Posts by Mad Sweeney

11

Why they MUST treat DFd and DAd the way they do

by Mad Sweeney in

jw
friends

several decades ago a researcher named solomon asch conducted an experiment on conformity to determine the conditions under which individuals will deny their own senses in order to conform with a group.

if you view the video clip, you will notice in the first two scenarios presented that those who conform tend to do so for one of two reasons: one, they doubt their own judgement in the face of unanimous opposition or two, they still believe they are right but conform in order to avoid conflict within the group.. the key to total shunning of dfd and dad individuals, as well as constant pressure to avoid "bad associations" is based not only in the conformity behaviors mentioned above but due to what asch discovered in the third scenario presented in the video, when the test subject has a single confederate who agrees with him.

the key to conformity within a group is unanimity.

Mad Sweeney

It's amazing how awfully you can get people to treat another human being if you brainwash them into thinking God wants them to do it.

If they accept that as the ultimate authority and then it's backed up by a strong and enforcing visible authority, man, you can get people to rape, torture, murder and incarcerate people all in the name of God.

Absolutely true. And it isn't the fault of the members, who are mostly victims as much as those whom they may victimize with their self-righteous hatred. Which leads to another psychological research project. Stanley Milgram's "Obedience to Authority Experiment." As long as someone else who is viewed as "in charge" tells you to do it, you usually do it. This is why the "Trust the FDS and GB" articles come out so often.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcvSNg0HZwk

43

Ex -JWs ASL Congragations

by Scott77 in

anyone who was part of asl congregations?

what was your experiences witnessing in asl/deaf territories?.

.

Mad Sweeney

SEE is an entirely different thing, a transliteration (not interpretation) that doesn't involve changing the message to a different language but rather a different form of the same language. More to the point of this thread, SEE isn't used in ASL congregations or groups because SEE users aren't considered by the society as a linguistic minority with a distinct culture. ASL is its own thing.

13

"Jehovah has really blessed me."

by stillin in

i was at dinner with witness friends last night when one of the guys started that up.

i kept my mouth shut, let him have his say for a while; it's good to feel gratitude and i'm glad for him that he feels so blessed, but never, even in my most "spiritually healthy" days have i boasted like that.

finally, i spoke up with "how do you think that makes me, almost unemployed and struggling these days, feel?

Mad Sweeney

We once had a CO go off on the congregation during a Saturday morning meeting for field service about saying stuff like that. He was the best CO I've ever had.

43

Ex -JWs ASL Congragations

by Scott77 in

anyone who was part of asl congregations?

what was your experiences witnessing in asl/deaf territories?.

.

Mad Sweeney

It's one of the few languages that can be "spoken" simultaneously with an auditory language without causing confusion or disruption.

This is categorically 100% incorrect. Even the best simultaneous interpreters are nowhere near as coherent and true to message as someone signing directly in ASL. There IS a measure of confusion and disruption and sometimes that amount is massive, sometimes not so much. The grammar and structure of ASL is completely different from that of English.

As for the ASL congregations being a good idea, the Deaf are a linguistic minority group with a unique culture and they deserve to have congregations in their own language. What's wrong is to keep them in groups with interpreted meetings.

24

Ghost in my house?

by cognac in

jw
friends

weirdest thing ever just happened.. my daughters toy started playing music by itself.

there was nothing around it that could have caused it to do that.

and it just happened 4 times in a row and then i called out to my husband and it just stopped.

Mad Sweeney

The breathing thing sounds like something I get during allergy season if I don't take my medicine. As the sinuses become more constricted I can sometimes hear the blood flowing in my own head, and the rhythm of the heart can make it sound like heavy breathing.

It can't be ghosts because ghosts don't exist.

28

Does Anyone Like the New Songbook?

by metatron in

jw
friends

i'll try not to be 'knee-jerk' critical about this subject but do any witnesses like the new songbook?

ok, they got rid of some awful lyrics about molesting bees - and downsized references to the ever redundant jesus - but the music itself sounds like forced piano practice.

trying to sing these slow, pedantic tunes is awkward and painful.. i haven't seen any witness e-mails about this 'wonderful provision from jehovah' and his faithful hacks, so i wonder if the rank and file aren't enthused either.

