JWs are not a cult................

by vitty 54 Replies latest jw friends

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  googlemagoogle

  i always said, every religion is a cult.
  
  and now... mentally out of it and out of religion in general... i still say the same thing.
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  InquiryMan

  It is definitely a high-control group. I also remember the Watchtower dealing with JWs being accused of being a cult as a front page topic. I think it was an answer to a "60 minutes" broadcast in the US. Almost at the same time, witnesses in a Scandinavian country were approached by headlines in almost all major newspapers for days with attacks. And it was also aired on national radio and TV. If the same amount had been launched in the US, it would have created waved indeed. However, the few thousands witnesses in a remote country, who would care about them? Quite often, the witnesses just responded with no comments. I guess the start of me departing started then (early 90s). I didn’t managed until a few years ago though.
• 

  undercover

  Nevertheless, I am sure that many here will continue to erroneously refer to them as a cult either due to ignorance or out right bias against them. However, having said the above, Jehovah's Witnesses as a culture do possess a number of cultic (or cultish) qualities which has been one of the sources of the cult label. Some of these cultish qualities are: - A singleminded adherence to teachings from a small elite -Lack of official channels to question or challenge such teachings -Some physically harmful teachings and practices such as the Blood Ban (doctrine) -Some emotinally harmful teachings and practices such as Disfellowshipping/shunning -Performance-based assessments of spirituality -A diametric world view, us vs. them mentality, and tendency to see issues in "black or white" -A systematic pressure to reduce or terminate outside relationships (with persons not in the Organization) -An intense adversity to contra-information or anti-group information or activities w punishment for violations (aka discouragement of critical thinking)

  First you say that people "...erroneously refer to them as a cult due to ignorance or out right bias..." but then give a list of qualities that helps them receive the cult label.

  If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, looks like a duck...it's a duck.
• 

  daystar

  confession

  Ummmm...Yes, I know that happened. But I'm talking about the mid-nineties--when they were not then hijacked by the Scientologists.

  Ummm... gotcha.
• 

  daystar

  Stress Free
  

  Any religion that controls your thinking up to the point where you will die for that cause, is a cult.

  Well, that describes just about every religion in the world. Are all religions cults then?
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  daystar

  Oroborus

  Some of these cultish qualities are: - A singleminded adherence to teachings from a small elite -Lack of official channels to question or challenge such teachings -Some physically harmful teachings and practices such as the Blood Ban (doctrine) -Some emotinally harmful teachings and practices such as Disfellowshipping/shunning -Performance-based assessments of spirituality -A diametric world view, us vs. them mentality, and tendency to see issues in "black or white" -A systematic pressure to reduce or terminate outside relationships (with persons not in the Organization) -An intense adversity to contra-information or anti-group information or activities w punishment for violations (aka discouragement of critical thinking) Other qualties that are not actually cultic and in fact present in many religions and non-religious groups but THAT COULD also be factors to be included in the overall assessment are: -Non-Orthodoxy (not actually a VALID reason, but one often issued by so-called "real Christians") -Generalized and individualistic social and peer pressure to conformity -Modeled Uniformity enforced by social pressure or even punishment -A rigid program of indoctrination and study -A large time commitment required, thus occupying the person almost entirely within the sphere of the group's activities -Social pressure or punishment for engaging in activities of other groups whose purpose is adverse to the group or even similar in nature -Firm chains of command and control, a hierarchy -Hassan's BITE (Behavior, Information, Thought, Emotional Control)

  So exactly how many cultish earmarks must a religion or sect have before being labeled a cult by your "sociologists"? I guess eight is not enough? I'll bet we can think of more if we tried harder.

  You have given your opinion (without references I might add) on why the JWs are not technically a cult. However, you have not provided a rule by which a group would be considered by your anonymous "sociologists" to be a cult. Why don't you give us some examples of what you consider to be true cults and let us compare?
• 

  minimus

  That is the most jarring thing to be called. But it IS true!
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  undercover

  Any religion that controls your thinking up to the point where you will die for that cause, is a cult.

  Well, that describes just about every religion in the world. Are all religions cults then?

  It could apply to any group that influences you enough to give your life for them on general principles. This would include religions, gangs, the military and governments to name a few.

  Not that it's wrong to fight for something you believe in or give your life for a noble cause. But to blindly follow whatever group you give blind allegiance to without questioning why it is they want you to die for them and them not allowing you to question their motive would constitute being in a cult to me.
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  Rayvin

  My dad (JW) told me that a while ago he was talking Trinity w/ someone and that person told him that he is just brain-washed. I said " well dad, in a way we are. We are told to just trust what they say on the stage and not do our own research out of other books." Dad says " well, that is more for the kind of people that read stuff from other places and believe them blindly and turn away from JW teachings because of it. Its more of a safety precaution."

  If someone or some group tells you over and over again all your life that the world is flat and there is no way you personally can prove or disprove and other things they say have been true then ALL THINGS they say must be true as well so why research. That is how the JW group works. You are beat to death with their beliefs and since they were right when they said you were going to be persecuted for being JW they must be right in all other things.

  Hey you know.. they were right. Bad association does spoil useful habits.. I was hanging out w/ a wordly friend and he got me to smoke weed for the first time!!! And not long after that I started (gasp) thinking for myself. Relying upon my own interpretation. JWs were RIGHT!!!!!..
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  joelbear

  i think all religions are cults.