The Road Less Traveled (written by M Scott Peck) is a marvel among the books ever written. It has something to do with what we do here in JW.Net.
Though it's focus is on helping us explore the very nature of loving relationships and leading us toward a new serenity and fullness of life, learn how to distinguish dependency from love; how to become a more sensitive parent; and ultimately how to become one’s own true self involving a change toward a higher level of self-understanding, it ALSO touches on the maturity levels of various religions (which is of interest to us)--thus he lists people into four categories in ascending order:
Stage I: Chaotic and antisocial (as if in infant stage), in the sense that they are extremely egoistic and unwilling to accept a will greater than their own. Yet, they can also be very engaging.
Stage II: People are formal and institutional, who see the world as divided simply into good and evil, right and wrong, us and them. Many religious people are essentially Stage II people, who have blind faith in a legalistic God who punishes misdeeds. (Our experience would put JWs in this category)
Stage III: Those who keep away from blind faith, like those working in scientific and technological research are at this stage. They often reject the existence of spiritual or supernatural forces since these are difficult to measure or prove scientifically . However, even though they may describe themselves as unbelievers, they are actually more spiritually developed than most of those content to remain in Stage II. They are also more active seekers of truth. (May be, most of us in JW.Net are in this Stage)
Finally, Stage IV of spiritual growth arises when the seeker in Stage III keeps seeking. They keep finding more pieces of the puzzle and the “larger and more magnificent the puzzle becomes." They speak of unity and connectedness (those who understand the essence of what Jesus said in Mathew 5:44-48)