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Critics of Jehovah`s Witnesses/Freedom of Mind
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QUESTION: We are looking at the faults of Watchtower . Go look at all the other big name churches , See that the all fall short! Have people , in there organaztion . who have crimmals in them . Even The 12 apostles had people in there congergestions who doing evil deeds. The got rid these people once the found out. So you no longer believe Jehovah is God ?
ANSWER: Dear Marlin,
You are using a deceptive tactic. You are suggesting that since all churches "fall short" why should we focus particularly on one church. This is deceptive because it diverts attention from the real point. It is not just any church that "falls short" of an ideal that threatens family ties. It is not just any church that "falls short" that denies free choice.
Rather it is only organizations that use the tactics of cult mind control which do these things. All churches may have ideologies, and hold moral standards up to which members are expected to live, but that is not the issue.
The issue is creating mental slavery by means of high social pressure and mental trickery. Only cult organizations such as Jehovah's Witnesses do this, making them particularly reprehensible for family destruction and mental slavery.
The Jehovah's Witnesses use an argument similar to yours, pointing to error in ancient bodies, and claiming that those ancient bodies had God's support despite error, implying that a modern body that contains error also has God's support.
Did you inherit this argument from the Witnesses? Is it justification to cover and continue the error? Precisely what is the evidence that the Witnesses have God's support? Can you answer this without scriptural interpretation and extrapolation, such as by means of a modern day revelation from God? Scriptural interpretation and extrapolation is not sufficient, because the scriptures do not mention the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, founded in 1874.
I find that the Witnesses and other cult organizations practice such an elaborate and intricate web of deception that any claim to represent The God of Truth is most shallow and specious. Some of what the Witnesses teach may be correct, but the world's most accomplished liars cannot be the chosen ones of the God of Truth.
The Witnesses teach that it is right and proper to aggressively grab hold of other people's spiritual beliefs and try to reorient them, even to judge people as credible or incredible sources of information based on what they believe.
What I believe about God is a private matter, which I do not choose to discuss in this public forum. (After all, it is not related to my area of expertise, namely the destruction of family ties and the impairment of freedom of thought through the tactics of cult mind control.) You cannot make my claims about political and sociological matters less credible by evaluating my spiritual views. Spiritual views are properly left as a private personal matter, where they cannot be attacked by verbal aggression and mental trickery.
May you find peace from such aggressive habits. May you learn to use your God-given critical thinking faculties which the Witnesses have tried to suppress as a means to reclaim your mind from deception and experience the true freedom of mind that your creator has put before you.
Best wishes,
AndrewXJW
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Why would a true man of God keep what he knows about God a Secert. You Can say this much about your answer . You have brought thought of how many in Chirstendom Think today. Which is also so the Harlot spoken about in the Holy Bible. Lot of pagan worship has crept into the churches over the years. To educated people and help give them true knowledge about The Creator. Mean the are trying to Control people minds ? If family was a sleep in burning how would you try not to wake them up or would that be mind control to ?
Dear Marlin,
You seem to be interested in theological debate. I am not, so I cannot join you in a verbal tussle about what spiritual beliefs are valid. As far as I'm concerned you are free to adhere to whatever spiritual beliefs you choose. We all are. It is not necessary to try to reorient one another on spiritual matters. In fact, I have not been discussing spiritual matters; rather sociological and political ones. You may be getting the two confused.
> Why would a true man of God keep what he knows
> about God a Secert.
I have not claimed to be a "true man of God". What I know or don't know about God cannot be considered a "secret" because it has no special value more than what other persons know about God.
> You Can say this much about your answer . You have
> brought thought of how many in Chirstendom Think
> today. Which is also so the Harlot spoken about in
> the Holy Bible.
It is now clear to me that Marlin is not interested in communication with me, but rather is grandstanding for the sake of other readers. Likewise, I am concerned about the welfare of other readers. I do not expect to get through to Marlin, so the remainder of this message will be addressed to other readers.
