Were Most Of The Elders Dumb--- That You Knew??? (page 4)

greendawn

No they weren't dumb at all and though we think of most elders as being from the lower less educated strata infact there were several university educated ones that were doing quite well out of their qualifications. But even the rest were quite sharp.

ButtLight

I didnt think they were dumb until my second dissfellowshipping! Then I knew they were!

DannyHaszard

Dumb and dumber,the "dumb-down take down". Your foe feigns ignorance..This is a theocratic warfare tactic, where after prayer to god..The elder sitting in judgment of you,LIES and asserts he doesn't have a clue about what you are talking about...Also known as, "selective Alzheimer's". There was an elder from the Rockland Massachusetts Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses (initials M.H.) who was actually known as the "stupid elder" he once confided in me,"...what a loving gracious God Jehovah must be to use someone as stupid as he.."

drew sagan

But the bOrg truly "dumbs" people down

I agree. Even the 2 or 3 have their limits to intelligence simply because they are dubs. Most I know are guys keeping on the family tradition with this organization, not ever thinking twice about what they are doing. I have to add that most of the really intelligent ones are people who converted, never where born into the Witnesses. I've never met an Elder I was impressed with who was born in.

Country Girl

Sometimes emotional and social needs outweigh thinking brains.

CG

Axelspeed

In my experience there is always a mixture:

Some were not so sharp, and others were very intelligent. So I dont think its so much a matter of intelligence in all cases. Even the mind of an intelligent person is capable of performing some amazing mental gymnastics in order to accomodate a desired worldview.

There are some elders who have so much invested in years, family and effort, that it would be mental suicide to allow themselves to allow that it all was a waste and a lie. They may be very intelligent, and can reason step-by-step in a line of reasoning, but as soon as there belief system is threatened from the outside or by their own thoughts the "dumb down" switch goes on. It almost a self-preservation mode. These are the ones who are the most frustrating to deal with, as it is confounding and inexplicable how intelligent people can follow a line of reasoning so well and then shift course in reasoning so abrubtly.

Others are in it for social and family reasons and fear of the outside unknown holds them in. They may be elders but are still using training wheels when dealing with anybody not a jw. These are the ones who were raised in and have grown up in the jw cocoon.

Others delude themselves into thinking they have real power. They probably are ineffectual at getting power in other areas (i.e at the job) and so use the org as an outlet to wield some untapped desire for power. And then there are others who are the ladder climbers. They like the power and enjoy the attention received from being front and center at assemblies, giving talks, and being of the prominent ones in the org and well as in their careers.

The true believer elders are among those who are more simple-minded and never really have a thought apart from what is given to them. The one issue they all have in common is dealing with reality... some choose not to ...others may not have the ability to. Some really do need the jw environment.

The elders who are not of the above, but willing to question and can reason, usually don't remain elders.

parlay

Most of the elders I know are self righteous cowards, afraid to stand up for what is right.

Which has lead to their making embarassingly dumb decisions.

Their bad associations (one another) has lead to their lost of the useful habit of being able to think intelligently.

The truly intelligent ones resign or are deleted because of they do not have a cowardly, I can't

think for myself, follower the leader mentality.

Were Most Of The Elders Dumb--- That You Knew???