fastJehu: Any other reference I should use instead?
We all know the JW FAQ is the sanitized version of the doctrines.
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Can anyone else help with modern JWdotORG references for the rest of the points? I have to work right now. lol
dear lurking jw's:.
if you were in a cult, how would you know?
cults don't call themselves cults.
fastJehu: Any other reference I should use instead?
We all know the JW FAQ is the sanitized version of the doctrines.
-------------
Can anyone else help with modern JWdotORG references for the rest of the points? I have to work right now. lol
dear lurking jw's:.
if you were in a cult, how would you know?
cults don't call themselves cults.
Dear Lurking JW's:
If you were in a cult, how would you know? Cults don't call themselves cults. The Branch Davidians and Jonestown cults didn't consider themselves cults.
Here are some identifying marks of cults:
1. Ruled by a man or group of men. YES - Governing Body
Reference: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2002203#h=12
2. Isolate you from your previous friends, family, and humanity YES - Bad Associations spoil useful habits
Reference: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102006152#h=28
3. Tell you they are the only way, the only truth, and the only ones that can save you. YES - JW's refer to their religion as "The Truth" and their teachings as "Sacred Secrets"
Reference: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2011568#h=16
4. They use fear to persuade you to never leave them. YES - Armageddon, Disfellowshipping
Reference: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2008241#h=25
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102008083
5. If you leave you are punished severely. YES - Disfellowshipping, shunned by friends and family
Reference: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102008083
6. Abuse is allowed because it favors a patriarchal society were men get privileges women don't. YES - Countless cases of abuse in the organization. Men are the only ones allowed to teach.
Reference: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102008084
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/402015042#h=17
7. They require some sort of sacrifice. YES - No Blood transfusions, no hanging out at party/bar, no holidays
Reference: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2000447
8. They threaten you with lose of family, friends if you don't do as they say. YES - Disfellowshipping and/or marking
Reference: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102008083
9. They claim its not them, but God that wants you to act a certain way. YES - The Governing Body claims to be God's channel for communication.
Reference: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2002203#h=12
10. They claim they get their power by God. YES. - See above
11. They don't want you to read any literature that is against their cause. YES - The Governing Body discourages looking at literature and websites that are critical of the organization.
Reference: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102008064#h=14
12. They discourage, use fear, threaten, or order that certain medical procedures are not done. YES - No Blood transfusions, in the past they used to ban organ transplants too.
Reference: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2000447
13. They discourage education that they aren't involved in. YES - The Governing Body frequently goes on rants against higher education.
Reference: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2011448#h=9
14. They are usually apocalyptic in their speech. YES - Armageddon
if we are in the congregation, do you think our comments or questions actually reach elders or others in the congregation?
do our comments on this board affect witnesses to the point of questioning their faith?
I was an active uber dub and if it weren't for this site, I may have given in to cognitive dissonance and suppressed my doubts.
It's liberating when you find out you're not alone and there are others out there that are feeling the same doubts as you are.
the latest jw podcast has inspired me to update the copypasta comment that i post anytime this topic comes up.. i have formatted it to more closely follow the wonderful www.jwfacts.com table.
i have also added a few more links directly to the jw online library.
"evil-merodach reigned two years" w65 1/1 p. 29.
SimonSays: The Society accepts 539 BCE as the date of the fall of babylon.
They accept an archeological source when it agrees with them. But if that same source disagrees with them on another point, they don't accept it.
Why is it okay to accept a source for something that confirms your belief, yet reject that same source when it goes against your doctrine?
I'll answer that question: it's a little thing called "Confirmation Bias."
original thread here.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/291080001/brave-high-school-student-exposes-abuse-corruption-within-jehovahs-witnesses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdvt_gyq-ls.
your thoghts racially not oily
some terrible flooding happening there.. i never realized that texas was so prone to serious floods and flash-floods because of the geography and weather.
it tops the stats nearly every year for flood fatalities.. stay safe, stay dry if you can and don't take any chances.
water is unbelievably powerful - whatever vehicle you have it can sweep it away like a twig.
Just read an article and stupidly clicked on the comments section thinking I was going to see a lot of well wishers.
nope. A bunch of liberals laughing and daring Texas to take federal aid.
I really hate when people politicize a tragedy. Even worse when they do so before it's over.
anyhow, Texas is flush with cash right now thanks to the shale oil boom and California migration.
some terrible flooding happening there.. i never realized that texas was so prone to serious floods and flash-floods because of the geography and weather.
it tops the stats nearly every year for flood fatalities.. stay safe, stay dry if you can and don't take any chances.
water is unbelievably powerful - whatever vehicle you have it can sweep it away like a twig.
This happened about 35 minutes away from my house.
if you're unaware of the letter tinged with anti-semitism and offering tacit approval that rutherford wrote to hitler, see this article on jwfacts.. so, we all know the witnesses were persecuted quite a bit during the war years.
i personally had family that was in jail with brother schroder in the 40's for the crime of "peddling.
i'm an agnostic fader, however i still think the mob violence against the witnesses was deplorable.
Oh yeah, I'm not excusing their actions.
But at the same time, I'm not excusing the Mobs either.
some terrible flooding happening there.. i never realized that texas was so prone to serious floods and flash-floods because of the geography and weather.
it tops the stats nearly every year for flood fatalities.. stay safe, stay dry if you can and don't take any chances.
water is unbelievably powerful - whatever vehicle you have it can sweep it away like a twig.
I'm right in the thick of it on the I-35 corridor. 20 minutes away from where those 12 people went missing.
Fortunately, our town hasn't been hit that hard. But we have in the past.
More rain is expected later this week. :-/