Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
Since we could not understand what [Lee] was teaching us, it was strong proof that we "needed" him, and that no one else could be trusted to help us. Forget about studying the Bible or even using our mind because we were way too steeped in our own "culture" to emerge from this sinking quicksand of helplessness.
|
And this conditioning, or grooming, pattern mirrors that in the abusive relationship where one partner beats on the other (either literally or figuratively) and then tells them how they have nowhere to go, that nobody else cares about them, or will save them. So the abuse continues, even intensifies.
This abuse-conditioning-abuse-conditioning cycle can be effectively used not only in personal relations but in societal settings, i.e. in cults, and "cultish" sects, as well. I'm thinking of, for instance, the Warren Jeffs cult of polygamists and child molesters in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. The thought-systems can even be formalized with religiously-themed books like "Authority and Submission": scripture tells us that complete submission to the Maximum Leader's authority is the true path way to God. And whatever confusion, shame and trauma you experience along the way is entirely due your own failures; you're fortunate that the Maximum Leader Man of God even pays attention to you! You get to be one of his 39 wives!