Blame it on the Boogy!!!

by quellycatface 8 Replies latest jw friends

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  quellycatface

  Was chatting to one of my brainy colleagues at work and telling him a bit about my JW exit etc.....

  He asked a few questions and then we got onto singing for some reason. He said that having music, singing or even chanting at religous gatherings makes the brain for "receptive" to suggestions and indoctrination. WTF, I said!!! That's mad. But could it be true???

  I always wondered why we had to sing 3 songs at the meeting. That's one part I do miss and am going to join a singing group in my area after the holidays!!!

  Anyone got any thoughts??

  TGIF, by the way x
• 

  The Searcher

  I just call the KH singing, "Karaoke time".
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  Pronger1

  Yes.

  http://www.cracked.com/article_16656_6-brainwashing-techniques-theyre-using-you-right-now.html
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  LisaRose

  Music does influence emotion, so I think that could be true, if so then every church is guilty of it. I don't know about the JW songs though, I thought they were awful. I attended a church for a few months and they had wonderful music. They not only had a choir but a five piece band and a hand bell group. It made the service quite enjoyable.

  Anyone remember "Firm and Determined"? When I was young we were singing that song and a friend whispered to me "Just like we used to sing at the Gestapo!" I was trying not to laugh for the rest of meeting.
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  Gopher

  Anyone remember "Firm and Determined"? When I was young we were singing that song and a friend whispered to me "Just like we used to sing at the Gestapo!"

  That song is "Forward You Witnesses!" It's ironic that your friend associated the song with the Gestapo. The song was written by JW Erich Frost in 1942 [during World War II] inside Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin.
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  Xanthippe

  Or course! The words of their beliefs are set to music. You are repeating the words of the indoctrination over and over set to music. Don't we remember pop songs from years ago like that? I can remember Kingdom Songs now and I left twenty-five years ago. Listen to those words.

  'we must have the faith that the Bible does describe

  we must build such faith if God's war we would survive

  do we have a faith accompanied by works?

  this kind of faith preserves our souls alive'

  'Though you die upon the field

  even death to me will yield'

  'move ahead move ahead to maturity

  it's the will of your God that you gain ability

  try your best to improve in your ministry

  always letting your light shine'

  All from memory, I don't own a songbook. Twenty-five years and I can still remember. Indoctrinated? Brainwashed? OMG yes.
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  Gopher

  Xanthippe,

  SO true. I've been out 13 years and still remember a lot of the songs from the 1984 songbook. I suppose because I played piano at the Kingdom Hall for over 10 years that burned the songs even deeper into my subconscious.

  A lot of the songs were about "Christian loyalty" (i.e. not questioning the organization) or preaching or accepting 'new light'. In other religions I think the hymns are more about Jesus or about someday going to heaven, not to further inculcate cult-like thoughts and actions.
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  snare&racket

  Ask yourself if your emotions were ever evoked, standing at an assembly seeing sll the JW's singing a song about being a movement. It was borrowing from patriotism, army brotherhood, catholic tradition....
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  Xanthippe

  Gopher, there were so many about having to do more and more. There was one I can only remember bits of but it seemed to get faster and faster and there were lines like 'quicken the pace' all through it. The ones mentioned above are mainly about doing all we can to survive the looming bloodfest! Talk about frightening kids to death.

  Snare yes I remember that! Looking around at everyone singing and tearing up. Just about people in groups that's all - and control.