Does it Bother You that It's An American Cult? (page 3)

donny

"Next time I'm going to stick to purely Canadian cults."

Yes I want to join the cult of Three Days Grace and Billy Talent. Or maybe Rush, BTO, Triump, Nickelback, Sum-41, The Guess Who, .................

oompa

Aren't we all just gods children???............oompa

BFD

Very interesting question.

Jeremy C, that was brilliant and I couldn't agree more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQBKpV9emKc

BFD

jaguarbass

I learned at the bookstudy that the Jehovhas Witnesses started in Israel. Jesus apostles were the first witnesses and they were all elders.

Timothy was the first ministerial servant but, he never made it to elder. Some how the Catholic church broke off the early kingdumb halls and became apostate with some brother who called himself the pope becoming their leader.

sspo

It does not bother me at all.

What bothers me that i thought i was smart and intelligent and practical and at 22 i got sucked in and in 4 months after a bible study, i got baptized and stayed in for 32 years. Now i look at all the doctrines of the watchtower and none are bible based or just a dum interpretation.

johnny1980

I feel like I got suckered into a pyramid scheme that took away my life! My mom wasted 21yrs of "our" life (me age 2 - 23)... "devote full service to jehovah" BLA BLA BLA... Well the full service pioneering landed her with no carerer, no retirement, and me with old clothes and shoes with holes in them to atttend school in, and barley enough gas money to drive the kingdom hall. As soon as I turned 16 I worked full time, and didn't care how much they bi*ched about it. It was every bit of a cult, I still have dreams about being out in service with brother control freak and juggling work and meetings and his nagging for wednesday night field service. UGH! Good Riddens to bad rubbish!

tartarus

"Next time I'm going to stick to purely Canadian cults." LOL

On a serious note. I don't think the fact that it's American that's the problem for me. They have to have a head office somewhere. It happens to be America. If they moved the NY bethel to Switzerlad would they automatically become a Swiss "cult"?

Some here use the word "cult" to describe WTS. It carries a negative meaning in English. In French language the word "culte" is used to describe every religion. "Culte Catholique", "culte buddhiste", "culte de Temoins de Jehovah".

This is from Wikipedia on cults:

"Some sociologists who study cults have argued that no one has yet been able to define “cult” in a way that identifies only those groups previously recognized to have beliefs or practices that run counter to generally accepted norms and values. Clearly, criteria for the identification of cults do exist, but they are problematic themselves. A little-known example is Alexander and Rollins' 1984 study, which concluded that the socially well-received group Alcoholics Anonymous is a cult by using the model of Lifton's thought reform techniques [3] and applying those to AA's group indoctrination methodology. [4] Despite the applicability of Lifton's model, researchers [5] point out the benefits that AA offer its members, which are plain even to non-members. [6] For many, this issue with the concept of cults might raise the question of why it is important to define any particular group as a cult; hence, the preference among anthropologists for "sect", or even the dated and out-of-fashion term, "sub-culture". An additional worry is the problem of how to identify those in a given society who should be privileged to decide which groups ought to be referred to as a cult or, using the more neutral term, as a "sect." Thus, it becomes an open question whether the study of cult groups is a valid topic for the self-critical and professionalized production of systematic knowledge."

Does it Bother You that It's An American Cult?