Is the Watchtower Corporation guilty of purposely infusing a overwhelming amount of fear to control people ? (page 2)

Balaamsass

Fear and greed top motivators for mankind.

It’s easy to pick on the WTS for its fear-mongering, and there is justification for doing so as other posters have graphically demonstrated. But really, they are no different from the political parties in the United States who verbally abuse their opponents in much the same way.

Let Republicans talk, Democrats are all sodomites who will bring down God’s wrath on the entire nation, consigning every soul in it to everlasting hellfire. Let the Dems have their say, and anybody who has sympathy for the GOP is a racist, homophobic, war-mongering bigot who wants to enslave everybody who isn’t ultra-rich. The political parties can only present negative views of the other camp instead of looking at them as people of good conscience who have an honest difference of opinion.

We’re living in a time when few want to accentuate the positive. The WTS has been in the doomsday business since its inception. That makes it very difficult to possess and present a positive worldview. Other religions, particularly fundamentalist sects, are no different. Living in the American South, I can tell you that Sunday is the most depressing day of the week with radio, TV and the churches full of preachers fulminating about death, demons and debauchery to their flocks, and how people had better “get right with God” lest they die and go straight to hell. So don’t isolate the WTS in this. The Society is not alone but has plenty of company when it comes to fear-mongers.

Quendi

DaCheech

wow, 1 word................ yes

blondie

I don't think fear initially draws people to the WTS. They are told that sickness, war, death will be done away with. That they and their resurrected family will live forever on a paradise earth in health and happiness. I call it the "carrot on the stick."

Once they are baptized, the fear angle starts to keep them in.

http://www.freedomofmind.com/Info/BITE/bitemodel.php

5. Excessive use of fear

a. Fear of thinking independently
b. Fear of the “outside” world
c. Fear of enemies
d. Fear of losing one’s “salvation”
e. Fear of leaving the group or being shunned by group
f. Fear of disapproval

6. Extremes of emotional highs and lows.

7. Ritual and often public confession of “sins”.

8. Phobia indoctrination : programming of irrational fears of ever
leaving the group or even questioning the leader’s authority. The
person under mind control cannot visualize a positive, fulfilled
future without being in the group.

a. No happiness or fulfillment “outside”of the group
b. Terrible consequences will take place if you leave: “hell”;
“demon possession”; “incurable diseases”;
“accidents”; “suicide”; “insanity”;
“10,000 reincarnations”; etc.
c. Shunning of leave takers. Fear of being rejected by friends,
peers, and family.
d. Never a legitimate reason to leave. From the group’s perspective,
people who leave are: “weak;” “undisciplined;”
“unspiritual;” “worldly;” “brainwashed
by family, counselors;” seduced by money, sex, rock and roll.

kurtbethel

It’s easy to pick on the WTS for its fear-mongering, and there is justification for doing so as other posters have graphically demonstrated. But really, they are no different from the political parties in the United States who verbally abuse their opponents in much the same way.

Let Republicans talk, Democrats are all sodomites who will bring down God’s wrath on the entire nation, consigning every soul in it to everlasting hellfire. Let the Dems have their say, and anybody who has sympathy for the GOP is a racist, homophobic, war-mongering bigot who wants to enslave everybody who isn’t ultra-rich. The political parties can only present negative views of the other camp instead of looking at them as people of good conscience who have an honest difference of opinion.

So very true. It is a sign that someone has nothing to offer when their campaign consists of instilling fear and suspicion about the other candidates. This activity translates into Kurtspeak as "I don't have anything to offer you, so I want to distract you from my worthlessness to you by slandering my opponent." I have never voted for anyone who does this, and I never will.

Finkelstein

One can also see the conniving manipulation by implementing fear as a coercive tool. As the world if all evil and worthless and soon to be destroyed but

there can be people who can join a spiritual Paradise now in god's protecting earthly arrangement, namely the JW organization.

