“The frog was boiled alive.”
Have you heard that illustration? It’s quite popular amongst JW elders in Australia as a teaching aid.
The story goes something like this: A frog is placed in a container of water. Gradually the water is heated. The frog continues to swim around quite ‘happily’ not realising that his environment is gradually becoming hostile, until eventually the frog is boiled alive.
Not the most pleasant of illustrations, for sure, but it’s used by elders to teach from the platform that the R&F need to stay close to the organisation. Seeking worldly associations may seem pleasant for a while, but eventually leads to death.
Now if you thought this was a JW illustration, think again! According to an article in this weekend’s Sydney Morning Herald it’s being used at a cult-like church in Sydney to keep the church members from ‘straying’. The article quotes one ex-member as saying: “And that’s how we all were: content one moment, cooked the next.” The church is known as the Redeemer Baptist Church at Castle Hill, in the more prosperous north-western suburbs. The article states that it “is not seen by the wider world as a dingbat cult. It presents itself as a conservative evangelical church.” Interestingly, it’s not just in the illustration that this church displays many parallels with the JW organisation and its methods.
1. This church shuns ex-members, whether they are expelled (by a judicial committee) or they leave voluntarily. Where have we seen that before?! The article states: “Since leaving the church alone a year earlier, Ted Jones had been shunned by his wife and family, including Barnaby. Like all other “deserters”, Ted, 58, was deemed to have turned his back on God.” As with the Witnesses also. Another ex-elder of the church and his wife left the church but their grown daughters remain in it. “The daughters have ignored their parents’ attempts at contact, their only communication in five years being a letter from one of them asking the [parents] not to attend her Cannon-arranged wedding.” (The pastor is Noel Cannon.) Another ex-member, now aged 69 and who was expelled in 1985, has not seen his wife and three now-adult daughters since his ‘disfellowshipping’. He “sends them birthday cards, but is careful not to raise his hopes over “the potential” of one day getting a response.”
2. They believe that they are the only “true Christians” and “that all other churches were in some way flawed”. We’ve heard this before too, haven’t we? There’s an interesting thought quoted from an ex-member. He reasons that if this church has the only true Christians, why haven’t any of those who’d left the community returned to the fold? For himself, he says “God freed me. He cleared my mind just enough to get me out of there.”
3. They believe in the absolute authority of the church leadership. (Much like the Borg ?) One ex-member, a young woman, states that she and others came to believe that obeying Cannon was the same as obeying God. (Just like the JDubs)
“As Christians, we lived every day moment by moment, trying to please God. And that relationship, for almost everybody, was transferred from God to Noel….we lived in fear of displeasing Noel Cannon, and [thus]…God.” Another ex-member states:”you don’t dare disagree with him, or your life would be misery. You’d be ostracised, even within your own family.” It’s methods too are reminiscent of a ‘loving organisation’. Says one man:”It’s like what Castro’s daughter said of how Fidel maintained control in Cuba – through care and coercion.”
3. They believe in the spirit-directed teaching of the church leadership. (Much like the F&DS ?) The article states that members “felt they were closer to Cannon than others, and refused to answer any questions directly, saying, “We’d better ask Uncle Noel.” The habit spread until most church members had abdicated their responsibilities to Cannon.” Doesn’t this sound like the “Better check it out in the bound volumes” type of thinking?
4. Their volunteer workers, teachers in the school which the church controls, are not paid award wages but are classed as “ministers of religion”. (Just like at Bethel, eh?) The article states: “Redeemer’s 40-odd teachers are employed not by the school but by the church, and are defined as “ministers of religion”. This supposedly exempts them from the provisions of the Teachers (Independent Schools) Award, a position challenged by the NSW Independent Education Union.” for not paying award wages.
5. The church hierarchy responds to criticism by “insisting that ‘no families’ have been divided by Redeemer. Those who left did so for personal reasons, or because they objected to Redeemer’s “governance and direction”, or didn’t accept the conditions set out in the so-called Ministry Order.” Just as with the Witnesses, it’s impossible to leave this church. The equivalent of DF/DA is the only way out.
Many are the parallels between this church and the Witnesses. The article makes a good read. If you’re in New South Wales, why not get a copy to show those JWs who might respond? You’ll find the article in the “Good Weekend” magazine which is a supplement to the Sydney Morning Herald.
And don’t forget the frog……
Cheers,
Ozzie
"Truth persuades by teaching, but does not teach by persuading."
TERTULLIAN, Adversus Valentinianos