Mad Sweeney

It's on purpose. They consider it a weeding-out process. They only want members who are going to be fully willing to drink the Kool Aid when the time comes. They'd rather have one million members who are willing to die for them than 20 million members who aren't all-in.

11

Why they MUST treat DFd and DAd the way they do

by Mad Sweeney in

jw
friends

several decades ago a researcher named solomon asch conducted an experiment on conformity to determine the conditions under which individuals will deny their own senses in order to conform with a group.

if you view the video clip, you will notice in the first two scenarios presented that those who conform tend to do so for one of two reasons: one, they doubt their own judgement in the face of unanimous opposition or two, they still believe they are right but conform in order to avoid conflict within the group.. the key to total shunning of dfd and dad individuals, as well as constant pressure to avoid "bad associations" is based not only in the conformity behaviors mentioned above but due to what asch discovered in the third scenario presented in the video, when the test subject has a single confederate who agrees with him.

the key to conformity within a group is unanimity.

Mad Sweeney

Yup. Also, the 'smoke filled room study' showed something termed 'the bystander effect' (google for more info). That one is partially due to conformity with the group as shown by Asch and partly because as a group member, individual responsibility for actions are diluted, with most people feeling like someone else (usually someone with more authority) will fix the problem.

One sees an accident on the side of the road and drives on by thinking, "a police car is sure to come by soon" or "certainly someone else already called 911." A JW sees a problem in the local congregation or in the WT and thinks, "surely Jehovah sees this and will take care of it in due time" or "Who am I to question? If it's wrong, someone else certainly spotted this, too. I'll wait to see whether it gets fixed."

28

Does Anyone Like the New Songbook?

by metatron in

jw
friends

i'll try not to be 'knee-jerk' critical about this subject but do any witnesses like the new songbook?

ok, they got rid of some awful lyrics about molesting bees - and downsized references to the ever redundant jesus - but the music itself sounds like forced piano practice.

trying to sing these slow, pedantic tunes is awkward and painful.. i haven't seen any witness e-mails about this 'wonderful provision from jehovah' and his faithful hacks, so i wonder if the rank and file aren't enthused either.

Mad Sweeney

It's horrible. I don't know of anyone who likes it.

43

CO visit provides preview of April generation change!

by agent zero in

jw
friends

i thought the april wt's brazen generation doctrine change would barely get an official mention before nor after the two paragraphs that deal with it, but yesterday i went to the circuit overseer's visit and in a talk from a bethel outline, he specifically mentioned the change, and i quote... "the very very very newest information we have available, from the april 15th 2010 watchtower!

" ..reads the infamous paragraphs.. and then, "isn't that wonderful brothers and sisters?

so now we understand that it means that brother russell's life overlapped with brother rutherford's who's life overlapped (he went through them all), so clearly, this means the end is near.".

Mad Sweeney

I almost wet myself laughing reading this. How can the dumb sheep believe this BS?

Google or check out my thread on the Solomon Asch Conformity Experiment.

12

Memorial talk we do not dedicate ourselves to an organisation

by Mattieu in

we do not dedicate ourselves to an organisation.

that is a direct quote from the memorial speaker during his final comments about our relationship with jesus.

my wife looked straight at me when he said that, as that has been one of my many points i have raised with her as to my angst with the wtbt$.. i was baptised before the change of dedication vows in 1985 and she after the change.. was my memorial speaker ad-libbing or was that quote in all the memorial outlines worldwide?.

Mad Sweeney

As an experiment , try saying to a few JW friends that you believe very strongly in God , Jesus & the bible but have doubts about the organisation. You will be shunned straight away & a judicial committee will be organised within the week.

I can confirm this is the case. But if you only say it to one person, you'll only get hounded for shepherding, not a JC, because they need to get more witnesses to your "doubts." Once the shepherding elders determine you have doubts, they'll either try to erase them or set up the JC then.