SPEAK OUT! about emotional blackmail....

by professor 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  professor

  The Watchtower Society goons, in a power drunken stupor, are once again caught with their pants down, this time exposing their diabolical plan to undermine and exploit natural family love.

  Audacious, even for the Watchtower, the message of the August 2002 Kingdom ministry rings loud and clear to the rank and file: Emotional Blackmail Can Force Your Family Back To Us!

  "After hearing a talk at a circuit assembly, a brother and his fleshly sister realized that they needed to make adjustments in the way they treated their mother, who lived elsewhere and who had been disfellowshipped for six years. Immediately after the assembly, the man called his mother, and after assuring her of their love, he explained that they could no longer talk to her unless there were important family matters requiring contact. Shortly thereafter, his mother began attending meetings and was eventually reinstated. Also, her unbelieving husband began studying and in time was baptized." - Kingdom Ministry August 2002

  The article in it's hideous entirety can be viewed here.

  This may be an opportune time to write that letter to a family member lost to the Watchtower Society, bringing to their attention that you know about this. I believe that even the most brain-dead Watcthtower follower can occasionally be tricked into a moment of clarity by something shocking, for instance, having this blatantly hateful message in print from Mother Watchtower brought into its full context by someone who is affected by their obedience to it.

  Families members should be shown that printed matter such as this propaganda is not only perverse, but also dangerous. Easily, comparisons can be made of this to the message of hate groups such as the KKK and the NAZI Regime.

  It is sad to look at even my own parents to see that they, too are involved with and endorse such a hateful creed. I am not going to be quiet about it with them.
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  happysunshine

  YICK! That km and web site change make me sick! I often wonder what influences the policy changes. Writting dept. staff member has a Bad Hair Day?
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  A Paduan

  assuring her of their love, he explained that they could no longer talk to her unless there were important family matters requiring contact

  relying on HER capacity to love, he went on to reveal to her where they had gone - so in her capacity, not knowing of 'boundaries', she even went to THAT place for them - so now they have their very own 'Jesus' to do things to - as they please and as they're told to.

  Edited by - a paduan on 26 September 2002 6:47:54
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  Marilyn

  I must admit that I've never understood their rationale. It's the same as twisting someone's arm behind their back and leading them into the KH. I guess if 'bums on seats' is all you care about then the end justifies the means, but to the rest of the thinking world, it's comes across as a very stupid way of getting members.

  I also have to wonder about all these people they claim were moved to return to the meetings after being told their family wouldn't talk to them any more. It had the reverse effect on me. It made me realise what a manipulative bunch of evil doers they really were. It's more likely that the family members in their story are fictional, or were pretending to believe just to keep their family. Now there's a shallow victory.

  Marilyn
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  home_and_dry

  To me, this is just a perfect example of getting the numbers back up whatever.

  If there was no DFing, and family members were free to spend as much time together as they liked when one leaves the borg, if that person decided to go back, surely then it would show that they are going back because they genuinly want to, not just because they desperately want to be accepted by their family again.

  It's just like marrying someone for their money. At the end of the day you would still be married, but what would really be the point to it? It wouldn't be a proper marriage so why bother?
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  Gopher

  Although they do have certain cases where people give in and return to the organization, even this case (cited above in the post by Professor) shows it is often for social / family reasons, and not to "serve Jehovah's Kingdom".

  Like Marilyn, I didn't feel like jumping through their hoops and following their rules in order to "get back in" to the JW's. It felt exactly like the title of this thread states, "emotional blackmail". This is not Christian love, or even human decency. It's about fear and guilt and an organization that LOVES to crack the whip to get people to respond.

  As far as whether my JW parents will ever be able to see the cultishness of this practice, my dad is an elder and will defend the organization until the day he dies without seeing the promised new order. And my mom is such a sheepish follower. Sadly, I don't know these people any more. Thanks WTS for what you did to our former family.

  Edited by - Gopher on 26 September 2002 7:24:12
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  dmouse

  8. If a minor child living in the home is disfellowshipped, Christian parents are still responsible for his upbringing.

  Well thank goodness for that...Jeez.

  Just makes me wonder what a 'minor' child can possibly do to merit such barbaric treatment as disfellowshipping.
• 

  A Paduan

  Gopher,

  I hesitate at giving advice - but if they could physically cope with it, I would not go easy.

  I would make it clear to my parents (in verbal word) that I loved God, and that they serve men - that you are in not the slightest doubt.

  And emphatical that you know the wtbts' to be just miserable mess of men who have applied spiritual teachings to flesh, and that you won't have anything to do with such a darkness of intellect, not now, not ever. And refuse your reply as to how or why you know. AND, make sure he well understands that it is HIS responsibility that he has delivered his family into the hands of men, not yours.

  NO RETREAT in your verbal stand whatsoever - you both love God and reject his org. - no anger, no heatedness, just resolute assurance. Explain that if he wants to serve men then that's his choice - as he's an adult - but it's ridiculously unreasonable to expect you to do such a thing, knowing that they are simply a sham of charletons - that it is not you who are disturbed by the speak of men - that you are a man.

  Personally I'd chew them right out.

  paduan
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  expatbrit

  This is exactly the kind of article which should be submitted into evidence during court cases to demonstrate how people are compelled and coerced into obeying Watchtower dictates. That an organisation that requires this level of obedience owes a duty of care to its adherents should be an obvious conclusion.

  Expatbrit
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  Gopher

  Thanks for the thoughts, A Paduan. (And I continue to enjoy your brown threads. Sorry if that's too much of an inside joke for others.)

  I share your thoughts about what I'd LOVE to tell my parents. However, it seems that whenever I even begin to bring up any subject unpleasant to my dad's ears, he changes the subject. The aposto-shields go up any time even one word is breathed which might indicate a lack of abject loyalty to the almighty Watchtower Society. So I'm between the proverbial "rock and hard place" with my dad.