If you are organising a "get together" or any other social event congregation the Elders have to be involved to ensure that it is properly supervised. They will tell you if there are any "marked" ones that should not be included in the guest list, and if it is a concert or theatrical production of some sort they will also tell you if they think the artist or play is approved as appropriate entertainment, as some people may be stumbled by it.
Give Examples Of How The Witnesses Are Controlling
by minimus 24 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
goofy
My relationship with my Mom! I cannot have a normal conversation with her and tell her what is happenning in my life because she considers it wrong, be it friends, boyfriends, career pursuits, etc. etc. and feels she must either "adjust my thinking" or overtalk me to make sure she does not have to hear that I am pursuing something other than religion. I yearn for the normal relationship my friends have with the Mothers. The Witnesses control my relationship with my Mom.
-
pr_capone
Everything else has been mentiond so I will throw out one that hasnt. No beards for the brothers. I look damn good with a goatee but could never wear one till I left. Now I am in the military and its gone again.
PFC District Overbeer
-
Red
I remember after having my THIRD baby I was talking with my brother (who was a very strong jw) and I simply made the comment that my stomach was a little sore and he gave me a weird look, so I explained to him I got my tubes tied...oh boy I tell you, you would've thought I just killed somebody. The First words out of his mouth were "Did you do any research on that and find out what the faithful and discreet slave have to say about that"!! I thought I was gonna freakin puke! My husband and I made the decision that no matter what our 3rd baby was- that was it for us--no more. I never even realized it would be considered wrong to "them". So like a normal JW, I was stricken with guilt, went right home and started looking up info and even talked to an elder about it. I hated that feeling (at that time) of doing something I couldn't change. I mean- damn I had 3 kids now, do you think those bastards were gonna come help me take care of all 3 of them during all these meetings, service etc...??? Just a little example of how much control this organization has over its members! It wasn't long after this episode I left! My heart truly aches for people that are still under this control, because I am loving life--finally!
Red
-
dmouse
Control? Rules? Of course they don't! The Society doesn't have lots of rules, they told us so:
Quote:
*** w96 9/1 21 Living by the Law of the Christ ***
At times, some write to the Watch Tower Society asking for rulings on such matters as what view they should have of specific films, books, and even toys. Yet, the Society is not authorized to scrutinize such things and to issue judgments on them. In most cases, these are matters that each individual or family head should decide, based on his love of Bible principles. Others tend to turn the Society’s suggestions and guidelines into rules.Oh no, the Watchtower Society would never issue judgment on toys:
Quote:
*** w54 12/15 743 Origin of Christmas and Its Spirit ***
Is the spirit of God found in the millions of toy soldiers and tanks, guns and planes that glorify war and not “peace on earth, good will toward men”? Is it found in the gluttony, the drunkenness, lasciviousness and murder committed on this day called “Christmas”?They would of course not say anything about books and films either:
Quote:
*** w97 1/15 6 Messengers of Godly Peace Assemble ***
A highlight of Friday’s program was the symposium “Watch Out for the Hidden Snares of Entertainment.” Today’s music, movies, videos, television shows, video games, books, magazines, and comics often reflect demonic thinking.*** w97 7/15 16-17 Are You Pursuing Virtue? ***
11 Many television programs, videos, and movies promote vice. According to one prominent mental-health expert, ‘hedonism, sexuality, violence, greed, and selfishness’ predominate in most of the movies being produced today.*** w96 10/15 12 Singleness-A Door to Undistracted Activity ***
11 This involves guarding against permissive ideas diffused by means of many TV programs, movies, magazine articles, books, and song lyrics. Such ideas are flesh-oriented. A young Christian of either sex who wants to make room for singleness should “walk, not in accord with the flesh, but in accord with the spirit.No, be it far from the Watchtower Society to make any rules, about anything. It is all just suggestions:
Quote:
*** w96 9/1 21 Living by the Law of the Christ ***
For example, in the March 15, 1996, issue of The Watchtower, there was a fine article encouraging elders to make regular shepherding calls on congregation members. Was the purpose to establish rules? No. Although those who are able to follow the suggestions find many benefits, some elders are not in a position to do so.As an example of this take a look at this collection of such “suggestions”:
Quote:
*** w67 12/15 765-6 Searching for the Bible Principles ***
1. Is it wise to join a school or office sports team?Your associates can have a good or a bad effect on you. (Prov. 13:20) Will it involve time that should be spent with your family or in theocratic activity? (Eph. 5:15, 16) Physical training is of limited value. (1 Tim. 4:8) It is wise to avoid the fierce competitive spirit of the world. (Gal. 5:26) Could it involve one in nationalistic ceremonies? (1 Cor. 10:14; Dan. 3:18) Parents are to make the decisions for minor children. (Prov. 22:6; 23:22)
