Are ex-JW’s, Flamers, Agnostics and Atheists more advanced spiritually and emotionally than fully-active JW’s?
This is how M.Scott-Peck describes the 4 basic stages of spiritual development. Personally I can relate to stage 3 quite comfortably, but if I talk to a witness – who may be a very devout and religious person – I often feel as though this person is dragging me back into a lower stage, generally stage 2. What do you think?
STAGE I:Chaotic, antisocial. Frequently pretenders; they pretend they are loving and pious, covering up their lack of principles. Although they may pretend to be loving (and think of themselves that way), their relationships with their fellow human beings are all essentially manipulative and self-serving. They really don't give a hoot about anyone else. I call the stage chaotic because these people are basically unprincipled. Being unprincipled, there is nothing that governs them except their own will. And since the will from moment to moment can go this way or that, there is a lack of integrity to their being. They often end up, therefore in jails or find themselves in another form of social difficulty. Some, however, may be quite disciplined in the services of expediency and their own ambition and so may rise in positions of considerable prestige and power, even to become presidents or influential preachers.
STAGE II:Formal, institutional, fundamental, beginning the work of submitting themselves to principle-the law. but they do not yet understand the spirit of the law, consequently they are legalistic, parochial, and dogmatic. They are threatened by anyone who thinks differently from them, and so regard it as their responsibility to convert or save the other 90 or 99 percent of humanity who are not "true believers." They are religious for clear cut answers, with the security of a big daddy God and organization, to escape their fear of living in the mystery of life, living in the uncertainty of the unknown.
STAGE III:Skeptic, individual, questioner, including atheists, agnostics and those scientifically minded who demand a measurable, well researched and logical explanation. A phase of questioning, is analogous to the crucial stage of emptiness in community formation. In reaching for community the members of a group must question themselves. Despite being scientifically minded, in many cases even atheists, they are on a higher spiritual level than Stage II, being a required stage of growth to enter into Stage IV. The churches age old dilemma: how to bring people from Stage II to Stage IV, without allowing them to enter Stage III.
STAGE IV:Mystic, communal. Out of love and commitment to the whole, using their ability to transcend their backgrounds, culture and limitations with all others, reaching toward the notion of world community and the possibility of either transcending culture or -- depending on which way you want to use the words -- belonging to a planetary culture. They are religious, not looking for clear cut, proto type answers, but desiring to enter into the mystery of uncertainty, living in the unknown. The Christian mystic, as with all other mystics, through contemplation, meditation, reflection and prayer, see the Christ, Gods indwelling Spirit, in all people, including all the Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews and so forth, recognizing the connectedness of all humanity with God, never separating himself from others with doctrine -- the words of fallible men who experienced God and attempted to record their experience in human words, words that became compromised the moment they were penned under the limitations of fallible men who wrote them, and we, fallible men and women who read them.
I feel that the above is quite a good synopsis of the various stages that people experience as they develop emotionally. IMO it goes to prove that ex's - even those who are having mega disagreements with others right now, are actually more loving than everyday JW's. Note how stage 3 people need to experience an "emptiness" in community relationships.
Englishman.
Bring on the dancing girls!