Posts by rip van winkle

in chapter 5 of hassan's book " freedom of mind " he discusses building a team in order to help our friends or loved ones eventually exit a cult like jehovah's witnesses .

but first off there may be errant beliefs even possible team members have about cults or cult involvement that may need to be cleared up.

here are some of those errant beliefs steve hassan mentions : .

It had been brought out in chapter 4 that there may have been some positive changes in habits. So, if those positive changes include quitting smoking, excessive drinking &/or drugs, neat/organized when previously slovenly , conscious of their health/fitness, dress and grooming, perhaps those changes outshine the negative. And friends and family should reinforce and acknowledge those positive changes.

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In Chapter 5, Hassan points out some of the subtleties that may prevent some family members &/or friends from asking questions or interferring for the following reasons which you have thoroughly addressed:

They are too intelligent to "join a cult."

They are weak, or looking for easy answers.

They are happy.

They will leave when they are ready.

In the box on page 73, Hassan offers a list entitled

"Attitudes that Enhance Success"

Belief that the individual will leave the group eventually

Belief in the cult member's integrity, intelligence and creativity

Belief in your and others' commitment and resourcefulness

Belief in God, or some greater force that gives you strength, solace and hope (if you aren't an athiest, that is)

Patience, flexibility, and determination

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In the box on page 74, Hassan offers a list entitled:

Attitudes that Undermine Success

Rigidity, stubborness, arrogance, embarrassment

Hopelessness, panic, hysteria

Criticism and judgement (I'm right your wrong)

Anti-spirituality or at least anti-awe of Nature

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Family and friends need to remember that their loved one believes they are "happy", that they found a purpose to their life, that they equate sacrifice of their time for their "religion" as being beneficial to others and enriching to themselves.

I have learned that you cannot give up on anyone.(withdrawing is a coping mechanism) Keep trying to help them to awaken. Don't push them away. If they only receive positive reinforcement from cult members, they can become more deeply involved in the cult. Keep the communication open. Be active in your love. Be active and present as much as possible in their lives. Don't become discouraged. And as Hassan points out: "Don't lose hope".

See you on the "Flip" side

39

How has God shown Himself in your life?

by Christ Alone in

this has been a discussion in a couple other threads, so i wanted to see if others have experiences with god that they would like to share.

how do you know god exists?

is it just because the bible says so?

rip van winkle

av8orntexas- congratulations on your engagement!!!

18

Technical Help Please

by Band on the Run in

for a while, i could not log in no matter how many times i tried.

i knew i was typing correctly.

finally, it resolved.

rip van winkle

I'm using Chrome. Been having posting issues for days -keep getting a greybox or none at all under POST A REPLY.

I've been having to log-in like 00Dad.

I have used a registry cleaner like Outlaw

And I have had to reboot a lot over the last several days.

I thought my computer was dying, but it's only happening here.

39

How has God shown Himself in your life?

by Christ Alone in

this has been a discussion in a couple other threads, so i wanted to see if others have experiences with god that they would like to share.

how do you know god exists?

is it just because the bible says so?

rip van winkle

This is a discussion forum. If people have comments, regardless of their popularity, they should feel free to make them here. If we all want to continue to suppress our thoughts and our comments, then we can all return to the mind controlling cult of Jehovah's Witnesses. (My personal PSA- your welcome.)

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That being said, I think that most people know how I feel about it. Have my opinions shifted? Perhaps. Do I still believe in a Creator? Yes. Do I understand what that has come to mean? No, not yet. Am I searching for answers? Yes. Do I want to get into a tug-of-war with words? No.

I believe in a Creator because I still cannot wrap my brain around the thought that we just came to exist.

I didn't have much prior knowledge of the Bible as I was not raised in a religion. There were several scriptures that I read which allowed me to accept that my idea of God was true.

Witnesses seemed to have the explanation for why there was so much hatred and injustice in the world .And why God allowed suffering. ETC.

It gave me peace of mind that one day people would love eachother, be respectful, show kindness, be considerate and all other beautiful aspects of the human personality. I guess I'm an idealist.( News to me) Or perhaps an optimistic pessimist.(that's more like it)

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When I engaged with others in a spiritual conversation about God and the Bible, I felt joy deep in my heart ; having a discussion- not an argument. Exchange of ideas and beliefs.

And I felt that God's presence was with me; strengthened me and gave me power beyond what was normal during my mother's illness and death. An inner peace that I had not known. I will not go into the specifics.

Edit- BTW I wrote this after Nambo's post 505- hadn't seen any other post !

As for J.Hofer(Losch face)- You KNOW what I meant(LOL)

5

Sometimes do you just wake up Cranky?

by dreamgolfer in

i did this morning, can't explain it.

maybe its being 1-2 in my football fantasy league,.

maybe it's not sleeping through the night cuz i have gotten to the age that i wake up and have to pee (tmi, i know).

rip van winkle

This is the first thing read today!!! Thanks for the giggles~