2. Would it be wise to accept a promotion on my secular job?
A husband is responsible to provide materially for those in his care. (1 Tim. 5:8) Materialistic desire for luxuries can lead one away from the faith. (1 Tim. 6:10; Mark 4:18, 19) Jehovah will provide the necessities for those trusting in him. (1 Tim. 6:8; Matt. 6:11, 31-34) Will it interfere with your service to God? (Col. 4:5; Heb. 11:24-26)
3. May a Christian go to the theatre to see a popular motion picture?
God’s people shun entertainment that encourages immoral desires or a love of the world. (2 Tim. 2:22; 1 John 2:15-17; Rom. 12:9) We should seek association and entertainment that upbuild and encourage right conduct. (Phil. 4:8; Ps. 119:63) Will others who see you attend be stumbled? (Phil. 2:4; 1 Cor. 10:32, 33)
4. Should I permit my son or daughter to go out on a date with a person of another religion?
As head of the household, the husband is responsible to make the final decision. (Eph. 5:22; 6:4) Association with false worshipers should be avoided. (2 Cor. 6:16, 17; Ps. 106:35, 36) Might it lead to a marriage to an unbeliever? (Deut. 7:3, 4; Neh. 13:25, 26; 1 Cor. 7:39) Parents should protect the moral integrity of their children. (Gen. 34:1, 2; Prov. 5:1-4) Children can show respect for Jehovah’s arrangement of things by being obedient to their parents. (Eph. 6:1)
5. Is it all right to wear the short “miniskirts” that are currently in style?
Female adornment should be modest. (1 Tim. 2:9, 10) A Christian wife is to be in subjection to her husband; a minor daughter is to be obedient to her father. (Col. 3:18, 20) Christians do not seek to imitate the world, but set an example of goodness. (1 Pet. 4:4; Eph. 5:9-12; 1 Cor. 10:31) We need to shun anything that would cause stumbling or would detract from our ministry. (2 Cor. 6:3, 4; 1 Cor. 13:4, 5)
6. Is it compatible with Christian principles to go hunting or fishing?
Animals may be killed for food. (Gen. 9:3) True worshipers may obtain food by fishing. (John 21:6-13; Luke 24:42, 43) While man has dominion over animals, he should not deal cruelly with them. (Gen. 1:28; Prov. 12:10) We should avoid the bloodthirsty spirit of Nimrod, killing just for sport. (Gen. 10:9)
7. Is it proper for a Christian wife to go to a “nightclub” with her unbelieving husband?
Christian wives are to be in subjection to their husbands. (Titus 2:5) If a mature Christian visits a place with a bad reputation, it might wound the conscience of a weak one. (1 Cor. 8:10-13) Christians do not seek to be present where shameful conduct or speech is common. (Eph. 5:3-5) God’s servants seek to maintain a clear conscience before Jehovah. (1 Pet. 3:16, 21)
Now, remember that this is just suggestions. You do what you want now, you hear!. But of course you might get yourself DF’d that way. But as you can see the Watchtower Society NEVER make any rules about anything, right?
