The Governing Body's Great Delusion,,"They Are Special Because They Are Gods Organization"

by frankiespeakin 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  frankiespeakin

  Delusional thinking:

  http://www.delusional.com/paranoid.php

  Delusions Definition and Facts

  The delusions definition states that when a person fixates upon a specific thought that is clearly false as being true, then they are in a state of delusion. The vast majority of delusions are found in patients with mental disorders or pathological conditions. The most frequent of these conditions are schizophrenia, paraphrenia, bipolar disorder, and psychotic depression. There are a number of common manifestations of this condition and certain terms have been coined to identify the various underlying conditions.

  To be considered a real delusion, the problem must fit established delusions definition criteria. These were outlined by Karl Jaspers, a noted psychiatrist, in the year of 1917. His delusions definition is still used to this day by most specialists around the globe. In his definition, there are three specific criteria that must be met. The first is that the false beliefs are certain within the mind of the affected patient. The second condition is that the patient’s opinion of the matter cannot be changed when giving proof that the belief is untrue. The last condition is that the belief must be false or impossible in nature. These beliefs often are centered around a strange or bizarre subject matter. The one problem with this definition is that it works on the assumption that the beliefs of the majority of people are the correct beliefs while, in fact, there are many examples in history of situations where the majority of the people were clearly wrong.

  Perhaps the most common of all modern day delusions are persecutory delusions. With this type, the patient feels that he or she is being unjustly persecuted. In some cases, the patient is able to identify the source, but for the vast majority, the persecutors are not readily apparent. This specific type of persecutory delusions frequently occur as part of overall schizophrenia delusions. The condition of schizophrenia is a mental disorder of which delusions are one of the main symptoms. Another example of schizophrenia delusions are patients that have delusions of grandeur. In these examples, the patient feels that they are a great person and somehow set apart from the rest of society. At the same time, the person will often feel that they are more powerful, frequently with supernatural abilities. The most common delusion of grandeur is when a patient believes that they are the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.

  In modern times, some atheist writers have argued that there is one delusion that is more widespread than all others combined. This phenomenon is known as the god delusion. These writers, with Richard Dawkins being the most famous, state that a belief in god or another higher power is actually a delusion. By the clinical definition of the condition, this is technically a true statement. However, there is no way to provide proof for or against the existence of god. Therefore, the controversy has inspired lively debates and a number of books written about the subject. The application of delusions definition into the realm of religion has provided great insight into the psychology of humans.
• 

  frankiespeakin

  http://www.delusional.com/delusions/dawkins-delusion.php

  The Dawkins Delusion Explained

  In response to Richard Dawkins’s book, “The God Delusion,” psychologist Joanna McGrath and theologian Alister McGrath published a book, “The Dawkins Delusion” to refute the claims of the former. The McGraths are a married couple and their completed studies have led to doctorates in both religious studies and science. Alister is the principle author of the response and his own background is quite similar to that of Dawkins. For this reason, the polarity of their opinions is quite intriguing as they have both come from similar experiences. Richard Dawkins is known across the globe as a very militant atheist and the majority of his books deal with exposing the flaws and contradictions that can be found in theology.

  One of the primary arguments between the two books concerns the origin of religions and how they have come to prosper. Richard Dawkins god delusion is defined in his book that he believes religions are formed as a byproduct of natural evolution and exist as a virus of the mind. McGrath counters that humans are simply not capable of understanding the true nature of religion and that a person must first be properly psychologically primed for religion. Humans have not yet reached this point and thus, it is pointless to attempt to discuss a subject that is incomprehensible. McGrath goes further, suggesting that the human experience of religious is more possible through the use memes, a collection of cultural symbols or ideas that are transferred through the basic actions of writing and discussion.

  Another topic that is debated between the two books is the idea of Dawkins god delusion. The Dawkins god delusion states that the idea of a god is just a form of delusion that is extremely widespread and that many people base their lives around. McGrath agrees on the danger of delusions and advises that people should not live their lives based on a delusion. The problem with both schools of thought is that there is no way to conclusively prove or disprove that the human idea of a god is a delusion or a fact.

  The clinical definition of delusion only serves to complicate matters further. Delusion requires that three conditions be met, all of which can be seen as present in those that believe in a god. The first is that the views must be held with true conviction and certainty. The second requirement is that the thought are not changeable through the course of natural discussion or scientific proof. The last requirement is that the beliefs are considered impossible or clearly false. For those that are atheists, a typical religious person would definitely fit all three requirements of clinical delusion. The major problem with these definitions of delusion is that they are based on what the majority of people consider as possible or impossible. As has been shown many times previously in history, the majority is not always correct. While the debate between Richard Dawkins The God Delusion and Alister McGrath’s “The Dawkins Delusion” continues to rage on, neither side is any closer to victory.
• 

  Heaven

  Years ago I asked my both my parents at the same time if God was directing the Watchtower. At the exact same time my Dad answered "No." and my Mom answered "Yes." (So much for the unity)

  The "holy crap" look that went between them was priceless.

