Jonestown cult and the JWs

by jonathan dough 75 Replies latest jw friends

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  jonathan dough

  Anyone see the recent CNN special on Jonestown? It really bothered me, particularly when listening to the survivors talk about the amount of control exerted over them; they were afraid, terrified, couldn't just walk away, family members were snitching on each other, families were split up in the end, tugged out of arms, they were well dressed seemingly happy people who were clapping and cheering until you looked in their eyes.

  The similarities with the JWs isstaggering. Jones preached obedience, obedience, obedience. They poisoned 300 of the children with cyanide convinced that death was better than the evil authorities that were coming to get them, and paratroop out of the sky.

  Deny it if you want, but the Society is marching off to somewhere, cheering, clapping, pretending to be happy, thinking they are doing the will of God.

  Obedient.

  900 dead.

  How do we stop it before it's too late?

  http://144000.110mb.com/trinity/index-5.html#20
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  musky

  There are no boundaries on what people do in this life,when they believe that there is a promise of eternal happiness after it.
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  flipper

  JONATHAN- I think we can each individually , if not stop it, at least slow the JW cults progress down by being there for our JW relatives. I try dropping off hints to my JW relatives in small increments. I am there to show real unconditional love and affection to them ( which they don't get in the witness cult ) and every opportunity I get I emphasize how IMPORTANT family is - whether it's witness or non-witness family.

  Many cults as Steve Hassan brought out so well substitute for our natural family by expressions like calling each other brother and sister in order to get cult members thinking the Witnesses are your real family. It's a tricky insidious way the WT society tries infecting members emotional attachments. I mean for Christ's sakes - they call the organization " Mother " - I mean HOW ridiculous is that !?

  So I think all we can do is try dropping off thoughts into our JW relatives and be there for them emotionally when the cult lets them down. And believe me- the JW cult will let them down, just a matter of time
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  1914BS

  The DECEMBER 15 WT is already saying that it is a good thing to die for Jesus(WT) and that dying for your brothers is also a good thing.

  hek these dubs are so mind controlled that they could start armageddon if provoked
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  jamiebowers

  I used to worry about a mass suicide with the jws, but as my dear husband points out, mass suicide would't be profitable to the Watchtower. That being said, however, a cult is a cult.
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  kurtbethel

  900 dead is chump change by rank amateurs compared to the Watchtower body count, and associated bloodguilt.
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  Mickey mouse

  I used to worry about this more early on in my mental exit. Now not so much.

  I think it could happen if they became more hardline, lost a lot of members or if there is a schism.
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  yknot

  I think the WTS is too corporate to organize a mass suicide; oh sure they arent' above inciting loyalty to the Org even if it means secular authorities putting JWs in prison, workcamps or even death.....

  In the end the largest 'god' to the WTS is money, I am sure an exit strategy already exists when the money dips to low and it comes time to close the WTS doors for good....... (if there isn't .....dear bethel lurker.....please go over to Legal and smack em up side the head and tell them they are stupid and not doing their jobs!). No surely they already have plans of another non-profit that is located in a country with more lienent laws than the USA.....when it comes time to liquidate everything.
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  jonathan dough

  I used to worry about a mass suicide with the jws, but as my dear husband points out, mass suicide would't be profitable to the Watchtower. That being said, however, a cult is a cult.

  It's not always about profit. The occult doesn't cast spells for monetary gain; it's also about control.

  http://144000.110mb.com/144000/index.html#intro
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  yknot

  I think the GB that craves control over enjoying the three Es (Entitlement, Ease and Ego) is dying off.

  Becoming fully corporate is a natural evolution too.

  They are far more likely to modernize to reinvigorate the R&F and retain those born/raised before reducing themselves to Jonestown .... there is still more fleecing of the nearly 7million members.

  Further you are taking the stance that the WTS motive was always about control. I have to disagree....it started off about influencing others to believe as Russell did and to buy subscriptions to his magazine and purchase his books. Rutherford's dictatorship wasn't about controling JWs so much as the WTS itself, the JW individuals were just a mode to his means of propagating his three Es......

  Of those who have led the WTS I can only think of two who would chose control to the point of downgrading the 3-Es...... and their names rhyme!