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Cult Watch
The Cult Information Network
The Cult Information Network is a service provided for those interested in
finding out about abusive and manipulative religions.
This service pulls no punches. Mainline religions are not free from it's
exposure If something out of harmony with
Biblical fact is noted it will be mentioned.
Since this service provides information all attempts will be
made to provide the sources for that information. By doing this much time will be saved by giving you the information and you doing what you want
with it.
CIN will not necessarily disagree with everything some of these groups believe. Few cults are all bad. If that was the case no one would be in them. Who would
be foolish enough join a cult if asked? Since something
good drew the person to the group that will be brought out if possible. Look at this service as a sort of the Ralph Nader of Religious Exposure, or a consumer reports of cult like groups.
One thing that should be noted about cults is they share the same sins.
For instance warning bells should go off if a group does any of these
things that impose mind control on it's members, however subtle:
Emotional Control:
Fear and Guilt is the key to emotional control often called "phobia
indoctrination". The cult member may feel that
"satan" is out to get him if he questions or leaves the group, or
organization, for any reason. A person can never do enough in the group.
Normal activities or hobbies can sometimes make the cult member feel a
sense of guilt when the activity takes the member away from meetings or
group sponsored activities. This author had hobbies such as photography and sports, but felt a sense of shame if on a Sunday was skating on the frozen ponds instead of going door to door for the group. The group was always put first, even before family.
Behavior Control:
All kinds of peculiar rules, dress codes and standards of conduct are
impressed upon the member. Certain movies, music, dancing, etc are usually
prohibited. Some groups like the Children of God, now called the FAMILY,
had it's members curtail their use of sugar but had it's woman members
prostitute themselves in a practice called FFing or Flirty Fishing. They
would have sex with interested ones and try to save them to the Lord. It
worked very well with government officials. The sex that is.
The Nazi SS officers, who were composed of an inordinate
number of Ph.D's and lawyers, had on their belt buckles
"God goes with us" They would kill Jews in heinous way's and them go home
to celebrate Christmas dinner!! See Legacy of Hatred by David A. Rausch
1984 Moody Bible institute of Chicago. P.4
For Jehovah's Witnesses certain words are disdained, Gosh, golly, gee
whiz, heck, and others. See Jerry Bergman Ph.D, The Mental Health of Jehovah's Witnesses. Witnesses Inc P.O.Box 597 Clayton, CA 94517 1986, 1987 pp 106.
Birthday's are forbidden, claiming to be "idolatry", and yet the hundredth "Anniversary" of the Watchtower Organization was celebrated with great appreciativeness, but not considered "idolatry". If you as a JW invited thousands to your 100th anniversary ( birthday) you would be disfellowshiped!!
For the Muslims, sex outside of marriage was forbidden but in the day's of
Malcom X the leader Elisha Mohammed, seemed to be exempt from this "sin".
See the Movie Malcom X.
The adage "do as I say, not as I do" seem's to be big with these groups.
Thought Control:
Loaded language is used that is only understood by the group, such as "new
system", theocratic, God's organization, anointed, the TRUTH, apostates,
etc. Thought stopping techniques prevent entertaining wrong thoughts about
the organization that might lead to healthy doubts. Like the movie The
Manchurian Candidate, a certain word could change a person from one set of
normal feelings to where a command word like "apostate" could make the
individual cut off a conversation in mid sentence with someone saying he
was an ex-member. Ex-members are FEARED, especially those labeled
"apostates" or ones now publicly teaching and exposing the aberrant
teachings of the group. Even though the ex-member may live a righteous
life, the fact that the EX has dared leave the group makes this person a
"traitor" to God Himself!! See Combating Cult Mind Control by Steven Hassan
1988 Park St Press p.173
Cult groups will shoot the messenger rather than hear the message. All
efforts will be done to dehumanize the one who speaks against the group.
The groups will use terms of the individual when they leave the group such
as.. He or she had a weakness, temptation, insanity, brainwashing, pride,
sin and so on, (See Hassan pp.61, 62, 84) in an effort to prejudice those
in the groups against these ex-members without knowing the Ex-member personally, or why and the facts that lead to the person being disfellowshipped. All trust is placed in the hands of the leaders that they acted righteously in the first place in disfellowshipping
Anything printed against the group is considered "apostate" and commented
on like this:
"Do we wisely destroy apostate material" Watchtower 3/15/1986 p.12
"..the same as reading pornographic literature" Watchtower 3/15/1986 p.14
Great effort is made to protect the civil liberties of the group from
external sources yet the member himself has no protection from the group
itself. See Hassan p.96
Control of Information:
Members are denied access to information critical of the organization.
Every effort is made to keep the members in reading their own publications
with very little time for secular reading.
Secrecy is maintained in formulating polices and in disclosing finances.
Those closer to the top pyramid structure of the church may be aware of
information quite shocking to the regular member.
For instance:
Raymond Franz, a former high official in the JW organization mentioned in
his book Crises of Conscience, Chapt 6, Double Standards, brings out that
thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses were being persecuted by the African
country of Malawi for not buying a twenty five cent political card, yet, in
the country of Mexico under similar circumstances Jehovah's Witnesses were
bribing officials saying they served in the military when they did not.
Most JW's don't even know about this and when they do emotions run high
after seeing the "double standards" of this group, Why? because many people
died as a result of this incident which was in the hands of a few
"anointed" men at Brooklyn, NY headquarters.
The book Crises of Conscience is a MUST read for any Jehovah's Witness.
Available through Commentary Press P.O. Box 43532, Atlanta GA 30336.
So there you have it, a brief preview of the Cult Information Network.
In future postings information and sources of that info will be brought
out so YOU can find out the facts.
If you need any help in getting YOUR stories out about
the group you were in or other groups please let me
know.
Other topics relating primarily to JW's are:
1.JW's- Where's the beef?
2. Are JW's a cult?
3. The Ultimate Rape
4. Jehovah's Witnesses, Blood, Fornicating animals, and Leeches
5. JW's Obedience, and Uzzah
6. JW's- Modern day Troikas
7. JW's and the Emperors New Clothes
8. Jw's and Community Responsibility
9. JW's and Idolatry
The Cult Information Network
P.O.Box 1632
Framingham, MA 01701-0201
1-508-875-2043 ( message)
JoRiz@aol.com
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