abuse and cults clearly defined, You have to read this!

by needs_lots 8 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  needs_lots

  I have just reading a great book by Sylvia Brown, The Other side and Back, and I found a very interesting quote I wanted to share with all of you.The quote best describes the jehovahs witnesses and the abuse i suffered.

  Sylvia brown says

  "cults and abusive relationships have a lot in common. They thrive in isolation and secrecy, which promote control and dependency and systematically eliminate alternative places for the cult member/abused to turn. Both cults and abusive relationships require absolute obedience to a selfproclamed god who makes all the rules, regardless of fairness or logic or the overall welfare of the group. They are not and never will be a democracy, because if equality exisits the whole structure of the cult/abusive relationship falls apart. In order to maintain the illusion of superiority, the cult leader/abuser has to contantly reinforce the inferiority of the cult member/abused and the perpetual threat of dire punishment for questioning the self proclaimed god's authority. Everything would be fine if they'd just stay quietly and obediently submissive. The point comes when the cult member/ abused has been programmed to associate submission with survival. "

  So true and I love this book! Victoria
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  DanTheMan

  yep, that pretty well describes the WT.

  thanks for sharing.
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  No Apologies

  Its a great quote. But I when I go to look for the book, I see this person is a psychic, talking about the afterlife. Not what I was hoping for.
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  needs_lots

  My brother gave me the book for christmas. It is a very interesting read. She has alot to say about family relationships, love, death and more. I think alot of it makes sense. She talks about jesus, and god and angels. Most of her book is what I have always felt in when I was a jw. She talks about a god of love not a burning hell fire. She talks about our purpose here on the earth, and how we have charted our own course in life, to learn for our mistakes. Some of us choose to learn, some of us choose to ignore our course. Anyway, pyschic or not, there is truth to what she says, and it brings a sense of meaning and calm to my life.

  xo

  vic
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  Billygoat

  Ugh. That just made me ill. And it just made me remember my father saying something once to my step-mom - "If you would just be the quiet submissive wife Jehovah asks you to be, we wouldn't even be arguing."

  *shaking head*

  Sometimes I can't believe I emerged from that family and that cult alive! The memory of it all seems so far away...like it was someone else. But I'm so grateful I'm out that's for sure!

  Andi
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  Mulan

  I really like Sylvia Brown. I don't know if she is for real, but I like her life's philosophy. All of us have opinions, but some people write books to share theirs. If we can benefit, I think that's great. I don't avoid certain authors anymore, because of their beliefs. It's the content that either gets me or doesn't.
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  rocketman

  That quote certainly fits the jw religion to a tee.

  Billygoat, I read what your dad said and yep, that's what the religion does to people.
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  happysunshine

  Wow.
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  waiting

  thanks for the info.

  Also good are Steve Hassan's books - much fine reading information. How to free ourselves & try to help others.

  waiting