How "Intelligent" Witnesses Think - and Endure

by metatron 16 Replies latest jw friends

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  metatron

  How can anyone with more than a handful of neurons maintain confidence in the Watchtower organization?

  As dumbing down of the organization deepens, together with stubborn rejection of compassion and good sense, the

  pressure on capable, half-way sane Witnesses is intensifying. How do they rationalize the obvious spiritual malaise

  of the Watchtower? Here's some personal examples:

  Brother A is an elder from a large Witness family. When pushed for an opinion in private, he says the organization

  will improve after some elderly brothers pass away. ( This is the best Jehovah can do? Held hostage by a few impotent,

  incontinent old men?)

  Brother M works as a tech in a research lab. He is well read and keeps abreast of scientific advances. When questioned about

  UFO's, ghosts, chronology, etc. , he replies that perhaps, "reality is variable, not black and white, yes or no." When questioned

  more exactly, he simply replies that "the Truth is a good life" and leaves it at that.

  Brother J discovers the internet and is amazed at all of its possibilities. After I tell him about all the amazing things that

  science is likely to produce in one decade, he quotes Genesis "and nothing will be unattainable for them". Still fanatical,

  he expects Armageddon must come "soon".

  Sister H is depressed. Her elder husband complains about how hard it is to continue serving. She sees trouble thruout

  all the congregations round about - reported by her extended Witness family. Regarding the elders ( and herself, I suspect)

  she uses a suicidal metaphor - "Jehovah must intervene or they'll just kill themselves!" ( hide the bullets, please!)

  All of this is dead end thinking - that won't sustain another generation of Witnesses.

  Jehovah's Witnesses are part of a global cast, on the world stage

  Too bad they don't know that the play they're acting in is "Waiting For Godot".

  metatron
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  Analysis

  "All of this is dead end thinking - that won't sustain another generation of Witnesses."

  You are correct, but somehow the Catholic Church has been able to survive over 2000 years.

  Many current JWs may become nominal JWs, just like most Catholics are only Nominal at Best. Most don’t worry about the Divorce or Birth Control requirements of the church. They love the Pope, but only go to church when they feel like it. The Memorial Attendance numbers vs. those who count time already show that most are at best nominal JWs.

  The real problem will come when they have trouble attracting Elders and Pioneers. Just as the Catholics have trouble getting Priests and Nuns. At least the Catholics pay their employees. They have already lost most of the more intelligent elders. I think a great deal of the better Elders have stepped down and if they still attend are really just Nominal JWs. That is what I did. What gets me is that they somehow are still getting young people to pioneer. I just don’t understand why.
• 

  NeonMadman

  he says the organization will improve after some elderly brothers pass away.

  That's what I thought while Fred Franz was alive; that he had some sort of viselike grip on the organization, and that surely cooler heads would prevail once he was gone. But he's been dead for, what, 10 years now? And things have only gotten worse.

  I'd like to think that things would improve once the old-timers pass, and that the younger GB members would institute some reform, but frankly, I doubt it. The older members have probably chosen the younger replacements most likely to maintain the status quo.

  Besides, if a JW subscribes to this sort of reasoning, hasn't he already admitted to himself that the organization is guided by men, not by God? I know I had...
• 

  minimus

  Pack mentality. That's the reason they pioneer..... I don't think JW's could just die off. There will always be the "leader" and the "follower" types. That's a fact of life. I believe what you'll see is poor quality elders, MS's and pioneers. But they'll always have them around. They just won't be as good as they used to be. Truthfully, "this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur". Today's generation of Witnesses is about to pass away in more ways than one.
• 

  truman

  Metatron,

  This is a subject that really hits close to home for me. Despite some occasional evidence otherwise, I do like to consider myself a reasonably intelligent and aware person, even as a JW for the bulk of my adult life. I am well familiar with several of the tricks of mental gymnastics that you outlined from the thinking people with whom you have contact. It is a sad state of mind to be required to maintain in order to feel like you are 'with the program', a faithful sister/brother.

