Sulla, I find this remarkably close to the pot calling the kettle black on your part.
Thank you, Jeff. But, to clarify, I don't think I've said ex-JWs suffer from low intelligence. What I have said, and continue to hold, is that
a) The choice to become a JW is an imperfect signal of
1) intellectual laziness and
2) arrogance.
The whole reason why I questioned you in the first place about being a JW is that this is a remarkably incomplete viewpoint. I, as many here on the forum, became JW's in a flurry of teenage excitement and were baptized as minors. Speaking for me specifically, I was 13. Totally taken advantage of. While I do accept responsibility for what happened to me in my adult life (which includes the lack of laziness to study up, leave the cult, etc) I wasn't of proper mind to make such a decision, nor did I have any idea what I was getting into.
I would hardly call my baptism a choice made by a sober, adult mind.
I will grant you that any excited JW teenager is arrogant. I will also put out there for your intellectual consideration that any "go getter" teen is going to be VERY arrogant. It's just part of the maturing process. I give a pass to most arrogant teens because of that.
Teens are also very trusting, so without proper guidance they aren't going to consider every possibility. That is why the baptism of minors by JW's is among their most insidious and disgusting practices in my view.
There is one point that I agree on with you in principle, but I would frame it very differently. I agree that there is a difference when an adult who has never been exposed to the Witnesses agrees to become a JW. It was my experience with those that they in some way were emotionally damaged/fragile and were thus easy prey to the tactics of JW recruiting. Do I think that the majority are intellectually lazy? I think you underestimate the power of a cult in that case, esp when they influence a person to not consider outside sources of information. Arrogant? No. Some are for sure. But many are humble, scared, would rather gnaw their own arm off instead of knocking on a strangers door, and absolutely think they are doing it for Jehovah. That doesn't sound like arrogance to me.
I think though that the people on this board that you are dealing with are giving you good reasons why they reject certain theology, including the Trinity. You have stated that it is a waste of time in your view to discuss/debate the Trinity with non believers on the internet. (which I do agree with in spite of my actually trying to engage you before)
Whether you realize it or not, you are implying that those who have rejected the Trinity are either/or intellectually lazy and arrogant. That is a ridiculous premise that should rejected out of hand.
If a man should be judged not on the color of their skin but on the content of their character, then a person making an argument should be judged, not on the extent of specific education, but on the soundness of their argument and logic. Thus, name dropping in of itself to me is an arrogant cop out to prop up a belief.
