Unlock Cult Phobia's in Witness Relatives-Help them Think Real & Authentic (page 2)

lrkr

The more I read his book (the first one), the more shocked I am at the similarities between JWs and other cults. So far, he doesn't mention JWs- so I guess this book might have predated Randy's conversations with him. Randy recommended these books to me some time ago as good for "getting rid of the guilt" I had no idea what he meant until reading the book

flipper

IRKR- You are right ; Hassan doesn't mention Jehovah's Witnesses by name in his first book, but in his second book , the one I'm reading, ( Releasing the Bonds ) he mentions Jehovah's Witnesses by name many times throughout the book and gives first hand experiences of helping get some out of the JW cult. It was printed in 2000 about 11 years or so after his first book. So he had that much more experience in cult exit counseling by then. Read the second book too if you get a chance ; much more detailed, and in my opinion a better more thorough discussion of the " cult mind control " subject . More solutions than the first book

sammielee24

Hi Mr F.

This is an interesting topic so I asked Mr Sam about what his fear was and his was/is not a phobia in as much as God being the boogie man.

As a child he truly believed as he was taught - that Jehovah would only protect him if he was the best of the best. He thought that Armeggedon was exactly like the pictures that the Watchtower used - lightening bolts and concrete falling. He believed that if he did absolutely nothing wrong that Jehovah would put a shield around him and when 1,000 fell at the right and 10,000 fell on the left, not a hair on his head would be touched. It wasn't I suppose so much the acts of drugs or sex etc that made him phobic about staying a good witness, it was that he was terrified that Jehovah would kill him at Armeggedon. In summary - he was afraid of being murdered by God if he didn't live up to his job of serving him. He grew up terrified not so much of the acts...but knew that Jehovah hated those things and if he dared think of them in any way, that he would be killed. I say murdered because if someone kills you for no reason - it's murder.

This was extremely stressful because as much as he was terrified of God, he was told that he was supposed to love him because he was the God of love. So he was supposed to love God but he was scared of him - I would personally liken this to child abuse victims who grow up conflicted with ideas of perhaps fatherly love and child abuse and where the line stops and starts. A JW child is conditioned not to ask questions because that would show

He harkened back constantly to the scripture in Zephaniah 2 vs 3 " Seek Jehovah all you meek ones of the earth who have practiced his own judicial decision, seek righteousness, seek meekness - probably you may be concealed in the day of Jehovah's anger"

The probably was not on Gods part but on his part - would he be righteous enough to be saved? So you have a little kid whose taught extreme fear of God, told to love God anyway but living day to day being told that if he didn't measure up and God killed him anyway, that it was all his fault and nobody else's.

Fear of being murdered was I guess his phobia. That fear becomes a constant in the life of a JW and then the fear twists into judgement as the child moves into adulthood. sammieswife.

flipper

SAMMIE LEE ' S WIFE- Good points you make my friend. Many ex-witnesses like Mr. Sammie feel the same. We were terrified of being destroyed at a future " Armageddon " if we didn't tow the line as perfectly as we could in the JW cult. It is definitely a tactic of all cults, not just Jehovah' s Witnesses to keep their members controlled through these unrealistic phobia's and fears. The images you mentioned that your husband saw in the orange " Paradise Regained " book when he and I were children , of people getting destroyed by a fiery destruction stay with a person for years , especially if a person sees those images when they were a child.

Very true comparison you make of being in " fear " of the alleged " Jehovah " just as child abuse victims are made to " fear " their abusers. Not allowed to say anything in disagreement or there will be punishment. Truly a sick way of living. So it's up to us after getting freedom from the witnesses to start a new life with positive thought processes . It can be difficult, but it is able to be done. It just takes time . Say hi ! to Sammie for me, Peace out, Mr. Flipper

flipper

Getting ready to go to work all night- so I wanted to kick this thread up as I won't be back until tomorrow to respond. Look forward to any comments by you

Berean

Randy You said "I would HIGHLY recommend our video class on learning how to exit-counsel!" I looked on your site and couldn't find the video class. Can you point me in the right direction? Thanks, Berean

