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Critics of Jehovah`s Witnesses/JW bible study
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thanks for responding...the timing was a coincidence, as I just ended my 2 year bible study with the JW's. Thankfully, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but they still keep coming every week to "check" on me and bring magazines. I think they think they can still influence me.
My question is this: do you still believe in their doctrine and NW translation? are you still a "christian", (whatever that is?) Have you found another faith/church you feel comfortable with? And, last but not least, have you ever checked out the www.truechristian.com website, and do you think it is for real?
thank you Andrew,
Laura
Dear Laura,
I'm glad you have decided to maintain your independence, genuine spirituality, and critical thinking faculties by ending your bible study with the Witnesses.
What many readers on this forum may not realize (and the Witnesses themselves do not disclose) is that when the Witnesses "study the bible" with a private individual, it is not actually a free academic class; but rather it is their focused and determined attempt to recruit an individual into becoming a Witness by means of "reasoning from the scriptures" and exerting social pressures. Although the intensive mind control tactics (as described by the cult researchers) do not begin until after you begin attending meetings at the Kingdom Hall regularly, even a private home bible study is often an opportunity they exploit to expose their students to their convoluted and deceptive thought processes.
The Witnesses believe that if you do not continue to pursue your study with them and ultimately become a Witness, your life is forfeit. It is a very dramatic issue to them, although they will not forthrightly disclose this and many other things to you. So they hope you will continue to be responsive to their message because they think they are saving your eternal life.
This is why they continue attempting to influence you. Even though they may be kind at first and they do mean well, they are exercising the tactics of cult mind control and gradually eroding personal freedoms of everyone they study with. If their students received advance disclosure, or if the effect was not so gradual, they would almost certainly object vigorously to having their family relationships undermined and their personal freedoms curtailed by means of the Witness indoctrination program.
What I began to discover when I started my recovery from my Witness experience was that it was not just the answers to questions, but even the questions themselves that were often amiss. For example, asking the question, "What is the one true religion?" presupposes that there is only one, and that the nature of spiritual truth is exclusive, that there has to be only one right way, and other ways are invalid. I believe this mindset has been responsible for much of human conflict throughout history, and has caused more spiritual darkness than enlightenment.
I believe that in reality, one can find truth from many sources, and that those claiming to have the "complete truth" should be viewed with deep suspicion. How can any human being have the complete truth? Is it not the nature of life that we continue discovering throughout our lives? To me it is that discovery and sense of wonder that evoke true spirituality, not rehearsing predigested answers by rote.
When God inspired writers of sacred scripture in the ancient past, he did not give them words; rather he gave them spiritual experiences to write about, which experiences are inherently non-verbal. Then they had to take the square peg of a legitimate spiritual experience and try to fit it into the round hole of human language. We each can have direct spiritual experiences, and I believe these are more trustworthy than interpreted meaning of ancient writings that were interpretations of spiritual experiences.
So I don't believe any church or organization should be trusted as having the "complete truth", and eventually I stopped needing to find that. It was the question that was wrong, not the answer.
I believe some aspects of Witness spiritual belief may be true. Yet what I have learned during my recovery process is that, as with most religions, they mix in an awful lot of fallacy and their own private preference. Unlike mainstream religions, fundamentalist organizations claim that their own preferred views are the only way, as if God himself had commissioned them personally. DID HE? If not, any claim to uniquely represent God are presumptuous.
Am I a "christian"? I think it is wise of you to recognize (with your comment "whatever that is") that it depends on one's definition. I believe in taking the good from all sources and traditions, and leaving the rest. So yes, I am a christian, but not exclusively so. I believe the apostle Paul set a valid example for us by modelling his ethic of being all things to all people with regard to spiritual matters. This way we share things in common rather than give excuses for petty divisions.
Since I no longer believe I can find, or that there is any value in finding any "complete truth" from one source, I am not particularly interested in the NW translation or organizations like truechristian.com, which attempt to define "the one true way". When Jesus said 'I am the only way', was it Jesus the man, or the divine within him making that statement? If it was the divine within him, this completely changes the meaning. Of course spirit is the only way. All religions agree on this point. This does not mean Jesus the man was the only way.
God is bigger than any one human tradition. The traditions themselves are only stepping stones to something greater. This is the underlying message of many spiritual teachers, that once you have used the doctrines of a given spiritual tradition to achieve connection with the divine, you no longer need the doctrines. Because generally speaking they are not absolute truths, but rather only tools to help us discover God, or the divine within.
This is my personal perspective, and should not be taken as an authoritative view. We have to find our own spiritual paths in this life. Freedom of choice is a universal constant. And this does not mean freedom to choose fallacy, as the Witnesses teach, but rather it means freedom to decide what to explore first, as we gradually uncover broader and broader perspectives and spiritual experience, always ultimately leading us back to connection with the divine.
If in doubt about what is true or who to believe, at a vulnerable time like you may be experiencing now, I suggest you not consider the words of any human very seriously, but rather go to God in prayer and ask God to reveal himself to you. That is the only guidance that is not vulnerable to misdirection or private agendas. If you quiet your mind, and listen for God's answer, you will know what to do. If you trust your heart--how does it feel when you receive your answer--you will know it is from God. Answers from the Devil, which Witness teachings warn against, cannot uplift and purify us. Only answers from God can.
I hope this has been helpful as you begin to exercise your new spiritual freedom.
Best wishes,
Andrew
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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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