Brainwashing

Have you ever been accused of “brainwashing” someone? Yeah, you heard me right, brainwashing! It can be a very devastating accusation. Well, I have. In the past, when I’ve been preaching, I’ve been accused of things like this and it’s never bothered me. However, now this accusation comes from a different source: my fiancée’s step-father. This time it has bothered me. It’s bothered me because he doesn’t allow us to be with each other and I think part of the underlying reason is because he believes I’m brainwashing her! How destructive this can be to someone. The truth is that I love her and want to marry her. I’m going to lay my life down for her as Christ laid down His life for the church. That’s the truth. Now when he makes this accusation and even mocks my fiancée for being with me, it makes me feel horrible and that’s because I have no power to do anything about it until she’s 18 (April 5th, 2008).

I looked up the word brainwashing in an American Dictionary from 1828 and it wasn’t even in there. So I had to go to websters.com and look up every definition on the word brainwashing.

The Definitions Of “Brainwashing”

1. A method for systematically changing attitudes or altering beliefs, originated in totalitarian countries, esp. through the use of torture, drugs, or psychological-stress techniques.

I don’t have a method for systematically changing my fiancée’s attitudes or beliefs. It’s not like we sit down and I say, “Ok, sit down, we’re going to spend the next few hours reading through this package I’ve made and we’re going to do this everyday for the next month.” Actually, this sounds more like what her step-father does when he forces her to spend 3 hours everyday doing math problems on the computer. Talk about brainwashing!

The second definition is:

2. Any method of controlled systematic indoctrination, esp. one based on repetition or confusion.

I’ve given my fiancée a Bible, I gave her some books I found to be good, I don’t force her to read her Bible or those books. I’ll admit that I’ve “indoctrinated” her by telling her what the Bible teaches and surely whenever someone learns something sometimes it might result in confusion but this is far from brainwashing! Indoctrination simply means “to instruct in a doctrine” So if brainwashing were to teach someone something, obviously we shouldn’t teach people anything! A father can’t teach his children. A husband can‘t lead his household else he teach them by example. I mean, it’s absolutely absurd! However, brainwashing isn’t simply “indoctrination” but “controlled systematic indoctrination.” It’s horrible that her step-father would accuse me of brainwashing because thus far we see, this is a long shot from the truth. It hurts me because the Bible says love doesn’t seek it’s own and that’s what a brainwasher does. He’s accusing me of not loving her and this is the greatest of sins. God said that the 2nd greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. How much more does He expect us to love our fiancée? Therefore, it’s a serious matter when he questions my love for her by bringing up an accusation of brainwashing. However, there’s still more definitions left, so maybe according to those, I’m “brainwashing.” Let’s see.

3. An instance of subjecting or being subjected to such techniques.

We’ve already ruled out that such techniques as defined above isn’t what I’ve done or am doing. Therefore, we can also say that I haven’t nor will I ever subject her to an instance of these brainwashing techniques. As we saw, how could I say I love her and yet force her to do anything? Love doesn’t seek it’s own, rather love is kind.

4. Intensive, forcible indoctrination, usually political or religious, aimed at destroying a person's basic convictions and attitudes and replacing them with an alternative set of fixed beliefs.

Obviously, as we’ve seen, I’m not intensely or forcefully teaching my fiancée anything. It says that it’s usually political or religious. In this case it’d be religious. It says that its usually aimed at destroying a person's basic convictions and attitudes and replacing them with an alternative set of fixed beliefs. I’ve never aimed at destroying my fiancée’s basic convictions and attitudes. Actually, I never knew them and still hardly know them. I will admit, I do wish false convictions and false attitudes would cease including the one’s that lie in me. I also will say that ever since I’ve been a Christian, my aim has been that the whole world and even myself would align up with those “alternative set of fixed beliefs” found in the Bible.
If to desire this and even seek to make this be a reality is brainwashing, then surely I’m a brainwasher! Nothing more would please me to wash the brains that have been dirtied by lies!

5. The application of a concentrated means of persuasion, such as an advertising campaign or repeated suggestion, in order to develop a specific belief or motivation.

I’ll admit, since I’ve become a Christian, my desire is that the whole world would be persuaded to believe the truth. I have no concentrated means to persuade them though. The way I do try to persuade is by open-air preaching, passing out gospel tracts, and speaking to people in one-on-one conversations in which no force is used and they’re free to leave as they please. If brainwashing is simply standing up, opening your mouth, and speaking what is true then I‘m a brainwasher! We might as well just stand up and speak lies so the people can clap there hands and be happy! It says brainwashing is “The application of a concentrated means of persuasion…in order to develop a specific belief or motivation.” Obviously, when I speak to someone who believes the sun is black and I’m trying to persuade him to believe it’s proper color, my intention is to develop a specific belief. Now when it comes to truth and religion and the right way of living and God, is there anything wrong with trying to persuade a deceived person to believe what is true? Surely not. For a person who doesn’t believe in absolute truth, there’s going to be a big problem because they can have “their truth” and you can have “your truth” and we can all be ok. One can believe raising your children this way is ok and another can believe raising them another way is ok and they can both be right. There is no right way about anything anymore. When God doesn’t decide what is right and what is wrong, when He doesn’t even exist in a persons mind, this is the result of it, simply put chaos. Our generation seems to be the most violent of them all when it comes to anyone who tries to kindly help a neighbor into the light.

6. Forcible indoctrination into a new set of attitudes and beliefs.

It seems this definition and the word “brainwashing” itself brings a bad connotation with it. It seems to make you think that if a person changes his attitudes and beliefs, there’s something wrong with that. By no means is there anything wrong with that! Let me say it forcibly…there is nothing wrong with a person changing his attitudes and beliefs. The only time it’s wrong is when a person goes from truth to lies but when a person goes from lies to truth, then there isn’t anything wrong. Suppose an atheist believes God doesn’t exist and someone comes to him and says, “Sir, your in error. God does exist and I know Him!” If the atheist changes his belief and as a result his attitude, this is a most wonderful thing because he’s changed from believing a lie to believing the truth.

God is my witness. I love my beautiful fiancée. She is God’s little gift to me. I think any loving husband can only love as far as he loves as Christ loves. So here is our perfect example. It is written, “Christ…loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

Let’s forget this brainwashing nonsense and move on. It’s nothing more than a hindrance from that baboon the devil.