Discuss.
Essay: "A church without a fringe is a cult"
by Stephanus 10 Replies latest jw friends
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Pistoff
The fringe among the witnesses is only that way because they hide, or lie; I am a witness but do not believe a word of the official line anymore.
If I talk about it, I get canned. If I talk about it, I lose my family and am a pariah.
They are not a church; they are a well dressed cult.
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bull01lay
It's taken me a long time to get over the term 'Cult'. When my wife first used that expression in reference to the WTBTS, I bit her head off!! Through reading many of the articles on this site and other links, and reading peoples views, then readdressing my own feelings towards many of the doctines etc, I have come to relunctantly realise that it really is nothing more than a Cult.
I say reluctantly because the greater part of my life was spent inside the 'borg', and no one wants to feel that their life has been a waste. I still don't feel angry towards them, more disappointed, like you've just found that someone you trusted implicitly has let you down or deliberately misled you.
I don't know about anyone else, but I intend getting those lost years back in every way possible!! LIVE FAST - DIE YOUNG - BUT SMILING!
Bull!
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Pistoff
How can you not be angry at a group of old men in NY who KNEW that they were teaching bunk, and did it anyway? Are you not angry about those who committed suicide while DF'd? Or died for lack of blood transfusion? THINK.
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Undaunted Danny
?????? Quick definitions (Fringe) ?????? What are we talking about ??
- noun: edging consisting of hanging threads or tassels
- noun: a social group holding marginal or extreme views (Example: "Members of the fringe believe we should be armed with guns at all times")
"Jesus said do not cast your pearls before swine"
The worst thing that high demand destructive Bible based cults do to their victims is they 'soul rape' you so you become angry at God.
The anguish and the agony of having to renounce the lifelong convictions of one's heart.The surreal horror to know that it was all a lie! {Note:} What forensic psychologist say about cult leaders like Jim Jones and David Koresh.They are control freaks who will never abdicate control.They will choose death by suicide or a fiery fight to the very end.We can indeed see a comparison with the arrogant watchtower cult. Did I get it?
It's been called."surrogate displacement" rage.You become 'mad at the world' and it takes a long time to recover. -
bull01lay
Hi pistoff:
I guess if I devoted enough time to thinking about them, I could get angry. But why bother ? I am happier now than I ever was as a JW, so would rather devote time to pleasurable persuits than harbouring resentment to a bunch of guys that quite frankly, aren't that important anymore!! If I did build up resentment and anger, what then ? I can't take direct action against them, so all I would have succeeded in doing is wasting more precious time because of them
IMHO, anger can work for a short period of time; it can be a great catalyst in making changes in your life. But harbouring anger long term can only adversely affect your health, and make you bitter and twisted because you can't vent your (righteous) anger on the cause of your unsettlement.
We are the lucky ones after all, to be out of a mind control cult!
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xjw_b12
bull01 said:
IMHO, anger can work for a short period of time; it can be a great catalyst in making changes in your life. But harbouring anger long term can only adversely affect your health, and make you bitter and twisted because you can't vent your (righteous) anger on the cause of your unsettlement.
Well put, and I agree with you. I thought I was over the anger part myself, until reading the posts last week with regards to the contibution arrangement, and how after each convention there always seems to be a shortful, which has to be made up. Learning that a predetermined amount was agreed upon to send to the society before the convention even started, just ticked me off. To think I fell for that line all those years.
This site can be a place of learning and healing, but it can also trigger those feelings of anger, that we are trying to move past.
xjw_b12 "Millions Now Living Will Never
DieLearn" -
ozziepost
We are the lucky ones after all, to be out of a mind control cult!
Oh how true!
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ozziepost
"A church without a fringe"?? It's an interesting thought that I hadn't dwelt on before, but it really is a cult identifier, isn't it?
Good thought, as always, Steph.
BTW how's things with you, old son?
Cheers, Ozzie
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Satanus
Danny
The worst thing that high demand destructive Bible based cults do to their victims is they 'soul rape' you so you become angry at God.
It's been called."surrogate displacement" rage.You become 'mad at the world' and it takes a long time to recover.Very well expressed. You got it.
SS
Ps, i see that those two paragraphs are inhabiting various places in cyberspace