  The Watchtower moulds their members to be dishonest with themselves. Once you accept lying to yourself, you can easily lie to others and you become delusional. This, in turn, creates people who become incapable of dealing with their problems because you just can't accept that you actually have a problem that needs dealing with. "Waiting on Jehovah" removes any responsibility of a JW having to take any sort of action to resolve any of their issues, including seeking needed help. This is very disabling and destructive.

  When you do not deal with your problems, the only outcome is that they get worse.

  The Watchtower creates disabled people. I watched my parents become do-nothing, disabled, holier-than-thou, mean-spirited people. All of their problems were due to Satan and the evil of the world. They became outward looking, incapable of taking action to resolve their problems. And yes, they were also delusional, waiting on some mythical event (Armageddon) to fix everything. Once again, they would not have to be taking any action to resolve any of their problems because Jehovah's 'special day' would do that for them.

  Mom has been dead for over 10 years now. Dad has dementia and is declining. And Jehovah has fixed nothing.
• 

  Jeffro

  *** w94 2/15 p. 4 Cults—What Are They? ***
  Clearly, cults are generally understood to be religious groups with radical views and practices that clash with what is accepted today as normal social behavior. Usually they conduct their religious activities in secrecy. Many of these cultic groups actually isolate themselves in communes. Their devotion to a self-proclaimed human leader is likely to be unconditional and exclusive. Often these leaders boast of having been divinely chosen or even of being themselves divine in nature.

  *** w90 1/15 p. 26 Godly Devotion—Beneficial for All Things ***
  Confident of the loyalty of his faithful creatures, Jehovah delegates authority. So does his Son. From among his anointed followers, “the faithful and discreet slave,” he has chosen a few to serve as a visible governing body.
• 

  frankiespeakin

  Being a JW and beleiving a bunch of,,,, old parnoid, delusionally cloistered with yes men GB,,, has got to be bad for proper psyche developement,, definately more negative than positive, and should produce bigger mental health bills for the beleiving JW than the average person.
• 

  frankiespeakin

  Carl Roger on the subject of what happen to the organism or self when it doesn't live life authentically,,, could this be what is happening to the dellusional Governing Body(living under destortion and denial)?:

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Rogers

  Psychopathology

  Rogers described the concepts of congruence and incongruence as important ideas in his theory. In proposition #6, he refers to the actualizing tendency. At the same time, he recognized the need for positive regard. In a fully congruent person realizing their potential is not at the expense of experiencing positive regard. They are able to lead lives that are authentic and genuine. Incongruent individuals, in their pursuit of positive regard, lead lives that include falseness and do not realize their potential. Conditions put on them by those around them make it necessary for them to forego their genuine, authentic lives to meet with the approval of others. They live lives that are not true to themselves, to who they are on the inside.

  Rogers suggested that the incongruent individual, who is always on the defensive and cannot be open to all experiences, is not functioning ideally and may even be malfunctioning. They work hard at maintaining/protecting their self concept. Because their lives are not authentic this is a difficult task and they are under constant threat. They deploy defense mechanisms to achieve this. He describes two mechanisms: distortion and denial. Distortion occurs when the individual perceives a threat to their self concept. They distort the perception until it fits their self concept.

  This defensive behavior reduces the consciousness of the threat but not the threat itself. And so, as the threats mount, the work of protecting the self concept becomes more difficult and the individual becomes more defensive and rigid in their self structure. If the incongruence is immoderate this process may lead the individual to a state that would typicoally be described as neurotic. Their functioning becomes precarious and psychologically vulnerable. If the situation worsens it is possible that the defenses cease to function altogether and the individual becomes aware of the incongruence of their situation. Their personality becomes disorganised and bizarre; irrational behavior, associated with earlier denied aspects of self, may erupt uncontrollably.
• 

  SethBridge

  I really question anyone/group that avoids all outside thinking of any kind. That is truly the only way learn anything. Its very narcistic behavior. I could only imagine that the GB only speaks to a very limited group of people. Anyone have any knowledge about their social lives? Just curious.
• 

  Phizzy

  Heaven wrote,as part of an excellent post, "once you accept lying to yourself you can easily lie to others and you become delusional".

  That is how all the GB members grew up, lying to themselves and then others, so taking on board the delusion that they are "chosen by Jesus" was easy.

  But as the stuff Frankie has posted shows, it is imposible to get them to see the delusion for what it is, and 7million followers are equally trapped in a bubble of delusion.

  It was the need to be true to myself, to stop lying to myself, that forced me to leave the WT.