Crisis of Conscience is a big fat book that's out of print and whose author just passed away last year. Those are all factors that drive the price up. Also, are you looking at hardcover? Tough to find a hardcover under $20 anywhere.
Who has NOT read Combatting Cult Mind Control or Crisis of Conscience?
by Mad Sweeney 69 Replies latest jw experiences
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OnTheWayOut
If some don't want to read the books, I fully agree that each person must find his own spiritual path and decide what books (if any) will help him.
But the authors mentioned here have done more to free JW's than any other videos or discussions or books. I know you are already free in your mind if you are reading this forum (except for a few rare ones), so let me do my breakdown like Flipper did:
I'll describe how all 4 books from Ray Franz and Steve Hassan affected me.
Steve Hassan's book " Combatting Cult Mind Control " was the very first book I read concerning breaking away from the JW's. I read it before I read CoC because my library had a copy of it available. I really learned that, because he never actually addressed JW's yet his experience was just like a JW's, that WTS is just another cult. While it is controversial about whether the leaders deliberately use cult techniques, it is impossible to miss the connection between a Moonie and a JW publisher. It was so freeing to know that it wasn't me, but it was them. Jolting the mind to sense, I could move toward recovery after this book.
Ray Franz's " Crisis of Conscience " had no bitterness whatsoever. It just laid out the facts. Ray was an excellent writer for WTS and certainly knew his subject well for his book. Revealing the facts about how the Governing Body works and covering stuff like Malawi/Mexico was so confirming for me. I knew I was on the right track back when I felt that something stunk in the WTS and CoC told me what it was.
Ray Franz's second book " In Search of Christian Freedom " was way more doctrinal. I could see some not need to read it, but it helped me to realize that, although Ray didn't do it, I needed to examine the Bible deeper just as I did the fake doctrine of the WTS. ISOCF was a bit long and wading through it was a chore. Still, precious information about the name Jehovah, DF'ing, turning in recruiting (field service) time.
Steve Hassan's second book " Releasing the bonds- Empowering People to Think For Themselves " was more about how I could help someone else to think for themself now that I did. While I never broke my wife out of WTS, it has helped me to encourage her thinking process. She is less and less addicted to WTS and more and more just a social JW that won't let go for the sake of friends and family. If I ever do get her out, it will have a lot to do with the fact that I read this book.
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J. Hofer
i haven't read either. crisis of conscience doesn't really interest me anymore (though i might parse through it one day), the hassan book sounds interesting though.
what i read on my way out was gilgamesh, herodot, xenophon, josephus etc, extracanonical bible books and gospels, several books about christian history, some texts by martin luther and finally a book about how to argue with a fundamentalist that showed me common fallacies like "red herring", "strawman", "ad hominem" and the like.
i didn't read any of those books because of someones recommendation, i just checked the quotes by the watchtower. i even ordered a few textbooks for historians or archaeologists (i always wanted to be one) about ancient israel, canaan.
never had counseling, that's not very common in my country. it would have probably been beneficial though.
PS: when i say "i left", that is i left the mindest and de facto also the organization. but officially i'm just "marked". i sometimes have to keep my mouth shut when some of my ultra-religious in laws come for a visit, that's all.
PPS: i'd first have to read the dawkins books before i consider reading either of the ones mentioned.
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shamus100
I haven't read Combatting Mind Control, and don't really want to. I get it, it's a cult.
COC, yep. It was interesting, an eye opener, but not as jaw-dropping as all the hype, LOL. It was well worth the read, don't get me wrong.
For me I didn't base my exit on a book or on anyone else. It was based on common-sense, and later hard facts. That, and seeking out counselling helped me immensely.
When you find out what is wrong with your life, and why you feel down all time, and fix the problem, it's amazing how wonderful life is. Life is good. :)
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cult classic
I have to add that I have relatives who've read those books and uh....
They're still in.
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TD
I agree with everyone on CCMC. It's very instructive, especially if you're the type of person that likes to know 'how things work'
The True Believer by Eric Hoffer is another book that will strike a similar chord. It's not specifically about Jehovah's Witnesses in any way, shape or form. It's about the psychology of mass movements. But the mechanics are the same.
High control tactics are not just limited to religions either. Alexander Dolgn's Story: An American in the Gulag tells the story of a diplomat's son falsely imprisoned under Stalin. The degree of mind control that the Stalin regime exercised over the Russian people is eerily similar to what you encounter in authoritarian religions. Dolgin recalls how one man was imprisoned because he made the mistake of telling a coworker about a dream where Stalin had died.
You would think that these oppresive tactics would make people hate the authority doing the controlling. But that's not the case. The more control and rules there are, the more fiercely the majority loves the authority responsible. It took me awhile to wrap my mind around that idea.
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undercover
I have to add that I have relatives who've read those books and uh....
They're still in
Which just goes to show that as long as someone wants to believe, then they're going to believe. No amount of evidence or proof otherwise is going to convince them of their staunchly held belief.
That's why you can't force a believing JW, Mormon, Scientologist, or anyone in any number of other cults to accept whatever evidence or logical reasoning you may present. Their minds are not open enough to accept the information in an objective way.
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cult classic
Exactly. I have a couple of relatives who will read anything apostate and then still worry about "what if it really is the truth?"
I'm like, seriously? You have really got to get over the fear and emotionalism to see your way out. There have been many cases of people leaving non JW cults who put their kids thru rigorous therapy to help them get free and the kid goes right back as soon as they can. Unfortunately my family views the religion as our way of life. Even the ones who aren't staunch about it can hardly stand to hear criticism about WT. It's cultural.
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leavingwt
cult classic: What percentage of your JW family would accept a blood transfusion?
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Paralipomenon
I read CoC and while interesting I had a different take on it than most.
I didn't read CCMC but I did pick up "Toxic Parents" for my wife. One of her main reasons for staying in was to try not to incur the wrath of her controlling, abusive parents. After coming to terms with the fact that her parents would never be supportive of anything she did, the WT's hold seemed to just vanish.
It's an overlooked avenue, in my opinion. Some know the organization is a lie, but are afraid of facing their family.