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

by minimus 64 Replies latest jw friends

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  Paralipomenon

  If you consider a child being raised a witness, they are intellectually stimulated from a young age. From day one they are brought to meetings which speak at a level much higher than most kid's programs. Encouraged to read and write, introduced to singing and music and put in an environment with frequent social interaction with strangers and groups.

  This is all very good for the growth of a child intellectually, the down point is, the closer a child approch their teens, the life experiences that were once challenging are now normal and as they grow older are actually stunting their intellectual growth.

  Some stop learning and coast through the rest of their life, others continue to learn but remain indoctrinated. Many continue to learn and grow and eventually find their intellectual pursuits have outgrown the religion they were raised in.

  At least that's my theory.
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  minimus

  There are some very smart Society company men. They probably could be a CEO in a corporation. MOST though, aren't all that bright in reality. When we look at the CO threads we've had here, most COs are thick headed and lovers of power. Those that are not are either bright or guys that know where their bread is buttered.
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  undercover

  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.

  It wan't Steve Hassan though I have read some of his stuff. It was from a university...that's all I can remember right off the cuff...

  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.

  I agree with that for the most part. But acting smart and being intelligent aren't the same always. One can have a high IQ, use that IQ in various aspects of life, yet never allow it to interfere with the indoctrination of the religion that you want to believe in. The high IQ dub that I know is happy being a JW. He doesn't question, he doesn't doubt, so he's never had the cause to research or think his way around the illogical aspects of the doctrines. Is it smart to not consider those things? No, but it doesn't make him dumb or unintelligent.

  I guess we should define what we mean by 'very intelligent' or at least make the difference between that and being 'smart', or acting smartly.

  I do see what you're saying and that viewpoint is valid. I bet minimus never thought about it this hard before asking, huh?
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  minimus

  Para, very interesting theory!
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  minimus

  thought about what??
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  slimboyfat

  Intelligence is a hard thing to define. Nevertheless I am arguing that 'intellectual curiosity' is a pretty good indicator of something we might wish to call 'intelligence'. You simply don't get intelligent people who are not interested in finding out new things. A thirst for knowledge is a hallmark of intelligence. (Unless someone is suffering from deep depression, in which case their mental faculties, including intelligence, are probably impaired during the depression) Intelligence and intellectual curiosity go hand in hand in my view. Therefore it seems somewhat paradoxical to talk about Witnesses who lack the desire to consider other points of view on a central aspect of their life as being nevertheless 'very intelligent'. The lack of intellectual curiosity in itself displays a lack of intelligence.
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  cry

  Don't forget there is such a thing as emotional intelligence and that gets my vote more that IQ, so it is not all about academia. However, when someone gives thier thinking ability over to a man-made organisation, surely they cannot be called intelligent? My sis-in-law, cannot blow her nose without asking if the GB agree with it, at the same time she has little knowledge of ANYTHING! My ex, on the other hand, is very intelligent, but subsconsciously cannot separate himself from the org, so they remain paramount. In his case, intelligence has nothing to do with it - I can bear witness to that, it's something more subtle, but perhaps because he is born in. IMHO most JW are not intellectually intelligent, they are (or at least start of) good people, trying to solve problems of everyday life.
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  besty

  good points SBF - I would say the intelligent JW's successfully compartmentalize their thirst for knowledge to WTS literature.

  There is so much time consumed by doing the required study that doing more than that would usually need an exceptional trigger event - Blondie referred to this a few years back when she said most JW's need a 1-2 punch to get them started on the road out.

  I think what curiosity the rare JW has left for Bible study beyond the normal 'theocraptic routine' is usually satisfied with catching up reading older publications etc - the JW's that start researching beyond the WTS material quite often end up leaving.

  My 0.02 - there are intelligent JW's - they just reserve their intelligence for other areas of live - eg work or other interests - their big logical hole, as was mine, is failing to even grasp the concept of applying critical, rational thinking to the WTS belief system.
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  Sapphy

  I know quite a few very intellegent, but mentally lazy, JWs. I know a couple of very clever but either resigned or apathetic JWs.

  The general attitude in my peer group seems to be 'even if it's all wrong, it's still the best way to live'. I can't get my head around that one.

  I also totally relate to longhairedgal's experience.
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  dgp

  Paralipomenon, says that

  Many continue to learn and grow and eventually find their intellectual pursuits have outgrown the religion they were raised in.

  At least that's my theory.

  This is what happens to people in other religions, too.