From: ssalter@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (-=[SLS]=-)
Subject: Re: MIND-CONTROL By ORTHODOX Religion
Organization: OFSA
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 18:11:46 GMT

mcelwre@cnsvax.uwec.edu speaks from a flaming bush:

>                       MIND-CONTROL by ORTHODOX Religions

A well established fact...

>               For the first twenty years of my life I was a Missouri 
>          Synod Lutheran.  For six years during grade school, I had to 

me too.

>          Lutheran DOCTRINE, rather than Christian living.  This is 
>          MIND-CONTROL. 

so, what's yer point?

>               For two years during 7th and 8th grades, I had to spend 
>          Saturday mornings attending "Confirmation Class".  During 

me too.

>          questions fired at us by the preacher.  The intensity of such 
>          experiences makes them a form of MIND-CONTROL.  So was the 
>          public "Confirmation" ceremony at the end of the two years. 

yup, yup...what's next?

>               All of this was backed up by stated and implied promises 
>          of Heaven and THREATS of ETERNAL TORTURE in Hell.  They 
>          actually had me believing that a God of LOVE would send 
>          people to BURN IN HELL FOREVER just for failing to believe 
>          the teachings.  Such a SCARE-TACTIC is the ULTIMATE form of 
>          MIND-CONTROL. 

Why are you shouting so much? I agree it is good to express the anger
you must be feeling but quite a few of us already know about this
stuff. I may be missing your point...I shall read on.

>               And I was sent to these MIND-CONTROL sessions by people 
>          (my parents) on whom I was COMPLETELY DEPENDENT for ALL of my 
>          living needs--food, clothing, shelter, EVERYTHING. 

me too, right again, soooooo, what's yer point? That is the usual
arrangement of parents and children. Parents try to raise the children
to believe what they feel is right. Nothing new about that, it has
been happening for several thousand or million years...whatever.

>               Fortunately, UN-like most people, I was able to DE-

"UN-like most people"...hmmmm, we may be on something here. Do you
feel, oh, special that you are no longer a Lutheran?

>          chapter about REINCARNATION.  Since then, I have been 

So now you believe in reincarnation? That's nice.

>          learning the TRUTH about many important things--religious, 
>          political, historical, economic, even "scientific", in spite 
>          of a continuous barrage of BRAINWASHING official-LIES and 
>          HALF-TRUTHS from the government, CONTROLLED news media, and 
>          "education" systems. 

"truth" according to whom? That could be an important question.

>               The reason there seems to be little interest so far in 
>          Eckankar, Sant Mat, etc., is because most people have been so 
>          thoroughly BRAINWASHED by orthodox teachings. 

You might wanna check out alt.religion or something. I don't see how
this diatribe has much to do with recovery. I went through the same
thing you did except that I didn't get too interested with Cayce. I
got into Zen and lots of other things for awhile though. It didn't
help me with recovery...that came later when I had to really face
myself.

>               UN-altered REPRODUCTION and DISSEMINATION of these 
>          IMPORTANT ideas is ENCOURAGED. 

Important to whom...you? It might be nice to say something like "these
are my humble opinions" or something like that. Makes you sound like
somekind of fanatic otherwise. Just my opinion, not necessarily fact.
Some people might enjoy your words.

>                                       Robert E. McElwaine
>                                       2nd Initiate in Eckankar

	Ahhhh, now you are an Eck!!! Cool, everyone has their own way
of finding belief or fulfillment or whatever. Do you find an absence
of brainwashing in Eckankar?

	This reminds me of a T-shirt I once saw...has a "hippie"
looking guy wearing a cross saying "I used to be all fucked on drugs,
now I am all fucked on god".

	No offense intended to anyone of ANY religious
belief...really. I guess that intolerance just really gets to me.
Yelling does too.

Steve

Newsgroups: alt.recovery