this is more for those who were born out and converted personally. i'm just curious if anyone was told while they were still studying if this was a cult before they got baptized
how many of you guys were told it was a cult before joining up?
by rather be in hades 3 Replies latest jw friends
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smiddy
I would have to say yes to that question with justification :From very early on, my mentor emphasied that because it was" the truth"persecutors would rise up from my own family and try to discourage me from becoming involved.So I decided to study in secret until I was fully informed what this" new" religion was all about. And I read every watchtower publication that was current of the time Of course when I did make it known I was studying with jw`s the opposition came which reinforced the idea I had " the truth."
The 1 big mistake I made was :
1. Studying in secret untill I was fully indoctrinated. All WT publications , no alternative veiwpoints.
And remember this was in 1960 ,no internet or information that`s available via the web today,or sites like this
smiddy
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Phizzy
Jehovah's Witnesses themselves do not acknowledge the fact that they are in a cult, so will not inform acolytes of the true nature of their "religion".
In fact, many of the cult-like features , exclusion from the real world, information control, even Shunning, are touted as positives !
Because Jehovah's Witnesses will argue about the meaning of the word "cult", and some members of the public do not see them as dangerous, I use "rigid control group, mind control group" etc when talking to or about them.
All the bad features of cults, except perhaps one or two, are found in the Jehovah's Witness/WT organization, if the public are informed of this the proseletysing that they do would be lessened.
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ruderedhead
I was told it was a cult when I was studying, but they had an answer for everything, and you had to work a little harder to do research then. Early 80's, small children, going to school part time, little time to look things up in the library. And they were persistent, even when I tried to avoid them.
I can't believe anyone would join them today with such easy access to information on them. And there is tons of it out there. I can't believe anyone STAYS in today with all the information easily available. But then again, when I first started questioning & researching, I had heart palpitations I was so scared!