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What will you see? A news and views
site; a portal to all things related to
Jehovah's Witnesses. Visually, it will be
based on a custom Joomla template set up
specifically for the purpose of:
I believe you will see a whole new non-profit model in the making. The end result is a crowd of persons who can lift up their head and live life to the fullest for their years ahead. If you are interested in contributing to this project financially, and are not already a contributor to Free Minds, Inc., then looky here. Wishin' you all a good one! Randy Watters |
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I'm more than ever excited about having a
15-year plan for the final stage of Free
Minds directives. We will be unique in our
field in terms of technique and
methodology. Our featured writer/bloggers
are only
the beginning of a new era in understanding
cult mind control.
If all goes well, I believe that we will in some small way forever change our world and they way in which we look at each other. All of this, with no pontification or ecclecticism. Religious discussions will not be necessary in this process. Think The Dog Whisperer for people. For the first 10 years or so of Free Minds (known from 1982 to 1993 as Bethel Ministries), I focused on the Bible vs. Watchtower doctrine, and promoted sound concepts of Biblical interpretation (namely the time-honored historical, grammatical, interpretive method), and the need to be honest with history, and to treat the Bible foremost as a real book of history that requires being analyzed as such. With the rare archeological finds, the verification of supporting evidence as well as the records of parallel activity in Biblical times, I discovered that the basic Protestant and Catholic interpretations of the Bible were quite legitimate, and that other efforts to make the Bible more palatable often had no resemblance to what we see in the first two centuries of the Church. After my years of church planting and
pastoring churches, I began to focus more on
things that make people change their course
in life, more so than just exchanging one
man-made doctrine for another.
In 1993 I dissolved my church to have more time to focus on the psychological aspects of being in a cult. Free Minds became a 501 (c) (3) non-profit, with an educational agenda rather than religious. Having worked together with families of cult victims from all religions and walks of life in the old Cult Awareness Network (now taken over by Scientologists), I knew that Christians generally worked together better if MIXED with non-Christians. Why? Because their petty concerns over doctrinal differences made them virtually useless in reaching a cult member. They were trying to lead the victim from one theological position to another, while ignoring vital issues. Leaders of Christian cult ministries saw their "true calling" and began promoting themselves as the "correct" purveyors of doctrine, while creating division in the body of Christ over some particular theological issue. Thankfully, there are many more Christian ministries who have been of incredible help to untold thousands. Many of you are here and doing well as a result of those ministries. When you work for years with people who suffer, you learn some techniques that help change their lives. Many Christians seem to spend all their energies focused on converting someone from JWs to their particular evangelical faith. Perhaps the idea is that "orthodox thinking" will somehow change their lives, making them better, less selfish and judgmental people, and that is all they need. Yet in all my years of working with the churches and as a pastor, I have found that undue focus on doctrine is divisive and carnal. The "beast inside" never died, it just took on a new appearance. I fail to see Jesus operating this way in the scriptures. He went out of his way to do PEOPLE things, to give, not expecting in return... to feed and to clothe those who are hungry, sick, and lonely. The idea is that the very EXAMPLE of your love and concern would inspire the former cult victim to be receptive to the Holy Spirit. Churches almost never teach victims: I received one letter from a friend who has been financially supporting Free Minds for several years, after mentioning my new part three of Free Minds' program. Her response was, "Well if they don't know the Lord, your efforts are all futile in the end." In other words, why bother? I don't see Jesus in that attitude. Even as a JW I would buy "worldly" people groceries, or help them fix their car. It is not my job to declare someone unworthy of an act of kindness because they probably won't become a Christian. To me that is the ultimate slap in Jesus' face. In 2009 we move forward, with our final stage of educating the public. Things are changing rapidly in our world! In the next 10 years I suspect we may very well see: Please join me in making a difference in our Society. Put your support where it really counts. |
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Sincerely,
Randall Watters
Free Minds, Inc.
email:
randy@freeminds.org
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