Exactly what is the difference?

by Terry 5 Replies latest jw experiences

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  Terry

  The enemy of Jehovah's Witnesses is the individual whose thoughts are their own & who demand reasonable access to alternate forms of source material other than officially approved ones.

  There is no Loyal Opposition permitted for redress of abuse or clarification of policy.

  There are enemies, however. Any person or group who does not agree is the declared enemy.

  MIND CONTROL on the part of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses is not an openly declared boilerplate mission statement. But, the difference between their own exerted Authority and the punishments and threats to those who do not comply amount to the same result.

  If any two actions produce the same result, we might well ask ourselves what essential difference exists between them?

  JW authority to persuade and enforce compliant behavior without resistance does not differ meaningfully from MIND CONTROL.
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  Iown Mylife

  The first description of mind control i ever read was written by Roseanne, the comedian. She said that when people felt approval from the group for saying one thing and disapproval from the group for saying another thing, they are experiencing mind control. That explanation was simple enough for me to get, poor dummy that i am.

  Once I realized that i had been thoroughly mind-controlled by the jw experience, i could make the decision to begin de-programming.

  Marina
• 

  Stormcrow

  A long time ago the Society taught people to KNOW...for the last few decades, they have been teaching people to BELIEVE.

  Belief can be controlled, knowledge can't.
• 

  Terry

  This is a lot like joining a Chess club.

  At first everybody gets to play chess.

  Then, the boards are removed and you can only play with the President of the Chess club who blindfolds you.

  When he declares himself the winner and doesn't allow you to demonstrate his loss on a real chess board--you

  might have to ask yourself what game is really being played.
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  The Urban Dictionary says that the term, "Stepford wife" is "Used to describe a servile, compliant, submissive, spineless wife who happily does her husband's bidding and serves his every whim dutifully."

  So if JW's are willingly Stepford wives to the organization, it matters not whether the method to get them there is called by any of a variety of names such as persuasion, mind control, proselytizing, convincing, indoctrination, teaching, conditioning.

  Someone on the outside can clearly see that it was wrong to make that "Stepford JW" into what he is, but the JW cannot see it.
• 

  Terry

  All viable organizations change over time in a Darwinian competition.

  Pastor Russell's admirers became a cult called by outsiders, RUSSELLITES because the self-styled Pastor's ideas were

  elevated above classic Christianity and mainstream Protestant churches.

  **

  Russell used gimmicks to entice people: Great Pyramid measurements, Doom prophecy, Charts, Books purporting to explicate deep meaning.

  His successor, Rutherford, was an angry man with knowledge of how to manipulate the law.

  He transformed the cult of Russell into a product with a NAME BRAND.

  The name JEHOVAH pushed aside the name JESUS CHRIST.

  **

  Under Nathan Knorr and his trusty sidekick Fred Franz the BRAND was organized and pushed forward into mainstream.

  Franz was a loose cannon. His nonsense oracles continually embarassed the BRAND.

  His embarrassing flop 1975 brought an end to his buddy Knorr's kingship and elite status.

  **

  1972 transformed the governing body into the Governing Body.

  Franz became a figure head leader while the tail started wagging the dog.

  Today we have a group of self-important idols demanding LOYALTY above all else.

  No baptism occurs without the Governing Body being part of the vow.

  **

  The convert is stripped of all identity and has nothing to protect him from the Big Bad Wolf and Armageddon but BLIND LOYALTY.

  The Bible is not for the Great Crowd.

  Jesus is not the mediator for the Great Crowd.

  The Governing Body is the golden calf for the Great Crowd.

  Disfellowship policy is "MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY" and no devil's advocate is allowed one little peep.