City Harvest is all about BGR?
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6. Group-think, Suppression of Dissent, and Enforced Conformity in Thinking
The cult has standard answers for almost everything, and members are expected to parrot those answers. Willfulness or independence or skeptical thinking is seen as bad. Members accept the leader's reality as their own.
Ask a candid question,
Get a canned answer.
There are two corollaries:
A) Independent or critical thinking is discouraged, especially critical thoughts about the leader or the group or the cult's teachings.
B) Positive thoughts and statements about the leader and the group are encouraged.
In cults, no criticism of the leader, his teachings, or his organization is seen as valid -- such criticism is always automatically wrong, just because it criticizes the guru, his teachings, or his group.
Many cults claim to have some divine, infallible teachings, "Sacred Science", "The True Word of God", "so of course any criticism of the guru or his teachings is always wrong, and downright evil, because it is going against God." ...Or because it is going against The Spiritual Principles of the Cosmos, or it is going against Nature, or whatever the purported Higher Principle is...
In some cults, dissent is considered synonymous with demon possession because 'Satan opposes the group's great works.' Criticism of the cult, the cult leader, or his teachings is seen as proof that someone is dominated by evil forces.
In many cults, the attitude is, "Those who agree with us are 'saved'. Those who disagree with us, or criticize our group, our beliefs, or our leader, are 'the lost', or the 'unsaved'."
Likewise, in cults, there is a reversal of judgement. The cult itself is never judged, or subject to judgement; the people who comment on the cult are judged by what they say about the cult. People who say good things about the cult are deemed (by the cult) to be good people. People who say bad things about the cult are deemed to be bad people.
Jeffrey Schaler wrote in his paper Cult Busting:
One way of testing the cult nature of a group is by challenging the ideology binding the group together. We can discover something about the nature of a group by how well its members tolerate opposition to the ideology that holds the group together. How well do members tolerate difference of opinion, opinion that challenges the very ideological heart of the group?
Members of the cult are like a colony of insects when disturbed. A frenzy of activity and protective measures are executed when core ideologies are challenged. The stronger the evidence challenging the truthfulness of the group ideology, the more likely members of the cult are to either lash out in a more or less predictable fashion, fall apart, or disband into separate cult colonies.
Another aspect of group-think is something that might be called "group-feel." The cult dictates what feelings or emotions good members are supposed to feel. Usually, all members are supposed to maintain a cheerful disposition all of the time, happily proclaiming that the guru and his teachings are just wonderful and will save the world, or some such thing. Anger is permitted only when criticizing non-conforming or under-performing cult members, or when faulting outsiders -- especially when condemning "enemies" of the cult and other outsiders who criticize the cult, and when condemning competing cults or groups. Otherwise, everybody wears a smiley happy face. Negative emotions about the cult or its leader are considered especially bad -- a sure sign that someone is failing the standards of holiness. -
7. Irrationailty
The beliefs of the cult are irrational, illogical, or superstitious, and fly in the face of evidence to the contrary.
The Hari Krishna cult (ISKCON), for example, believed for many, many years that the Earth was flat, in spite of our astronauts' journeys into space, and all of those beautiful pictures of a big blue round Earth taken from outer space, and from the Moon. (An ISKON member recently told me that they finally abandoned that particular belief.)
Scientologists believe that you can be harmed by memories of injuries that happened to you during previous lifetimes. They also believe that, if you pay enough money to Scientology and take enough courses of treatment and training, you can become immortal -- a fully-developed being with mind-over-matter powers who is above physical death. Scientologists also believe that you can be bothered by "body thetans" and "clusters", which are the ghosts, or clusters of ghosts, of some people who were murdered millions of years ago on another planet. Those ghosts have supposedly migrated to Earth and are now clinging to your skin and giving you pain. But for only $250,000 or so, Scientology will get rid of those pesky body thetans for you.
Many cults believe that God will answer all of their prayers and rearrange the world to suit them.
And many cults believe in faith healing -- that somehow, one way or another, God will answer their prayers and cure whatever ails them. We could devote an entire chapter just to the insanity of some people's belief in faith healing, and the circus side-show manner in which it is practiced, but I'll just mention one thing:
Haven't you ever noticed how God only heals invisible ailments that cannot be verified?
God never instantly strips 200 pounds of ugly fat right off of an immensely obese bikini-clad woman with a glandular problem, right there on stage in front of the TV evangelist, the TV cameras, and some independent witnesses. God never puts new legs or arms on amputees on Sunday Morning TV shows, or on the Trinity Broadcasting Network.
Nope, it's always cancer, arthritis, paralysis, gall bladders, blindness, pinched nerves, or other things that the TV camera cannot see; things where independent verification is not possible. And, where verification is possible, like with the Viet Nam Veterans who have been paraplegics since the War, well, God doesn't bother to fix any of them in faith-healing ceremonies. God never fixes their broken spinal cords or replaces their lost legs. God doesn't seem to like the Viet Nam Vets who have authentic medical records. The Lord sure does work in mysterious ways. -
thats the way. y bother to call again?Originally posted by Ogbunwezeh:I still remember one of my friend kena ask to go CHC, his friend say u muz go there n u will believe tat god really exist n u will believe in him. My friend reply, I only believe in Satan n lucipher. Tat friend no longer call him up to disturb him liao...
if ppl choose hell...no one can revert tt change -
again, a leopard never change it spots...
