Some other ways of brainwashing are as follows: Sleep deprivation, possible withholding of food, anti-government teachings keep people busy so they don't have time to think, constant services to attend to listen to teachings of the organization, wearing them down, fear tactics: if you leave this group you will lose your salvation or even some groups will also threaten your life, giving conflicted messages, and as I came to realize-they expect total obedience from people.
I know some people would ask: Why would someone subject themselves to such a church or organization to let themselves allow someone to do those things to you? Or, "That is for someone else. I would never let it happen to me or be involved in any such thing." I didn't think I would ever be either.
At the very least, society has become brainwashed to a degree. As in the picture today, it can be done simply through watching tv. Some of us will remember when the tv was so much more innocent than it is today. There was no Friday the 13th. Or whatever the popular terror movies are on today. (I don't know because I don't watch them.) There was just not the kind of violence there is today. The most some of us saw was Cowboys and Indians. But gradually, through the working of things like prayer being taken from the schools, to the tv and media things can be seen today like never before. You can even watch court on tv now for heaven's sake. Divorce Court, babies being aborted, child abuse. It is because we have allowed ourselves to come to the place that we let people pull us away from the God of the Bible.
And sometimes, it is simply because we start going to a church that we don't know much about, and listen to what they are telling us. We can be pulled in by loving people that were once in our shoes. We needed love and bo be accepted, and if nowhere else, could we not find that in a church?Even one that was like the one I went to so many years ago?
Some of you know to an extent of where I have been because I have written about it before. For those that don't, let me tell you some of my experiences.
I had an unhappy childhood with a mother that was mentally ill. I left home at age 18 and by 19 was married. He was an alcoholic, as I found out too late. We had 4 children. And one day after several years of marriage and a very unhappy life, I cried out to the God that I had been taught about as a child. He did rescue me but I did go through some more hard times before hand.
I had started going to a church after my sister had suggested going to it because she had gone to it a few years prior. She had then moved away to another state. But she got me in touch with a "brother" as they had called each other in the church and I found out the times to go. This particular church did not have a regular set preacher. The original man that started it lived in another state, and these smaller ones spread out to other states, from that original one.The men teaching them had themselves been under the teaching of the original church. Either by being actually present at their meetings or sometimes I wonder if it was even by just cassette tape that they would get their knowledge from then start their own and teach the same messages. Cassette tapes were widely used and promoted back to everyone.
The one I went to had maybe 60 people, not counting children. It was mixed in race. About half and half black and white.There were two meetings that my children and I went to each week. One on Sunday and one on Wednesday. The one on Sunday was in the home of the teacher (I don't call them pastors) in a nearby city. The one on Wednesday evening was in a rented room in yet another city at a hotel. That teacher came from another city to teach for just that night each week. The two cities where the meetings were held at, were close cities to where I lived. I tell you this to tell you, that this was no real organized church. There was not a building to go to. And not that I believe there has to be an actual church building to hold services, but this kind of thing seemed out of the ordinary. And it was not done with any real governing body like most churches have over them. The one over them was out of state, pretty much dictating what he believed the Bible was teaching.
I was welcomed in. Not as with some where they really love you into it. But still welcomed. And for a time, it seemed good and right. Yes, the teachings seemed a little far-fetched. Going to doctors was plainly being taught against, because of the scripture that says we are not to lean on the arm of the flesh. Jeremiah 17:5. And this meant no going to hospitals for childbirth, no taking your child to a doctor for broken bones much less anything else, and no medicine. Any kind of medical science was a sin. Celebrating holidays was out Women wore dresses no matter what they were doing. Surgeries as simple as pierced ears was a sin. And there was much more.They were very legalistic.
They believed they were the New Convent Church. Or better stated maybe, the New Testament Chruch. And even though they didn't exempt other believers that believed the basics about Jesus Christ, those churches were in sin for not following the laws of what they.believed the Bible taught. They were it. God's truly chosen people.So they thought and taught. Any other way believing was beneath them.
For a time I tried to follow the teachings. But I had a lot to deal with. I felt very much alone during that time due to the way things were at home. But eventually, the cracks in the church began to show up. A couple of women gave me some skirts and made a comment about my needing to lose some weight. (I had had 4 children for goodness sakes and I had gained weight with each one. But I was not overweight.)And really, who were they to say for me anyway? I began to feel not accepted so much when it was apparent that I was not "growing in the faith" like they thought I should. For one thing, I wear glasses. I have since I was 3 years old. Glasses were a sin. And so because I did not give them up and believe God for healing, this was a sin.And believe me this was just one a couple of examples of those things I was expected to comply with.
I was called on the carpet about wearing glasses in the midst of a Wednesday night meeting, in front of everyone that attended that night.It wasn't long before I finally did leave the church. But it was not without some real problems on my part. Join me tomorrow for the conclusion of why this type of church is dangerous.
I hope you will come back tomorrow for the next part of this series. May you have a Blessed Lord's Day today!
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