jskains wrote:One of the constant claims is that of the Brainwashing techniques... But considering the facts and mechanisms in play, I fail to see it. Worse, I fail to see how it is any more controlling than other Christian faiths.
For example, traditional Christianity runs off fear based control. "If you don't follow our teachings, you are bound for Hell". Or "You are a product of Original Sin, so if you don't get dunked in water fast enough, your bound for the eternal bog of stench". So how are these fear based concepts fine, but Mormonism is somehow "brainwashing"?
I was missing for 3 months. While I still had contact with folks, I never had a Mormon Nazi Death Squad come to my house telling me if I didn't go back to Church, they would make all my pillows go flat or make all my wall pictures crooked. Friends at Church (including my Bishop, who is a friend) asked how I was doing and made sure I was Ok, but they didn't give me lectures on how I am Hell bound for not returning. Matter-of-a-fact, nothing about "consequences" came up.
What is even funnier, is the traditional "brainwashing" techniques usually come from trained staff, like that nice money-based organization that Tom Cruise is a member of. In Mormonism, since we all basically teach ourselves (I even have taught classes - gasp - and I didn't get an ounce of brainwashing training) and in many cases govern ourselves, wouldn't WE the people of the LDS faith have to brainwash each other?
Anti-Mormons like to dance and flail about, I know. It's now comical looking into it these days. Now that I am going to be a father, I have grown closer to the Church and feel it is a positive light in a very dark world. Teenage pregnancy is up, school shootings are more common than they used to be.... Children are declining in moral and social value (play on XBox Live and see how these kids talk), and now the family unit is under attack.... I am frightened of the world that I am bringing a child into (the pregnancy was a suprise for us, not planned)..... Ultimately it looks like people need to HATE something, and for Anti-Mormons, they get that high by trying to bring down something others care about.
Anyways, that is my question. Like I said... I wonder how much you can say the LDS Church BRAINWASHES people... I think I am rather intelligent (147), and feel I chose to be Mormon.
JMS
jskains stated:
Anyways, that is my question. Like I said... I wonder how much you can say the LDS Church BRAINWASHES people... I think I am rather intelligent (147), and feel I chose to be Mormon.
The most effective
brainwashing is done when the one brainwashed has no clue that he has been brainwashed. Of course the LDS “brainwashes people.” Any religion which is
successful brainwashes. It’s essential to
transfer wealth from person to organization. And the
organization uses the wealth to build its base. It uses wealth to “brainwash” others.
Intelligence is not necessarily a barrier to being indoctrinated or brainwashed.
You did not
choose[/b] to be a Mormon. Just how many options were presented to you from cradle up regarding various religious mythologies? Was as much time spent informing you about the doctrines of Islam as was spent informing (indoctrinating) you about Mormonism? I am skeptical.
How many Roman Catholic catechism sessions did you attend? How much time did you devote to United Methodist doctrine?
I could ask the same for a thousand religious groups which claim to be [i]Christian. And then I could ask how much time you spent with your claimed IQ that you spent studying
really studying religions comparatively? I remain skeptical.
Unless you are able to establish that you were a genuine
student of many religious doctrines and dogmas, you cannot persuade that you
“chose to be Mormon.”
So what was the religion of your mother?
What was the religion of your father?
What were the religions of your grandparents on both sides?
I don’t expect you to respond to these rhetorical questions. However, your claim that you “chose to be a Mormon” is most suspect on this forum.
Evidence gathered on this issue demonstrates that children in a very large percentage of cases adopt or accept the religion of their parents.
If your father was Jewish and your mother was Roman Catholic, you would have a better chance of applying your claimed IQ to objective analysis of the various doctrines of just those two religious perspectives.
I remain skeptical of your self-evaluation regarding any objective, rational, analytical, impartial, philosophical
choice which you claim.
JAK