Terry nailed it.
It is about obedience. Basically, if they can get you to obey on something so banal, they can get you to obey on anything they expect.
d4g
i ask because my gf, who knows all about my jw upbringing, convinced me to grow a goatee, just to see how it looks.
we both decided it looked good so i decided to keep it.
i tried to explain to her that as a jw, i wasn't allowed to grow one, but then drew a blank when she asked me why.
Terry nailed it.
It is about obedience. Basically, if they can get you to obey on something so banal, they can get you to obey on anything they expect.
d4g
ask any jw the question "why do jehovah's witnesses impose their views on others?
we do not impose our views on anyone!".
do you impose your views on others?
There are times when I really do think there are moles in Bethel...
d4g
while i'm glad that the practices of the wts are under review and the australian commission is taking them to task, i'm not really expecting huge changes in the long run.
oh, they may have to agree to some changes in how they report crimes brought to elders' attention, but this excitement over the supposed expose of wt practices shall pass, and jws will soon be canvassing neighborhoods and rolling their carts, looking for converts.
conventions will go on.
It is not about all or nothing and has never been. It is about small changes forced by social evolution. This is happening for sure.
Just look back at the last 15 years and it becomes clear to see the organization is feeling the pressure. Don't go by the numbers. They can always find ways to spin those positive, since their accounting methods for membership and finances are proprietary to them. The anecdotal evidence is very compelling. The organization has been bleeding its best and brightest for some time.The intelligent that remain are apathetic at best. The quality of the writing is almost infantile, and the authoritarian controls are at an almost all time high. These changes are a reflection and microcosm of what is happening to all authoritarian groups, especially those religiously based.
The RC will not "bring down" the organization. This is part of a long term death of 1000s of cuts, and is following the trajectory of the demise of religion in general, (don't go by the US Midwest or South either, those are outliers on a world scale, along with the Middle East; Both regions have high representation of authoritarian types). That said, the RC is different in its approach than a conventional civil or criminal court trial, in that it is not performing within the protocols of a typical court system. This is allowing it great ability to expose information that is educating many people about the inner workings of the organization, and this will continue long after it is over.
This trend will continue elsewhere. It is not over by any means.
d4g
i don't know why this person is saying this (to me) mad sort of statement.
where is this information coming from?
what evidence is he/she citing?
however, it may be that they are trying to find jackson and see if he will come in to assist.
it has been said on a wt friendly news site, that jackson has declined.
i don't know what this means in terms of what the rc will decide to do.
Vidiot - Authoritarian ideology-based regimes are loathe to be seen submitting to the demands of their opponents; they'd rather burn to the ground.
I would add that those regimes are fundamentally incapable of anything but burning themselves to the ground in the long run. It is inherent to the design.
d4g
the rothschild family will not allow the aussies to take any significant action against their religious wing (mormons, jws, adventists, etc.).
the worst outcome for the borg will be a relatively small fine and a deadline to change their rules.
that is all..
No one is suppressing anyone's views, user,
Definitive statements devoid of actual facts or evidence should be called out for exactly what they are. We are doing no one any favors by placating stupidity - not the posters, the members, the lurkers and least of all the conspiracy theorists.
Not everyone telling you sweet things is your friend, user, and not everyone telling you truthful things that sting a bit is your enemy.
Excellent points, DJS.
Not everything is a matter of opinion. False and potentially dangerous information should be systematically deconstructed for what it is. Any time spent performing some open-minded research would prove any of these theories wrong in a very short time.
Almost all conspiracy theories have three things in common, so look for them:
1. Consider limited evidence, and only evidence that can support the theory, (confirmation bias). Additional evidence can usually very easily be presented that would debunk the theory.
2. Those who believe those theories will never accept evidence to the contrary when it is shown to them.
3. The theories are usually the product of fear of a specific group or groups.
Does this not sound WT-esque now?
d4g
the rothschild family will not allow the aussies to take any significant action against their religious wing (mormons, jws, adventists, etc.).
the worst outcome for the borg will be a relatively small fine and a deadline to change their rules.
that is all..
illuminated - I understand many of us appreciate facts, yet consider our government a larger version of the WTS. It was difficult to believe "Apostates" when you all were in due to WT propaganda, yet you've awakened and now see the cult for what it is.
You don't speak for all of us.
I don't take any information for granted, including that of anti-WT material. I am careful what I repeat to others, as it has a way of coming back, if false. In fact, we should use these types of things as a reminder to be careful in what we accept as truth. Our experience in the WT, (perhaps the biggest conspiracy theorist of all), should clearly tell us that we should be cautious, prudent, and logical about how we approach information. Ex-JWs that believe every conspiracy theory are just falling for yet another, albeit smaller, than the one they previously based their entire life on.
Silliness such as the Rothschilds controlling the world's wealth is just that - silliness. Get real.
d4g
my understanding (very limited and maybe flawed) is that this commission has no teeth.
if thats true why would the org care?
send a few lawyers, go through the motions but in the end.... its a dog parking on a porch.
Joe Grundy - Your synopsis confirms my thoughts. Nice write up.
d4g
the rothschild family will not allow the aussies to take any significant action against their religious wing (mormons, jws, adventists, etc.).
the worst outcome for the borg will be a relatively small fine and a deadline to change their rules.
that is all..
Oh, here we go....
Amelia Earhart is alive and well...
Jim Morrison is starting a new band called the Lizard Kings...
We didn't land on the moon...
Oh, and wait for it....Obama was born where???
Where is Kenya on the map anyway?
d4g
my understanding (very limited and maybe flawed) is that this commission has no teeth.
if thats true why would the org care?
send a few lawyers, go through the motions but in the end.... its a dog parking on a porch.
I will defer to the Aussies or others better qualified than myself to determine if the RC has any teeth.
That said, there is no question that the coverage has attention. The frequency and intensity of pressure the organization is receiving from many sources, on many fronts, amounts to a long, slow death of a thousand cuts.
Someone mentioned on another thread about JWs becoming more "culty". This is a sign of itself of cognitive dissonance being experienced by the masses, in aggregate. CD is the product of internal mental conflict, and when these types of stories hit the media, the JWs' reaction initially is shock, almost immediately followed by a strong sense of denial. That denial is their "protection" from information they find very discomforting, and their response to the dissonant information heard.
All of this leads to a polarization of currently open minded people vs. hardcore adherents over time. The ones left who are "culty" in their behaviors are the more hardcore types, however being hardcore is not 100% mutually exclusive with being intelligent. Once something happens to them personally that makes them question, all of these accounts that caused CD come rushing back, and this time serve to confirm their doubts, rather than causing them to dig their heels in deeper.
If most of us take the time to reflect on our exit out, we can probably see how some variation of this process happened to ourselves.
d4g