Jehovah Lives in Brooklyn

The book Jehovah Lives in Brooklyn: Jehovah's Witnesses as a Model of Fundamentalism describes some of the odd beliefs of this cult, and also gives a psychosocial overview of its place in society, its meaning, and its results. It discusses the effects of cult-psychology on otherwise well-adjusted minds, and shows why even intelligent people can be vulnerable. A brief outline of the book is as follows: Author's Preface: Alien Landscapes, Secret Societies The "alien world-view" of the cult is examined, and discussion explains the view that "alienation" is a plus, a good thing. The cult appeals largely to the distraught, the young, minorities, and others who might be already confused and alienated. These unhappy people are special "target groups" for cult-conversion. The separation of members from usual society is a psychological tool used to cause members to identify with the inner cult-society, which is isolated and insulated from general society, and comes to see all outsiders as bad, ignorant, inferior, or unworthy. *** Chapter 1/ We Are Not Everyday People: Hatred of the "Satanic" World People need to feel special and superior, and this need is abused by drawing people into a world-hating and tightly-knit group who see themselves as the "chosen ones." Being "godly" makes the rest of the world, by contrast, appear "Satanic" or evil. "Everyone who is really good has already joined our group, or will soon do so. So, anyone who does not join is bad." *** Chapter 2/ Strict Obedience to Jehovah: Avoiding "Evil Spirits" and Everybody Else The world is unclean because it is ruled by Satan, who has a plethora of "evil spirits" who permeate every institution and mind outside the cult. This makes outsiders dangerous, since nothing is more dangerous than a demon, who might attack…