I was told they force people to give the answer they desire, in their propagandizing process. This gets a person into the habit of repeating only what was written and no longer thinking for himself, leaving the publications to do the thinking for him.
Is it that important to get their members to the place where they cannot think for themselves??Are the Watchtower study methods designed to secure mind control?
I was married to a JW and I can speak from experience, it is a mind control religion. The thing you must know is that they do not give Deity to Jesus. They have some very good verses to trick one into feeling their way. Remember this, the Bible teaches that to not give Deity to Jesus, is the very definition of the spirit of the antichrist.
God be with you.
William a bond-servant of Jesus
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Great question and great answer.
Many thanks uncilensed lioness, this means everything to me to know your prayers are for my family..God Bless and Keep you.xx
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Do you know what is funny as heck? When someone who is not a regular witness tries to answer one of the Questions at a meeting....They usually will not call on an outsider but if perchance they do, and the answer is not what is written down in the watchtower, it is funny! You usually have a few elders re-direct to the proper answer.
Tinky: Myself and all the Christians will keep your family in our prayers. That is really what this is all about. Protection lambs from a spiritual wolf.
yes but they suffer from the fatal flaw that presumes that such people have a mind in the first place
Nina, i can't answer your question, but i hope you won't mind if i say after reading these excellent answers i feel i must respond.
Thardus's post has shaken me. I had a few emails from a JW on here and my experience was very upsetting, and i am very strong in my faith and relationship with the Lord. I agree with Thardus - he says to pray and be aware of how they will reason you into believing their right by using your own Bible against you - this is exactly my experience - also, i identify with other posts here. I have two cousins ages 21 and 23 who work for a company which is run by JW's and just felt compelled to pray for them - can i ask you and everyone who reads this post and agrees with me to pray for their protection - and even to find new jobs out of it all together. Much appreciated - thanks..
Anything that is done over and over again is a form mind control, thats how I was trained in the US Army, I was trained so well that i didn't have to think i reacted.
I am currently in this type of Bible study, of my own will. I am a Christian, and I'll try to objectively report on this topic. First off, it is important to get their members to a place where they won't think for themselves. It's not that they can't think for themselves, it's that they won't. Keep that in mind as I divulge about the study itself.
They are using their own literature called, ';What Does the Bible Really Teach?” to 'study' the Bible. The biggest thing we have to remember as Christians is that the Bible is sufficient. We don't need anything else to teach us about our faith. The Bible makes some ideas clear, like the trinity (Father, Son/Jesus and Holy Spirit are all God).
A big deal about their study is that they don't accept your thinking unless it corresponds to the thinking of the Watchtower, as revealed in the book. They definitely don't make it obvious, though. They will reason you into thinking what they are the book are saying is true. It's not force, per se-rather they will get the answer out of you in their propagandizing process. That is why one must be in constant prayer when dealing with them. Repetition is part of the process, because what they say may seem alluring.
One big thing they like to tout is the idea of that you can ';Live Forever in Paradise on Earth';, which is contrary to Biblical teachings about the afterlife, in a sense. They want to make you feel good with beliefs like this. They want to make you feel like there's something in life for you because of God. They want you to serve Jehovah (rather, serve their organization because they believe they are appointed by Jehovah to be God's only earthly authority on the Bible and spirituality) to better yourself.
You should follow God and become a Christian not to better yourself and your life, but to serve the God who created you-the God who is letting you live, the God who died for your sins so that you wouldn't have to in eternity. This is the power of Christ, the Father and the Holy Spirit. That's an idea that many Christians seem to lose focus of. We shouldn't need anything but the Bible for spiritual guidance, and we don't have to serve an organization for salvation. Salvation is through Jesus Christ alone-by grace through faith.
One should keep all these things in mind when dealing with them. I even carry my own Bible to the study, because you wouldn't trust a misinterpreted news story any more than you shouldn't trust a misinterpreted Bible. That's what their translation is-purposefully mistranslated, mainly so that they can push ideas of the trinity out of the Bible. That's something I can't get past. They teach against the trinity, but then they go and change passages like Exodus 3:14 and John 1:1, and push the idea of Jehovah working alone in his work without the truth of the trinity-three in one, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Of course, if you get on this topic they will use your Bible against you, but I think it is the principle that matters-they teach against something but it is of their own accord that their teaching can hold true.
Simply put, in terms of mind control, it is done very subtly. It's not really until you are stuck in the organization that it is exerted. They discourage independent thinking, but that's only natural-after all, why should people think for themselves...it's rather ridiculous. Of course people shouldn't think for themselves, and of course it's dangerous in the eyes of the organization. Independent thinking would allow someone to discover the truth behind the Bible and about the organization. I hope you found this long answer helpful!
yes
and also
participating at the meetings is a MUST. If we don't raise our hand and give a comment during the meetings, we are seen as spiritually weak and that we don't care for the meetings Jehovah has provided. It is specially hard for us introverted witnesses.
i know that that this is off the subject but it relates to mind control
Here's a test:
Does it promote religion?
If the answer is 'yes' then it's for mind control.
Did you know Charles Tazz Russell is the founder of JW's? He is the one that created the watchtower.
there is no outside interpretation of their written material that's agreed upon in these meetings, for sure. questions are asked and the answerer who has questions or disagrees with the premise is encouraged/corralled by the brother at the podium into eventually agreeing with the answer given in the publication, even if they had valid argument against it. Usually no one even ever brings up valid argument at public meetings when the microphone is put to their face, that is saved for private question time with their spiritual elder. Mostly answers are given like schoolchildren in school, to show you know the answer. It's important to the collective to appear unified, and even if they have question, it's not heated debate, by any means.
watch some people give an answer like ';every religion uses mind control';
Of course it is NOT true.
The articles are written in such a way that makes us think and meditate.
There are many people who like to read the Watchtower and Awake! who are not Witnesses. They appreciate them for the information they find there.
Every article has quoted verses, ideas based solely on the Bible, verses mentioned in brackets and at the end of the paragraphs.
We should not trust everything we hear. We must make sure that the information we receive is from a reliable source. Consider what the next verse says:
';Anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word, but the shrewd one considers his steps.'; -- Proverbs 14:15
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20060401a/ar…
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20000622/art…
Yes they are. It's how satan cements peoples eyes shut. HOWEVER...you can ALWAYS circumnavigate the brain (place of argument) and speak directly to the conscience. Jesus did it all the time. Not matter you run into a counterfiet christianity or different religion, or athesim...the consciounce in EVERY human being agrees with God. Shock and awe them out of that pattern. Here are some hints...
Jesus and the woman at the well...
Jesus and the rich young ruler...
Ps. 19:7, Rom. 2:15, 1 Tim. 1:8, Rom. 7:7, Gal. 3:24
The Ten Commandments shatters satans cement....I've used it them several times and seen the effects....it's awesome!
Your description was right on. It's a brainwashing process, and most JW's don't even realize it's been done to them. Even if they begin to question something, they are quickly guilt-tripped into getting ';back in line';, and/or threatened with disfellowshipment.
Welcome to cultism.
I have a JW co-worker.You described the few meetings I've been to, to a ';T';. They stick to what they are reading verbatim.Yes, I think its a control method.
no,speak not of what you do not know.
Thats not true, You can answer from the paragraph if you like but you can also give an answer in your own words. It does not have to be word from word from the paragraph, but of course you'd want to stick to the subject at hand when giving an answer.
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