The Mind Virus
Ideas behaving in society like viruses in the body
This is a very enlightening 9 1/2 page explanation of how religions use mind control techniques to recruit and control their members. It applies more to the fundamentalist versions than to liberal mainstream churches. If you have any fundie relatives, this article will help you to better understand their behavior.
I'll just include one key excerpt here for the benefit of those will not read the entire article:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')b]Burning of bridges is the sixth mind game. Not being able to go back is a way of keeping the converted from abandoning the conversion to second thoughts. We see evidence of this mind game all through the New Testament; Jesus saying that he will divide families, he has come with a sword, etc.
The burning of bridges among groups of Christians is done by binding the believers together so tightly that they cannot easily leave, though care is taken to ensure that paths remain open so others can easily join. Here is where evangelical Christianity resembles cult religions more than anywhere else; the Christian invites others to join by paying lip service to listening to them (while carefully filtering out any 'dangerous' ideas the infidel may present), and appearing to be friendly, loving and caring. It never occurs to the believer how, in filtering out dangerous ideas, the presentation of a listening facade represents a dishonest act. The higher good of "bringing in the harvest" is appealed to, with the belief that somehow, lying for Jesus through the facade one presents, is somehow not wrong.
In the mind of the believer, the bridges are burned by the doctrine of blasphemy. The tool of fear is imposed to make the believer fear that if he should reject the doctrine, he would have blasphemed against the holy spirit, and in so doing would be consigned to hell forever and ever. It is this fear of the greatest of sins that burns the bridge. The believer can't turn back, because doing so would consign him to hell.
A very effective technique used to bind believers together against the threat of blasphemy is the "false prophets" threat. If the believer should fall under the spell of a false prophet, he is doomed again to be consigned to hell. This keeps the believer in the circle, depending on using others to verify his understanding, and preventing him from straying from the "truth."
Again, there are many other examples that space here does not permit to be quoted.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he seventh and final mind game is fear.
Yes, good old fashioned "hell-fire and damnation." Of course it has its greatest effect on the ignorant and superstitious, but it can be an effective motivator even among the learned when it synergizes well with other mind games, such as the burning of bridges and the induction of dissociation.
PeakOil is You
Mind Control Techniques: Inside the Fundie Brain
Mind Control Techniques: Inside the Fundie Brain
by Lokutus » Sat 04 Nov 2006, 15:35:10
It would appear that this conflicts directly with the sweet, likable persona of the first mind game. It actually doesn't; they work well together as a carrot and stick.
Even a casual reading of the New Testament will uncover plenty of examples of this mind game. Damnation, judgement, punishment for sin, blasphemy, etc., all are based on the fear mind game, and are so commonly employed by evangelicals they've become a stereotype.
What will arrive first? Peak Oil or the Second Coming? My money is now on the latter.
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Re: Mind Control Techniques: Inside the Fundie Brain
by KhanCEO » Sat 04 Nov 2006, 17:20:24
The Bible was written by men, not by god. I don't blindly follow men that I don't know and had a lot to gain by making such writings. Good post.
Also check this out.
Root of All Evil
Also check this out.
Root of All Evil
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Re: Mind Control Techniques: Inside the Fundie Brain
by Lokutus » Sat 04 Nov 2006, 18:23:51
Here's why I think all fundamentalist churches are doomed to quickly devolve into cults.
Fundie churches are nothing more than entrepeneurial efforts by the founder--the result of a free market of religions. This is in contrast to established churches such as, say, the Catholic Church. With established churches, the priest being assigned a parish will normally have some degree of theological training to keep him from "just making shit up on the fly."* Sadly, the people who start evangelical churches have no such training. They are people who "read their bible" and came up with their own interpretations of what it's allegedly trying to tell us. Then they convince themselves that their interpretation is divinely inspired and therefore correct.
Their next step is to rent an empty store-front in a strip mall and see if they can grow their church like a business. That's how many started: in a strip small in a run-down part of town. The "pastors" with the gift of gab are sometimes successful at growing their endeavor in the same manner that entrepreneurs are sometimes successful in growing their businesses.
However, over time, the founder becomes increasingly aware of the precarious position his church is in. It could all collapse like a house of cards if the sheeple start thinking about what they are being spoonfed. So they start resorting to the cult mind control techniques described in the article. They brainwash the sheeple into fearing everyone outside the cult who might get them to reconsider their membership. Afterall, the non-believers are controlled by Satan! The cult members quickly become isolated from the rest of the community. Oftentimes they even cut themselves off from family if the latter refuse to join up as well.
* I'm not here to defend the Catholic Church. It continues to stubbornly hold onto antiquated and irrational prohibitions against marriage for priests, ordination of women, and the use of birth control. Hence, the recently revealed sex scandals--which have been going on since the dawn of the church.
But at least the bullshit spouted by the Catholic church has some intellectual horsepower behind it (e.g., St Augustine, Thomas Acquinas, and many others.) Meanwhile ask a typical Fundie what his pastor's theological qualifications are and you'll hear about the diploma in small engine repair or something equally impressive.