Dear Readers,
Jehovah's Witnesses, when they compare someone's thoughts to those of "christendom" and the "harlot", they are categorizing people, because they believe it is their God-given place to categorize people as good and evil, sheep and goats. Marlin has concluded, because I said something that sounded to him like thoughts of "christendom", that I am evil, or a "goat". He is free to hold such an opinion, of course, but it has nothing to do with the topic of this column.
The goal of this column, rather, is to expose mind games and insidious sociological dynamics so that interested people will be able to identify them, and thereby protect their own family relationships and reclaim their own freedom of mind.
Marlin continues:
> Lot of pagan worship has crept into the churches
> over the years. To educate people and help give
> them true knowledge about The Creator.
Again this illustrates how the Witnesses believe it is their God-given place to dispense true knowledge about God, and uphold the purity of "God's Will", as contrasted by "pagan worship". This is a deceptive mind game because the Witness leadership defends the assertion that the Witnesses are appointed to such a role by God by slyly implying there is some special unseen relationship between God and the Witness leadership, which they call the "Faithful and Discreet Slave" class. However, when pressed for specifics, they will always deny any and all tangible evidence of such a special unseen relationship. Therefore, one story comes from one corner of their mouths, and another story comes from the other, demonstrating duplicity of thought and message. This is a hallmark of deception.
Marlin continues:
> Mean the are trying to Control people minds ?
He is trying to illustrate how enthusiasm for purity is not to be equated with attempts to control minds. I already agree with this, so there is no disagreement. What he fails to recognize; however, is that the enthusiasm of Witnesses for their supposed purity, while laudable in itself, is used as justification for slimy behaviors. The existence of such slimy behaviors is conveniently overlooked by most Witnesses so that they can continue to exercise faith in their leadership.
Unfortunately they carry an "end justifies the means" ethic; and will lie when it is convenient in order to protect what they hold to be a "greater truth". Thus they use the tactics of cult mind control as described by all the cult researchers in order to help their members stay on the "narrow road that leads to life". I believe the motivation for doing this is that they are truly concerned for their members own good.
The problem is that they are not qualified to decide on behalf of another human soul what is good for them. We each have to decide for ourselves what our interests are and how to meet our own highest good. Even if the theology of Witnesses is correct (which it may be, I do not know), it still does not justify deception and extraordinary control.
Marlin continues:
> If family was a sleep in burning how would you try
> not to wake them up or would that be mind control to ?
This is a common self-deception practiced by many fundamentalists, including the Jehovah's Witnesses. They are discerning no difference whatsoever between practical realities of the moment observable by the five senses (such as seeing a family sleeping in a house on fire) with something very different, namely, an extrapolation of God's will and God's intention for the future based on interpretations of prophecies written in an ancient book.
There are many layers of interpretation and extrapolation between what the Bible says, written thousands of years ago, and what we come to believe God will do in this century in response to current events. Yet fundamentalists such as Jehovah's Witnesses self-deceive by pretending those layers do not exist, by pretending that they saw a practical reality in the moment observable with their five senses.
It is perfectly OK to use visualization to make an imaginary scenario appear real. It can be useful for self-development work, and possibly for spiritual purposes. However, to use such a tool, and then deny within ourselves that we are using it, is self-deception. To exclude any and all possibility that there could be error found in extremely complex multi-layered interpretations is a political maneuver, not an insight into truth or the nature of reality or any special revelation received from God.
May all persons interested in clarity of mind be clear and honest within themselves so that they can then be clear and honest with each other.
Blessings,
AndrewXJW
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Andrew
Expertise
I don't object to Witness theology, but rather their use of social pressure & deceptive manipulations to undermine family ties and control minds. (This may seem contradictory to Witnesses, who draw no distinction between spiritual belief and organizational policy.) I do not engage in theological debate. I support persons impacted by an experience with the Witnesses and advocate early education for everyone so that they can protect themselves from cults by understanding what to watch out for. (It's not what most people think.)
