Cult Life with Robin Jackson

Following a series of tense negotiations and years of liberation struggle, the first democratic election was held in South Africa on the 27th April, 1994. This election changed the history of South Africa. It paved the way towards a new democratic dispensation and a new constitution for the country. For the first time all races in the country were going to the polls to vote for a government of their choice. Nineteen political parties participated and twenty-two million people voted. The election took place in a festive atmosphere, contrary to fears of political violence. Many Jehovah's Witnesses do not vote and stay neutral in political affairs.

However, the requirement not to vote has varied over time. Although few Witnesses vote, since 1999 it is technically a conscience matter.

This episode discusses the standpoint from the Watch Tower and how it has created a mess. Lives have also been lost due to the Watch Tower's commands.

Music intro provided courtesy of Accelerated Ideas (www.accelerated-ideas.com).

#JehovahsWitnesses #Vote #SouthAfrica

Measles outbreaks are devastating countries across the globe, linked to a massive drop in vaccination rates. The World Health Organisation has raised the alarm and ranked ‘vaccine hesitancy’ as one of the top 10 threats to public health everywhere. Washington state has experienced a measles outbreak in the past month. And South Africa is not immune to this.

Dr Yogan Pillay, deputy director general at the Department of Health, said that 85 percent of children in South Africa are fully immunised by the age of one year – but the most recent data from the country’s Medical Research Council suggests this figure is closer to 70 percent.
There are a number of factors that contribute to this with access to rural areas being one, where parents find it difficult to get to clinics and medical practitioners also finding it hard to reach many in the rural areas. Another factor is, of course, the anti-vaccination drives being fuelled by misinformation and bogus studies that have been debunked at proven to be false.

But does religious doctrine and sentiments play a role in the anti-vaccination communities?

#Vaccination #Measles Religion

From inception, Watchtower leaders took issue with the education system, bemoaning teachings that contradict a literal interpretation of the Bible. One of the primary reasoning against a higher education has been that the time left is reduced, so the final days of this system should be spent in full service for Jehovah and his organization.

However, controlling the information that members take in is typical of cults and high control groups.

#JehovahsWitnesses #HigherEducation #CultLife

On the afternoon of Monday December 31, 2018, the Truth and Transparency Foundation was issued four separate takedown requests with a total of 63 documents. The request came from the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. It is the third time the Truth and Transparency Foundation has received such a request, this being the first regarding withdrawal of documents not related to Mormonism.

All the documents included in the requests are currently hosted on the website of TTF project FaithLeaks, which serves as a site to host confidential documents from religious institutions. The entirety of the documents was published in late April or early May 2018, eight months before the requests.

How did FaithLeaks.org respond?

#FaithLeaks #WatchTower #Takedown

Many religions and cults frown upon and have a disdain for the field of Psychology and we will explore some of the writings and utterances of some of these cults showing their distrust of this academic discipline and science.

According to The South African College of Applied Psychology it is the scientific study of the multi-dimensional facets of the mind and human behaviour.

It seeks to understand the developmental, psychosocial and environmental factors that influence experiences and shape individuals and groups. Psychology explores many fascinating concepts including perception, cognition, emotion, motivation, brain functioning, personality, behavior and interpersonal relationships to name just a few.

The study of psychology ultimately aims to benefit individuals and society in the enhancement of mental health as well as in understanding and solving problems in many other contexts and spheres of human activity.

#Cults #Psychology #JehovahsWitnesses

I watched a Netflix documentary called The Keepers over the past week. It is the story about the unsolved murder in 1969 of sister Cathy Cesnick. The seven-part series delves into allegations of unthinkable sexual assault, perpetrated by a trusted Father at the all-girls Catholic High School where Cesnik worked. There is much speculation that the nun was going to expose the Father and this what could have led to her murder. But the point. Despite all these allegations Father Joseph Maskell was moved around within the church district of Baltimore for decades. The response to this whole saga is appalling. It is all about protecting the reputation of the church.

However, how Jehovah's Witnesses handle allegations of child sexual abuse within their ranks is not so different from the Catholic Church.

#TheKeepers #exJW #Christmas

As I recorded this episode, news broke that the Dutch police has raided the local branch of the Jehovah's Witnesses in the Netherlands. The raids were prompted by multiple reports of sexual abuse by both current and former victims. The raids included a few Kingdom Halls and private homes.

I also give an update of developments that are playing out in the Durban High Court here in South Africa where three Jehovah's Witness families have been taken to court to allow the doctors to administer blood transfusions to their children .

#JehovahsWitnesses #BloodTransfusion #EXJW

So South Africa got to watch the Leah Remini Aftermath Special on Jehovah’s Witnesses this past weekend. I can only say that I truly was not ready for that episode. As I have said in a tweet recently, I have been an activist in some form or other for the past 11 years and have heard terrible stories from former JWs and experienced some terrible things myself like shunning, but this still got to me. I was an emotional wreck.

In this episode I give my thoughts on the show and its impact.

#LeahRemini #JehovahsWitnessSpecial #Aftermath

Comic books were my escape. As a child I could not wait to get my hands on the next issue of Spiderman, The Fantastic Four, Superman, Batman etc. The stories fueled my imagination and creativity. I had an extensive comic book collection which I now regret destroying and giving away.
The reason was because the Watchtower did not look upon comic books to favourably. When I was 13 years old and got baptised an article about comic books appeared in the Awake magazine.

The Awake magazine of 22nd of June 1983 featured an article under the heading: What Has Happened to Comic Books? It goes on to describe the gratuitous violence, sexual innuendo and obsession with the occult.

I acknowledge that we have to be selective in what we as parents expose our young children to when it comes to reading material, TV shows and movies etc. But the Watchtower is being totally hypocritical here when it comes to their condemnation of violence in comic books.

#StanLee #ComicBooks #Watchower

Jehovah’s Witnesses have been in the news here in South Africa with regard to their blood policy. This case happened here in my own back yard in the city of Durban. The life of a 5 year old boy has been saved after his pediatrician went to court to approve a life-saving blood transfusion for him in defiance of his religious beliefs.

In this episode Robin discusses the case.

#exjw #bloodtransfusion #watchtower