Please feel free to explain the control mechanisms of the Watchtower Society. Thank you!
This thread is for people that do not really understand the control mechanisms of the Watchtower Society
by Iamallcool 25 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
JWB
Fear
Obiligation
Guilt
-
whathappened
They do not allow you to read or listen to any critism of the Watchtower Society. You are to believe and follow everything they say down to the last detail. That way they can control your behavior, the information you recieve, your thoughts and your emotions.
They tell you how you should think, feel, behave and react. This goes wide and it goes deep-Who you marry to how you dress/How you groom yourself and whether you drive a 2 door or 4 door car (4 door is better for field service; no field service minded JW would drive a 2 door).
-
talesin
JWB - awesome, I'ma gonna use that one, if you don't mind!
Cool, I would say that the typical traits of a 'cult' as defined in the research and books one would find at the library. I spent a lot of time at our local city library, researching and reading up on cults, back in the mid-90s.
From memory, some of them are,
* having their own language (think, 'field service', 'worldly', 'the flock' - you get my drift.
* isolating their members from family, friends and the outside world, whether physically (as in a compound) or mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
* having their own distinct dress code (don't have to 'splain that one!)
There are more, but you see what I'm sayin'.
tal
-
JWB
talesin, please be my guest! However, I must be honest and say that it is not my own invention, unfortunately I don't know where I came across it otherwise I would give credit where credit is due.
-
talesin
JWB, merci! Thank you for passing it on.
t
-
snare&racket
Lies...... this scored lots of followers in the last century. Until now, the religious leaders had a monopoly on information and alternate knowledge.It once forbade openly and now discourages, higher education or personal research. It also provokes distrust and confusion concerning sources of alternate information such as scholarly material and science. They do this in very manipulitive ways (e.g. showing scientists arguing amonst themselves out of context). It also potentiates fear for mechanisms of information delivery, radio and tv (previously) and now the internet. In cutting off all these sources of data, the religion then establishes itself as the safe transmitter, the trustworthy broadcaster of information. It feeds all science, all history, all politics, all religious and biblical information to its members. Ironically, having been proven wrong in all its predictions and claims, it tells the people it is a source of information that is human and prone to error, allowing itself a special grace. A privelage denied to other sources of information. The religion then cherry picks the data from the knowledge available in 2013 and feeds it. It is telling that 99% of Watchtower gruel, fed to its members is regurgitated doctrinal belief and analogy. The things learned by man in the last 10 years fo unoticed amongst the JW's as it is neither promotes or confirms the leaders beliefs, quite likely the opposite. So the followers minds eat old food and are left mentally malnourished, ignorant and blind. All the while, increasing in skeptisism of contrary data.
All this being said.....when I was young, contrary information would have been dynamite to a JW. Nowadays, when I talk to old JW pals or family, hey know the contrary issues, they just get embarassed, a little defensive and simply shrug. It appears like this is a common trait of being a JW in 2013. I grew up in a religion in the 80's and 90's with ALL THE ANSWERS, now though...... they have to be content with lots of questions. This is not a mindset I remember seeing when I was a full in JW about 10 years ago. The internet is changing the game.
Love..... the religion depends on the above group having children in the religion, expanding it from within. It forces bonds between members via constant congregating and interaction. The more it seperates people from the real world, the more excluded and therefore united in common fear/hope/belief the people feel. In reality it is not love but acquaintance, for if you have doubt, you are rejected. Love by its nature does not do this.
Loss...... The above group, with the above children will lose eachother if they dare to question, doubt or leave. It is an odd trait of human behaviour that people that have invested much into something WANT it to be real, for obvious psychological avoidance reasons they will therefore reject alternate information and views, even their own. The fear of accepting the loss of time, years, health, youth, education, career, family, relationships etc for a sham is too much. The fear of those losses being for nothing can be enough to trap one's mind in staying.
The loss of even doubting as a JW is very real. I had one meeting with one elder, concerning my doubts, my well founded theological concerns and issues. It ended with being instructed to no longer attend meetings.
There was no answers offered, no offer of research or scriptural examination. After 20 years, after pioneering full time, after even going to Bethel, this was sufficient to close the door. This does not happen in normal life, it does not happen in science, in the seeking of truth. It happens when the man attending a 'special' meeting for 'special guests' promised amazing things, puts his hand up and says "excuse me, you say this moneymaking scheme will all make us rich, but if...." ..... do the con men sit the person down and explain the formulas and equations? No THERE ARENT ANY, so they show them the door. No different in the JW's and Scientology and Catholisism and Pyramid Schemes... etc, etc, etc
The Founder of the Watchtower was a fraudster. He was called a con-man by the Brooklyn Eagle (newspaper) for attempting to sell 'Miracle Wheat' from the very pages of the Watchtower. He tried to sue them and lost. The Wheat was not miraculous, it was considered poor by government tests. He gave himself the title of pastor.
Watchtower have copyright on their own bible (clever). But its writers could not translate as they claimed, in open court.
One president had his own mansion, built for the return of old testament prophets. He also had two cadillacs. He gave himself the title of 'judge', despite being a below average attorney.
The current bunch live in prime real estate when they are not dwelling next to the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, ironically central to Satan's world, but central to gods too apparantly.
The plans are drawn and land is bought for a new compound in the countryside North of NY. It will be built on world donations and with free labor. They will live long lives there with people doing all their cooking and cleaning. They are even excused from ministry and regular requirments as they travel the world for free as religious VIP's.
The con works.
-
Crazyguy
I like the one about the 2 or 4 door car , had a roomate that bought a sportscar he always wanted, but the guilt became to much to he traded it for a 4 door sedan
-
flipper
The shunning policy exerts major control - they basically blackmail people to stay in so they won't lose their family and friends. Snare and Racket said it well, comparing WT to Scientology, Catholicism and Pyramid schemes. Add in Moonies, Est-Landmark, Mormons.
You would think it would be embarassing for them to have to force people to stay in, showing that their organisations do not have what it takes to keep members otherwise.
Mrs. Flipper
-
Mum
Read 1984 by George Orwell, and there it is. Big Brother is watching you at all times, and everyone else works for him as a spy.
You do not have the basic human rights to:
- Choose your own friends
- Wear fashionable clothes or anything that may draw attention to yourself
- Disagree with males, regardless of how ignorant or uninformed or downright stupid they may be
- Express your own thoughts or opinions
- Have your own thoughts and opinions
- etc.