SCIENTOLOGISTS believe that human beings are vessels for the ghosts of brainwashed aliens.
THE BRANCH DAVIDIANS leader said he was the messiah and all women were his “spiritual wives.”
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES believed that Christ’s Second Coming and the Advent of God’s Kingdom would occur in 1878, 1881, 1914, 1918, 1925 and 1975. Yet, with this many failed Prophecies, there are still over 8 million JW’s worldwide.
With views this nutty, insane, deranged or demented, it is beyond belief that people buy into cults at all.
Well, it turns out that human beings are—under the right conditions—extremely gullible. Cult members target likely candidates and use proven techniques to recruit new members. Even though cults can have wildly different beliefs, the way they recruit and retain new members tends to follow a general pattern. Here are the FOUR STEPS cults use to suck you into their Organization. Want more information on Techniques Cults Use! Go here.
STEP #1. PICKING THE RIGHT TARGET
As it turns out, JW’s do not have to “Pick the Right Target,” the “Right Target” often picks the JW’s. How:
(1) The “Right
Target” answers their door to the knock of a JW.
(2) The “Right
Target” accepts literature offered by a JW.
(3) The “Right
Target” asks a JW neighbor or co-worker a Bible question.
(4) The “Right
Target” agrees to a WT “Bible Study.”
Most people can be susceptible to the WT influence under the right conditions. The people who are most likely to become JW’s are the “BIBLICALLY IGNORANT." (Go here for the stats.) This would include a majority of US adults. In 2021, 29% never read a Bible, 13% read a Bible less than once a year and 16% read a Bible 4 times a year or less. Thus, when a JW knocks on a door, they have at least a 58% chance of talking with someone who knows little or nothing about the Bible.
There’s a bit of a false belief that cult recruits tend to be mentally ill, but this usually isn’t the case. Cults don’t want completely unhinged people to join; rather, they want relatively stable people who can work to forward the cult’s goal and donate money. (Recently, the WT has had a major push for JW’s to become Friends with Jehovah and Jesus by giving money to the WT.)
STEP #2. LOVE BOMBING
Originally coined by the Moonies, love-bombing is more or less self-explanatory. Having identified a “Right Target,” JW’s flood that person with affection, flattery, and validation. ”Usually, the “Right Target” will be introduced around by the publisher who is studying with them and they will be greeted with a hardy hand-shake, warm smile, widened eyes, and an “it’s so nice to see you here.” That’s PHASE ONE.
PHASE TWO will
commence once the new recruit has started attending regularly. Suddenly, their
social life explodes with invitations to dinner, get-togethers, ice cream after
the meeting, and so forth. Everyone at the hall is their friend. At this point
it will be nearly impossible to extricate the “Right Target” from
the grasp of “THE TRUTH” (JW’s
name for their religion).
The “Right Target” will be nearly suffocated in the enthusiastic embrace of the congregation. Suddenly, the “Right Target” will have 60 friends. The “Right Target” will often be invited to come over after a meeting for popcorn and some fellowship. During these visits the “new friends” will often tell of their experiences about finding “THE TRUTH” and stories of JW conversions all around the globe.
The effect of all of this is to make the “Right Target” feel like they have a place in the congregation, that they have found something rare and wonderful. The love bombing was the “spoon full of sugar” that made the weird doctrines “go down.”
PHASE THREE BAPTISM. From “who the heck are the JW’s and what do they believe” to
baptism into the cult is swift. The WT’s beginning Bible Study for “Right Target” is called E.L.F. (Enjoy Life Forever) and the study recommends
that the study leader encourage baptism for the “Right Target” after just six months of studying twice per week. Twelve months,
if studying is done once a week.
As you might expect, once a “Right Target” has become one of the regulars, the love bombing tapers off and is replaced by the elders and members insisting that “Right Target” follow all the rules laid down by the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society. The FOUR BIGGIES:
1. “You must
study and take in knowledge of God and Jesus Christ.” (You need to read
anything and everything published by the WT and avoid anything and everything
published by anyone else.)
2. “You must
obey God’s laws (and the WT’s Rules) and live a clean, moral life as set out in
the Bible.”
3. “You need to
be associated with God’s channel." (You need to be a JW in good
standing.)
4. "You must be a publisher.” (You must be actively going door-to-door.)
STEP #3. ISOLATION
PHASE FOUR. Once the WT has enticed “Right Target” with approval and the promise of understanding the requirements of Jehovah God, the WT then goes to work to isolate “Right Target.” Holidays (Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.) and special days (Birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day—name another) and they are all prohibited because JW’s believe that these festivals are based on (or massively contaminated by) pagan customs and religions.
Any organization, private, or government that is not part of Jehovah’s Organization on earth (Little League, Scouts, ASPCA, Sierra Club, etc.) or person who is not a JW or studying with a JW, is part of Satan’s system of things which does not embrace the goals of Jehovah God, and should be avoided.
Not only is “Right Target” physically isolated from friends and family members who might otherwise provide a reality check, but the WT routinely isolates “Right Target” from outside information. Newspapers, books, TV, and web access are all restricted, ensuring that the only reality “Right Target” gets to experience is the one presented by the WT.