There's is something about the word "pastor" that really makes me bristle. The implication is that his followers are all sheeple.
Fundie churches are nothing more than entrepeneurial efforts by the founder--the result of a free market of religions. This is in contrast to established churches such as, say, the Catholic Church. With established churches, the priest being assigned a parish will normally have some degree of theological training to keep him from "just making shit up on the fly."* Sadly, the people who start evangelical churches have no such training. They are people who "read their bible" and came up with their own interpretations of what it's allegedly trying to tell us. Then they convince themselves that their interpretation is divinely inspired and therefore correct.
Their next step is to rent an empty store-front in a strip mall and see if they can grow their church like a business. That's how many started: in a strip small in a run-down part of town. The "pastors" with the gift of gab are sometimes successful at growing their endeavor in the same manner that entrepreneurs are sometimes successful in growing their businesses.
However, over time, the founder becomes increasingly aware of the precarious position his church is in. It could all collapse like a house of cards if the sheeple start thinking about what they are being spoonfed. So they start resorting to the cult mind control techniques described in the article. They brainwash the sheeple into fearing everyone outside the cult who might get them to reconsider their membership. Afterall, the non-believers are controlled by Satan! The cult members quickly become isolated from the rest of the community. Oftentimes they even cut themselves off from family if the latter refuse to join up as well.
* I'm not here to defend the Catholic Church. It continues to stubbornly hold onto antiquated and irrational prohibitions against marriage for priests, ordination of women, and the use of birth control. Hence, the recently revealed sex scandals--which have been going on since the dawn of the church.
But at least the bullshit spouted by the Catholic church has some intellectual horsepower behind it (e.g., St Augustine, Thomas Acquinas, and many others.) Meanwhile ask a typical Fundie what his pastor's theological qualifications are and you'll hear about the diploma in small engine repair or something equally impressive.
There's is something about the word "pastor" that really makes me bristle. The implication is that his followers are all sheeple.
What will arrive first? Peak Oil or the Second Coming? My money is now on the latter.
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Lokutus - Tar Sands
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Re: Mind Control Techniques: Inside the Fundie Brain
by Lokutus » Sat 04 Nov 2006, 20:10:48
I'm out for the evening but just want to give you a heads-up: there will be a quiz on this article sometime next week.
See you tomorrow.
See you tomorrow.
What will arrive first? Peak Oil or the Second Coming? My money is now on the latter.
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Lokutus - Tar Sands
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Re: Mind Control Techniques: Inside the Fundie Brain
by AgentR » Sat 04 Nov 2006, 20:26:43
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lokutus', '*') I'm not here to defend the Catholic Church. It continues to stubbornly hold onto antiquated and irrational prohibitions against marriage for priests, ordination of women, and the use of birth control. Hence, the recently revealed sex scandals--which have been going on since the dawn of the church.
They were going on long before Jesus.
The things above you mentioned are not facets of most protestant churches; yet the same sorts of things happen there. The only difference of course is the size and longevity of the organization. If a pastor of 33rd Baptist Church and Mowing Company has a pedophile within; the perp is tossed in jail, and the church folds in a few weeks. Story dies; no money to be had anywhere by lawyers... In a Catholic setting, the perp in the past was stupidly relocated, allowing an annoying problem of pedophile infiltration to grow and become insulated from justice; then the lawsuits came and of course a Catholic dioscese can't just hang out a "going out of business" sign and disappear. A diocese holds a lot of property in common, has all sorts of insurance and pension stuff; and so they have to stand through the lawsuits and reach payable settlements with people that have credible claims; and be willing to take non-credible claims all the way to Jury trials.
I am of the opinion that pedophiles know they are what they are long before they even get out of high school; they have time and motivation to shape their future career choices to provide maximum exposure to their prey, and any known weakness draws them like vultures to carion. Now that the Catholic chuch has been made much more hostile, I don't know where they'll go next, but I'd expect twenty years from now we'll all be focussed on some group and slapping ourselves on the forehead about why we didn't see it coming.
PS: There are real protestant seminaries. So not all are going to be small engine repair folks.
Yes, we are. As we are.
And so shall we remain; Until the end.
And so shall we remain; Until the end.
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Re: Mind Control Techniques: Inside the Fundie Brain
by Lokutus » Sun 05 Nov 2006, 15:31:57
What will arrive first? Peak Oil or the Second Coming? My money is now on the latter.
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Re: Mind Control Techniques: Inside the Fundie Brain
by Lokutus » Sun 05 Nov 2006, 15:48:34
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'D')eveloped by a busy pastor who loves food and admits to a lack of self-control when it comes to eating, The Jerusalem Diet is designed to work for any-one who can manage to stay on a diet for just 24 hours. If you want to shed pounds and keep them off-without starvation, deprivation, or frustration-this is the plan you've been waiting for.
I'll save you the money. The secret to retaing a svelte boyish figure is meth. Lotsa meth!
What will arrive first? Peak Oil or the Second Coming? My money is now on the latter.
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