Are Both The JW And The Ex-JW Community a Cult?

by Vanderhoven7 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Vanderhoven7

  Charlie Ryde writes:

  Let us use the same BITE model for determining if something is a cult to both being a JW and being ex-JW. Mind you this is a short summary.

  B- Behavioral Control

  JW- complete control of acceptable behaviors punishable by loss of privilege or shunning.

  ex-JW- not a group just a loose collective of traumatized individuals trying to move on and warn others. No rules of membership or punishments.

  I - Intellectual Control

  JW- prohibits or restricts reading materials. Discourages higher education.

  ex-JW- still not an actual group but…Most ex-JWs encourage education and reading banned books.

  T- Thought Control

  JW- have a derogatory name for all nonmembers “worldly people”. Call their own teachings “The Truth”. Require complete adherence to the Truth without question to maintain membership.

  ex-JW- no organized doctrine to control. Just people sad their families are destroyed.

  E- Emotional Control

  JW- require an appearance of joy to outsiders. Mental illness considered a defect due to not exercising accurate understanding of “The Truth”. Love Bombing when all is well, complete disassociation when a violation occurs.

  ex-JW- focus on helping each other heal in any way possible and with understanding.

  For a more detailed explanation of how JWs are a cults see the BITE model link below. .

  The BITE Model and Jehovah's Witnesses

  This blog applies the BITE model to the religious practices and doctrines of Jehovah’s Witnesses. A former member does a detailed assessment.

  https://freedomofmind.com/the-bite-model-and-jehovahs-witnesses/
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  vienne

  Short answer, yes.
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  stan livedeath

  Charlie Ryde

  i wonder if thats his/her real name--or where they live ?

  I live in Ryde--but its not me.
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  joe134cd

  I wouldn’t go as far as saying the exjw is a cult. But I have wondered if it is becoming an industry in itself e.g Lloyd Evans.
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  cofty

  The obsession with LE is a bit cultish.

  8000 comments later - He's an idiot - okay move on!
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  Bartolomeo

  as far as I can see I am a PIMO and at the moment I am fine with it, I have no intention of leaving just because certain behavioral models of the GB and the management find me in complete disagreement. But what I've seen both here and on Reddit is that as soon as someone like me tries to defend his belief in God, the Bible or other JW teachings then he gets attacked regardless. This in my opinion is exactly the behavior of a cult, no offence
  
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  Vanderhoven7

  This message certainly sounds like a cult according to Charlie Ryde who writes:

  Join us! Or DIE!!!!!!

  

  In a world where 8 billion people live in various states of confusion, power, hopelessness, there stands one tiny faction that promises to supersede them all!

  Join the Jehovahs Witnesses, abandon your love for the Great Harlot and her beast!

  

  The Jehovahs Witnesses are the only true Christians, every other Christian is an idolatrous sinner! Join us, sit in our den of peace, the Kingdom Hall, and give your life to our ministry!

  One day soon, Jehovah will wipe out 8 billion of the worlds infants, women, children and men! But not us! We are the only people with the super secret knowledge and the wisdom to be Gods Chosen People! How lucky we are to be better than you in every way you mentally diseased, grossly sinning fools!

  Once Jehovah wipes out all non-Jehovahs Witnesses, we will get to be perfect so the stench and labor of burying 8 billion corpses will seem like nothing to us! A perfect man fears no shovel!
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  TD

  Who's Charlie Ryde?
  
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  LongHairGal

  BARTOLOMEO:

  I think you are right that people on the forum are a little biased against anybody who believes in God or the bible.

  When I first ‘Faded’ from the JW religion over twenty two years ago, I still believed in God and the bible. Over the years things changed. I now find myself to be an agnostic and see the bible as a history book of sorts and a collection of stories some of which have a moral. I don’t disrespect anyone who still believes the bible. I’m just not interested.

  To each his own. But, I’m not sure I would say the ex-JW community is a ‘cult’.
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  Disillusioned JW

  The short answer is "no", at least in regards to those ex-JWs who are atheists and/or agnostics.

  Vanderhoven7 in at least one way the Jehovah's Witnesses are much like the ancient religious Jews of the Hebrew Scriptures, in that the JWs believe they have the only true religion and the only true form of worship. The Jewish Hebrew Scriptures teaches that pure worship of Yahweh Elohim (aka, Jehovah God) is the only true worship and it teaches that the religion of the Jewish Hebrew Scriptures is only true religion. Micah 4:2 of the Jewish Hebrew Scriptures says that Gentiles from the around the world will worship Yahweh at his Jewish temple during the reign of the Jewish Messiah. Micah 4:2 (NIV) says the following.

  'Many nations will come and say,

  “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
  to the temple of the God of Jacob.
  He will teach us his ways,
  so that we may walk in his paths.”
  The law will go out from Zion,
  the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.'

  Zechariah 8:23 (ASV) says the following. "Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: In those days it shall come to pass , that ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." Zechariah 8:23 (Douay-Rheims Bible) says the following. "Thus saith the Lord of hosts : In those days, wherein ten men of all languages of the Gentiles shall take hold, and shall hold fast the shirt of one that is a Jew, saying: We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you."
  

  The JWs also worship the same God of the ancient Jews, namely Yahweh/Jehovah to the exclusion of Jesus Christ.

  Also note the following. The Jewish scriptures (such as in Daniel) say a Jewish Messiah (worshiping Yahweh/Jehovah) will rule over all of the gentile nations. The JWs say a 144,000 JWs will rule with the Jewish Messiah (Jesus Christ) over all the Earth and the JWs say Jesus Christ worships Jehovah as God.

  The WT's JW religion gets its idea of exclusivity from the Jewish Hebrew-Aramaic 'Holy' Scriptures.

  Much of the core of the problem of the JW religion comes from the Jewish Hebrew-Aramaic-Greek Bible itself and its portrayal of a Jewish concept of a God of vengeance who demands exclusive devotion and strict obedience. Those ex-JWs who reject engaging in such worship are thinking and acting sensibly and are no part of some religious cult.