Can you possibly AGREE with this statement?

Terry

I'm going to make a statement that is simple and direct and I want to ask you if you agree.

Before I make the statement I want to give an analogous example so that you can quickly understand my intention.

Here is the analogy.

When we decided to put 3 of our children in the finest school possible we turned to private schools with the best reputation. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Upon investigation I discovered something rather interesting.

Really good schools only take the BEST students in the first place---the do not MAKE them great.

The child wanting to gain entrance is tested, interviewed and reviewed extensively BEFORE being allowed to enroll.

In other words there is a FILTER in place.

Here is the principle I discovered which I want to USE AS AN ANALOGY for the statement I'm going to make in a minute.

The principle is this: BY putting already great students into a school and then taking credit for making them great a GOOD SCHOOL is just a warehouse for the "best" (already) students! The corollary is that any student who falls behind is ASKED TO LEAVE! Otherwise, the school loses its status!

Keeping the above analogy in mind I now make my statement:

People who are already loving, caring, ethical and pious seek out an institution (religion) which advertises itself as THE BEST PLACE to experience the highest behavior model: church.

The Religion (or church) then takes credit for their fine qualities and attributes it to the theology! In other words, the tail wags the dog.

We tend to give a lot of lip service to Religion for improving mankind when, I believe, with few possible exceptions, religion merely attracts such a large number of PREDISPOSED GOOD PEOPLE that it ends up being a place where non-functioning members are either reformed or kicked out--just like private schools. Religion doesn't make anybody good or better. It simply amplifies the already-existing qualities into organizational attributes and claims credit.

The "teachings" and beliefs and faith part of religion is just window-dressing and a justification for already caring, loving, moral people.

Great Churches attract Great people. Goofy Churches attract Goofy people. Crackpot Churches attract Crackpots. etc. etc.

Agree or Disagree?

JWoods

I agree (as far as the JWs) by experience.

They usually attract people who already have issues and usually end up making them worse.

poopsiecakes

People with good hearts and good intentions join crackpot religions too. In my experience with the JW's, while I met my fair share of whack jobs, most of the people I knew were truly wonderful people, they're just duped by the dangling carrot of living forever in paradise and have shut off their independent thinking skills.

Meeting Junkie No More

This is interesting. When we quit going to the meetings and started renewing our family ties, I had a long chat with a relative, explaining that after 40+ years, I felt like I needed to find some other home; join some other group, not sure what.

His response was: WHY? He never had an urge to JOIN anything! That was an eye-opener for me. I guess I now understand that there are JOINERS and non-joiners. He is a very moral person but doesn't feel it necessary to belong to any group. So I am working on becoming like that, as far as religion is concerned. However, I'm looking into joining a chess club! (so probably still a joiner).

dgp

I'm with Poopsie, but, also, with Terry. There are fine people in many religions. Most are born-ins, and the religion they practice is the one they have always taken for granted as "the right one". However, I do think that, save for a few who are indeed rescued from, say, seemingly uncorrigible alcoholism, religions don't really make people behave any better than they otherwise would. And religion sometimes make it easier for irate people to believe they are right, and everyone else is wrong, and it is not wrong to kill the infidels.

Meeting Junkie, you are right: some people aren't joiners. They have an instinctive mistrust of anyone with power. They refuse to give anyone all of the power, or to submit fully. Your friend is very right, in my opinion: he doesn't need to join a club to be a moral person.

JeffT

Like almost all anologies it breaks down in places. Some schools DO take kids with special needs or just average. Some of those kids do very well, some don't some are average. (Unless you live in Lake Wobegon )

Same with churches. Some only want shining examples and discourage or boot out eveybody else (JW's). Others seek out people with problems and try to help them. Some times this works, sometimes it doesn't.

Terry, I realize this answer to your question is a resounding "It Depends."

A.Fenderson

Agree about 90%, excepting the below with which I agree about 75%:

Great Churches attract Great people. Goofy Churches attract Goofy people. Crackpot Churches attract Crackpots. etc. etc.

Crackpot churches seem to attract more than their fair share of otherwise fairly normal people, etc.

sabastious

What about when a criminal turns around and becomes a JW, could the JW faith not take credit, in part, for his 180?

-Sab

cyberjesus

I agree. I think the "filter" is what decides that. But that doesnt apply for the people born in. Because they really dont have an option. And for JWs a big chunk comes from children.

The filter for the JWs is... Do you wanna be destroyed in Armageddon? so they get people who are just joining out of fear. Do you want to live forever in a paradise always happy and avoid death? So they get people who want a reward and are trying to dodge death.

jaguarbass

Terry, I can agree with your premise.

But the devil is always in the details.

And there is a lot of things that can be extrapolated from your premise.

Can you possibly AGREE with this statement?

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