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8. Suspension of disbelief
The cult member is supposed to take on a childish naïveté, and simply believe whatever he is told, no matter how unlikely, unrealistic, irrational, illogical, or outrageous it may be. And he does.
For example:
Fortunate coincidences are accepted as proof that God favors the Guru and his cult: "The Big Man upstairs is really looking out for us."
Superstitious, religious, or magical rituals and ceremonies are performed without skepticism.
Some cults pray or chant incessantly for almost everything imaginable, as if God were Santa Claus, and they actually believe that their amateur magic ceremonies will really work, and will really change reality and get them what they want.
If the Guru starts seducing all of the 14-year-old girls in the religious community, you are supposed to believe that he is just giving them spiritual lessons (Swami Muktananda).
If the guru claims that he is the Son of God, and has the right, even the spiritual duty, to have, sexually, all of the post-pubescent girls and women in the community, in order to create the Grandchildren of God, you are supposed to believe it and hand over your wife and daughter (Vernon Howell, a.k.a. David Koresh of the Branch Davidians -- the wacko from Waco).
And if the guru suddenly starts performing miracles, this is to be accepted as believable
Cult members are playing spiritual make-believe, and they sure don't want to hear that their "guaranteed" ticket to Heaven is actually a counterfeit that they bought from a con-artist scalper. -
whatever it is...I am just glad that CHC is going to shift out in approx 5 weeks time...peace,quiet and smooth flow of traffic for the JW area...
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Shifting to Expo?Originally posted by Xcert:whatever it is...I am just glad that CHC is going to shift out in approx 5 weeks time...peace,quiet and smooth flow of traffic for the JW area...
Then how about their Jurong building?
Cheers -
shift to geyland better~!!Originally posted by M©+square:Shifting to Expo?
Then how about their Jurong building?
Cheers
more contacts~!! -
WAD? EXPO? kidding rite?
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Nnb, the CHC so many chiobus. Big BOOBS OSO. CAN GO FUCK THEM, KNN. WHO WANNA FOLLOW ME FUCK
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Originally posted by funnyruud:Nnb, the CHC so many chiobus. Big BOOBS OSO. CAN GO FUCK THEM, KNN. WHO WANNA FOLLOW ME FUCK
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i think the Jurong one is quite new rite?Originally posted by M©+square:Shifting to Expo?
Then how about their Jurong building?
Cheers
or they are merely expanding? -
Got to be sure of where they're shifting to first.Originally posted by laurence82:i think the Jurong one is quite new rite?
or they are merely expanding?
I hope they're expanding only. -
regarding chc, i am reminded of one mad dog who went barking something abt me using chc to measure christianity
great irony is, few days earlier got one old forumer noted i defended the Catholics from some rogue CHC members...
tsk tsk... -
wah lau....go everywhere must be reminded of it meh.Originally posted by laurence82:regarding chc, i am reminded of one mad dog who went barking something abt me using chc to measure christianity
great irony is, few days earlier got one old forumer noted i defended the Catholics from some rogue CHC members...
tsk tsk...
Cheers -
dun scold people dog, wait F| bo hua hee~!!!Originally posted by laurence82:regarding chc, i am reminded of one mad dog who went barking something abt me using chc to measure christianity
great irony is, few days earlier got one old forumer noted i defended the Catholics from some rogue CHC members...
tsk tsk... -
yup.Originally posted by M©+square:Shifting to Expo?
Then how about their Jurong building?
i understand that it will be converted to a place for training pastors. -
Don't Protestants already have a few reputable Bible Colleges around Singapore?Originally posted by Xcert:yup.
i understand that it will be converted to a place for training pastors.
Still not enough to cater for the demand meh? -
dont worry,i know she is a b|tch, but not referring to her...Originally posted by Mr Fugue:dun scold people dog, wait F| bo hua hee~!!! -
but CHC is quite independent, mabbe its their own college?Originally posted by Honeybunz:Don't Protestants already have a few reputable Bible Colleges around Singapore?
Still not enough to cater for the demand meh? -
CHC so rich liaoz...
Money got from offerings already a lot. Titanium Basement Hall with some threatre system. Nothing really special if they opens bible colleges. -
Anyone reading the characteristic of cults which I had posted above ?
Personally I find them very interesting and people who have a faith should compared it with the list to ensure they r not involved in a cult. -
CHC is considered Charismatic - protestant. The local Colleges doesn't suit their style and teachings.Originally posted by Honeybunz:Don't Protestants already have a few reputable Bible Colleges around Singapore?
Still not enough to cater for the demand meh?
CHC have it's own Bible institute very long ago. Forgot which year started.
However, they've now in this joint program with Christian City Church Australia.
Cheers -
maybe another avenue to make more money?Originally posted by laurence82:but CHC is quite independent, mabbe its their own college?
Wah, Pastor Kong very clever boy sia! T T Durai has to stand one corner liao. -
But it's still the same bible teaching, isn't it?Originally posted by M©+square:CHC is considered Charismatic - protestant. The local Colleges doesn't suit their style and teachings.
CHC have it's own Bible institute very long ago. Forgot which year started.
However, they've now in this joint program with Christian City Church Australia.
Cheers
Why must seperate? Why can't all the pastors be trained in the same college?