I've been reading the book recommended by Zing "Soul Snatchers, the Mechanics of Cults" (bought a used copy online) and one of the things mentioned was how cults police all aspects of their members' lives. So it got me to wondering, when did the practice of three men (elders) having a hearing (or should we say trial) and passing judgment on a member start? Did the early Bible Students do this? This aspect of being a JW has always given me the creeps.
Spiral
JoinedPosts by Spiral
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Question: When did the JWs start having judicial committees?
by Spiral ini've been reading the book recommended by zing "soul snatchers, the mechanics of cults" (bought a used copy online) and one of the things mentioned was how cults police all aspects of their members' lives.
so it got me to wondering, when did the practice of three men (elders) having a hearing (or should we say trial) and passing judgment on a member start?
did the early bible students do this?
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Latest Circuit Assembly Money Assault!
by eyeuse2badub inprobably not new to many of you but i'm gonna post it anyway!.
i went to a circuit assembly last week at the fremont, ca assembly hall in fremont, ca to be with my wife so she could be there to 'witness' the baptism of a person she "studied" with about 2 decades ago!.
at the main entry to the assembly hall there are 3 or 4 large double door entrances.
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Spiral
@Tameria and Joe, those ideas make sense. A "fee" or "membership" (just like online newspapers, etc.) would be far more palatable to the average JW than saying "tithing" or "required" donation, etc. Whatever it takes to bring the money in.
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Latest Circuit Assembly Money Assault!
by eyeuse2badub inprobably not new to many of you but i'm gonna post it anyway!.
i went to a circuit assembly last week at the fremont, ca assembly hall in fremont, ca to be with my wife so she could be there to 'witness' the baptism of a person she "studied" with about 2 decades ago!.
at the main entry to the assembly hall there are 3 or 4 large double door entrances.
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Spiral
Thing is, those of us that grew up in the 60s - 80s (and before) remember how "the Society" would always say tht they wouldn't ever tithe or openly beg for money (including passing the plate on Sunday). So seeing this blatant focus on contributions seems shameful to a lot of us.
But the younger generations and the truly brainwashed don't remember or choose to remember those statements about asking for money (and not being like "Babylon the Great") so they wouldn't find any of this strange.
I do think tithing is coming, in some fashion.
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Has Anything Really Changed For JWs In The Last 10 Years?
by minimus in2020 is days away.
has anything really changed for the witnesses or the religion?
?.
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Spiral
I do think it's turning into a culty mega-church. The tone is somewhat different, and more culty, than what I remember from before.
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"Do You think that 8 million are being deceived?" Ways to answer this?
by BottleGate_ inmine is : jws preach that the entire population of the earth has been deceived ..
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Spiral
goingthruthemotions3 hours ago
i don't believe that everyone that attends is fully in. alot of PIMO's. Secondly they say they have 8.5 million members, i think this is exagerated.
But there are ones like my wife who are fully brainwashed, and these are the dangerous ones. When my wifes comes from every meeting...she is a different person. it's kinda disturbing.
I think you're right. A lot of people who attend aren't really true believers, they are just there because of family. BUT - some are totally brainwashed, and it is disturbing.
I don't believe any of their figures. There's no way to prove it, one way or another.
But the deception is real. Many people just don't want to really think about what's going on in the world, so it's easy to just park your brain and follow along with a group's thinking.
That's why I've always thought it was so strange that, of all things, "Judge" Rutherford actually publicized the idea of "Religion is a Snare and a Racket". So true, and yet he was one of the worst.
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meeting attendance
by asp59 inhow much has meeting attendance gone down say the last 10-15 years at khs do you think?
in percentage.
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Spiral
What I see here where I am, the local congregations (two congos, different languages) have been shrinking, so an attendance of 60 at the meeting would be 100% if that's all the publishers you have. (Do they still calculate it that way?)
After combining congregations the attendance is still only at 80-85, so I'm thinking a few people took the opportunity to fade. (Smart!) Several just call in, and their numbers are included in those figures.
Fifteen years ago, meeting attendance here would almost always be over 100% - say 120 plus people at the Sunday meeting, and that's just for the English speaking congregation, which had around 95 publishers.
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Jdumbs Self Preservation tactics
by ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara incurrently 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.
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Spiral
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.
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Excerpt from an interesting book ? ?
by ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara ina 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.
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Spiral
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"?
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Excerpt from an interesting book ? ?
by ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara ina 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.
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Spiral
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!
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Email from JW relative/elder
by Lynnie inas 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.. .
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Spiral
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.