At what point do the individuals in the ORG need to take responsibility for their actions? (page 2)

sabastious

I know, it can be very maddening to watch people act the way JW's do especially when your life is negatively affected. Mind control changes our neurology. Spending extended periods of time in the Kingdom Hall WILL reduce reasoning ability, it's by design. Cult personalities are people trapped within their minds. Just think about it as if they are perpetually blacked out on a substance and the Kingdom Hall as a narcotic. It's understandable to become angry at someone who's blacked out on a substance. They do stupid things that they normally wouldn't.

-Sab

Ding

My heart goes out to everyone who has been treated like this because their family bought into the WT perversion of Christianity.

transhuman68

I think the Witnesses are like alcoholics. You can blame the religion (or alcohol) for their actions, but ultimately it is the individual who is responsible. That's tough, but it is the way the justice system works. I think many Witnesses use the religion for their own ends anyway.

Borges

I was thinking about the same question a lot of times. I asked myself: Is it legit to blame my parents for a wasted childhood and youth, for all the trouble in school, for having a bad conscience all the time, for not having a good education because the only goal they set for me was fulltime service allthough they did all this because they didn't know better?

I came to the following conclusion: In jw-thinking parents bear the responsibility for their kids. Thats why children had to die in the flood and children have to die at armageddon. The jw accept that children have to suffer and die because of the decisions their parents made. They don't scrutenise the background or take into consideration that these parents love their children and just wanted the best for them. So why should you judge jw parents differently?

From my point of view as a humanst I can't blame them for what they did. But applying jw-thinking, they are fully responsable for all the harm this cult caused to us.

designs

The mind is able to segment things so that the 'bad' associated things get put into boxs we can deal with ie- Most Catholics do not relate to or see themselves connected to the pedophile priest problem, it remains abstract and distant to their life. So with the JWs- there could be revelations of money going for lavish lifestyles of the GB, there could be more predatory sexual suits filed but the average JW will not relate to it or internalize it very much since it is not their reality.

LisaRose

I understand how you feel, but Flipper is right that they are under mind control. If you hadn't left due to your marriage situation (I had to do the same thing), you might still be a Witness and possibly still think like that. We all have to accept some responsibility for being in this religion, but on the other hand we were manipulated and lied to.

I am going through this with my sister. After 30 years of being disassociated, she got blackmailed into returning in order to see her grandchildren. Now she won't talk to me. I am a bit angry, because she knew it was all a big lie, but now she is drinking the kool ade, but for many years I didn't talk to her, so I do understand the thought process that goes on. We were on Facebook, but I was mad and deleted her, as I felt if she wouldn't talk to me why should she get to hear about what is going on in my life. But now I am sorry because I think I should keep whatever contact she allows me.

There are now easy answers here, but I do know acceptance of their choice is the only way to have peace in your life.

ABibleStudent

Hi vajeni82, It is perfectly natural to feel anger towards the cult persona of your relatives, but not towards the authentic persona of them. I know that the preceeding sentence is confusing. The cult persona of JWs is very conditional because the WTBTS indoctrinates JWs with BITE control techniques. If you read Steve Hassan's books or watched videos of Steve Hassan describe how BITE control techniques work, you would understand better. Watching the following video about Steve Hassan may give you ideas that will help you feel less angry towards your JW relatives and conditional friends, and possible help to awaken them.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw-oF-Z_I7U

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

At what point do the individuals in the ORG need to take responsibility for their actions?