According to Steven Hassan, a specialist regarding destructive cults, cults tend to have the following major themes:
• The doctrine is reality and not to be questioned. Acceptance is paramount to ones devotion as a witness, no matter how inconsistent or not understood. Is a devoted JW allowed to question the blood policy, or perhaps develop a different understanding of the 144K? Is it acceptable to hold a different viewpoint as a dub and still remain in good standing? Why do you think witness lingo calls their doctrine the ‘truth’?
• Reality is black or white, good vs evil. The doctrine allows no outside group or religion to be recognized as good or godly. We all know that you’re either worldly or a dub. There’s no in between and all churches, no matter how benevolent, are part of evil Christendom.
• Elitist mentality. Dubs know that they are better than everyone else as they will be the only people saved at Armageddon. I also know countless JWs that thought they were better than their neighbors, co-workers, educated persons, etc. Holier than thou is an understatement when you go door-to-door basically telling people that they’re going to die unless they listen to your ‘truth’.
• Group Will versus Individual Will. JW admonish individualism and vilify having and independent spirit.
• Strict obedience: Following the leader. Following the ‘slave’ is paramount. As a supposedly Christian religion, they’re constantly asking member to “follow the slave (GB)”, and Christ comes in as a second runner up. As a result, much of the rank and file end up subconsciously ‘merging’ the governing body and God (or Christ) himself. To disobey the governing body is to disobey Jehovah.
• Happiness through good performance. Does the bible ever mention time reports?
• Manipulation through fear and guilt. As a child, I was told that if I didn’t get baptized I would die a horrible death. I can still remember all the child-friendly artwork in the publications that had people running for their lives being burned in sulfur and hellfire. But even if you no longer believe the crap the WTS dishes out, you can’t just up and leave. Thousands are manipulated to stay against their will by the DF policy, and the fear then becomes losing one’s friends and family. If that isn’t manipulation, I don’t know what is.
• Emotional highs and lows. For the WTS to be the only organization on earth that is ‘right’, they certainly have a lot of depressed and overburdened members. Not only that, many continually experience burnout and depression as a result of the rigorous schedule imposed on them by the WTS, and made to feel guilty if they cannot keep up.
• Changes in time orientation. Many cults teach the apocalypse is just around the corner. Over the last several decades, many witnesses have put off marriage, having children, furthering their education, and as one poster put it “buying green bananas” because ‘we’re so close to the end’.
•No way out. In
