laverite

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Posts by laverite

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  33

  help with sociologist friend...

  by losingit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have a friend who is a sociologist.

  this person does research on being gay and mormon, and will shortly come out with a book.

  we had a lengthy discussion about cults (in general, and jws in particular), and basically the sociologist believes that all religions are cults.

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  laverite

  Steve2,

  My primary field is also psychology, at least according to my academic title "Professor of Psychology." But I tend to work at the intersections of psychology and sociology and have taught within both psychology and sociology departments. I was previously a senior lecturer in psychology at a university in England. I have no experience with psychology in NZ. But in all of my professional experiences, I have personally never come across academic researchers needing to be familiar with popular or nonacademic perspectives or general marketing publications for their academic research. That notion is completely foreign to me. The only time I could see it as being possibly relevant in some way is if a rsearcher were studying self help movements, etc. I could also perhaps see this as also true within some clinical or applied areas but I don't know for sure about that as I have no background in those areas so I am not qualified to comment (other than guessing).

  As far as your comment on the OP, I agree completely with what you said -- I'd mention him as a nonacademic practioner.
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  33

  help with sociologist friend...

  by losingit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have a friend who is a sociologist.

  this person does research on being gay and mormon, and will shortly come out with a book.

  we had a lengthy discussion about cults (in general, and jws in particular), and basically the sociologist believes that all religions are cults.

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  2. 
  3. 
• 

  laverite

  Steve2 -

  I disagree. Hassan is a mental health clinician and his books are self help books, not academic. I wouldn't expect researchers on cults to necessarily know of him or his work, unless they are looking at mental health resources for exiting cults. There really would be very little need for sociologists specializing in cults to know of him.
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  33

  help with sociologist friend...

  by losingit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have a friend who is a sociologist.

  this person does research on being gay and mormon, and will shortly come out with a book.

  we had a lengthy discussion about cults (in general, and jws in particular), and basically the sociologist believes that all religions are cults.

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  laverite

  P.S. Sociologists do not define all religions as cults. He was probably speaking off the cuff, expressing his own personal disdain for religion.
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  33

  help with sociologist friend...

  by losingit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have a friend who is a sociologist.

  this person does research on being gay and mormon, and will shortly come out with a book.

  we had a lengthy discussion about cults (in general, and jws in particular), and basically the sociologist believes that all religions are cults.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  laverite

  Losingit,

  The ways in which sociologists have defined cults have shifted somewhat over time. Sociologists began studying cults in the 1930s. Typically the sociolgical definition of cult has differed from the popular or "pop" definition of cult that you would see in Hassan's book.

  You wrote: "I could not believe that someone who has this type of educational background conducting this type of research does not grasp the true meaning of "cults." I think he thought that i was speaking from a position of ignorance or lack of experience, but that's not so."

  There is no such thing as one "true meaning" of cults. It's a social construct, and the definitions that are agreed upon by different groups differ across those groups. What defines cult from the sociological perspective isn't necessarily what you think a cult is.

  A potential productive conversation would be for you to ask your friend to tell you about the history of sociological study into cults, how sociologists define the term cult, how this differs from "pop" definitions of cult, etc. You could then share what you've read, how you define it, etc. It would be an interesting conversation.

  To say that you can't believe that someone with his education doesn't understand the term (as you do), tells me very little about what he knows, but demonstrates what you don't know (e.g. lack of historical and disciplinary knowledge in the sociology of cults, academic research, etc.). That's entirely forgivable but the way you wrote it comes across as condescending.

  There are some interesting and fun conversations the two of you could have.
• 
  33

  help with sociologist friend...

  by losingit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have a friend who is a sociologist.

  this person does research on being gay and mormon, and will shortly come out with a book.

  we had a lengthy discussion about cults (in general, and jws in particular), and basically the sociologist believes that all religions are cults.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  laverite

  Steve2 wrote: " If your friend is a researcher in the field of Sociology, he should already be reading widely on his chosen topic, including the book you mention. It would be unusual if he has not heard of Hassan's work."

  I do not agree that a sociologist studying cults would have to be familiar with Hassan. Hassan is a mental health provider and writer of self help books. This is in no way negating the important work he has done. His work would not necessarily be on the radar of an research sociologist studying cults. He hasn't published any academic pieces that I am aware of.

  I am an academic, researcher and writer working at the intersections of psychology and sociology with degrees in both fields. I do not pay any attention to pop psych and self help books in areas that relate to what I study. That said, I may come across them accidentally and might poke around out of curiosity. But they wouldn't be books I'd be reading, nor would I cite them unless I were somehow studying self help movements.
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  31

  Check this out- JW Car Lot

  by itsibitsybrainbutbigenoughtosmellarat in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  http://www.circuitvehicles.com/home/.

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  laverite

  The cars look pretty nice. I bet they are in excellent condition. Very clean. Non smoking drivers. I'd be tempted to buy one. LOL.
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  50

  Gorby's father collapses at home after new light watchtower study

  by Gorbatchov in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  friends,.

  sunday my father, a strong believing witness, former elder and still a ms, collapses at home after the new light watchtower study.. the cause was extreme stress.

  i asked him about his worries.

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  laverite

  Gorby,

  You are a very special person. Your parents are very lucky to have such a wonderful son. Also, it sounds as if you are very lucky to have them. I hope your father's strength returns soon.

  -Lav
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  30

  Does it show a deplorable lack of faith to have a bucket list?

  by compound complex in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as a baby boomer making the best of every day, i have a casual list of things i want to do before i, well .

  we all know about the promises made, and, gee whiz, i want to be a good and faithful boy.

  but i'm beginning to wonder if i should buy a few more baskets to put my eggs in.

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  laverite

  Bless your heart dearest CoCo. We are all growing older by the month. That is a GREAT thing! It's better than the alternative.

  I think you're going to live a very long life, even if it's not forever with a pet panda.
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  67

  3 more branches closed?

  by Viva la Vida in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it seems the finland branch has taken over the work from estonia, latvia and lithuania (see http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/offices/finland/).

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  laverite

  Is the Corp really in decline? I suppose the closings could be seen that way. Also, numbers don't look to exciting for the Watchtower Corp these days. But, what impact will this have on the daily lives of most witnesses? Not much, I'd predict. As long as the Watchtower mags keep coming and meetings and assemblies are held, the madness will continue.
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  21

  In 10 words or less express your joy at being free from JW prison.

  by Wasanelder Once in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i love and enjoy life as never before!.

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  laverite

  I am thankful every day that I can be me.