Quote:
Originally Posted by djohnson
I define control as a person or person/s who can force you to do something against your will. Lee perhaps was perceived as such a person but in fact was not. In a free society very few people have that kind of power a/k/a "police power".
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I understand. That is the reason that you got the kind of reception two years ago and you will probably get some of the same this time.
But control is not just forcing to act against will, but also to control the will so that it aligns with the controller and therefore does what it would not do before the change in will. It includes an altering of the will so that you willingly do what you would not do at some time in the past. Your analysis is presuming a strong will that sees, hears, and recognizes the attach upon it before it allows itself to be changed. But if we, and our wills, are not on guard, we can often be persuaded to change in very small ways. Then more small ways. Then even more. Eventually, our will is very different.
It is potentially easier to do in a religious context because we must presume that God does change our wills. So if the one who seeks control can convince you that his/her direction is consistent with God's will, then they can take you where you might not otherwise go.
I sort of see this happen without a control issue when people begin to realize that they must love their "neighbors" and they are mostly sinners. So how do you love a sinner but not his sin? Some unwittingly drop their strong stance against certain sins rather than simply dropping their hatred of the people who practice those sins. They take a wrong path toward a desired goal. The result may not be that they would actually engage in that sin, but they may become vocal advocates of accepting such sin into the church. Churches that reach out to the gay community have this issue all the time. Are they trying to bring them to Christ and ultimately repentance, or are they trying to bring a sinful lifestyle into a Christian social circle without any thought of changing it?