Are Witness Children Brighter than most? (page 4)

Aztec

Okay little sister! Just checking....I would really love to see you post your opinions more strongly though!

Love ya!

~Aztec

I don't think Witness children or any other group of children are necessarily any "brighter" by nature than any other children. However, as previously discussed, the skills they are taught in order to function properly within the JW world, ie, reading, speaking, studying and memorizing would make them appear to be brighter in an academic setting. But it seems to me they would be lacking in other very important areas as well because of need to function in the JW world. Areas such as critical thinking, social interaction with others and personal creativity are stifled out of the religion's necessity to control and these skills are as important as the other areas they may excel in.

A child may be able to read beyond their years but their comprehension of it may only be that which goes along with Society beliefs and how it relates to serving Jehovah. Their absorption of the material may be quashed by an inability to think about it from their own place and not that of the Society's.

What is a good thing perhaps, is that once out of the grasp of the Society and no longer JW's, a great deal of that information is still stored within and can be re-discovered with a critcal thinking edge on it and the individual is free to go further with it now from their own "free" understanding.

my 34 cents

XW

Euphemism

Tink... I think you're wrong, and you're not cute. Is that any better?

(Sorry, just being ornery. While I'm sure that Bradley meant it in good fun, calling someone 'cute' in the middle of a serious discussion is the height of condescension.)

tinkerbell82

LOL euph!!

poor bradley, i feel bad, i KNOW he did not mean to come off condescending.

having said that, how 'bout just:

"Tink:

You're wrong. Here's why. And i could care less what you look like."

i have always been an idealist :P

blondie

Good comment, XW. There is a lot more to intelligence than reading. I think of it as being able to read a repair manual for a car does not translate into being able to repair it (thought some outstanding people can do that). Problem-solving is a very important skill but at the KH people are taught to run to the elders.

Critical thinking ability is lacking. But I will have to say that when I was attending college as an older student that the teachers/professors were at their wit's end because many students (JW or not) did not learn this in high school. They called it the multple-choice generation. The students would groan when they had a test that was more than choosing a,b,c,d.

I was fortunate that I was able to take my reading skills and use them in many areas in school. School was my lifeline and protected me from the abuse at home and the abuse at the KH. Teachers became my parents and mentors.

So many here said they could read so early, yet it did not help us to see the crap we were being fed.

Blondie

Mulan

I don't think it's a factor at all. I knew kids at all levels of development, some really smart and some not so smart. People are people and with any large group, statistics win.

Phantom Stranger

Well, heck, Blondie, maybe the ones that read early are here, and the ones who didn't are still there.

Hey, could happen. But obviously it would be ego-feeding to say the smartest people leave - smart and brave do not neccesarily correlate.

blondie

But, PS, we haven't taken a survey at the KH to see how many there were early readers. Eventually, it all evens out. Eventually, all of us here "wised up." Now that is really intelligence.

Blondie

tinkerbell82

So many here said they could read so early, yet it did not help us to see the crap we were being fed

This is a really interesting comment.

On the one hand i can see examples of the truth of this statement. my sister and i both began to read at a very early age. She is still a hardcore Jehovah's Witness and likely always will be. It does take a certain amount of intelligence to do the mental gymnastics required to make JW theology seem cohesive, after all. I really believe that. I, on the other hand, credit the fact that i left the organization in large part to the fact that i read early and often, everything i could get my hands on. And honestly i would have left much sooner had i not been brought up in such a social fishbowl. It's difficult to imagine that your entire worldview is incorrect if you have nothing to compare it to. I can't say why i went the opposite direction, i can't say with absolute certainty that if i had been a late bloomer as far as reading is concerned that i would not have left anyway.

anyhow, those are just my rambling thoughts. thanks for the comment blondie, it piqued my interest :)

xenawarrior

Critical thinking ability is lacking. But I will have to say that when I was attending college as an older student that the teachers/professors were at their wit's end because many students (JW or not) did not learn this in high school. They called it the multple-choice generation. The students would groan when they had a test that was more than choosing a,b,c,d.

Ah,,, so very true Blondie- lacking a great deal. And it's not just a JW thing. It is a lack across the board. I've tried to help my daughter develop her own critical thinking skills along the way and she seems to be okay with it. My mother was a teacher so she has always helped with that area with our children as well. I love to watch her with the kids- she's always asking them "What do you suppose that is all about?" or "How do you suppose that came about" instead of simply dispensing information. My daughter gets frustrated sometimes when she comes to me with a question and simply wants an answer so she can be on her way and ends up in a discussion with me about it all instead. At that point she didn't want to engage in a "what do YOU think?" discussion- she just wanted the answer ! LOL Poor kid.

hugs at ya hon- hope all is well in your world and both of you are feeling good these days !!

XW

Are Witness Children Brighter than most?

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