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In Reply to: Good points posted by Donny on November 22, 2002 at 20:56:51:
I'm not arguing from a "set" position here. As you will notice, I only came up with the explanation about cult mind control being in percentages a couple days ago. I embrace that explanation because it makes a lot of sense and because my own experience in the COG/Family tells me very clearly that there were times when I had a larger latitude of free thought, and other times when after breakings I was really "toeing the line". And obviously I wasn't still under total, 100% mind control the day I reallized Berg was not a prophet and that I could leave the Family without God killing me. So I DO beleive in that it goes in degrees, usually in the upper end of the scale for I have to confess that for most of my time in the Family I was a True Believer and really bought into the crap.
But I know for a fact that all throughout my cult mind control time that my basic personality was still there. Heavily stamped and imprinted upon, yes. Controlled, yes. Deformed, yes. But I still was a warped form of me with my weaknesses and strengths. If I hadn't had my own particular traits, why did I always get the same Reading Lists.
But just to let you know, I'm enjoying this discussion and not trying to either prove you wrong or convert you to my position. It's "iron sharpening iron" here and hopefully none of us are so entrenched in our postion that we can't learn from each other (as I am from you) and modify and grow together.
On some points we'll never agree, but in the meantime, we may find ourselves growing and learning from each other. When we finally hit brick walls and are only butting heads, well, then that's the time to back off and respect each others' positions. But for now this is still a learning curve for me.
