Combatting Cult Phobias

COMBATTING CULT PHOBIAS

"When a person appreciates that life is a sacred gift from God, he will treasure each day of life and view being alive as a precious privilege. He will be moved to use his life in harmony with Jehovah's will.--Rev. 4:11. It is obvious that most people do not view life in that way. They do not understand how human life began, nor do they appreciate God's undeserved kindness that offers eternal life. That is why they follow a course of selfishness that results in no real happiness to them and brings no lasting benefit to others. Every day, you are confronted with the world's view of life. It is projected in what you see and hear in news reports, entertainment, and other areas of life. By treasuring God's gift of life, you are able to reject the world's view. You also have the privilege of helping others to appreciate that life is indeed a marvelous gift of God." - Unit 12(a) 'Treasuring God's Gift of Life', page 121, of the Watch Tower Society's Pioneer School book 'Shining as Illuminators in the World' (2010 printing).

On page 124 of 'Shining as Illuminators in the World', under the title 'Avoid Bloodguilt', a number of scriptures are given as making one 'bloodguilty' (comments after the scriptures are mine):

Ex 20:13 [murder;] 1 Sam 31:4 [suicide;] Ex 21 22-25 [injury to unborn child;] Deut 22:8 [injury caused through neglect of safety measures;] Ezek 33:8 [bloodguilt specifically to be attributed to Ezekiel if he did not warn the wicked;] Acts 20:26,27 [bloodguilt specifically to be attributed to Paul if he, as an Apostle (or 'sent forth one') did not warn the wicked;] Acts 15:20 [eating/drinking of blood from once living creatures;] Rev 17:8 [blood shed as a result of religious intolerance;] Rev 18:2-4 [reprehensibility via association with those who are bloodguilty].

After this comes the subheading 'Show That You Treasure Life by Using Yours in God's Service'. Thus huge emotional pressure is brought to bear on the pioneer. The message is that unless you 'have plenty to do in the work of the Lord [read Watch Tower Society]' you could be bloodguilty. Being 'bloodguilty' will of course mean only one thing at Armageddon.

This made me think of what Steven Hassan calls 'Cult Phobias'. In his new book 'Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults and Beliefs' he devotes a whole chapter to this problem. Here are a few extracts from that chapter:

"In my experience as a cult member, there were specific incidents where fears were either installed or activated by my [Unification Church] recruiters. During my initial three-day workshop, cult leaders implanted the fear that I couldn't trust my own thinking capabilities due to unseen negative spiritual forces (Satan) that were supposedly affecting my mind and spirit. I had never believed in Satan or any such evil metaphysical entity but, by the end of three days, part of me (the nascent cult self) had come to fear these diabolical forces."

"During recruitment and indoctrination, phobias of the outside world and of the pre-cult self are methodically implanted, nurtured, and employed. The critical faculties that would allow a non-phobic person to analyze the claims of the leader and the doctrine are short-circuited. Independent thinking or action is precluded. Fear prevails over logic."

"The use of stories and testimonials. Cult leaders may use stories about defectors to reinforce phobias: (Do you remember Alice M? She left the group last month and we just got word that she hung herself. See what happens when you leave the protection of the Almighty?) These stories are usually fabrications. Sometimes, they are partly true (the person did leave the group). Former members who return to the group may be asked to speak about the sin, greed, or suffering they encountered in the outside world. They describe how they were mugged, raped, plagued by terrifying nightmares, or suffered unrelenting migraine headaches until they came back to 'God's family.' The more horribly graphic, the more effective the story."

He puts these cult phobias under the four main headings of 'Physical health', 'Psychological health', 'Spiritual life' and 'Social life'. These phobias are concerned with what would/could happen if the cult member left the group. Here are a few things appearing on those lists [with my comments in brackets]:

Die painfully [at Armageddon], contract incurable sexually transmitted diseases, never be happy, suffer for the rest of one's life, become unspiritual or unbalanced ['mentally diseased'], lose one's relationship with God, lose one's chance of redemption/salvation, be judged unworthy when Armageddon takes place, lose the safety and security of the group, be unloved, be rejected by family and friends [shunning], never speak to children or grandchildren again, be persecuted by evil agents [Satan and his demons].

I highly recommend Mr Hassan's book which is an updated and revised version of the book he released in the year 2000 called 'Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves'.

Combatting Cult Phobias

JWB

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