Next topic: Abusive Groups

by MelbaToast 3 Replies latest jw experiences

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  MelbaToast

  Once again hello to all and a grand Saturday night (or Sunday am to all you UK'rs) and yet another request for your opinion for research:

  Quoted from the article "Cults and Families":

  "Abusive groups implement their demands for purity through rituals of confession, in which members must expose their personal thoughts, feelings, and doubts to leadership's scrutiny. Often groups require members to reveal their supposed deficiencies and shortcomings in assemblies, meetings, or other public settings"

  Remind you of any Justice Committee meeting? Big sirens went off for me when I read this.How bout when someone in the congo had been reproved, disfellowshipped, and right after they announce that this person has been disciplined, they start in tirades or long lectures about the dangers of _______(drinking, premarital sex, drug use) It didn't take a bleeping rocket scientist to put 2 and 2 together, hell even when I was little I got that crap. Yet another aspect of the "established sect" that I find horrific. I remember myself being reproved at 16 and then them having a talk about fornication. I was mortified, all my personal buisness just being blabbed in front of the congregation.

  any thoughts?
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  under74

  That's interesting. yeah, JWs come to mind. Now I'm not into apologetics when it comes to JW cause I know what it's done to my family and many others but when it comes to your topic (public confessions and so on) I would rank JWs at a maybe a 6. The People's Temple and their "catharsis sessions' would get a 10.
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  MelbaToast

  oh, definately with the peoples temple, Id rate them a ten on the scale of whackoness, thats for sure. And yes, that information goes along with other "established sects" and cults as we, not Just JW's.

  Although the correlation is uncanny, we all have to remember that abuse is a problem we cannot run away from no matter what religion, cult, sect, apologetic, orthodox, mindset you are
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  aagirl

  Yes it was humiliating to have it announced in the congregation. At the time I was only 20 and in those days (dark ages:) they actually said what the 'offense' was ie fornication!

  I think the worst thing for me, and the thing that I remember, is in my committee meeting an elder who I respected told me, "If you lived in the nation of Israel, you would have been stoned to death by now".

  I don't think I felt like a decent human being for at least 20 years after that, and have to admit.......it still rankles that someone could say that to a young woman who was already going through a difficult time. My father was on that committee too ...... and he never defended me.