JW's - Are you in a "THEOCRATIC arrangement" or an AUTOCRATIC one?

by The Fall Guy 5 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  The Fall Guy

  I now know which system I was under!

  Theocratic/Theocracy: A system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god. (Oxford Dictionary)

  Didn't Jesus allegedly begin ruling as High Priest in God's name in 1914? Sorry, I forgot that Mr. Rutherford elected his own "theocratic" priesthood 4 years later - when he & his henchmen hijacked the org after getting out of the pokey!

  Autocratic/Autocracy: Taking no account of other people's wishes or opinions; domineering. (O.D.)
  

  Typical characteristics of an autocracy:
  

  1) Little or no input from group members

  2) Leaders make almost all of the decisions

  3) Group leaders dictate all the work methods and processes

  4) Group members are rarely trusted with decisions or important tasks

  5) Work tends to be highly structured and very rigid

  6) Creativity and out-of-the box thinking tend to be discouraged

  7) Rules are important and tend to be clearly outlined and communicated

  Do these characteristics sound familiar?
  
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  cofty

  Theocratic systems are are a subset of autocratic dictatorships.

  Autocratic - ''Do what I say'.

  Theocratic - 'Do what I say because I speak in the name of god'.
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  stuckinarut2

  Great thread! Thanks for starting it The Fall Guy!

  Cofty! Perfectly said. As soon as a leader(s) speaks as "God's Mouthpiece", and people believe their claims, they can get away with murder .... literally as is sadly seen by many religious fanatics around the world! Even JWs look forward to mass murder when the big A happens!
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  Ireneus

  Autocracy because they display a total disregard towards feeling of others--including God. Look at the way they take the name of God in vain. Everything they do in the name of Jehovah. All their literature, gateway to their property, their buildings ... Etc contain Jehovah's Name. Even when the pedophilic cases are fought, God's Name is dragged into the filth.
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  smiddy3

  JW's - Are you in a "THEOCRATIC arrangement" or an AUTOCRATIC one?

  Or are you subjects of a dictatorship ? Do the rank and file Jw`s have a say in the belief system of the religion ?

  Or are they dictated to as to what they are to believe.

  If they disagree with some belief are they given a hearing ear ? or not.

  No they are told to OBEY what the G.B.of J.W.`s say or face the consequences .

  If they persevere in challenging a belief held by the G.B.of Jehovah`s Witnesses they will be shunned and dis-fellowshiped from the congregation.

  So my point is J.W.`s are under a totalitarian rule ,not theocratic and not autocratic.but Totalitarian .
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  TheWonderofYou

  This arrangement has indeed also totalitarian traits. While the theocratic and autocratic both are dictatorships, the total-itariN wants to "change the person" into a new person.

  Totalitarian domination unlike an authoritarian dictatorship, strives to work into all social conditions, (aka micromanaging a publishers life) often linked to the claim to form a "new man" according to a certain ideology (according new insight).

  While an authoritarian dictatorship seeks to uphold the status quo, a totalitarian dictatorship requires the ruled to play a most active role in the life of the state or Org, (permanent work) as well as its further development in a direction dictated by its ideology.

  Thus typical are the permanent mobilization in mass organizations (shunning. Hate speech consequences for mishbhavior) and the exclusion up to the killing of those who actually or possibly oppose the total claims to power. (Excommunication ,Stoning Armageddon) The political counter-model to totalitarianism is the democratic-liberal, material state governed by the rule of law, with freedom of citizens guaranteed by fundamental rights, the separation of powers and the constitution.

  Mostly both National Socialism and Stalinism are classified as prototypes of totalitarian regimes.

  While this comparision might be inapropriate these little similarity to fascist and politicsl misuse of power and misuse of power in cults or regimes and the total-itarian dependency and obidience urged should be alarming.

  It's that what is between total and totalitarian.

  From a cult you can seemingly escape but hardly not from a regime.