But they have another word for rules and suggestions in Brooklyn, which is the word counselling! How does the Watchtower Society want you to react to their “counselling”?
quote:
*** W98 7/15 12 Beware of lack of Faith ***
We also have “the faithful and discreet slave,” appointed by Jesus to provide spiritual “food at the proper time.” (Matthew 24:45-47) Thus, God is still speaking. But are we listening? For example, how do we respond to counsel about dress and grooming or choice of entertainment and music? Do we “listen,” that is, pay attention to and obey what is being heard? If we have the habit of making excuses or taking exception to the counsel, we are opening ourselves to the subtle danger of hardening our hearts.Compare the quote immediately above with this one:
quote:
*** w96 9/1 21 Living by the Law of the Christ ***
At times, some write to the Watch Tower Society asking for rulings on such matters as what view they should have of specific films, books, and even toys. Yet, the Society is not authorized to scrutinize such things and to issue judgments on them. In most cases, these are matters that each individual or family head should decide, based on his love of Bible principles. Others tend to turn the Society’s suggestions and guidelines into rules.Which one of those two do you think they want you to live by in Brooklyn? The first one of course, the other one is just another of those “window dressing” articles aimed at the general public. Do they want you to obey their counseling? Or do they let you take it or leave it?
quote:
*** w98 7/15 13 Beware of a Lack of Faith ***
19 The lesson, therefore, is that if we fall into the habit of failing to “listen to his own voice,” ignoring counsel from Jehovah through his Word and the faithful slave class, it will not be long before our hearts become callous, hardened.No, you can’t ignore it. It is from Jehovah himself and he is of course extremely concerned about the length of you skirt and your hairstyle, after all he is the ultimate creator of haute couture.
Quote:
*** w98 7/15 13 Beware of a Lack of Faith ***
Similarly, when the slave class offers counsel on the need to be selective in our choice of music and entertainment, and so forth, do we gratefully accept it and make adjustments where necessary?Of course you have to accept the rules, oops counsel of the “slave class” on music too, and make “adjustments” accordingly, or else!
Quote:
*** w98 7/15 14 Beware of a Lack of Faith ***
20 If we do not respond positively to Jehovah’s “voice,” clearly expressed in the Scriptures and Bible-based publications, we will soon find ourselves “drawing away from the living God.” Passive ignoring of counsel can easily become an active belittling, criticizing, and resisting of it. If left unchecked, the result is “a wicked heart lacking faith,” and recovery from such a course is usually very difficult.It is obviously fatal not to obey the “counsel” and listen to “Jehovah’s voice”.
So it turns out that the Watchtower Society is making rules about grooming, dress,
hairstyle, music and entertainment after all. They just call it counselling.Quote:
*** w96 9/1 20 Living by the Law of the Christ ***
4 Nonetheless, true Christians do not allow their worship to become a meaningless structure of laws. They do not serve Jehovah merely because some individual or organization tells them to do so.It is quite obvious that they do everything in their power in Brooklyn to make their members obey their homemade “structure of law” and if they don’t they will make life very hard for them.
[from my files, sorry don't know original writer]
-
dmouse
Submitted for your consideration, try giving this to a JW and watch 'em squirm!
CULT CONTROL MECHANISMS
1 Exclusivism Your group is the only true group. All others are under the Devil. The responsibility to save the world rest on you and your group. You block out anything and anyone that questions the group. Your loyalty, which you think is to God, is really to the group. The group has, in essence, replaced Jesus Christ as mediator between you and God.
2. Legalism. In addition to the biblical, old covenant rules, the group establishes extensive modern day rules of its own which dictate policies for every aspect of your life. Enforcement of their rules and of their conscience is one of the major control mechanisms empowering the group.
3. Guilt The group elevates its extensive rule and performance requirements. To ensure you will live up to those requirements, they equate meeting the requirements to pleasing God and not meeting those requirements to displeasing God and failure.
4. Fear The group identifies some soon-to-occur cataclysm and then offers protection from or through such an event, so long as you are meeting the performance requirements, are loyal and faithful, and in good standing with the group.
5. Authority. If a group can convince you that they have some special authority from God, that God has appointed them, you readily accept their control. These claims take many forms: modern-day prophets or apostles, only true church, God's only channel or organisation, etc.
