currently reading "cults,faith-healing and coercion".
very informative info on many cults, sects and behaviors.
reading different books on cults i personally gives me the knowledge to better understand the behavior and thoughts inside ones who are in a cult;which gives me a better handle on how to help wake them up without them going into denial.
More good info Zing, thank you.
The more I read about cult psychology and then look at my JW relatives and friends, the more I see it's true.
That's why we usually can't reason with them and "get them out", the social structure is just too compelling.
Sad.
a deeply interesting read.. i have been reading: 'soul snatchers,the mechanics of cults' and i am finding it so precise in explaining /analysing cults.
here is a few lines:.
drug addiction and cult-membership have striking similarities.
AND the part about a substitute family where complicity takes over.
Could this be the mental mechanism that enables members to look the other way when children are being abused, because the abuser has status in this "family"?
a deeply interesting read.. i have been reading: 'soul snatchers,the mechanics of cults' and i am finding it so precise in explaining /analysing cults.
here is a few lines:.
drug addiction and cult-membership have striking similarities.
Thanks for posting this Zing. I was unaware of the similarities between cults and drug culture.
I've just ordered a used copy, looking forward the reading the entire book.
The following quote really caught my eye:
a substitute family where complicity takes over, unifying
the disciples while cutting them off from society even more. Here you
can see a very real similarity to groups of drug-users.
The third phase is the progressive increase in the constraints applied
and the submission that results, with no chance of exit. At this stage the
initiate is dependent on the cult, cut off from society at large, and psychologically and physically bound by obligations that deprive him of his freewill and of all social and economic freedom.
"progressive increase in constraints" explains a lot!
as much as i enjoy you and pete's company, you also know our understanding of how much we want you to be reunited with jehovah and his people.. .
we did not set the standards for what jehovah says about our associations with those who choose to not serve him.
so we will always be there for you and pete, but it is in your hands as to how we can enjoy your friendship.. .
They are so out of touch with reality, they can spew this line and not think twice. I know one family that denies forcing their two children (now out, and shunned) to be JWs and get baptized. They refuse to admit that they DID force their children to be JWs. Now they are old and they don’t speak to their children or even know their grandkids. And yet they still can’t figure it out. No hope for some people.
the wapo has a front page expose on the mormon church avoiding taxes on billions of dollars under the cloak of religion.
link here: (need to disable popups).
washington post online.
"The church typically collects about $7 billion each year in contributions from members, according to the complaint. Mormons, like members of some other faith groups, are asked to contribute 10 percent of their income to the church, a practice known as tithing."
and then:
"He suggests church leaders favor continuing to collect tithes to avoid “losing control over their members’ behavior” by releasing them from their financial obligations. In June, the church raised the monthly charge paid by most families to cover the cost of their children serving as missionaries from $400 to $500 per month.
Leaders have consistently tried to downplay speculation about the extent of the church’s wealth. Quoting a former church president during the speech last year, Caussé, said: “When all is said and done, the only real wealth of the church is in the faith of its people.' "
Ah, the Mormons. You gotta love how much money they've made, considering they are a relatively new religion. Their followers seem to be really devoted. Ten percent of your income is a huge obligation.
Concerning the bOrg, Sir82, I think, lately, they DO claim to be doing "charity", aka helping people rebuild from natural disasters, etc. This is just what I'm hearing from my PIMI friend about how it's presented at the midweek meeting. I was surprised at how adamant she was that the money was going to "help people". Hmmmmm. Lots of poor JWs in my area, and no one getting any help.
I would also not be surprised if the GB starts asserting they are doing lots of charity within their "worldwide work" after they see what can happen if a whistleblower really takes the initiative to expose them. This isn't the 1980s or 1990s. Maybe they will think of a word for "charity" that is more consistent with bOrg lingo and start using it.
It's incredible that people can't seem to see through this kind of thing. Religion is a snare and a racket!
yesterday i got home from work and decided to buy a case of beer because, why not?
it’s monday.
the shop is conveniently round the corner from my place.
@Finkelstein, I agree but I think it’s too late..... And, would they understand your empathy?
the basic virtue for a human being is to be true to yourself – the integrity of thought, emotion, and action.. .
ten years ago ( after 32 years as a jehovah's witness), i finally decided that my own mental sanity and being true to myself was more important than attending congregation meetings and serving the watchtower society.
i stopped (years before) field service, the ministry school, answering at the watchtower studies, missed numerous meetings and walked in minutes before the meetings started and left after the closing prayer, i knew it was time to leave.
@LongHairGal, yes, my son is in his 30s with family and kids. The bOrg isn’t going to break up this family!
the basic virtue for a human being is to be true to yourself – the integrity of thought, emotion, and action.. .
ten years ago ( after 32 years as a jehovah's witness), i finally decided that my own mental sanity and being true to myself was more important than attending congregation meetings and serving the watchtower society.
i stopped (years before) field service, the ministry school, answering at the watchtower studies, missed numerous meetings and walked in minutes before the meetings started and left after the closing prayer, i knew it was time to leave.
@SouthCentral, give it some time. You might find that, eventually, you don’t care and you realize you have quit checking on all things bOrg. It’s a process.
yesterday i got home from work and decided to buy a case of beer because, why not?
it’s monday.
the shop is conveniently round the corner from my place.
I had the exact same thought as JP1692.
Living well IS the best revenge!
If she has time to hang around a store scowling at people, well, that says a lot about her life.
the basic virtue for a human being is to be true to yourself – the integrity of thought, emotion, and action.. .
ten years ago ( after 32 years as a jehovah's witness), i finally decided that my own mental sanity and being true to myself was more important than attending congregation meetings and serving the watchtower society.
i stopped (years before) field service, the ministry school, answering at the watchtower studies, missed numerous meetings and walked in minutes before the meetings started and left after the closing prayer, i knew it was time to leave.
Oh, so many things. And just being tired of going through the motions. For instance, giving talks as a sister. What is the point? The last talk I gave the brother counseled me not to rearrange the order of the scriptures, etc. At that point I realized the whole thing was just a waste of time, and I never gave a talk again. Moving congregations facilitated that, as no one really tried to compel me to join the school in the new congregation.
But the absolute last straw was when one elder we barely knew (in the new congregation) tried to get us to cut off ties to our son (19 years old) because he wasn't baptised or interested in "the truth".
I never went to a meeting after that. If this elder, who hardly knows us, thinks he can make me break off with my son, no way! Disgusting.
