Posted by:
snowball
(
)
Date: November 16, 2010 10:39PM
The six discussion system itself is a shady tactic, because it does not set out the expectations of a person as a member before that person makes commitments to become a member.
1. Pray and ask God if Joseph Smith was a prophet and if the Book of Mormon is true. This is the hook to build the interest.
2. WILL you be baptized by someone holding the "proper priesthood authority" (even though we haven't explained what that is). If the person says yes they have committed to keep the law of chastity, pay tithing, and keep the "word of wisdom" before they even know it.
3. WILL you attend chuch? Now they get the social level up, but it's not too big a commitment. But at this point ideally members get involved and now they too will be "devestated" if the investigator doesn't keep the commitments.
4. Now the big guns start to come out. WILL you keep the law of chastity as explained and word of wisdom. Back at lesson two a person might have said I ain't doin' that--not interested go home. But no--now this person has committed to being baptized and maybe has a new "friend" at church. Saying no is more difficult.
5. Law of tithing. Now we finally in lesson 5 get to what the LDS corporation really wants. You just made intensely personal commitments about what you take into your body, and your intimate life. 10% doesn't seem like a big deal anymore. Again, if this had come up in lesson 1, 2, or 3--hit the road jack.
6. A stop gap to reassure them that this is all normal.
Of course it goes on with the temple and all this. At each stage a person raises their commitment BEFORE new knowledge is given. According to Steve Hassan the Scientologists and other cults do the same trick.
See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNiTeIVN34Q