The WTBTS = Abusive Partner

by Libelle 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Libelle

  I thought about this in the early days of The Mr's conversion, thought I'd run this by you folks and see what you think. I think, sometimes, that the WTS took it's ideas right out of "How to be an Abuser 101" Text book.

  1. Isolation - both of them do their darnest to isolate the new convert/victim from her/his previous life, family friends, interests. Tell them they're a bad influence, tell them "they hate me" or hell, tell them they're just tools of Satan to get them out of the victim's life.

  2. Create a dependence upon the abuser/WTS - there's no one else who will love you/have the right doctrine like I/We do. Everyone else is trying to keep you from me.

  3. Scare the living snot out of them to keep them from leaving - death threats, violence, horrific tales of the end of the world, and atop of that make sure they know that unless they're "good enough" then they'll risk getting any or some of the above.

  Anyone else see the parallels?

  -Libelle
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  Quillsky

  The similarities between emotional/relationship abuse and spiritual/cult abuse are absolutely clear to me.
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  Heaven

  Definitely. When I was a teen I was told that when I got married, I would have to subjugate myself to my husband.

  I didn't know what subjugate meant so I looked it up in the dictionary. After reading the definition, I decided I didn't want anything to do with being a Jehovah's Witness.
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  Lady Lee

  I've been saying this for years now. But more like abusive parent because they do tend to treat Witnesses like little stupid kids
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  Quillsky

  Lady Lee, an interesting transactional analysis (TA) take on it.

  So would you say there's more parent-child than adult-adult abuse amongst JW's? Or does the form of abuse take the form of whatever it would/may have taken if JW's hadn't entered the equation?
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  miseryloveselders

  Lady Lee, an interesting transactional analysis (TA) take on it. So more parent-child than adult-adult?

  Didn't they call themselves "mother" at one point?
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  Libelle

  I've been saying this for years now. But more like abusive parent because they do tend to treat Witnesses like little stupid kids

  But so do most abusive partners - they treat their partners like they're stupid, worthless underlings.
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  Ding

  The isolation of arrogance is a key to their control.

  The WTS forces JWs to be arrogant: They have the truth. No one else has the truth. They belong to the only organization that understands the deep things of God. Everyone else is worldly or worse. Apostates are demonized...

  This forced arrogance isolates JWs from everyone else.

  If they consider coming out, they have to think, "Where else can I go?"

  Then there's the lingo in the magazines: "Theocratic ones will...", "Proud, rebellious ones will...", "Are we so proud that we think we know better than Jehovah's organization?", "How can we learn truth apart from Jehovah's provision through the faithful and discreet slave...?"

  If you start to question the organization you feel REALLY isolated because:

  1. You don't know who you can trust on the inside.

  2. People on the outside don't understand; they don't even know God wants to be called Jehovah!

  3. Apostates are out there just waiting to drag you into Satan worship.
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  ziddina

  I agree 100% with you, Libelle...

  I'd love to see a few more comparisons with abusive partners, perhaps from people who had to deal with an abusive partner AND the Watchtower Society??? I've got to run right now, but to state my former situation very briefly, I had to deal with a Jehovah's Witness husband who constantly belittled me and left me alone for long periods of time while he was out drinking, shooting pool, and being a ski bum...

  Zid
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  LostGeneration

  Straight out of the cult handbook.

  Point 1 falls under thought control - Us vs. them (inside vs. outside)

  Point 2 falls under behavior control - Need for obedience and dependency

  Point 2 falls under emotional control - Excessive use of fear. Of course while the irrational fears can be overcome, they do hold the cards in taking away family/friends, so its a very real and rational fear for those who want to leave...

  http://www.ex-cult.org/bite.html