Did You Know A Lot Of "Very Intelligent" JWs? (page 4)

minimus

Uhhh, when someone's very intelligent you know it. It's like "beautiful". It is what it is.

Married to the Mob

How are you defining intelligence? how clever they are? or a combination of that and ability to apply? I normally see inteligence as how clever someone is......

There are those who are intelligent and those who want to "appear" intelligent. Neither means that you have the ability to apply your knowlege to day to day life, have any common sense.

Truely intelligent people tend be very meek and mild mannered and will rarely call themselves intelligent, the one thing that I have found however is that the majority of them have little social skills or common sense. How do I know? I went to university with them and studied engineering! They truely are brilliant people and the stuff in their minds is just mind boggling, even to me who has an understanding of what they are talking about, just don't ask them to pick up a spanner or to cook you dinner!

Then there are people who want to "appear" intelligent. These people normally didn't go to university and tend to have a chip on their shoulder about it, almost like they are making up for something. They are desparate to be acknoleged as intelligent. I am really not sure why. Usually they are the sort who will laud their knowlege over others, whilst not really knowing. Usually they can be easily picked apart!

The reason i asked how intelligence is defined is because i see intelligence as how clever you are. It has nothing to do with the ability to apply the knowlege or have common sense!

Very Intelligent people with the ability to apply the intelligence in a practical sense are very rare and it is people like this who really won't become JW.

snowbird

Truely intelligent people tend be very meek and mild mannered and will rarely call themselves intelligent, the one thing that I have found however is that the majority of them have little social skills orcommon sense.

I took the liberty of striking through the common sense part; the other describes my youngest daughter to a T.

Tee hee hee.

Sylvia

undercover

I'd say that the percentage of 'very intelligent' JWs is about on par with normal society. It's been shown that intelligence has nothing to do with being swayed by religions/cults.

Another indicator that there were/are quite a few intelligent dubs: there are quite a few 'very intelligent' ex-JWs who have published books, articles and websites debunking the JW religion. It's not that they got brainy over night or anything. They were always intelligent, maybe just not channelling it properly while a JW.

I know of a couple of 'extremely smart' JWs - genius level IQs even. You would think that they could use their superior intelligence to figure out the stupidity of the JW religion, but because they were raised in it from birth, they were just as brainwashed as those of us who were a sandwich short of a picnic.

It's not being smart that causes you to question or doubt. I think its skepticism and cynicism. You doubt...you question...you can't accept things readily...you need proof... over time you keep that up and with the JW belief system, you're gonna find a fault, and then it's on when you really dig deep. Even when we were at our height of dubness, deep inside we had doubts and questions. We may have tried hard to squash them but our cynical nature wouldn't let it stay down too long.

slimboyfat

It's been shown that intelligence has nothing to do with being swayed by religions/cults.

Where?

dgp

I agree with Undercover, word by word. Of the witnesses I've met, one is extremely intelligent. Which is one of the reasons why I feel so sorry for her. She was homeschooled. She didn't even have a GED by the time she was in her twenties and married. HOW SAD THAT SUCH AN INTELLIGENT PERSON HAD NO OPTION BUT TO BE A MAID JUST BECAUSE "THE TIME LEFT WAS REDUCED". How sad that her wonderful intelligence was wasted. If she had been born in a religion that allowed the faithful to pursue college, the very least she would have would be a Ph.D. Maybe several Ph.D's.

I've also met other witnesses who were not this smart. I have met, however, some who are extremely willing to learn, the person above included. I think they take every opportunity they have, provided it doesn't come in an "untheocratic" manner.

How sad. How mean Jehovah would be if he really didn't want the faithful to develop and make use of the intelligence he gave them.

undercover

It's been shown that intelligence has nothing to do with being swayed by religions/cults.

Where?

I read it somewhere, in a study on people drawn to cults and sects. I don't remember where or the name of it. It wasn't an ex-JW thing, it was an independant research study. Now that you asked, I wish I could remember where to find it. I think it would make for an interesting thread.

Beta Male

religion operates on an emotional level, more so than simple logic.

slimboyfat

I read it somewhere, in a study on people drawn to cults and sects. I don't remember where or the name of it. It wasn't an ex-JW thing, it was an independant research study. Now that you asked, I wish I could remember where to find it. I think it would make for an interesting thread.

I know that Hassan has expressed the opinion that cult members are not below average intelligence, and people keep repeating the 'fact' on that basis. Conducting a sizeable survey of the intelligence of cult members would be difficult. I am pretty certain it has never been done with Jehovah's Witnesses in particular.

I am not saying Jehovah's Witnesses are not as intelligent as non-Witnesses. I am however saying that I know of no empirical basis on which base the assertion that there is no difference.

As I said above, to me a key indicator of 'intelligence' is curiosity. Many of the 'clever' Witnesses I know, and have discussed things with, appear never to have explored non-Witness sources about key doctrines and Watchtower history, and when challenged to do so, seem to have no desire to find out more. However bright they may be in other respects, that does not seem very smart to me.

coffee_black

I knew a lot of very intelligent JWs. Nearly all left the borg or died. A few are still in...and it baffles me...

Coffee

Did You Know A Lot Of "Very Intelligent" JWs?

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