Just a thought. The WTS, along with many groups out there, actively encourages members to take on the role of "children" while setting themselves up as the "parent" or ultimate authority figure. Like a trusting little kid, members unquestionally accept everything that is told to them as total truth. If you'll excuse the analogy, I was thinking about this the other day when I was watching (ahem) an old rerun of "Leave it to Beaver". Beaver's mom had prepared a bouquet of flowers for the new next-door neighbors and sent little 6-year old (?) Beaver to deliver it. The woman of the house was so happy she gave Beaver a kiss on the cheek, which took Beaver so off guard that he took off running back home. This event didn't go unnoticed by Eddie Haskell, of course, and he convinced Wally to really give Beaver "the business" about it. So they told poor Beaver that they saw him kissing the lady next door, and that he better hope that the lady's husband never finds out. Eddie went on to explain how he saw a movie where someone got caught kissing someone else's wife and you know what happened? "cccccck!" [gesture of cut accross the throat!]. Well after that, for much of the rest of the show, Beaver was absolutely terrified of the husband next door, with wild flights of imagination at how this guy was out to kill him.
Well it kind of struck me how much members of authortarian groups are like poor Beaver Cleaver in that episode. I mean, it just demonstrates how kids at a young age are in a position where they have to be totally trusting and dependent on the judgement of those older than them, particularly their parents. Further, it is despicable for a parent to exploit their position over their kids by using implanted fears as a disciplining tool. By telling them horror stories about what bad things can happen to them if they don?t obey, what bad thing happened to another kid when he was disobedient, or how some monster will come and get them if they don?t obey, etc. This is essentially giving kids a false and fearful view of the world for the parents? selfish purposes. Could it be that the WTS is likewise abusing their established position when they carefully craft horror stories designed to get desired behavior out of the trusting, child-like membership? Are they hijacking some of the worst imagery from the Bible to scare people into zealously following their unique organizational directives?
I get images of Eddie Haskell on the GB, "C?mon, let?s really give ?em the business."
M.J.
Overheard: "If two people are in complete agreement, then only one of them is doing the thinking."