Re:I’ve Picked My Job over My Kids
by barry-cotter on Sunday June 30, 2019 @04:56AM
(#20317150)
That’s the point. A community that can keep people who are indifferent or hostile to its values out has some chance of survival. One that can’t doesn't. Keeping people like you or me out is not an incidental benefit of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, it’s indispensable. If you completely disagree with a community's core tenets they do not want you. And if you’re not a member of a community your feelings about how it should be governed are relevant only insofar as they are enforced by men with guns.
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I really don't think so. Societal pressure can be even more convincing than violence. If you are going to lose all of your friends and family if you complain about something, that is not healthy. If you have to tell your followers that independent thought is coming right from the devil (lol btw), somethings not quite right with your faith. Else you would not fear independent thought.
> Societal pressure can be even more convincing than violence.
this is true, these communities are walking on a thin rope. They are constantly in danger of falling out of balance.
> somethings not quite right with your faith. Else you would not fear independent thought.
I disagree. There is no indication that rationality and independent thinking are what is best for an individual. They have been hugely positive for humanity, but there is also freedom in submission. Being in a healthy community where you fully understand your role in life seems a lot better than being a nihilist (not the only outcome, but also not the worst one).