M.J.

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Posts by M.J.

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  11

  It's an old one. But did anyone ever see the South Park on the Mormons???

  by Confucious in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it was funny.

  but at the same time, it was sad.

  the south park crew was beating on the mormons.

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  M.J.

  What????? JWs are not the only ones persecuted and ridiculed by this evil system??????
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  32

  Once You Start Getting Embarrassed That People Know You're A JW It's 2 Late

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for many new witnesses, there was a certain pride associated with being "a jehovah's witness".

  they loved telling people they couldn't salute the flag, vote, take blood, have a hangover, have oral sex....you get the idea.

  once it dawns on jws how dumb and ridicouolus they sound, it's the beginning of the end.

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  M.J.

  You think there's somewhat of a correlation between level of embarrassment and likelyhood of leaving the org at some point? A JW close to me, I have noticed, is not particularly forthcoming about the fact she's a JW. Perhaps this is a trait common to all JWs.
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  11

  A Short Overview of Coercive Mind Control Tactics

  by Lady Lee in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this article is adapted from dr margaret singer's coercive mind control tactics

  coerce .

  1 : to restrain or dominate by force .

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  M.J.

  Thanks Lady Lee. This list, as other mind-control models, extensively covers the aspects of group control based in programmed fear and guilt. I think that there is another component to this as well. There are strong postive emotional hooks that probably are the flip-side of all this. Covin touched on one, particulary evident in one of the quotes he provided:
  

  ...they enjoy a unity that is difficult to comprehend until you experience it.?Revelation 7:9.

  Self-improvement rackets offering seminars which orchestrate techniques of coercive pursuasion and manipulation of the group dynamic, such as the Landmark Forum, constantly tout the same rhetoric, "you just have to experience it".

  Any group that uses these techniques of control also touts the positive flip-side, such as having shared experiences, belonging to "a new family", having a sense of purpose and meaning, life finally making sense, being part of the "elite", etc.
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  9

  What was the key topic(s) that you used to help you get your J.W. relative/

  by hubert in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was looking on page 22 of this forum, at radars' post of december 15, '01, which said "what made you a j.w.?

  " excellent post, radar !!.

  i was wondering which topics worked best for you?.

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  M.J.

  Keep in mind that facing up to facts, with regard to the Witnesses, is emotionally traumatic. There is so much of an emotional investment involved. Start with love and support for the relative. Always show integrity. don't be judgemental. Get them to realize that wisdom depends on one's ability to act according to reason, not emotion. I knew a JW very closely who I could tell would NEVER break away, no matter what type of reasoning or facts would be presented, not only because of this person's emotional ties to the group, but because this person was the type that was basically ruled by her emotions and feelings.

  I recently watched "Toy Story" and the interchange between the characters "Woody" and "Buzz Light Year" amusingly reminded me of how it is talking to a witness. Woody (the toy cowboy) kept trying to tell Buzz (Space Ranger action figure) "You're not a Space Ranger. You are not on a special space mission. You're just a TOY!" Buzz's common reply was, "you ARE a strange, silly little man."
  But when finally faced with the truth that he really was a toy, Buzz's entire world turned upside down. Although it's a crude illustration, it's a good reminder that any discrediting of the validity of Space Command (or the WTS) must be handled with extreme care...
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  35

  Anyone know of a Doctor, Lawyer or other "Professional" who is JW?

  by wordlywife in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was just wondering.

  since college was (still is?

  ) discouraged, have any of you known persons of higher education to be in the organization, either by completing it while in or became jw afterwards?

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  M.J.

  Steven Hassan's Releasing the Bonds touches on this. Here's a paraphrase of what it says:

  It is precisely the belief in our own invulnerability that allows cults to entrap unsuspecting recruits. There are 3 main reasons why intelligent, educated people with stable backgrounds can be drawn into cults:

  1. Lack of awareness about cults and mind control
  2. Situational vulnerabilities at a time when some recruiter comes along offering community, love, and meaning.
  3. Psychological profile?people who have difficulty thinking critically

  • People who think in terms of magical or predetermined events
  • People-pleasers, who seek the approval of their peer group out of insecurity, or anyone with low self-esteem
  • Individuals with good concentration and vivid imaginations are more susceptible to hypnotic suggestion
  • People who engage excessively in "altered state of consciousness" coming from diversions
• People with learning disorders, drug & alcohol problems, unresolved sexual issues, pre-existing phobias, unresolved traumatic issues