- Topic
In the forum, I read a comment about a member who refuses to read Ash's Forbidden Book because it was removed from the church by Ash. This isn't the 1st time I've come across this excuse. They like to apply our "ridiculous" logic to extreme situations, so here's one for you:
A friend of your's has a diary full of all her secrets. She gives you her diary to read. You begin reading it and see she's been consealing fear behind her everyday smile. Without her diary, you would have never known she was afraid for her life; that a strange person had been following her. She doesn't tell anyone because she's afraid. She just records her thoughts, feelings, and events in her diary. For some reason, she tells you to stop reading her diary and expresses that you never share what you've read with anyone. You both agree to lock it away. A few days go by and she's found dismembered in her bedroom. The police begin to ask you questions to see if you have any leads. Immediately, you remember her diary. It gives specific descriptions of the stranger. Where she saw him. What he said to her. Everything the police need to catch him is in that diary. Then you recall her saying not to tell anyone what you read. So.. you keep it a secret. You lie to the police and say you have no idea who could have done this. Years pass.. decades pass.. her murder still hasn't been solved. You decide to share the book with the police. You explain the story and tell them why you've kept it a secret. But they refuse to hear you. You go to the family and give them the same layout. They follow suit with the officers. Why won't they listen? This diary will surely solve the case! You ask.. they answer.. "The author of this book doesn't want anyone to read it. So, we won't read it."
You see how foolish that sounds? Granted, no one should be dismembered due to their affiliation with the church (they shouldn't).. I wonder why Ash pulled the book off the shelves. That was never explained to me. Deaconess Deborah just said he recalled all the books. I also wonder why, if he truly didn't want anyone reading, he didn't pull it from being published again. Why are Ash's books available in the library in Korea but not in America?
And then did they let you collect and count it?
Love'n Honey wrote:
Apparently my tithe records were shredded the year after I stopped going to that church. There's no proof that I or Anaya paid tithes. Just my word.
Well then, aren't you just the former member with an axe to grind? Someone who will do Satan's bidding by lying and destroying the utopian movement?
That's how its done, my friends. Throughout history.
Comparing any Bible based group to a totalitarian regime (that obviously went to the extreme) will not get any of us anywhere helping members that are trapped. However, the system that is used – there are similarities. But be careful, because the group will always focus its members on differences. And those differences are legit and people will focus there.
Love'n Honey wrote:
Questioninginla wrote:
good point.
A more analogous comparison would be that the leader alters history. People in photographs are taken out as though they never existed (in totalitarian regimes they were obviously executed). Official records that document certain policies that are no longer in place are shredded/destroyed – again, they "never existed"; to naive to refrain from inquiring about the old information? Bullet to the back of the head surely silences. But loss of life is not required for information control. This is essentially what Orwell wrote about in Animal Farm. New history is created by the alteration (over time) or outright deletion of what was in place before, and soon the people/(animals) no longer search for what was – they have what they need in front of them, provided by their loving leaders.
It works almost every time its tried, if done correctly.
There are a lot of lessons in literary "classics", but of course that is the work of man….
Apparently my tithe records were shredded the year after I stopped going to that church. There's no proof that I or Anaya paid tithes. Just my word.
That brings up a good question… Do members pay with checks – because that is receipt enough, or do they encourage their members to pay in cash?
Ms Freedom wrote:
Love'n Honey wrote:
Questioninginla wrote:
good point.
A more analogous comparison would be that the leader alters history. People in photographs are taken out as though they never existed (in totalitarian regimes they were obviously executed). Official records that document certain policies that are no longer in place are shredded/destroyed – again, they "never existed"; to naive to refrain from inquiring about the old information? Bullet to the back of the head surely silences. But loss of life is not required for information control. This is essentially what Orwell wrote about in Animal Farm. New history is created by the alteration (over time) or outright deletion of what was in place before, and soon the people/(animals) no longer search for what was – they have what they need in front of them, provided by their loving leaders.
It works almost every time its tried, if done correctly.
There are a lot of lessons in literary "classics", but of course that is the work of man….
Apparently my tithe records were shredded the year after I stopped going to that church. There's no proof that I or Anaya paid tithes. Just my word.
That brings up a good question… Do members pay with checks – because that is receipt enough, or do they encourage their members to pay in cash?
Cash only my friend … untraceable money, easy to hide …
Is that REALLY true?
I always paid cash but other members I know wrote checks
@Simon – I may be mistaken but I thought you said you never tithed because you had no earnings and they tolerated you despite that.
You aren't mistaken, Emil.
I was there for two years dude I experienced income sone of it unemployment some of it
Simon wrote:
I was there for two years dude I experienced income sone of it unemployment some of it
This is a really good point, Simon. Even the people who don't have a lot to give are required to give what they can. I have heard of people selling DVDs, CDs and anything they are not using anymore so they can give more money to the church. This is a classic characteristic of cults – because scams are about taking your money. Sadly for cults like WMSCOG, they take minds and lives as well.
There are so many ways they can exploit a person. If they can't give monetarily because they are a student or currently unemployed, the church can still use them for recruiting or PR reasons. They actually had members giving bone marrow and blood and making sure that got into the media for PR. And if a person is young and doesn't have a job, they know there is the potential for giving if they can just hold on to the member till they get a job. And they better get that job if they want to remain a member.
What MsFreedom said is right on. The members who can't give do get manipulated into selling things. I've heard this in testimonials over and over. And I agree, the worst thing they take is their recruits mind.
they didn'tpush me to sell stuff but there is certainly good pr in having some poorer members and also kicking me could've weakened faith of others since I wasthere so often compared to others presence of a familiar person then them disappearing isn't conducive to their goals
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