Are Ex-JWs smarter than the average bear? (page 4)

Hortensia

Interesting assumption that college graduates are all smart. I know that some of them aren't smart at all, just persevering. However, Renee, my mother used to say to me that it didn't matter that I was smart, I didn't have any common sense. Or that Jesus didn't say smart people would inherit the earth. And so on...JW putdowns of anyone with any intelligence or desire to really learn, not just parrot back watchtower dogma.

B_Deserter

I've found that when witnesses give talks on scientific or real life matters they get their information horribly wrong.

knock knock

uh, what was the question?

LoverOfTruth

From my observations, I think most ex-JWs are deep thinkers. They are Brave.

WTWizard

I think on the whole, the average ex-JW is probably smarter than average. Why? For those born into the cult, it takes intelligence to see through their lies, and that's something that the educators even in the world do not teach. And, if someone falls for the cult and then has the intelligence, they are sooner or later going to see something wrong with the Tower and not try to rationalize it. Only the ones that have the smarts to do a rational cost/benefit analysis of remaining vs leaving are going to leave. And those are the smart ones.

Any ex-JW, on the other hand, that is disfellowshipped for a sin committed due to a "weakness", is likely not much smarter than the average Witless. If they stop attending meetings and hit an apostate Web site and then turn apostate, that indicates that that person has the smarts to see through the lies. It's the ones that will commit a sin and repeatedly return to the Tower that are stupid (or that are brainwashed and too proud to do anything about it). Those people too often get reinstated.

The average active JW is either very stupid, very brainwashed, or both. And this goes doubly so for those who are hard core, and have been in it for 20 years or more and still going gung-ho. Those are the ones that the Tower likes to showcase. And it's not just their raw IQ that is low: people can have a very high raw IQ and not be educated, and the effect is the same (which is why Ted Jaracz is so against education--high IQ + high education = death + destruction in his eyes).

Anony-Mouse

"For those born into the cult, it takes intelligence to see through their lies, and that's something that the educators even in the world do not teach"

My ego is sufficiently stroked :P .

Are Ex-JWs smarter than the average bear?