This is very interesting, this guy was a cult member for 37 years. Replace 'William Branham' for JW and you can see clearly what a cult really is. He uses 10 points from Steven Hassan's book 'Combatting Cult Mind Control'. JW's get a mention too.. :) If you've got 25 mins to spare it's worth it.
Signs of a Cult.. William Branham Cult
by tornapart 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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DATA-DOG
Awesome!!
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clarity
Here's how they do it.........>
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(Watchtower, June 1, 1953, p. 350 par. 24). 24 In these closing days of wickedness Jehovah’s people must demonstrate holiness. They must not foul their minds with the filthy mental food on the propaganda tables of this old world, but must feed on the feast of fat things Jehovah provides. (Isa. 25:6; 28:8.) Minds must be cleansed and made over, mental circuits formed by old-world thinking and acting faded out and new ones put in according to new-world specifications. By privately studying regularly, by attending all meetings regularly, and by engaging in all features of the preaching work regularly mental circuits are deepened and such good activities become habitual, not at all the struggle they are when the mental circuits are weak and faint because used only occasionally. For ourselves and for others, make them strong!—1 Tim. 4:16.
C
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breakfast of champions
Will check this out. . . Thanks.
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Londo111
Marking for later...when my coworkers go home and I can blast Youtube.
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Cold Steel
I'm not impressed. This guy was dumb enough to join a cult and he's going to tell me I'm a member of a cult because I'm a "Mormon"??
I can associate with whom I choose. I can question any aspect of my faith I choose. Mormons are encouraged to seek a higher education, we don't shun people or mistreat them; we don't believe that non-Mormons go to Hell, and because I believe in prophecies and a "cult leader," then I'm a member of a cult. Under his line of reasoning, first century Christianity would be a cult. Moses would be a cult leader, Jeremiah was a cult leader and Isaiah, too. So I suppose we can add Joseph Smith to the list.
Ah, but we do have question and answer books, God forbid! We aren't asked to not question, however, and now vast libraries of knowledge are available on computer disk, with all of our earliest records. We also have one of the finest apologetics people in the world. But others have apologetics as well, such as the Catholics, Methodists, Orthodox, Jews, and Muslims.
This guy can resort to name calling all he wants, but if one is going to make cults a source of study, they'll have to realize that the early Christians, by their own definitions, were just as much cultists as some of the others. After all, Christianity taught new doctrine, it had a cult leader who claimed to be the Messiah, he claimed to heal people, turn water into wine, be born of a virgin, raise the dead, appoint a group of other cult leaders who were completely dedicated to him; he was blasphemous, claiming not only to be the SON of God, but God Himself! He claimed authority the Jews said he didn't possess, and he was said to dabble in the occult. And most of his life was cloaked in secrecy. There were doctrines that those on the inside knew but which weren't to be taught to others, and when the Romans came down on the Holy City, he did not rise up and overthrow him, as the Messiah was supposed to. In fact, his "Kingdom" was not of this world (read: invisible).
In some ways, according to this fellow, Jesus pretty much defined cults.
So I suppose Mormons are in good company.
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return of parakeet
Cold Steel: " Under his line of reasoning, first century Christianity would be a cult. Moses would be a cult leader, Jeremiah was a cult leader and Isaiah, too. So I suppose we can add Joseph Smith to the list. "
Now you're finally beginning to make some sense, CS. Keep up the good work.
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Oubliette
Very interesting. This is good!
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Thor
When our daughter was in her first year of college I enjoyed reading her psychology textbook. In it I was kind of surprised to read things like the definition of a cult, which fit the JW's like a glove. Another interesting thing was how shunning was one of the most cruel things that could be done to a person. Many interesting things to read...She graduated with a minor in psychology as well as another minor and major unrelated.
Psychology 101
Mrs. Thor