Dogpatch

At the bottom of this page:

http://www.freeminds.org/sales/dvds.htm

Learning the Techniques of Exit-Counseling with Steven Hassan - $95 now converted to DVD format: These DVDs are remastered from the original Super VHS tapes, about 13 hours total instruction)

A special class taught by Steven Hassan on March 23-25, 1990 for those who desired a greater foundation in reaching out to those caught up in the cults. The emphasis was placed on learning how to do an intervention (exit-counseling), the modern alternative to deprogramming.
This three-day class was limited to family members of those in cults and professionals who already work in the area of counseling and mind control groups. Special emphasis was placed on Bible-based cults such as Jehovah's Witnesses, The Way International, Boston Church of Christ, etc. more info DVDHassan-15

flipper

DOGPATCH- Thanks for the information on the exit -counseling sessions. It sounds like it was a really great seminar . I'll have to check into it. Thanks for the link ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper

The Oracle

Hi Flipper!
How are you doing, my friend?
I haven't logged in to JWD for a while and this thread caught my eye, so I read through it. Very interesting stuff.
I haven't read Steve's book yet, but I am going to order it and read it. I sent this message to a dear friend recently and I wanted to get your opinion on it since you have read Steve's book and are very familiar with the principles he uses.

Sometimes I write these kind of messages and I worry if my efforts will backfire. Any input you have would be appreciated! Take care!

"Dear Friend,

The solution lies in turning the page – no more pretending – no more half believing….you have to come to grips with the fact that we have been duped and move on.
There are so many wonderful things to enjoy in a life without hypocrisy and without false promises.
The world is an open canvass my friend, and you are the paint brush.

Every cult has it’s charismatic leader who captures the imagination of his followers, who wins their devotion and obedience.
In the case of the WT it is not an individual that has captured our imagination with the promise of a glorious future. It is not an individual that has won our devotion and unwavering obedience. It is an organization. This cult is unique in that it has cleverly linked themselves, the organization, directly with God. Cult leaders as individuals invariably use this method as well. It helps to keep followers in line. It helps win unwavering obedience. The WT has used this method and perfected it. Charlie Manson couldn’t get six million people to buy in to his vision. The WT did.

We too would have followed the organization at all costs, because we had been fooled in to thinking that the organization and God were interchangeable. Obey one, you obey the other. Disobey one, you disobey the other.
Just like a cult member follows and obeys its charismatic leader, we have been brainwashed to follow and obey the organization, no matter how absurd the direction may be. “Don’t take that vaccination. Don’t listen to the doctors. They are controlled by Satan. We are God’s chosen channel of communication. Listen to us. Obey us. If you disobey us, we will have to cut you off from the group.” Result – no loyal cult member took a vaccination. The same thing happened with organ transplants. It was cannibalistic. How many people died listening and obeying the leadership of the cult? The list of atrocities is too long to review here, but you know the record as well as anyone.

Please do not fear the leadership of this group. Please do not fear the local men who represent the leadership of this cult. They are for the most part decent people who have been brainwashed, and who continue to be mislead. Certainly not worthy of your fear.

They do not have God’s backing. You know this to be true. You have had your awakening. You are free.
It is time to BEGIN your real life. The world is not dripping with evil. It is filled with beautiful and caring people who are kind and decent. They are everywhere!

As a believer in God, you should be convinced beyond a shadow of any doubt that not only is God NOT in any way linked with this organization, but that he is outraged at the way this group has misrepresented him. Think about it. Think about how that simple fact should effect EVERYTHING you do from this point forward. Your peace of mind depends on it. You know what is right, and what is right for your beautiful family. Don’t let a cult destroy you."

The Oracle

flipper

ORACLE- How are you ? Good to hear from you ! You make some really good points to make your friend think ! I might add , according to Steve Hassan - add some hypothetical questions to get them to think of their own answers. For instance you could ask : " What if the group never existed , and you were happy in your life , what would you be doing ? " Or , " Do you believe anybody outside the group is happy and fulfilled in their life ? " And wait for their answers . Then you may see which way to move on in your discussion with them

Unlock Cult Phobia's in Witness Relatives-Help them Think Real & Authentic

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