6. Performance. Works for Eternal Life. By teaching works for salvation the group has its members on a treadmill of performance that you can never get off of, and the treadmill never stops!
7.Indoctrination. Systematic programming of your mind and thought patterns, and control of information to effect a conditioned response. Literature that opposes the group’s way of thinking is not allowed to be read.
8. Special Insight from God : "Truth" that we can get from nowhere else. Special man/men/group or body with whom God deals directly.
9. Self-authentication The group becomes the modern-day fulfillment and counterpart of all biblical accounts and Bible prophecy. They re-write their history to fit the needed scenario.
10. Conditional Love Since love is a basic human need, they establish a system by which all "love" and friendship will be cut off, should you leave the group. (see 16)
11. Status-Acceptance Importance, prominence, and acceptance (by others and by God, a basic human need) are only received through the group.
12. Purpose The group provides a purpose for life (a third basic human need), and that purpose is to work for the group, which is of course, working for God.
13. Common Enemy. Satan and his cohorts (i.e. everyone that is not in the group) are established as the common enemy. To have anything to do with anyone outside the group (other than to bring them into the group ), even family, is to have dealings with the enemy.
14. Judgementalism All outside the group are evil, worldly, and under the devil.
15. Limited Association No association is allowed outside the group (except to bring a person into the group).
16. Excommunication/Shunning. The threat of these control mechanisms keeps everyone in line like no other devices (emotional blackmail).
17. Intimidation Constant reminders that all in the group are unworthy. It is only your association with the group that gives you any worthiness. You could never understand "truth" without the group, nor could you have any relationship with God, except through the group.
18. Dependency Those who are in the group become totally dependant upon the group and "group think" to make day to day decisions. The remarkable factor here is that you actually believe you are making these decisions on your own.
19. Language a. esoteric: There are many words and phrases known only to the group. b. special meanings, Specific meaning are given to words, phrases, and bible texts that thereby seem to identify the group. c. conditional response: Just like Pavlov's dog, those in the group will respond exactly the same to any subject or Bible text.
20. No Independent Thinking. The group demands loyalty and obedience to the group and equates that with loyalty and obedience to God. Any questioning of the beliefs of the group is equated with questioning God himself. Thus any belief, no matter how bizarre, can be sustained within the group.
-
Elsewhere
Don't be silly... JWs are not controlling at all!
JWs do what they do because of their Bible Trained Conscience(TM). The WTS does not make them do anything. The fact that the acts of a True Christian(TM) and a Bible Trained Conscience are defined by the WTS has nothing to do with control. Sure, the WTS tells them that they are rebelling against gawd himself and threaten shunning by family and friends if they do not follow their direction as gawd's sole channel of communication on earth, but that does not mean they are actually controlling the people! Certainly not! JWs do what they do because gawd wants them to do these things... not the WTS. Just because the WTS releases publications and passes along secret verbal instructions does not mean that JWs are following the WTS, because the WTS is, again, gawd's sole channel on earth, which means that when they read the publications, they are reading spiritual food from gawd, not men. The men are merely the facilitators of the information... the Faithful Slave(TM) who is passing this food along to the people.
Sure, sometimes these imperfect humans will provide incorrect food at the improper time, but that does not mean you should rebel against gawd by leaving his slave who harmed you by the fruits of his actions.
-
berylblue
CULT CONTROL MECHANISMS
Dmouse, did you write this? If not, who did and from what source did you get it?Thanks so much.
Beryl
-
Shakita
People of the female gender must wear dresses at all 5 meetings a week, including service, even if the weather is definitely NOT dress friendly. AND...those dresses must be of a modest length with no slits so as not to arouse any innocent brothers lest they get thoughts unbecoming of servants of Jehovah. Talk about controlling.
Mrs. Shakita
-
dmouse
berylblue,
It was heavily adapted from information found here:
http://members.tripod.com/hismin/counterfiet.html
Hope that helps!
Also: