Quote: Secrecy becomes necessary not only to appear OK to the outside world but the more dysfunctional the system becomes the great er need for individuals to believe that what they know is not what they know. This is how cognitive dissonance allows the members to know one thing and believe antoher that is contradictory to the first.
Denial is the core part of cognitive dissonance. If I do not know what I know then I am OK. Whether this is 1 person, or 1 family; whether this is one organization or even a whole country - the basic belief becomes we do not know what we know.
Interesting - it happens within/without the org. all the time. What's unique is that the whole organization of Jehovah's Witnesses - all jw to a lesser/greater degree buy into cognitive dissonance.
Lol - like believing that creation days are 6 completed, and that each was 7,000 years long....but how'd the dinasaurs fit in there? Well, we just won't think about that too much.
Famous jw saying after asking them an ethical question: "Well.....I'm going to remain faithful to Jehovah's Organization." Sometimes they just say "faithful to Jehovah" but it means the same thing......stay in the organization.
I'm sorry for your family troubles now in 3 generations. Glad you've been able to empower your children to hopefully not allow this to continue in your family.
Congratulations on a job well done.
waiting