry line in cults is extraordinarily defined with rigidity and illogic to the point of mania.
AK JEFF- Some cult recruiters are aware of what they are doing, but some cults do it without knowing, but nonetheless it is just as harmful. Have you read the book, " Combatting Cult Mind Control "? I would highly recommend it, I am halfway through , and having been a witness for 44 years till I got out 4 years ago, ( am now 48 ) , I have already learned many things of how cults operate from just reading this book . A must read if you are into this subject ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper
Unhappiness with life is the main root cause. The main thing that every cult promises is a "new world," a utopia inhabited by only members of the group. The extremist muslims have their 72 virgins. The People's Temple was trying to build the ideal society in the jungles of South America. Heaven's Gate were looking forward to a ride on a spaceship manned by Jesus. Jehovah's Witnesses promise a "new system" inhabited by only Jehovah's Witnesses and the resurrected who convert.
But the promise of a new life by itself doesn't make a cult. That would apply to every religion. What sets cults apart is that they demand specific tasks be done in order to receive this reward. These tasks aren't minor like communion or prayer, they're lifestyle-changing acts. The People's Temple relocated their entire congregation to another continent, then demanded mass suicide. Some Heaven's Gate members went through ritual castration. The Church of Reverend Moon and Jehovah's Witnesses demand all members to prosyletize and bring new converts into the church. That in fact is another earmark of a mind-control cult, an intense preoccupation with bringing in new members.
Sound like government, religion, business, family parenting, corporation, police, court system, school, work, must be the nature of human race!
Have you read the book, " Combating Cult Mind Control "? I would highly recommend it, I am halfway through , and having been a witness for 44 years till I got out 4 years ago, ( am now 48 ) , I have already learned many things of how cults operate from just reading this book . A must read if you are into this subject ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper
Yes. My friend has not though, as far as I know, and I will recommend it to him. I can relate to your situation. I was in till I was 48, also about the same 44 years [my mom began to study when I was 4 or 5].
I have long ago determined that JW's are a cult - some of my questions on the matter revolve around the matter of intention. To this point I tend to believe that cults often 'evolve'. The people at the top who want to control others begin to adapt to what seems to work to accomplish that - perhaps subconsciencly, and the control becomes 'tactical' without even trying over time.
Jeff
I think the first and most important building block is having a "hook".
Hare Krishna's have the bald look, tambourine thing
The Mormons have the many wifes, serve 2 years thing
That group in Ghana had the Kool Aid thing
We had the no blood, no holiday, door to door thing
Numerous ones have the "only have sex with the leader" thing
After all what is a good cult without a good "hook"?
