that ex jw's and jw's in general are predisposed to believe in conspiracy theories, even highly wacky ones?
Does it seem
by John Doe 5 Replies latest jw friends
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Tyrone van leyen
That's a really good question. In one way Yes, and in another way no. It depends. Many high intellects fell for the Crotchtowers crap. That whole thing in itself is a con. I think it has to do with intellect and distrust of sources. No one wants to fall for anyones bullshit a second time, and there have been many conspiracies throughout history. Lies can go a long way. Whole industries are built on them.
Because we are living in the information age and can rapidly expose and also concoct tales, I think anyone can fall for anything.
I certainly will never discount conspiracies myself, in light of how perfectly things can appear and be based on nothing of substance or facts. I think conspiracies too are a result of people waking up and not accepting the drivel anymore. And why should they? Now we can think for ourselves.
Who really knows the truth? The only thing that never lies is science.
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John Doe
Here's what I think Tyrone. I think Witnesses learn to distrust anything stated as established fact or any commonly held opinion. This can be a good thing, provided it is coupled with critical thinking skills and the ability to weigh and objectively analyze evidence.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of jws know nothing of these skills. This naturally carries over to a large portion of ex jws, and conspiracy theories thrive on immediate distrust and lack of desire to objectively analyze the subject matter.
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Tyrone van leyen
Yes, but ultimately as critical as anyone wants to be, in the end I think all we have to go by is our gut. History books are rewritten by conquerers. Religious books are written by people who wish to control others. Stories are told by some, and then get retold with additions until the original is lost. The media reports what it wants to with their own bias'. and for any book written, there is always another one to counter it. Even concerning wars, the first casualty is always the truth.
In the JFK assasination, their is documentation, that will not be released on it, for still many years to come. Even the Royal family has sealed archives, as does the vatican, with regard to many a matter.
Another thing I may point out, is that anyone can gather as much evidence as they like, to support any ridiculous notion they like. I could tell you the moon is made of green cheese. Oh yes, I can prove it. That is what the moon missions were really all about. Heck, they have even brought back samples, that have been tested in spectrometers and have revealed the presence of calcium and lactose. Of course, Nasa hasn't fully revealed this to the public yet. But there are photgraphs that have been leaked and scientists that have worked for the space agency, that will verify these facts. It is obvious of course without checking on anything that this is ridiculous. But it is your gut that tells you this.
There are people that actually beleive, and I'm dead serious, that Elvis never died. They can provide a mountain of evidence from the weight of the coffin to the weight of the body. Extra death certificates, eyewitnesses, and a pile of documentation, not to mention talk show circuits. Why do people listen? Because they want to beleive Elvis is still alive. I won't waste my time on many ridiculous notions for this very reason, but I certainly do not discount the possibility for deciet. In the end, critical thinking is good, save your sources arn't corrupt, but it has to ring true in your gut, whether you like the results or not.
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John Doe
Gut should only play a limited extent. There is only one reality and one truth. When evidence contradicts, one or both sets must be false. Learning how to evalute that evidence and draw from rational and logical facts to come to reasonable conclusions is the factor that is missing from many jws, but must be present in order to be intellectualy honest and as accurate in our beliefs as possible.
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quietlyleaving
don't leave out the dark mysterious unknowable unknown side
I guess conspricists are maybe using too much rational logical thought to demystify the unknowable