VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, [5], 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 22:05:53 10/14/04 Thu
Author: Joe
Subject: Re: Systematic Obedience Training
In reply to: PECAS 's message, "Systematic Obedience Training" on 21:11:16 10/14/04 Thu

>Let's say there is a shepherd named Peter and a sheep
>named Bill. Also assume Shepherd Peter is the chapter
>director.
...
>Now, Bill is conditioned to obey Shepherd Peter's
>direction for his life. When through personal prayer,
>Bill receives a direction regarding his life, Bill
>will reject it as 'his own himan idea.' Bill will
>only follow the direction of Shepherd Peter. Further,
>when Bill thinks that maybe Shepherd Peter's direction
>is wrong, Bill will dismiss that as his own idea.

One thing that's not mentioned: Why does Bill go along with it for all that time until he is finally conditioned ("fully trained")? Why at some point does he not just snap out of it and say, "No more of this!" Of course, many (most) recruits do snap out of it.

In my case, as a 2ndgen, the main factors that kept me in the systematic obedience training (SOT) program had to do with my parents, my innate desire to have at least a "harmonious" relationship with them.

I don't think I was ever fully conditioned. Many formative years of observing what kinds of behaviors and directions and desires were acceptable in UBF gave me an ability to steer clear of any potential conflicts with my parents and shepherds. I knew how to act like a good and obedient UBF member. So I guess I was able to avoid most of the "electric shocks" of the SOT program that the willing fresh recruit would be given to bring about compliance. But the effect on my life was the same as if I had gone through the SOT program; I was obedient to a fault, I "bore with" abuses, certain personal ambitions and goals were off limits, the thought of living and working anywhere but in Chicago was off limits, the thought of being in any other church was off limits, even expressing certain emotions in the performance of music was off limits.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:



Post a message:
This forum requires an account to post.
[ Create Account ]
[ Login ]
[ Contact Forum Admin ]



Forum timezone: GMT-6
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.