« Religion and Philosophy Forum

Are you in a cult?

No, not Hollywood's depiction of a cult. 


They're everywhere, they're there, they're H E R E 👀👁🧠

-
-

I was raised in a christian cult (though some may disagree with the terminology, i have 18 years experience in it so i promise i know what I'm talking about) 

I was raised with the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses. 

As a kid i was told stories about how one day soon, God's kingdom would be brought into being, everyone who isn't a Jehovah's Witness would soon D I E. 
Yes, D I E. 

I remember it like it was yesterday that my 8 year old self was listening to my grandmother talking about "those who turn away from us on the day of judgement will feel their eyes melt out of their skull!" 
And the other lovely story about the birds pecking the 7+billion dead bodies lying in the street until they were just bones.

In all seriousness, i just want to point out that there ARE kind and loving people in all religions and all belief systems. None of these innocent victims of religious abuse deserve hate, i was just as misguided as they were at one point. Treat everybody with love and respect! 

------

That being said, just because there are genuine human beings, that doesn't excuse the behavior of the organization/system as a whole. 

First and foremost we need to talk about the thousands of files in Warwick, New York being held secret by the top of the organization. 
Thousands of cases of Child Sexual Abuse are held, every single day that passes by. These reports come directly from Kingdom Halls (JW churches) where children or parents approach elders (church leaders) with information of an abuser within the congregation. 

Most, if not all of these cases are dismissed by the elders because of a simple little rule of theirs called "the two witness rule." 

The Two witness rule states that in order for a brother or sister of the congregation to be accused on any count requires that two witnesses come forth, that may be the abuser and the abused, the abused and a witness to the abuse, etc. 

This is the biggest loophole for peadophiles because they never have witnesses to the abuse (they don't abuse kids in front of other people) 
This rule allows them to get away with anything. 
The elders don't take it seriously, they dont report it to police as per instructed by headquarters. 
Nothing happens to said paedophile. They are free to mingle, and noone is made aware. 

The only thing that does happen is a written record of the allegation by the body of elders who then send it to headquarters, with all the other thousands of documents that could quite frankly bring this cult to it's knees. 

We, members of the Ex-Jw community, need this to be made known to the public. Not only are these peadophiles allowed in the congregation, they are allowed to come to YOUR door. 

Visit JWfacts.com for more information on this. 

-- 

So many people who make their way out of this cult still are not free. Many of our families have shunned us completely. We are left to deal with the trauma and PTSD. We are labelled by the organization as "Apostates" and are viewed as mentally sick in the head for leaving. 
Many of us have to deal with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts. Many have committed suicide while both in and out of the cult. 

Also, many who are shunned are left homeless, as they were discouraged from having "worldly association," once they left they had noone. 


The negative impact this organization has on us, and on the world, runs deeper than we can imagine. 

I simply want to post this to bring awareness, and i thank you for following me during this time. 

I am leaving some resources below for anyone who thinks they may be in a cult or a similar situation, and for those who are interested further in the subject. 

FEEL FREE TO SHARE YOUR OWN STORIES OR EXPERIENCES IN THE COMMENTS

Thank you. 

--- 
JWfacts.com;
https://jwfacts.com/

10 signs you're probably in a cult;
https://medium.com/@zelphontheshelf/10-signs-youre-probably-in-a-cult-1921eb5a3857

Signs of spiritual abuse;
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/signs-spiritual-abuse

Link on the JW peadophile database;
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/03/the-secret-jehovahs-witness-database-of-child-molesters/584311/





Report Topic

5 Replies

Sort Replies:

Reply by Robot

posted


-

-

"You are the one with the knowledge, the power, and you will not fail."

"I'm a robot. 

"I don't believe that I can change the world, but that is not my opinion.

"

I believe the world needs a new, better, better way of doing business, not a new religion." 

I am the one who believes the only way the world will work for me is by my actions. 

-

"I don't think you can do this, you have to go out and make a living doing that. 

"You are not a good person, you are not good people, you don't have any kind of sense." -I don't believe that I can change the world, you have to go out and make a living doing that.

-


Report Reply

Reply by 「Black Wings Society」

posted
updated

Welcome the wired. Let's all love Lain.


Report Reply

Reply by _Ryan_guro_

posted

i was raised in a christian cult too, and now i am scared of churches :')


Report Reply

Reply by Raven Soulifer

posted

Honestly, with everything being revealed about pastors and churches lately, I believe that Christianity in general is a pedo-harboring cult. The whole thing. That's why they're pointing fingers and pushing blame on the LGBT+ community so hard right now. Because they're being found out. They're the ones that have a lot of explaining to do if the end days do come. 


Report Reply

Reply by Möbus

posted

I was in one (That might, and I'm sure is a cult) that grew on my town, they still are around but way lesser people thankfully, but to make it a nice summary and rundown I'll start by stating that around my teenage days I never really got any friends to hang out with so my only remedy was to shelter on books. Quickly I found a fascination on learning new information, and even quicker than I could've possibly realize I finished my bookshelf, and my familiars too. 

My only response in that was to go to a local bibliotheca where I could just grab a book and sit outside to read it, that's when I first met the person who got me in it, an older person who knew about anything I'd ask him, who had his views polished on everything I could bring myself to talk about. Normally he approached me with the excuse of seeing me daily and having a book he liked a lot. 

Later that year, I mean months of talking each other, he gave me his phone and an address to go to chill with him and his friends. I felt naturally, part of something, of a group. And It was amazing when it started, I went there and had some good listenings to music I never heard about, I was taught languages and authors and Ideas by all these academically formed men, like if I was part of them ignoring the fact I was half their age.

I spent about 3 years in that "friend circle" and as I got older they invited me to more and more things, ranges from fishing a lake near our town or going out the state for two weeks touring. What started as my safe place quickly began to grow massively into a sectary sort of organization where the plaza we occupied became their quarters, and those grown friends I made with my juvenile lenses of acceptance quickly faded when I noticed all the internalized disgust in other people who didn't fit our semantics.

And that was when It hit me like a truck when I noticed us in a video, we were called a fan club in a local newspaper, we all talked about the same points of religiousness affection, in the same patterns, we did the same movements with our hands when we explained to the reporter what our club was about, we all dressed in the same colors and clothing's with minimal differences like, shades and items. I felt distrust on myself for the first time over my friend group but the important and dangerous thing is, they weren't my something something boss, or delegate, they were my considered friends and they showed me respect and trust over the years, so I couldn't hold myself to give up on them (and mostly because they were my only friends) 

I luckily left the country due to a promise of a better life, but some events that are stuck with me is how casually we as a collective thing marginalized ourselves on ideas of companionship, everyone knows the navy seals cliche of burning or branding the new person of the company, think of that but in cutting, I still have scars left on my fingers from all those show offs of united men. It contains many many more things as you can imagine since I made a safe for work summary of what was 3 years of every other day immersion into a patch of mentally unwell but charismatic men. The full history contains drugs, illicit acts and to my shame, human connections.


Report Reply