  One of the most powerful mental pushes anyone gave me in the months before I finally woke up from the dream (or was it a nightmare) and left the Witnesses, was an off hand remark a sister made to me. I had been talking to her about my son's increasing distance from the JW mindset, and how he had several issues he had been thinking deeply about.

  She said, "he's such a smart kid", and then told me that she had heard it said that it is difficult for really intelligent people to stay in the 'truth'. Now she herself, is not an especially deep thinker, but that casual comment went to my core. Why on earth would the god of everything, the ultimate intelligence in the universe, make stupidity, credulity, and gullibility not only a saturating feature of his one true avenue of approach, but almost a requirement to remain in its confines?

  That just made no sense to me at all, and it rattled around in my brain for several months, till I finally found freeminds.org one day, and I understood at last the answer to my question. Wouldn't "God" want his human creations to use every ounce of their birthright of intelligence to understand Him, the universe, the world around them, the things they believe, rather than deny the obvious results of that thinking ability.......Yes, I decided. I could, I did, I left.
• 

  RunningMan

  A similar event happened in my city, recently. A sister who had a PHD and was generally thought of as exceptionally intelligent, left the organization and went back to the United Church.

  The comment was made that she was "too smart to be a Witness". Now, some people think of that statement as an insult, as if she was too smart for her own good. But, the truth of the matter settles out, anyway. Being "smart" is a definite detriment to being a Witness. And, education is a JW killer.
• 

  logansrun

  truman,

  Very interesting story; similar to one I had a few years ago. I was talking with my then-Presiding Overseer and he mentioned something that took me aback (I was a strong JW back then): "There are two types of people that do poorly in the truth: the really, really dumb and the really, really smart. It's good not to be too intelligent or too stupid."

  At the time I was curiously perplexed. I could understand the "dumb" part -- I saw plenty of those leave (usually only to return beaten up) -- but that the really "smart" could have a tough time in the religion? Woah. Not good.

  Bradley
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  Big Tex

  The plot of waiting for Godot: There is no plot. Time passes. How do we entertain ourselves, how do we account for ourselves, for our time here? See the "Born astride a grave" quote. Find a plot in that. -- Samuel Beckett, Lecture Hall
• 

  NeonMadman

  Why on earth would the god of everything, the ultimate intelligence in the universe, make stupidity, credulity, and gullibility not only a saturating feature of his one true avenue of approach, but almost a requirement to remain in its confines?

  Good question. Let's not forget, though, that the JW's have a favorite proof text on this subject:

  *** Rbi8 Matthew 11:25 ***At that time Jesus said in response: "I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to babes.

  Now, I don't believe for a minute that in using the phrase, "wise and intellectual ones," that Jesus was talking about people who are simply intelligent or studious. Rather, I believe that he was referring to those who were pompous and "puffed up" (to use a NWT expression) in their knowledge, but who did not obey what they had learned (e.g., the Pharisees). Many Witnesses, however, use this text to comfort themselves that they are not too smart or well educated. It excuses their unwillingness to explore scripture for themselves. And, such an interpretation also obviously serves the interests of the leadership, who prefer to keep the thinking ability of the masses at a low level.

  What's really ironic is that the immediate context of this verse refers to the fate of the inhabitants of Sodom, a topic whose answer clearly seems to have been "hidden" from the leadership of the Watchtower.
• 

  waiting

  We used to have a poster here, Maximus. If you've not read his threads - it's worth your time to do so. You WILL be educated about Jehovah's Witnesses and many other areas of life. Highly intelligent & witty.

  A fine man, served as a Bethelite, special pioneer, elder, pioneer, & CO (probably other things too.)

  My husband's family knew him well when he served here. They also knew he'd left the org. When we told them that we had been communicating with him and he was "still in good standing" ......

  their response? "We just assumed he was disfellowshipped. He was always just a little too smart."

  And they meant that as an insult.

  waiting