The Watchtower Society Is Definitely Not A Cult
In his book, [Steven Hassan] uses a model called the “BITE” model: The “BITE” model of a cult is: Behaviour Control/Information Control/Thought Control/Emotional Control. Under each type of control, he lists identifying traits to determine if your group is being manipulated with any of the controls listed above (1-4). What I have done is taken each type of control (#’s 1-4 above) and taken each identifying trait under each one and supported each trait with quotes from the Society’s publications.
Leaving The Watchtower: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
But what happens when you leave the Watchtower behind, or any other fundamental religion for that matter? I feel that I am one of a very small minority that survived such an exodus without any serious or damaging effects. It is true that I have forever-and-a-day to contend with the fact that I have lost my family permanently; and that is no small difficulty. But what I’m talking about here is something else that I have seen when individuals leave the Watchtower, especially young people who were raised in the society. It can be agreed that they generally embark on a journey almost completely alone and with a great deal of naivety.
There are a few types of behaviors that I have identified. By no means does this come from any official study, but from my own personal observations….
This is why I like Moxie’s blog. No hate speak or whining about how “the tower” done her wrong. She writes interesting and helpful articles, then lets the readers make their comments without complaint. The comments she got for this are also interesting.
Jehovah’s Witnesses Least Tolerant Of Other Religions: Study Shows
A recent study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has found Jehovah’s Witnesses to be the least tolerant of other beliefs. When asked if many religions can lead to eternal life, just 16% of Witnesses answered “yes.” Compare that to the 57% of Evangelicals, 79% of Catholics, and 39% of Mormons who answered the same way. When asked if there is more than one way to interpret “truth” in the respondant’s religion, 18% of Jehovah’s Witnesses affirmed, compared with 53% of Evangelicals, 77% of Catholics, and 43% of Mormons.