THE ULTIMATE GOAL—That “Right Target” will shun his “former family” and embrace the WT & JW’s as his “new family.”
STEP #4. KEEPING CONTROL
After convincing “Right Target” that JW’s are the best friends they will ever have and bombarding “Right Target” with WT doctrine, the WT’s next job is to make sure they hang on to “Right Target.” There’s a variety of techniques they can use to accomplish this, but they usually involve constantly subjecting “Right Target” to TERROR and L♥VE.
In an interview with Aeon, social psychologist Alexandra Stein explained that “when we are FRIGHTENED, we don’t simply run away from the FEAR, but run to a safe haven, ‘to someone…’ or to ‘some place’—and that someone is usually a person to whom we feel attached. But when the supposed safe haven is also the source of the FEAR, then running to that person or place is a failing strategy, causing the FRIGHTENED person to freeze, trapped between APPROACH and AVOIDANCE.”
By keeping JW’s totally off-balance in this way, the WT
increases their members’ dependency on the WT (remember, all former friends,
relatives and contacts are VERBOTEN), ensuring they retain CONTROL. The
exhausting, frozen state of “TERROR and AVOIDANCE” overwhelms WT members and their
ability to think critically about the ideology they’ve suddenly committed
themselves to.
HOW THE WT MAINTAINS CONTROL
MORE FEAR. Everyone is afraid of challenging the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. Saying anything negative about their religion could result in disfellowshipping and being shunned. If this were to happen, they would lose relationships with family and friends inside the Organization. If caught, some things Jehovah's Witnesses can't do are very serious and can result in disfellowshipping. Other things are looked down upon or judged negatively by individuals within the Organization. Some things are a matter conscience. Not every rule is given equal weight.
Jehovah's Witnesses may have nagging doubts about their beliefs, but if they want to avoid excommunication (disfellowshipping), they must completely trust the guidance given by the Watch Tower. They avoid independent thinking because speaking in agreement and being like-minded indicates to them they are in God’s Organization.
CONSCIENCE.
There are few formal rules that say a JW MUST NOT DO. No one forbids them from being a cheerleader, buying girl scout cookies, playing sports, etc. Jehovah's Witnesses 'CAN TECHNICALLY’ do some of these things, but they don't. Zealous JW's choose to follow stricter guidelines. They don't participate because most are overwhelmed by FEAR and GUILT at the mere thought of displeasing Jehovah and running afoul of the WT. They want to appear to be more “spiritual” and thus scrupulously follow all formal and informal rules.
GUILT TRIPS. Jehovah (i.e. the WT) demands obedience to all its rules and regulations. For the WT, group survival is far more important than individual rights and freedoms. Because strict rules are easy to break, worshipers of Jehovah are never certain of salvation.
Since Jehovah's Witnesses serve Jehovah, they must earn God's love just like the ancient Israelites did. There is GUILT because whatever they do for Jehovah, it may not to be enough. Oftentimes Jehovah's Witnesses believe they could have done more, and because they didn't, there is worry that Jehovah may not save them. What if they have angered Jehovah in some way that they are not aware of? What if Jehovah punishes them for not doing enough in these last days before Armageddon? What if they could have attended more meetings, spent more time going from door to door, etc. ... ?
When thinking about things they can't do or are not allowed to do, there are 'GRAY' areas. Some things, they 'must' not do. Other things they ‘shouldn't’ do. Some things are not recommended. And some things are a matter of CONSCIENCE. Faithful Jehovah's Witnesses often feel GUILTY that they might be doing something to displease God.
DOUBLE STANDARDS. It is interesting that some people get disfellowshipped for the smallest of infractions, while others get away with a lot and no one ever says anything. It all depends on how much you're liked in your congregation, how much time you spend going door to door, how loyal you are to the Organization and how famous the JW is to the outside world (Movie Stars, Tennis Players, Soccer Players, etc.).
MIND CONTROL. Jehovah's Witnesses have a unique language that they are proud of. It reinforces their belief that they are the only ones with THE TRUTH. Words like 'in THE TRUTH, 'God’s Organization', 'paradise earth', 'doomed system of things', etc., are repeated within the Organization over and over again in literature, conversations, and meetings.
Some JW's try to reclaim their freedom by leaving the Organization. However, even then most are afraid to say what they really want to say especially if they have family and friends inside the Organization. Long after Jehovah's Witnesses leave their religion, they remain firmly attached to the beliefs of the Watchtower.
OBEDIENCE. Jehovah's Witnesses are required to 'speak in agreement' and defend all doctrines even when they have doubts. They are afraid to question Jehovah's wisdom as explained by the WT. Thus, the good of the Organization is thought to be far more important than individual rights, beliefs, and freedom of speech.
Independent thinking is discouraged because unity of beliefs is a requirement. Speaking out against the doctrines of the WT is thought to be a dangerous path leading to 'apostasy' and termination of one's membership in Jehovah’s Organization. A JW's salvation and making it through Armageddon alive depends on their dedication and OBEDIENCE to Jehovah's spirit guided Organization, the WT.
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