Why are so many JWs hicks?

by kristyann 80 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  AuldSoul

  I think John Doe is responding to the classist feel to the post. For instance, my grandfather didn't graduate. But he revolutionized farming in South Georgia after studying erosion control, I couldn't name someone I would rather be stranded anywhere with, he could grow food for a family of four from a teaspoonful of dirt, and he routinely caught fish with his bare hands.

  A hick? Maybe by your standards. But your standards seem skewed negatively away from recognizing that education doesn't automatically confer intellect, anymore than intellect automatically inspires education. IF someone finds education distasteful and looks down on rational thinking, then of course they will be more susceptible to JWs or any other kind of superstition. But, being from a rural area doesn't make people more superstitious or less intelligent.

  They probably know different things than city dwellers, but they could survive just fine without city dwellers. City dwellers depend on rural people for food, though. (Not that city dwellers EAT hicks, that isn't my point...) Your post did have a disparaging tone toward the whole CONCEPT of rural people. I invite you to visit slums of any major city and see whether all city living is indicative of an intense interest in education. I invite you to visit any major city Public High School and see for yourself whether city dwellers place a higher premium on education.

  I agree, to an extent, with John Doe's reaction. I definitely agree with Odrade's post that in rural areas "churchiness" is a social thing as much as a superstitious thing. Cults tend to collect the societal outcasts, whether city dwellers or rural folk.

  Respectfully,
  AuldSoul
• 

  calico

  We all is just friendly--invite them witnesses to set for a spell-- and we all get suckered in...........

  Here's another dumb one--I heard a report that said kids who grow up drinking well-water have lousy teethy(lack of flouride) you should see the beautiful, gleaming teeth in my family--oh and I did pretty well in school, too!
• 

  calico

  So much for my spelling--I said teethy!
• 

  kristyann

  Well of course most cities do not have great education systems... which I said myself in my first post! Maybe no one reads them! LOL That's okay, if you don't want to read them, that's okay with me. But I said that in my first post on this page. I said something to the effect of many urban slums have lousy systems of education, yet for some reason I don't notice as many JWs/Kingdom Halls down there than when I am driving through rural areas. I was just curious as to why this was. That one woman made a pretty good point, maybe they're more important as social centers in a rural area, whereas in the city people are just piled on top of one another. (By the way, I'm not from the city, either, and I actually grew up in a semi-rural area, just for the record.)

  And I am very grateful for people who do labor with their hands... someone has to do it, and I know I'm certainly not good at that sort of thing, so I'm glad that someone is. Mostly everyone's good at something... I'm not sure why people got so defensive about it, but you're entitled. I don't necessarily think education is directly related to intelligence, but I do think it's a problem when many people don't even finish high school... which is an extremely prevalent problem in both the rural and urban areas around me. In the eight-county area syrrounding me, the city schools always finish dead last in the rankings of test scores, graduation numbers, etc, with the really rural schools just slightly above them. I think that's a pretty serious problem and it leaves both groups vulnerable to falling into dangerous situations... it seems like gangs and crime in the city, and cults and some other strange things out in rural areas.
• 

  Odrade

  I think John Doe called it pretty well. "General consensus" huh? So you've done a large-scale study with a diverse base of rural communities and 1000s of participants? I agree with John that you may be prejudiced, (classist might be a better word.) I thought your first post might have just been poorly worded, but you seem to be saying that you believe that rural JWs are (mostly) ignorant fools with very little intelligence, (although there might be a few exceptions to that "rule.")
  Please tell me that's not really what you meant...
  Odrade, who grew up in a rural congregation with many highly intelligent people, but few opportunities...
• 

  calico

  I would like to know why so many JW's are unloving and selfish!
• 

  Odrade

  Oh, and it seems that more people in rural towns take more physical jobs because the big "white collar" industries aren't exactly flocking to the tiny towns. However, a great number of urban dwellers also take physical jobs. Are they to be assumed ignorant or less intelligent also? I have a physical job... I guess you assume I took it because I'm not smart enough to sit behind a desk? I don't mean it to be an insult to you, but a little logic could be applied to some of your erroneous assumptions before you type them.
• 

  calico

  Yes Odrade!!!!!!
• 

  AuldSoul

  I said something to the effect of many urban slums have lousy systems of education, yet for some reason I don't notice as many JWs/Kingdom Halls down there than when I am driving through rural areas.

  THIS is why you think there aren't as many JWs? Um, I think you are confusing buildings with people. In urban areas you wouldn't be as likely to NOTICE the Kingdom Halls as you would in rural areas...can you think of a reason why? I'll give you a few minutes on that one. I bet you can come up with it on your own, you seem like a sharp person.

  You should also be aware that in rural areas a Kingdom Hall serves one, maybe two congregations. Whereas in urban areas one hall can serve 5 congregations, sometimes more.

  Respectfully,
  AuldSoul
• 

  John Doe

  Anyone ever watched "Green Acres?" lol