(Ex-)Witnesses: I know how upsetting it is to experience doubts (or anger) about your experience. Time does not heal this wound until you first remove the splinter, which takes more time and effort than you may realize. So, unless you have already put in that time and effort, don't be surprised if you are deeply affected long after the experience. But there is good news! You're NOT an enemy of God for doubting or for failing to meet the requirements of a human organization. An organization that lies cannot be the exclusive spokesman for the God of Truth. Tell me where you're at. I'll understand. I can show you how to begin or continue your recovery and make a life for yourself worth living.
Non-Witnesses: Describe your experience with your friend/relative who is (becoming) a Witness. I can help you understand the Witness indoctrination and social dynamics that are affecting him or her. I can help you put your options into perspective. Keep in mind that people do make their own choices (even though they may sometimes do so under outside influence) and you may not be able to affect this person's choices, even though they impact on you. After all, you do not have the arsenal of tactics that a cult does (and wouldn't want to). A few people manage to save their friend/relative, but don't count on it. What you can count on is navigating the maze more successfully by becoming more informed about your own options.
Experience
I was a Witness for 30 years, and a volunteer at their headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, for a year. I have attended meetings with many Witness congregations across the United States, a thorough cross-section, carefully observing patterns of behavior. Although being a Witness was difficult, and I gradually had more and more doubts about Witness teachings--I was a true believer, so I kept trying to make it work somehow. I stopped attending meetings in 1997 only after receiving an answer to a prayer about doing so, and have since been actively involved in recovery. This includes both my own and supporting others in theirs. Recovery can include reading books, communicating with others in recovery, and participating in support groups and/or therapy. It always involves reclaiming one's own mind and discovering the other sides of the issues that you have been blinded to in the past.
My gradual awakening was socially, psychologically, and spiritually tumultuous. I lost everything from my former life. My suffering was substantial.
But I have gained everything, so it was worth it. Only after beginning my recovery did I gain social, psychological, and spiritual healing and growth, peace of mind, and self-respect. Only then did I discover who I am; and--for the first time--the meaning of real brotherly love.
For more resources on this topic, try these web sites:
http://freeminds.org/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/freedomofmind/
Education/Credentials
Like most Cult Recovery Counselors, I am a cult survivor. I have life experience, not professional training. Also I feel no need to apologize for that. People with professional training cannot understand what it is like to survive a cult unless they have been through it themselves, which few professional therapists have. Understanding what really happened and what works in this unusual social context is as important as psychological training. Most professional therapists are not specifically trained to support cult survivors. Those who are represent a rare and precious resource.
I sometimes refer people to professional therapists regarding deep personal issues. But surviving a cult is a broad experience with other dimensions. Professional therapy can be very helpful as part of your recovery process, assuming that you choose the right therapist. When choosing a therapist, remember that you are the client and they are a service provider. You are the one who holds authority about the relationship. You get to interview the therapist and decide which one to employ.
Be sure to ask what specific training and experience they have around recovery from cult mind control. Most therapists do not have relevant training. Some carry serious misunderstandings about what cult mind control is; and therefore will misunderstand your struggle. So it pays to be selective as a consumer of professional therapy services.
Past/Present Clients
The Witness organization is not like other churches. Most non-Witnesses really cannot imagine what it is like to be a Witness. The organization has unimaginably extensive rules and monitoring that affect every aspect of life, so there is no privacy and no sense of personal independence. "Independent thought" is considered their greatest "sin".
The organization insists on absolute conformity, and claims to directly represent God; so dissent is not tolerated, and authority is totalitarian. Being a Witness is more like living in China or the former Soviet Union than being a member of a religion as you know it. It was the research of Robert J. Lifton, who was studying--not religions--but totalitarian governments, who first began to illuminate the problem of religious cults around the world, which employ exactly the same tactics as totalitarian governments. His work remains a cornerstone for Cult Recovery Counselors still today. (This may be why many governments are tolerant of cults, to avoid exposing their own control tactics.)
Witnesses often experience unusually dysfunctional lives and an extensive array of personal problems stemming from broken family ties, stunted social development, inner unrest resulting from repressed doubts, inability to defend boundaries, and an extreme, persistent feeling of irrational shame. I can help people impacted by an experience with the Witnesses by revealing in detail the policies and social dynamics in the Witness organization that cause these problems.
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