The Day Democracy Failed
Yesterday, I watched in horror as all major news media outlets in all major countries reported the attack on democracy that occurred January 6, 2021. It was difficult not to think back to the situation myself and others found ourselves in when we first challenged the ideologies of William Branham's "Message" cult. In both situations, the emotional response from both sides lacked the forethought of determining the outcome resulting from words spoken and actions taken. Though some of the uninformed participants in Washington, DC were most likely unaware of the more disturbing events, all were gathered due to propaganda published on social media under titles such as "March on Washington", some titles inciting violence and all with the intent of disrupting sacred due process of our democracy.
Yesterday, I watched in horror as all major news media outlets in all major countries reported the attack on democracy that occurred January 6, 2021. It was difficult not to think back to the situation myself and others found ourselves in when we first challenged the ideologies of William Branham's "Message" cult. In both situations, the emotional response from both sides lacked the forethought of determining the outcome resulting from words spoken and actions taken. Though some of the uninformed participants in Washington, DC were most likely unaware of the more disturbing events, all were gathered due to propaganda published on social media under titles such as "March on Washington", some titles inciting violence and all with the intent of disrupting sacred due process of our democracy.
As with my research that resulted in my exodus from William Branham's destructive cult following, I am not unformed in the many disturbing facts that led to this event. Neither side has clean hands. But as I have always said, two wrongs do not make right.
I have watched in disgust as the news reported only partial fact. I have watched and listened to former President Trump's speeches in full and heard the news media snip one single statement from a paragraph and presented their agenda fully out of context. I have listened to the conspiracy theories presented by Trump's legal teams and evaluated their accusations by separating them into two categories: those based on fact, and those based on supposition with no supporting evidence. I have evaluated Trump's truthful, exaggerated, and sometimes fictional claims to determine how that I categorized them. I have listened to Trump's claims of voting fraud, of which I have no doubt took place, but have weighed that against the scale of such claims and supporting evidence. Had evidence of such widespread voter fraud been identified, it would have been very disturbing. As of the march on Washington, no substantial evidence has been presented, by either the very biased news or by Trump's legal team that suggests voter fraud at a level that would overturn an election. I have also watched as a large and growing number of people accepted those claims, some of them informed but (in my opinion) most of them uninformed. It is very difficult not to compare this situation to the cult mindset of those impacted by the "Message" cult of William Branham.
Almost a decade ago, I watched a similar set of events unfold. The focus at that time was centered around William Branham, a dead United States evangelist and former cult leader displaying many narcissistic tendencies similar to those displayed by former President Trump. Many of the people challenging both those tendencies and critical flaws with Branham's claims were personally attacked, both verbally and physically, to discredit undeniable facts against William Branham that were presented. Instead attempting to persuade those leaving to their opinion, cult leaders began attacking their person.
Similar to former President Trump, William Branham was inconsistent in condemning violent, militant groups opposing racial equality. Also similar, William Branham frequently made statements supportive of those militant groups, either suggestive or descriptive, and maintained close ties to high-ranking members of those groups such as the Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. When presented with opportunities to eliminate all question as to their desire for racial equality after making such statements, both William Branham and former President Trump chose to remain silent.
Worst of all, both Trump and William Branham used strategies intended to divide, not lead. Those who disagree were the "enemy", while those blindly supportive were the "faithful". A true leader unites, empowers, and uplifts. I left the cult after realizing that these strategies were most often employed by the mentally challenged and neurotic, not the righteous.
Like watching the news media's presentation of partial fact, I watched and listened to many Branham cult leaders around the world as they described the disturbing facts presented by former members. And I watched the faces of those under their undue influence nod their heads in agreement as if those cult leaders were presenting the full set of details. I personally knew hundreds of people who chose to remain under that influence based on uninformed decisions.
After leaving the cult following of William Branham, there are many freedoms that we now enjoy. With those freedoms, many new responsibilities are introduced. Personally, I cannot in good conscience base any decision on partial fact, and do not make any decision without first being informed to the best of my ability. I try to weigh those facts in the balance of right and wrong, and determine which decision brings a better future for my children, I am neither Democrat nor Republican, am neither a strong "supporter" or "rejector" of Biden or Trump. Instead, I am a supporter of the established system that limits the power of individuals not capable of leading, shifting from the power of one to the power of many.
I am saddened and disheartened by those who wish to overthrow that system, replacing it with a totalitarian mindset. I am shocked that so many wish to bypass a system that empowers the individual and restricts the power of a single person. Without question, I'm troubled by the corruption in Washington, but am comforted by the possibility of the votes of many eventually removing that corruption.
For those who disagree with the values and practices of a particular political affiliation, picture how much differently the outcome would be for a destructive religious cult if those affected were both fully informed and presented information with honesty and dignity: Picture the cult leaders informing those under their influence of the full set of facts -- both critical and supportive -- of their cult's central figure. Picture the individuals under undue influence listening to these facts, informing themselves, and making decisions made based on fact instead of emotion. Most of all, picture the central figure, no longer empowered by those joined together in a group-think-mindset, evaluating his or her own actions and statements due to lack unfounded support.
Information is powerful. How we apply that information is critical towards the outcome we desire.