Tuesday, July 26, 2011

SDA Fear Mongering Literalism


Right click on SDA Flormer Member Photo's Facebook  for a larger picture

A fire storm has erupted with many SDA members over a 'mock-up' end time hunt for Sabbath keepers.  In this 'futuristic' melodrama, Sabbath keepers will be hunted down an killed for not taking on the mark of the beast (Sunday worship).

Fear mongering in SDA land is a manipulative way in keeping members fearful of their salvation and afraid to leave the church.  Church members, because they are called out from the world, are despised by Satan who will do anything in his power to destroy the 'truth.', actually look forward to being martyrs.

Oh wait, that's Armstrongite mythology too!

Armstrong did the same thing to his cult members.  We operated under the same beliefs that many of us would be martyrs for our beliefs.  Because we would be martyrs, it was a 'holy thing to do' and therefore none dared lose their salvation by leaving the church. Only cowards would walk away from the glorious 'truth' that had been restored after 1,900 years through Herbert Armstrong.  To this very day we have scores of COG members who sit in their respective churches miserable over what they hear being taught, yet too fearful to leave because in the back of their mind "it just might all be true."



It's OK Not to be Seventh Day Adventist    had this to say (notice that they use the exact same scare tactics Armstrongism does):

At the very least, it is astonishingly dysfunctional that a church leader would dramatically pre-enact a terrifying prophetic massacre of their people. Can you imagine a Jewish prophet of the 20th century getting together a group of Jews and pre-enacting the Holocaust? Not to warn them to get out of Germany, but just to prepare them for the gas chambers? Or an Old Testament prophet re-enacting the slaughter of Jerusalem and the Babylonian Captivity, not as a warning to repent and turn from their wicked ways, but just to prepare them for the tortures and persecution and martyrdom?

You see Adventists don't see this persecution as punishment from God, not as something they can prepare for and avoid. No, their prophetess Ellen White, had a vision and foretold that because they kept the correct Sabbath, because of their obedience to God, that all other Christians will vent Satan's wrath upon the SDA remnant. Adventists will be hunted down and martyred for keeping Sabbath. Every Christian who continues to disobey God by going to church and worshipping God on Sunday (which they believe is the wrong day to worship) is going to receive the Mark of the Beast.

This recent Adventist theatrical pre-enactment tells us, out here in non-SDA land, that despite their persuasive declaration that the church is no longer fearmongering its youth about other Christians and that it has dropped ridiculous and unbiblical last-day prophecies, that some Adventist church leaders are back to the old scare tactics. "Stay safely inside Adventism, all other Christians are some day going to come after you, torture and martyr you." (Well, actually the word safe to them means eternally, spiritually safe because obviously your physical bodies are going to come to great harm for being SDA.....)




Dictionary definition of fear mongering:

Fear mongering  (or scaremongering ) is the use of fear to leverage the opinions and actions of others towards some end. The object of fear is sometimes exaggerated, and the use of fear mongering is often directed in a manner using repetition, in order to continuously reinforce the intended effects of using this tactic in a self-reinforcing manner, like a vicious circle.


Common Emotional Difficulties After Leaving a High Demand Group


Common Emotional Difficulties After Leaving a High Demand Group

From Victims of Psychopaths Sociopaths

Posted on 07/21/11, 01:20 am I'm throwing this out here because as we all know the S and the N are a high demand group (party of 1).

Common Emotional Difficulties After Leaving a High Demand Group

The following emotional and psychological* difficulties are common with survivors from the Worldwide Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God and any totalistic splinter groups.

Not every survivor will experience all of these, or may suffer from additional ones. Experiencing any of this does not mean you are defective. In some cases these feelings may take years to subside, but it is important to realize that, while painful, they are common feelings with exiters. In time they will pass.

This list overlaps with Common Spiritual Difficulties After Leaving a High Demand Group.
 *Some psychosomatic symptoms are also listed.
• Enormous Feelings of Betrayal


• Feelings of Spiritual Rape of the Soul

• Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Trauma becomes crystallized a few days after a traumatic event, such as exiting an abusive, high demand group. Several of a cluster of symptoms can develop, including spontaneous crying, suicidal thoughts, emotional numbing, phobias, social withdrawal, flashbacks, amnesia, anxiety, depression, shame, guilt, self-loathing, fear of going insane.

• Anger or Rage
Toward the group and leader; toward oneself; suppression of anger in the group actually contributed to depression and a sense of helplessness.

• Denial

• Identity Confusion/Disorientation
The pre-cult personality--or real self--struggles with the in-cult personality1 that was imposed by the group. There can be difficulty integrating the cultic world with the outside world.

• Dissociation (or Dissociative Identity Disorder)
Not being in touch with reality or those around them; inability to communicate.

• Floating (a.k.a. trancing out)
Getting triggered into cult mode, flashbacks into the cult mind-set; thoughts of returning to the group, nostalgic feelings (part of dissociation).

• Panic and Anxiety Attacks

• Obsessive Thoughts

• Depression

• Psychosomatic Symptoms
Headache; stomach ache; backaches; fatigue; asthma; skin rashes; lethargy; sexuality problems.

• Problems or Inability in Making Decisions
Because of the dependency fostered by the group. 
 • Lack of Motivation
• Inability to Concentrate
With short-term memory loss.

• Fear
"What if I am wrong?" "What if harmful events actually do happen?" "I can't ever be happy outside the group." "What if I run into a present member?" Includes phobias and fear of going crazy.

• Grief & Sense of Loss
Grieving loss of innocence, idealism, spirituality, self, pride; sense of purpose, meaning and belonging in life; support system; friends and family lost in the group; loss of time, goals and youth.

• Guilt/Shame
For getting involved, for the people they recruited, things done while in the group; for leaving.

• Lack of Trust
Of group situations; deep suspicions about others motives and attitudes.

• Intense Loneliness
Strong and unique bonds were forged in the group.

• Sense of Purposelessness & Disconnection
Missing the peak experiences of the group.

• Sense of Isolation/Alienation
"No one can understand what I am going through."

• Overly Critical of Oneself and Others
Due to incorporating the harsh attitudes of the cult leader.

• Seeing Everything in Black and White
Cults do not teach to look for the gray areas.

• Problems Having Boundaries
Boundaries were violated time and again in the group until one lost sense of which boundaries were appropriate.

• Feelings of Inferiority and Worthlessness
Cult leaders continually blame members.

• Hypersensitive
To anger and rebuffs from others

• Sleep Disorders Including nightmares and insomnia.

• Eating Disorders

• Fear of Intimacy and Commitment

• Problems with Career or Employment
Because of years in the group; lost job opportunities, etc.

• Unable to Deal With Conflicts

• Impatience with Recovery
 By Douglas Becker