You either are in this world which is governed by Satan on the path to its and yours destruction or you

be in god's chosen organization and be safely protected from Satan and his impending destruction .

The WTS's always makes a clear distinction toward its sole agenda, catching many off guard while they may be at their most venerable.

rip van winkle

For me FEAR was definitely a factor. I decided to have a study after the 1st Gulf War started.

Several years prior, I had some discussions with a co-worker who was a JW and was given the Live Forever book. I thought it was the most ridiculous thing. Live forever. Yeah, sure.

I won't get into the specific details, but I did have a brief study as I had alot of questions. This JW wasn't equipped to answer my qstns and so decided to let someone in my home territory call on me.

I thought the way they "study" was completely ridiculous. Read the paragraph from the book written by the WTS and expect an answer in my own words based on that paragraph. After several attempts of trying to 1st get answers to my qstns before I would have a study in their book was impossible. So,after several attempts, I decided it was not for me. Anyway, these particular Bethelites were really peculiar.

My co-worker continued to occassionally place mags with me(5 or more at a time) instead of answering any question. (Didn't know at the time that mags were counted or that I was the dumping ground!!!)

Actually, only in the past year I realized how the depictions in the magazines impacted my thinking. Great trib, armgdn,etc. (like Kurtbethel posted). Their message is doomsday and pessimism.

Fast forward several years later, the Gulf War. I opened up the Live Forever book and started reading it again. The images on the TV news was so like the images in the books and magazines of theWTS publications. And sometime after, I requested a study.

Fear was definitely a factor for me.

Chemical Emotions

Love kurtbethel's response!

Let's look at some passages from the lovely "My Book of Bible Stories", written for little, impressionable, innocent children, and see..

"But just learning about Jehovah God and Jesus Christ is not enough. We could have lots and lots of knowledge about them and their teachings, and yet not gain everlasting life. Do you know what else is needed?

We also need to live in harmony with the things we learn. Do you remember Judas Is·car´i·ot? He was one of the 12 that Jesus chose to be his apostles. Judas had a lot of knowledge about Jehovah and Jesus. But what happened to him? After a while he became selfish, and he betrayed Jesus to his enemies for 30 pieces of silver. So Judas will not receive everlasting life.

Do you remember Ge·ha´zi, the man we learned about in Story 69? He wanted to have some clothes and money that did not belong to him. So he told a lie to get these things. But Jehovah punished him. And he will punish us too if we do not obey his laws."

Finkelstein

As Chemical Emotions pointed out, fear mongering continues on even when children are being focused upon.

And he will punish us too if we do not obey his laws

So even at the youngest of age there's an implication that if you obey and do everything what the GB says, god wont punish you.

The roots of mind control start at the youngest of age

King Solomon

Look at the picture on the bottom lower right: in the lower right corner, you can see the Mom is obviously distressed to see her young children dying before her eyes, and that image (should) strike an emotional chord for ANY Mother, just imagining the horror of watching the death of your children in front of you. That's a powerful message targeted to women that most men just won't see, unless it's pointed out...

Make no mistake: that's a point blank message to Mothers saying, "don't let this happen to YOU and your family". You hubbies who are fading after learning TTATT: THAT'S the image that's running thru your wife's mind when you admit to losing your religion. THAT'S what you're up against...

On the other hand, seeing that kind of horrorific scene also forces JW viewers to desensitize the violence, the undeniably gruesome scene, where they cannot blame their father-figure YHWH but instead must blame the victims. JWs engage in dualistic thinking, blaming the out-group for it's own destruction, eg, "tsk, tsk, what a shame.... If only they had listened to us when we knocked on their doors. We gave OUR Saturdays up for them, but did they listen?"

(BTW, that guy wearing a Fedora hat with a pistol is a hoot: he apparently just robbed a bank to feed his meth habit, and apparently thinks the cops are after him in his drug-induced paranoia. He obviously doesn't know WHAT is going on.....)

Is the Watchtower Corporation guilty of purposely infusing a overwhelming amount of fear to control people ?

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