Hillary,
That was a powerful essay you wrote. I read it twice and spent considerable time thinking about what I could add, so here is my shot at it.
All the words the WT uses, such as, "humbly seeking the truth" and "sincere truth seekers" are obviously designed to get one to turn their minds over to them. All the words they use to denigrtate those who think for themselves are further designed to cripple the indepentant thinking and quetioning ability of the individual. Now, I have heard many of the negative connotations, but Hillery, your lable is a new one for me, you are "obsessed with detail." That is a bad thing?? If the Wright Brothers were not obsessed with detail, we would not have had the airplane as soon as we did. (I know a lot about their story.) Yes, without critical thinkers, we would have a world of village idiots, as you put it. Most thinkers that made progress were sincere, but they were not humble. They fought established ideas and did not submit to accepted ideas.
Yes, we were conditioned like this (compliant acceptance), but we escaped it. We no longer duck for cover or twitch helplessly.
By the way, I though your last paragraph was poetry in an essay.
I will invite truth in for a cup of coffee any time I can learn. I know you and others here will do the same. John 17:3 is true.