What’s the deal with all the Smart-Educated JWs?

by John Aquila 37 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  FayeDunaway

  Not just education levels, but personalities matter too. If you are the type of person that likes to believe you are better than others in 'the world', because you are more righteous, and you like to look down on others, you are likely to stay a witness no matter your education level. You are probably not likely to be attracted to the humanities classes either, which might change your worldview.

  As regards attracting new converts to the JW's who are well educated: the more they dumb down their literature, the less likely it is to happen.
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  Diogenesister

  done4good. Remember JWs that do go to university are going for career purposes, not to be enlightened in the general sense, so it is easier for them to have a rather disengaged viewpoint to the experience,

  That was my point exactly, your vocational accountancy exams being a case in point and I was specifically thinking of born ins but I take your point about compartmentalisation - never to be under estimated!
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  oppostate

  I will eat my hat the day you get a European with a masters or phd in philosophy become a JW.

  Ok, diogenesister, sprinkle some salt on that hat.

  I'm originally from Spain, got my terminal degree in Education (Ed.D.) in the U.K. -- does that qualify for being an European JW?

  Actually, I've moved to the States (Massachusetts) where I'm currently working as an Academic Technology Specialist. I was bapt. after I'd had gotten my B.A., got my M.Ed. while serving as an elder--Then the letter about "if an elder or elder's children go to uni' they may no longer qualify for responsibilities and blah-blah-blah" and that helped me start to wake up, go back to school and get my Doctorate's Degree.

  Maybe that explanation absolves you from the hat-eating experience. If not, bon-appetit.
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  Diogenesister

  As regards attracting new converts to the JW's who are well educated: the more they dumb down their literature, the less likely it is to happen.

  FayeDunnaway having not seen the literature for about 13 years I was absolutely shocked. My initial reaction was "is it me? Have I grown wiser with age and/or education?" , to be fair I now realize I had seen the simplified version but the study version is not that much better!
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  Diogenesister

  Oppostrate Maybe that explanation absolves you from the hat-eating experience. If not, bon-appetit.

  
  Ha ha ha! I knew that one would come back to bite me on the ass !!😙😝
  You know, there is also the fact, as many have pointed out, that God coming along to solve the worlds problems and injustices is a mighty big carrott to dangle. If you are a deep thinker it could be said that those injustices would weigh more heavily on you, thus making the carrot that bit harder to give up? I dont know what others think?
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  Diogenesister

  
  
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  Illuminated

  Education doesn't seem to matter. Take Scientology and Mormons, they are highly educated for the most part with careers in higher fields yet they are still trapped in a destructive mind control cult.
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  StephaneLaliberte

  I’m an educated professional. Yet, before leaving, I had serious issues with the prophecies for at least 15 years. In terms of knowing TTATT, I’d say that happened about 8 years before leaving.

  What made me stay? I thought that the core teachings were about beliefs such as: No hell, no trinity, earthly paradise, knowing about various biblical accounts. Oh how proud I was when I made comments at the hall for which people thought I had studied for hours! My intellect, my ego, was gratified.

  Meanwhile, though I knew that our actions were very important, I had always taken these for granted and never really stopped to truly think about it.

  So, even if I did not agreed with shunning the disfellowshiped, it wasn’t so bad since I wasn’t practicing it. Meanwhile, I kept convincing myself that the most important things were little details in the scriptures, like, knowing the names of the sons of Noah! I went door to door and told myself: How ignorant are these people, knowing an insignificant fraction of what I know on the bible. Not only did I feel so above the worldly people, I thought I was above the JWs themselves as I didn’t believe in the Adam and Eve story or a universal flood!

  Then, I had kids. And now, I was supposed to do family worship and teach everything these man from NY believed. Suddenly, I realized that if I was telling anything concerning the TTATT, I was at risk of being disfellowshiped! Let me explain: At a district convention, I saw a little girl (about 16) telling everyone from the platform that she now shunned her father who was an apostate. Being a closet apostate myself for well over a decade, I realized that my kids could end up right next to her someday, for what? 15 minutes of fame?

  That is when I understood that my priorities were all wrong, that it had nothing to do with the knowledge, but with the actions. Surely no one else loved that girl more than her own father and yet, that is the one she hurt! That has nothing to do with Christian love. Yet, love IS the most important thing about Christianity. It isn’t about knowing how old Abraham was when he had Isaak!

  So, I left. I could not teach that to my kids.

  The sad thing is: I don’t know if I would have come to that understanding if I did not have my kids. It had to personally affect me.