Sorry for the serail posting but again....
If someone wanted to leave but feared for their safety, where would they go?

Family member that they "want to keep". There have been people who are willing to just leave it all behind and start over, family or friends a thing of the past.

I've been "out" of the family for a few years now, but I'm still very much "among" them. When I think back about certain beliefs and rules, having lived my life differently for so long, they really do sound absurd, and I get the sense that a lot of people are starting to feel this way, the youth especially, which sort of goes without saying. Aside from local teachings with declining turnouts, it's been a very long time since they've tried to "remind" of who we're supposed to be, that we're a family, etc. Things are kind of defaulting to feeling like an actual family (as we are since were quite inter-related). This has been a really neat phenomenon, but the youth have potential to destroy the very force that created it... Something I see as a good thing, with the tone of "thanks, but no thanks..." With enough time and courage, hopefully it will. The only thing an individual can safely do though is come out to the most reasonable person they trust, and state their case with very direct and hard-hitting facts.

Pequa,
Quick apology. I think you were using the word ''monitor'' to mean observe. I thought you meant it as to ''supervise''.
I agree. They're probably monitoring/watching and they're probably posting under false personas.
I don't believe they are monitoring/supervising. I don't imagine they could control anything other than the poor souls they have trapped in this cult. I pray for those trapped souls. I know how they feel.
But as to having any real or significant power....heck.... this is a religion that built itself around the belief that a man who could not even control his body functions...was god.
How could they have control over anything else...??? No offense.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/10/2009 07:01AM by Sallie.

I have read on a few previous posts, people saying that they have been following this post for a long time and are just now deciding to post. They then go on to say that they are "in". To me this seems like the person who is "in" is making an implied threat, insinuating that everyone who is on here, especially those who are "in" are being watched. "Watchers" is an exact term that JH used to the youth. He said that there are "watchers" around the world who will keep an eye on what they are doing.

Confused,
Funny. I thought daddylonglegs mentioning that their members were law enforcement s was an implied threat. I also thought the word ''monitor'' was an implied threat.

Oh actually I also thought the continue reference to ''look how many views'' was i to perhaps, subtly, imply that maybe the Spain crew was watching.
And those early sporadic posts by people who would just say...''this group is huge...international'' That too. I thought that was a kind of...threat...you know....''we're everywhere''.

And Mytwoworlds saying ''we have met''.

It's like horror movie jargon.
You know...girl is alone and the phone rings and she hears ''it's us ....it's the law...we're monitoring you...watching you....your every move is being viewed. We're huge and powerful. We're everywhere. I know you...''
Then of course comes the comic relief. You see the caller is like....Gary Coons in his pjs or someting...then you're justing laughing and laughing.

I guess those who would state that "the group is huge...international" , a family decended from which ever three families, would also believe that there are were "watchers" here, Spain, all over the world.. Those things sort of go together as implied threats. Again these were all the teachings of JH. I haven't heard any mention of any of this recently. But I also don't hear anyone confronting it, and saying that those things were a bunch of garbage. Maybe as Fallen eluded to, it will all just fade into the background. The psychological, emotional abuse and damage has been done, whatever the future holds in terms of teaching under GC. Since he doesn't teach these things, I kind of think that, at minimum he isn't going to use the kind of manipulation that JH did. I don't know what he would say about the teaching if confronted directly. I do know that many of the youth were very afraid because of this teaching. Maybe they snapped out of it later and said, wow, this is absurd, but at the time they heard it they were frightened.

I don't believe anyone is making "threats" about the legitimacy of this group, saying, "I'm on the inside, and we're keeping tabs on the RATS." It's quite clear to me that anyone saying they're "in" is either expressing their frustrations and helpless, or saying "you guys won't believe the crap they think is true," or both.

Confused,
Everyone on here IS being watched (ie posts being read) because this forum is public, and known and commented about by people involved in this group. That is no secret. Don't see where the veiled threat is. The "Watchers" that Hickman talked about are aliens/fallen angels- and are our enemies, as they know our every thought, and try to put thoughts in our heads to lead us down the wrong path. Another absurd teaching of this cult that is just another way to make people think they are always under attack, and therefor need to be extra vigilant in their obedience to "The Way". There is a lot of paranoia in this group. Children are taught from a young age that someday the entire world will be against them and that there will be persecution because of who they are (ie. descendants of Jesus, etc).
There are also many levels of "in". Since this is not an organized group the way it seems to have been in the 70-80's, there is no member roster or anything like that. You are considered "in" unless you are "left-sided" meaning you do something to get yourself kicked out. Most people who are "left-sided" are put there because they have decided to "leave" and made that known, or they quietly left, and someone finally figured out they were living a lifestyle not "approved" and they chose to continue it. You have people "inner-circle" I guess who are involved in every teaching/ activity, and you have people on the fringe whose parents are involved, but they hang-out around the edges, go to big get-togethers once in awhile, or barely at all.
In case the post wasn't actually read, when I mentioned law-enforcement, it was one of several carreers mentioned just to point out that people in this cult appear normal on the outside because they participate in general society, with several different professions. They blend-in unlike, say, the Amish or FDLS, or any of those groups who close themselves off to society and stand-out right away. What are they going to do? Pull you over and give you an extra ticket because maybe you wrote on this forum?
It is hard to miss how many people read this forum. I think it has more to do with the time period of this group (30+ years) and the number of people involved over the years (someone earlier on this thread said it was 1-2,000 at one point).

Geraldtsmith,
Earlier in the thread you posted a link to the Newsday article. That was the first time I had ever read it or got story behind the "big break-up" of the 80's. I was very young then, and the actual events leading up to it were never discussed. When asked, the adults just said "Abba was accused of some things that were not true." That is it. I believe most of the "youth" never got the real story. I went back to reread, and the link is broken. Is it a possibility to repost it?
Thank you.