Posted by Doubtful on October 06, 2008 at 04:16:54
In Reply to: Re: Personal sacrifice posted by Edward on October 05, 2008 at 21:31:45:
One thing you have to be absolutely clear about, the COG was/is not the PT -- these are two very different cults. Sure there are some similarities, and what I described is common to many cults or even conditions for factory workers and corporate life. But you intend to take it and twist/stretch it so it means the COG taught Revolutionary Suicide as a doctrine? I'm sorry, but I'm telling you again, you are way off. NOTHING of the sort was a doctrine or even background subliminal.
I can point you to information to show it was the contrary, but will you read into out of context like your "experts" and continue to draw incorrect conclusions? Maybe you should invite your "experts" over here so we can set them straight.
At most we had Revolutionary slogans along the lines of "May God strike me dead if I leave the COG" but that's still NOT Revolutionary Suicide being taught as doctrine. That was putting the fear of God killing us into our hearts.
The scenarios I described were based on my fears and the conditions back in the 80's and early 90's. The closest the COG came to the idea of inevitable death (due to PERSECUTION and NOT suicide) were published in "THERE'S NO WAY OUT BUT UP!" in 1992.
This was a cause for concern in the famous British court case. But the findings of the judge (who looked into everything and left no stone unturned), were that such fears were to be dismissed:
"I wish, however, to record the clear finding, from which I will not shrink, that there was no evidence that this mother or anyone close to her at the Ward's home are likely to join in any mass suicide, even if, which I also find unlikely, World Services called on The Family to die. I dismiss those fears."
If anything the situation of members working and sacrificing themselves to death was reversed in recent years, and it is less and less likely leadership is in any position to call in a suicide.
And there never was and still is no underlying doctrine of Revolutionary Suicide, or suicide as as a statement. In fact there were warnings to the contrary, that suicide is the ultimate selfish act and leads to hell and damnation (this was modified lightly in recent years, but still not to fit the idea that suicide is inevitable or a revolutionary statement).
I can tell you as a direct source that in the inner circle, even as far in as Berg's immediate family, there was NO doctrine of Revolutionary Suicide. We weren't being groomed to kill ourselves to make a statement. We were being groomed to be willing prostitutes and pimps, and become baby factories. At most we were being groomed to die as matyrs at the hands of anti-Christ forces in the last days, due to persecution, NOT suicide.