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Critics of Jehovah`s Witnesses/WBTS and the JW?
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Question
Do you believe that most of the issues is the governing body itself?
And the Jehovah Witnesses would be better off to exclude the Watch Tower?
thanks
Dear Luis,
I spent a year as a volunteer at Watchtower headquarters (or in Witness parlance, I was a "bethelite"), so I met many of the Governing Body members in person.
Although the Governing Body does have access to privileged information, and has to face some hard realities of management that the rank and file can forget or frame in dreamy-eyed terms, and therefore the Governing Body is a bit less enchanted with administration and the practical consequences of Witness belief, I think members of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses get promoted to their high positions by believing the doctrines even more firmly and devotedly for a longer period than the rank and file. So the Governing Body is probably the most deeply indoctrinated of all Witnesses, and therefore the most incapable of thinking for themselves or freeing themselves from cult mind control.
I don't believe they know better or laugh sardonically in secret. I don't believe they mastermind anything with secret motives, but rather believe they are serving the best interests of the rank and file, and delude themselves that they have special responsibility a shepherds and agents of God, and lose track of their values and make compromises when it seems the end justifies the means. After all, Witnesses (and especially the Governing Body) believe they are saving lives, and so their many questionable practices may seem unimportant and justified as long as they succeed in saving lives.
In most cults, I believe cult mind control tactics evolve gradually and organically. Many different organizations who are not in contact with one another arrive at the same tactics because they refine their methods over time until they stumble upon the method that works. This is not such a stretch considering that there is only one method that works to control the minds of others, and the tactics are quite finite. There are less than a dozen major categories of tactics which all cults use, although they may have many varying permutations.
"Jehovah's Witnesses" and "The Watchtower" are basically interchangable terms. There is no way for one to exclude the other.
The religion and the members are called "Jehovah's Witnesses" while one of their periodicals and the corporate entity which owns property and directs the content of meeting and convention programs is called "Watchtower". Local congregations have absolutely no autonomy over meeting content. Autonomy is not in the mindset of cult members. It is one of the things that makes cults unique. Cult members have lost their capacity to think for themselves.
All Watchtower officers and volunteers are Witnesses. All Witnesses are loyal to the Watchtower Society. All voting members of the corporation are among the most deeply loyal Witnesses. For one to exclude the other would take a degree of initiative and independent thinking that is completely foreign to indoctrinated Witnesses. They consider independent thinking a grave sin.
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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