Double-thinkers, they mean. They simultaneously maintain a Heisenberg opposition of meanings for the word 'think'. When a worldly person thinks and disagrees with the JWs, he has been misled by human wisdom. When a JW thinks and disagrees with the JWs, he has had a crisis of conscience or faith or doctrine that must be brought under control. When a JW thinks, disagrees, but then convinces themselves that they can look the other way and swap to the opposite meaning, then the Truth is for them. The Truth is not for thinkers (of monopolar definition) but is perfect for doubleplusgoodthinkers (of dipolar definition).
I've heard they say that "the truth" is for thinkers...
by Newborn 15 Replies latest jw friends
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jws
I can see why they might convince themselves of that. There's none of the mysticism that some other churches have, like speaking in tongues, or magic amulets (like crosses), or some of the other sacred rites of other religions. What they believe comes from books and research.
The lie in that is that they are not the ones reading all of the books and doing the research. The "research" and interpretation has already been done for them and is served up, cherry-picked, and ready for them to read and believe.
I agree with slimboyfat. There are probably people who are very intelligent at some things, yet defer to what they are told in other areas of life because it's not their area of expertise. And if somebody else plays the role of the expert, they will go along with it.
So there are some people who might otherwise seem intelligent who are JWs. And others who seem, well, the polar opposite of intelligent.
I think if people who are capable of thinking intelligently about religion could allow themselves to think freely, they would end up either an agnostic or an athiest.
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Satanus
I remember hearing that. And, i did think quite a lot, when i was a jw. I would add though, that it's for thinkers, like a treadmill is for runners, or masterbation is for a sexual drive - you don;t go anywhere.
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sass_my_frass
That's magnificent! They're not even allowed to learn what 'critical thinking' is.
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carla
Are you freakin' smoking something?! With all the warnings in the wt's about the dangers of independent thinking?! the jw's for 'thinkers' you must be joking, right?
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choosing life
It's hard to be a thinkers when they practice thought stop techniques. I stuffed so many "controversial thoughts" when I was a witness that I finally ran out of room in my mind.
I admit that I learned a lot about bible stories and types and anti-types, but I had to learn to dismiss obvious contradictions and critical thinking is labeled as "independent thinking" and berated as evil.
Not really for thinkers.