Are Jehovah's Witnesses being held against their will with emotional manipulation?

Mark Jones, Ex-Jehovah's Witness of 31 years
Answered Apr 9, 2019

Some are.

Ex-members and awakened still-in members use the acronym PIMO (Physically In, Mentally Out), these are one’s who no longer believe the religion but can’t leave due to what will happen to them if they do. So they attend the meetings, go on the door to door ministry, and play along with the charade. These people could be described as “emotionally manipulated” in that they know they can’t leave because their husband/wife and children are still believers (known as PIMI, Physically In, Mentally In). What would you do if your parents, spouse, children all of your friends and all of your family are PIMI and you don’t believe it anymore? You have no outside friends because the cult has always forbidden friendship with non-members. And if you leave you lose them all.

[Active Jehovah’s Witnesses will lie about this, but below is a talk outline from their convention in 2016 which ordered them to start shunning those who stop attending meetings].

See the part in the blue rectangle.
www.nairaland.com/attachments/9883308_mainqimg46be6695e2b2c0be0b51c43a838bdf39_jpeg1f94334befe11d56a492cd491fd6ed52

[Jehovah’s Witnesses are told that they’re allowed to lie to non-members in order to make the religion look good and to recruit more members. It’s known as “theocratic warfare”.[1] We were told to employ it if needed so that people think ex-members are the ones who are lying. Watchtower lawyers tried to use it in court during the Australian Royal Commission,[2] but the judge was wise to it and called them out on it.]

Also, the emotional manipulation is strong in that it induces feelings of guilt and shame[3] for trivial things like missing a meeting, not understanding the bogus 1914 teaching or even simply doubting the governing body leaders. Notice how the active Jehovah’s Witnesses on here refer to ex-members. They jump to the conclusion that they left because they “couldn't live up to gods standards” or that they wish to sin.

Active Jehovah’s Witnesses on here will tip-toe around this issue, or dismiss it entirely. They’ll say things like “everyone knows before they’re baptized what the rules are” as if this makes shunning people who genuinely don’t believe the (ever changing) doctrine ok. I think this shows a real lack of understanding and lack of love.

The ex-JW reddit page is full of PIMO’s. People who are stuck in the religion. There’s pioneers on there, elders, bethelites and at least one circuit overseer on there. It’s said that “Bethel manufactures the very best apostates” – this is where we get the information before the congregations do. It’s from the CO’s/elders and bethelites that we get the elders guidebook, the letters, the internal emails, the convention outlines and videos and the “new light” announcements even before the active members do. My estimate is that at least one quarter of the entire membership of Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t believe it anymore and if the governing body said people could leave without being shunned we’d see a mass exodus of about half of the members.

Footnotes
[1] Watchtower Quotes Regarding theocratic warfare and lying in court (https://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/quotes/theocratic-warfare-lying.php)
[2] Case Study 29: Jehovah’s Witnesses(https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/case-studies/case-study-29-jehovahs-witnesses)
[3] A Cult Survivors Handbook(http://www.survivorshandbook.com/blackmail/)

Source: https://www.quora.com/Are-Jehovahs-Witnesses-being-held-against-their-will-with-emotional-manipulation