How is it that well educated and financially stable people become Jehovah's Witnesses?

by 21stcenturywoman 37 Replies latest jw friends

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  mindseye

  Education encourages learning. But a bigger factor is independent thinking. For instance, did someone just go to college with the single goal of attaining a job? Was it mainly just business classes, technical classes and the essentials (math, english, etc.)? Or did they also take philosophy, logic or other classes that encouraged them to be critical and question things?

  Also, I find with those who leave or resist witness indoctrination, it seems more of a matter of temperament than formal education. Those that resist tend to be independent types who question authority and don't conform easily. A little healthy rebellion never hurt.

  As far as financially stable, from my experience that never mattered much. Sure, many JWS are lower middle class to poverty level. But like most here I've known quite a few that are very wealthy. And I never found financial status a reliable measure of intelligence or emotional well being.

  I also agree with the posts above that many people join during difficult times in their lives.
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  DaCheech

  they don't even try to hide their techniques:

  the tell the publishers at the meeting to keep coming back, and maybe the householders situation has changed (death of loved ones, etc)
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  moshe

  JWs peddle the promise that A- you will never die a physical death and B- you will get to live forever as a perfect human on a paradise earth- never to be hungry, thirsty, sick, or even to suffer the bite of a mosquito. Many people will overlook the warning flags, because they desire what the JWs are offering- backed up by the Bible, of course.
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  1975

  SECURITY!

  1975
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  willyloman

  Amongst JWs in the UK , there is something of a "middle class flight". Children of aspirational JWs don't take up the religion and the only people coming in are (to put it kindly) not always the best quality of people.

  This is also quite common in the U.S. these days and has been for a couple of decades.
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  exwhyzee

  As a life long Witness, the only growth in the Congregations I attended, came from Witnesses that moved into the territory from somewhere else, or Witness kids who grew up and got baptized. The congregation split many many times in the last 30 years but I can count on one hand, the individuals who hadn't already grown up in the"truth"...let alone the ones that had a College Education. The only two that I can think of that had College Degrees were both "Brought In" by Witness women who had been disfellowshipped in their late teens and early 20's, found a "worldly" Man, married him and got reinstated with new husband and sometimes a kid in tow. Both these guys seemed to see the opportunity to gain influence and popularity and quickly "rose to the top". They were "big fish" in a "small pond" so to speak. Because they were the new kids in town they were welcomed with open arms and it seemed like they were even more special because they had Degrees and yet turned their back on the opportunities of the "World". It seems to me that financially stable and educated people aren't as likely to become desperate enough to take on the vulnerable mindset needed to accept the "truth". The Witness will tell you that this is complacency brought on by materialism and the precise reason we want to keep ourselves in a downtrodden state, so to speak.
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  blondie

  Nice thread, but after the 4th post, I can't see it.
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  designs

  People gravitate to the Witnesses because Protestants have done such a wonderful job..............