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Originally Posted by awareness
Well at least you point out something about the trainings. Unless I missed it, neither bro Z nor bro Inddy have stated whether they think the FTTs are propaganda or LSM brandless God promotion centers.
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I think you are painting with too broad a brush. From my experience there is very little oversight, much less than you would imagine, to the trainers. In my case I was teaching about 40-50 trainees who were considered advanced English speakers, and I was given free reign, completely. Bad trainer, bad result, good trainer, good result.
Now, other aspects are that many of these brothers are quite new in the Lord and therefore easily influence. Also, i noticed that far fewer of them were 2nd generation than you would normally expect to find in a meeting hall, most it seemed had just recently been saved in college. Also, all trainees attend the same meetings, study the same books, and do the same thing. Of course, we also wore the same clothes, slept in barracks, etc.
I think based on the broadest definition of propaganda, then of course they are propaganda centers. Based on the narrow association of propaganda with totalitarian regimes and mind control, no I would not go that far. But who knows, 1987 was a long time ago, I have no idea to what this thing has morphed into. (I did visit the FTTA and was not impressed).
I would say the feel of the FTTT was similar to being in boot camp in the army boot camp is certainly a form of propaganda and mind control from an authoritarian regime.