Jehovah's Witnesses are NOT stupid!

by nicolaou 72 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  nicolaou

  Makes no difference why they are stupid but simply that they are. After all they falsely claim that they alone have the truth. There is no reason to cut them any slack for such ignorance. They are also cruel to others and glad about it. This goes well beyond just stupid. Sure there are other ways to describe them that are more descriptive and accurate. I am just being nice.

  No Joseph, you're being naive. You say Jehovah's Witnesses are 'simply stupid' and that it makes no difference why that might be. Bullshit. You make the outrageous claim that Jehovah's Witnesses are "cruel to others and glad about it". Libelous bullshit.

  Pull your head out of your arse so that your brain might get a much needed dose of oxygen. If you're still angry at the realisation of how much you were duped then join the club, we're both members.

  Direct your vitriol to where it really belongs - you surely don't need me to tell you where that is?
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  wings

  To quote Forest Gumps mother...."stupid is as stupid does". Smart people are very capable of doing stupid things.
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  WTWizard

  They appear stupid. However, it is because they are acting in bicameral mode. That is, they are seeking instruction from a higher source on what to do. If that higher source is intentionally trying to dumb them down, they are not going to be educated and they are going to act stupid.

  And, from what I have been seeing lately, this is getting in high gear. They effectively banned college last summer, comparing it to shooting oneself in the head. They have banned independent Bible study and research on religious matters using independent sources, limiting what they have to work with. The field circus itself has been severely dumbed down. The boasting sessions have been dumbed down (notice the comments have to stick with the paragraph and the conductors having to stick to the outline). Education is getting the short end of the stick.

  That is why they are witless. They are not allowed to gain any real wisdom, because the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger continually tells them not to look at independent sources or to get education. And, they are constantly looking to the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger for instructions, because they are in bicameral mode with that group taking the lead instead of the right brain. Hence, they are not going to act any smarter than what the organization sees fit.

  Some, however, are very smart. Those are usually the ones that end up turning apostate and coming to these boards.
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  Junction-Guy

  Stupid? not really sure, maybe just a matter of semantics. I was stupid for even going back to the Kingdom Hall in 1992 and pursuing baptism--but on the same token I was ignorant, I was looking for the "goods" on the WT Society, but couldnt really find any, so i still went to the hall for awhile. When I left the JW's I still wasnt convinvced it was a complete lie, I left because I wanted a girlfriend, a wife, a normal life. I didnt discover the real truth about it until nearly 5 years later.
  
  Im not sure if stupid is a good word choice. If you have all the evidence against them and yet you still believe they are the truth, then yes that would be stupid. But if you dont have access to the evidence and you are being lied to, then I would be hard pressed to call them stupid.
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  mamochan13

  Just to add to some of the other excellent comments on this topic, Websters online defines stupid as:

  1. slow of mind, obtuse; given to unintelligent decisions or acts; acting in an unintelligent or careless manner; lacking intelligence or reason.

  2. dulled in feeling or sensation

  3. marked by or resulting from unreasoned thinking or acting, i.e. senseless

  4. lacking interest or point.

  Synonyms: "stupid implies a slow-witted or dazed state of mind that may be either congenital or temporary.

  I was born into the unreasoned thinking of the cult, and I don't consider myself stupid or lacking in intelligence. There are such a myriad of reasons why people remain JWs - I don't think stupid really covers them. For example, a woman might remain in an abusive relationship, not because she is stupid, but for financial reasons, fear of being alone, loss of lifestyle/friends/family, etc.

  It might seem stupid to remain in a state of "dulled feeling" and "unreasoned thinking". But what if leaving that state means you will lose everything near and dear to you?
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  caliber

  Stupid is as stupid does .... Forrest Gump !
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  Spook

  I agree with the assessment that those born into JW theology will have the same intellectual quotient as the populational norm. I think Jehovah's Witnesses can rightly be called stupid(er?) than the general population because of two reasons:

  1. A high level of discouragement of education, syntopical reading (ideas from numerous angles), and independant thinking.

  2. Those who join cultic groups as adults are often the very intellegent (but narrowly educated) or the very unintelligent. JW reading material is written with an audience of low education in mind and would appeal more to the former group. Not a single publication of theirs, including Insight is written at a scholastic level.

  I predict that adult tests which included common knowledge and logical problem solving would show a decreased score among JW's all other things being equal for those with similar educational levels. I predict they may do better on tests of reading ability and some other indicators such as memory retention (due to the high importance of participation in reading and speaking). Particularly, poor members of Jehovah's Witnesses often receive some education where they would otherwise not have received any.

  It may be more accurate linguistically to call the religion highly irrational and objectively less likely to be true than other forms of theism. I stand by stupid because it implies ridicule. Jehovah's Witnesses deserve to be ridiculed because their teachings are harmful and immoral.
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  potentialJWconvertswife

  I have never thought of the witnesses as stupid. Actually, it's pretty ingenious the way they go about recruiting. I don't feel they are ignorant either, because they are not ALLOWED to investigate outside of the org. I'm sure there probably are stupid individuals in the org, as there are probably stupid individuals in any group or religion. (Let's face it- stupid people are everywhere!) If anything perhaps unfortunately gullible? Labeling an entire group is a form of prejudice. -Potential
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  Double Edge

  "Stupid is as stupid does."

  - - Forrest Gump's Mama

  (oops... sorry Caliber )
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  patio34

  It doesn't seem to me to be as simple as what can be summed up in a yes or no question. People have been religious for eons. To me, JWs are simply another religion and as such are similar to other people who believe strongly in a religion. It seems to take a certain mindset to accept that which is unprovable. This has been explained scientifically several times.

  It's true that their particular brand is radical and requires more closing down of one's mind, but they are offered a complex theology, lots of study, and opportunities for importance in the congregations (where else can a blue-collar worker be granted such importance as clergy sans degrees, etc.?). To me, the more fundamentalist a religion, the more closed mindset is necessary.

  It's a voluntary close mindedness, but is considered greatly necessary by one's peer group. It's a closed system and, while they're free to read widely, it's also a high-mind-control group that precludes such investigation outside of the cult-type literature. The community is very exclusive and closely knit so that one risks much to be open in their investigation.

  It's very complicated I think and, while they may attract (or rabidly pursue) less-educated people, it seems to me to be more of a case of the Stanley Milgram experiment wherein the college students blindly "shocked" people because of being ordered to do so by an authority figure. It wasn't that they were more stupid than the ones who refused, though they did find out the more educated a person was, the less likely the were to follow blindly. This was attributed to better self-esteem and trust in their own judgment when more educated. That may also be why JWs are able to dupe people in traumatic situations.

  Once they're hooked, it's more difficult to extract oneself because of the close-knit community.