You've probably heard of Godwin's Law:
Whenever someone in an internet discussion compares something to Nazi Germany, the debate is considered lost.
This time, however, I will deliberately break that law myself.
When the Governing Body and the branch want something done, they rarely state it directly. Instead, they provide "Good Examples" to follow and call it a "matter of conscience."
In other words:
"Make your own decision — as long as it aligns with what we want."
Sometimes they let the COs present topics to congregations.
Since nothing has been officially announced, they know it will be difficult to take legal action afterward.
Often, however, the Governing Body does nothing at all, because they are well aware that the snowball is already rolling and that the Witnesses already know what is expected of them.
That was exactly what happened in the Third Reich, 1933-1945.
Once the Nazi Party machinery was running at full speed, direct orders were often unnecessary. Everyone knew what was expected. Everyone was eager to please the Party — and above all, Adolf Hitler.
This system was called "Das Führerprinzip": a hierarchy in which all decisions had to reflect Hitler’s ideology.
Because:
"Der Führer hat immer Recht"
or:
"The Führer is always right."
Does this sound familiar?
Part of this principle was a "Figure It Out For Yourself" practice, often described in English as "Working Toward the Führer." It meant that officials were expected to anticipate the Führer’s wishes, even without explicit instructions.
Many high-ranking officials became overzealous in their efforts to satisfy Hitler’s presumed desires —often without him even knowing about their actions.
This worked so well because, beneath the apparent order and conformity of the regime, there was a profoundly unhealthy culture. Everyone competed for power and prestige, willing to betray friends, commit inhumane acts, renounce ideals, or scheme their way to advancement.
Again:
Does this sound familiar?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Also yes
https://preview.redd.it/sr4c13737n6g1.jpeg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=829e2fdc69cb6c389bd67e48b2fa787057656177
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lol! Indeed.
LOL!
Breaking Godwin’s Law on purpose doesn’t make it less Godwin’s Law. It just makes it…. faster?
It's also known as Reductio ad Hitlerum
While I appreciate the discussion, using Nazi Germany as a prop for this specific discussion is the problem of 'casual association'.
The idea of implied threat has existed almost as long as we have writing. (For example, the council of Nicea, hosted by the Roman Emperor AT HIS PALACE, gave the implied threat that the council had better side with Rome's favored Bishop which ... miracles of miracles ... it turns out had the correct orthodoxy all along /s
The Nazis are well known for their study of communication and propaganda. They had perhaps the most advanced propaganda machine seen up to that time. The have become the benchmark for understanding government propaganda a though control. So it is no surprise that the Borg, whether knowingly or unknowingly, have success due to their communication which mimics the Nazi style. But I might call your attention to the fact that this same method of control through implication was already endemic in organized crime and mob culture.
While the JWs fall short of Fuherprinzip towards a person, their cult idol is the organization itself (personified in the governing Body). As for the scheming involved in advancement - well that is universal to humanity. The reason it is so marked in the BOrg is due to their claim that they are somehow morally above all of that.
I think you are spot on in the parallels with the Nazi regime, but I also agree that it is sort of a fail. The reason invoking Nazis usually loses a debate is due to their extreme behavior and the parties completely sociopathic approach. In almost every case it is exaggeration to invoke Nazis (JWs included). However, the real point that we need to take in support of your comparison, is that as the BOrg increases the cult worship of the GB they inch ever closer to the possibility that some insane GB member will pull a Jim Jones.
The Governing Body is already convincing its followers that it's a good idea to let a child die by withholding a life-saving blood transfusion.
To be fair the Blood doctrine has been steadily eroding and is almost gone. And the advance of medicine has greatly reduced the risks.
While it is certainly a dangerous teaching, it doesn't really compare to the nature of the euthanasia programs of the Nazis, or to Jim Jones any other suicide cults. In those instances they INTENTIONALLY killed folks, where as the blood doctrine is a passive killer
If you look at it statistically it raises the risk to the overall group of witnesses by less than 1% and has little appreciable effect on their growth rate. It is much less dangerous than becoming a driver.
people are still dying from it and it should never have happened at all
I whole heartedly agree with you on this point.
Remember that Christianity is, at its core, a religion of fanaticism. The religion is steeped in the idea that it's beliefs must be held even in the face of death. There is a long tradition of martyrdom starting with the story of Stephen.
The JW blood doctrine is definitely dangerous, but it is a type of martyrdom, and does not compare to the intentional slaughter of other fanatical systems, like Nazis or the Jim Jones episode.
However, my point is that in the realm of dangerous doctrines the blood doctrine presents less danger to their population than driving. The OP is discussing the idea of JWs on a sociological level in comparison to the Nazis.
This should not be mistaken as an excuse as the doctrine has very far reaching effects on a social and psychological level. And on a personal level coerces people to make terrible decisions and for them to take unreasonable risks.
Also keep in mind that Hitler had an endgame, an ultimate goal... Clear direction. The WT has lost all direction and its only endgame at this point is self-preservation and literally nothing else at this point.
I remember reading Animal Farm and being led to believe it was about communism alone. Now I realize it reflects on all authoritarianism.
The anti-gay propaganda of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses is truly perverse, and so evil in its cunning that it truly seems designed to drive these people to suicide.
I understand that any comparison with Nazi Germany might be misplaced.
But the way Nazi Germany deployed anti-Jew propaganda, feels very familiar to me as a former JW, let me put it this way.
Sometimes the anti-Jew propaganda of Nazi Germany was almost cartoonish, even seemingly innocent at first glance, yet with a hateful undercurrent that made regular Germans feel superior to the jews. Ultimately, this propaganda contributed to the German people of the time becoming accustomed to the concept of a Jew as a subhuman.
It fostered hatred, and especially the display of hatred, in the eyes of the people on a massive scale.
I remember a brother openly saying, "I'd rather my child get cancer than turn out to be gay."
This is telling.
One elder indicated that "a gay man's life would likely end in suicide anyway." He wore a grin on his face, while uttering these perverse words, as if he could already look forward to a gay man's suicide in the future.
Another elder said that he had to "suppress his urges to vomit during conversations with an openly gay man."
These statements stem directly from this religion's anti-gay propaganda, which apparently gave these individuals the feeling they were allowed to feel and express this hatred.
The hatred of gay love that this religion spreads is like a cancer.
The religion of Jehovah's Witnesses as a whole cannot, of course, be compared to the Nazi regime, but some facets, some aspects, are similar.
Homosexuality definitely isn't welcome ion JW land and Letts own nephew was driven to suicide.
I would be remiss, though, if I didn't point out that their views on homosexuality, as well as how individuals sometimes express them, are often heavily shaped by the time and culture.
In the 80s you could find many a parent, especially fathers, who would say they would rather their son have a debilitating disease, get maimed, etc rather than be gay. Leadership is almost exclusively from pre 1950s America. When they die off there will be younger people with softer views coming in, but not like in regular society where a much younger crowd typically takes over.
Godwin was a Nazi!
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Yes
Excellent post OP
Ironically OP cites Godwin's Law...then of course uses Nazis and Hitler to make a comparison to another organization that doesn't fit.
What is it with the fascination with Nazis and Hitler? Everyone wants to be a pseudo expert on them with the quotes by Hitler and references. It's so tiring.
Ohh.. You say so?
Don't you think, perhaps, the irony was intentional?
But what do I know.. 😉