Maybe they teach that in 'cult tactics 101', (or 'trolling 101'), however I'm surprised such works on most people. Does it?
Well yeah it works for all those crazy religions. Scientology exists. Need I say more? JW's aren't on
that level of insanity (scientology), but fairly close. I noticed a trend with the parents I grew up with-- they either had dark pasts, weren't the brightest bulbs, or simply sought power where they couldn't find it in their normal lives (promotions, family matters, etc.). A lot of them were ultimately just subpar people. I hate using that term because I think people reading this might think I'm putting myself on a pedestal, but I'm not.
They were just bad people! Disowning family and friends, not putting priorities on education, and just trying to take everyone they could out of normal human culture in favor of some made-up disneyland culture that (as I grew up I found) was
far worse than the vices of normal culture. Any group that insists you avoid normal "worldy" (as they call them) people should be avoided like the bubonic plague.
For the record, they weren't all like this. There were still some nice humble people there. Coincidentally most of which eventually left.
This is one reason why I support their option to keep spouting irrational, superstitious religious nonsense on the forums; it provides evidence of the damage such irrationality can do to healthy mental functioning and accumulates evidence of that in the zealots' own words.
Only problem is it falls upon deaf ears when the people reading are incapable of thinking that they're wrong (much like kids). To admit there are problems in what you believe is not necessarily a bad thing though. Religious folks rarely seem aware of this.
The opportunity to point out superstitious non-reasoning allows others who can still reason to make up their own minds.
I agree. The best bet is to just be pleasant about it while the religious shoot themselves in the foot (either with faulty reasoning or, as Hitch has constantly shown, rudeness).