The GB is just allowing the JW who never got an education and has a limited income a way to save face.- he can tell his kid, sorry, I just can't help you or encourage you to go to college- the GB says don't go!. ---They well know that the brothers will be too strapped financially with tuition payments to send any money to the WT in Brooklyn, either.
Fallout From GB Anti-College Letter This Will Cause Problems!
by Seeker4 179 Replies latest members private
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blondie
The WTS handled the doctrinal change from taking a blood transfusion being now an act of disassociation by the individual jw rather than their being df'd through the congregation the same way. There was no letter given to the elders or touched and read by an elder, just a piece of paper read to the elder body by the CO. My husband was even told it wasn't really a "letter."
Blondie
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hubert
Possibly a new policy directed at the R&F
I think that if the W.T. doesn't get the results they want with the elders, they will go after the R&F next, as you say.
Hubert
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OUTLAW
Elders will have to follow these new rules..You can be dam sure they are going to harass anyone who dosen`t follow them..That includes people without position at the King Dung Hole....."Shit roles down hill,at the King Dung Hole"............
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dannyboy
Thanks again to Seeker4 for this thread. This issue is yet another example of their "tacking" (remember the sailboat example with regard to doctrine) on matters of what I call "policy".....they make changes that don't sound too different from present practice, but often it turns out to be quite a change in the long run.
As far as "letters" that the CO [Circuit Overseer] reads to the BOE [Body of Elders]: There have been ALL KINDS OF "POLICIES" of this sort that are communicated this way (i.e. not in writing to the BOE). Every visit of the CO to the congregation there is "discussed" with the BOE what the CO's refer to as a "letter". In my experience (25 years+ as an elder), we NEVER got to even look at the letter, except if, on a one-on-one basis (and the CO liked you), he might allow you to look over his shoulder as he was researching a policy issue for you (most kept these "letters" in a large binder).
So the chances of getting a copy of this are slim to none.
Also, in my experience, some CO's stuck EXACTLY to the letter, while others "enlarged" on it, still others would skip over sections for one reason or another. When mentioning "policy changes" with elders in other congregations it was not unusual to hear the other guy with a totally different slant on the issue, or complete ignorance of having heard of it.
All in all, I'm absolutely convinced that the "Society" [or whatever they're called these days] handles things this way intentionally, to keep things vague and have a deniable line of retreat. Same thing goes for the Elder's meeting at the Circuit Assembly, where the same sorts of things are discussed, again, without any copies going to the BOE. Sometimes we would be asked to write in our Flock book (or cross out certain words and lines), but that was not common.
I hope with others here that this provides stimulus to Elders and MS's to re-evaluate their faith, but I'm not holding my breath.
---Doug
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sf
{{{{ hugs dannyboy }}} So good to see you. Come chat here, if you aren't too busy: http://gabbly.com/www.jehovahs-witness.com
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garybuss
You wrote: "Fallout From GB Anti-College Letter ? . . . "
Not here. Nothing to fall. The brain dead Witnesses fanatics here will just accept this as another sign that the end is nearer. The compliers will continue to comply and the non-compliers will continue to not comply.
Right now, the elders just might be the last group of Witnesses the Society can control. They sure as heck aren't able to control the worker bees and they aren't able to control the women at all because the Society hasn't really given them anything they can take away. Threats don't work on Witness women. The women rarely see the letters from the SDO anyway.
Many Witness women I know regard the Society in abstract hazy outline. They don't have direct dealings with the SDO and they never have. Witness women I have observed take from the Society much like they graze their way through a salad bar. They take what they like and basically ignore what they can't use.
The women have often actually read the Bible, unlike the men, and the women tend to disregard what the Society says or does that they don't agree with. The women can afford to be more honest. They aren't running to make or keep a political office like the men.
Men tend to be ego Witnesses and women tend to be social Witnesses.
I almost can't think of a Witness family I know that does not have children in post high school educational programs here. There's even some elders in college.
I think the Society is just saber rattling. Without the elders the money stops coming in. They're not gonna shoot themselves in the financial foot. This is likely a rifle shot like the Greg Stafford no-study article.
The Society opened the college doors in the 90's and now they're tryin' to put the genie back in the bottle. He ain't gonna go . . . and they're not firing a lot of elders. It ain't happenin'.
What's so interesting to me is how "reactive" the Society has become. They used to be very proactive. It's like they spent all that time building the dam and now they're spending all their time plugging leaks. It's probably the difference in being managed by one man to currently being managed by multiple corporations with multiple committees. They won't trust one man again and they can't manage it by the committee method. It's really fun to watch. -
looking_glass
I have not read all the posts, so forgive me if I cover territory already covered ... l suspect several things will happen ... 1) that those kids who were borderline to begin w/ will use this as an excuse to step out altogether. 2) I suspect those elders who were borderline will use this as an excuse to step out altogether. 3) I suspect that the rank and file that blindly do what is told of them, will feel that this is a great way to show their loyalty to the WTBTS and when they struggle even harder to make ends meat, they will say it is just another example of how evil the system is and how Jah really really is taking care of them (because they are not standing on the corner w/ a cardboard sign saying "will work for food"). 4) the WTBTS will realize just how low they are on elders and Ms because they have kicked everyone one of the possible guys w/ a brain in their head to the curb because of their choosing to go get a "higher education" and will relax their view on this .... I give them 3 to 5 years and it will swing back the other direction.
They are bunch of frick'n idiots. Personally it is because this group of old primarily white guys are afraid that a little education just might take people away from "the truth" instead of the thought of bringing into the religion.
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wednesday
I'm sorry I did not read through all the responses--just the first post. However from that post I can see all kinds of wiggle room. For instance- kids can start out in a 2 year college and move out of their parents house to continue a 4 year degree- if absolutely necessary. or maybe thye start out in a 2 yr degree and the elders just lose interst and they just continue on. it will happpen. someone will try it anyhow. 2 year degrees can have internships etc so all kinds of stuff can be added on if one wants to get creative. That's if you want your kids at home and your position as elder. if you don't care, enjoy life, send your kids to college and let them stay at home as long as they and you please.
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parakeet
As I remember it 30 years ago, attending college was frowned on but not considered a punishable act. But it was the fashion that all of the young people in my cong did not go to college. In those days, you could still get a fairly decent job with a high school education, so the no-college "suggestion" wasn't as oppressive as it is now.
Nowadays, a college education is almost a prerequisite if you want a nice home and children. A young couple today with high school diplomas can pretty much count on working full-time (both of them) just to get by, and heaven help them if they want to have children. Add inflation and rising gas prices to this, and you have a recipe for financial disaster. I've heard several accounts from my JW relatives about JWs who had to declare personal bankruptcy because their minimum-wage jobs did not bring in enough income to pay for basic housing and food.
The WTS proves yet again that their true goal is not the welfare of their adherents, but rather to acquire more power for themselves at the expense of many young people whose minds, lives, and happiness would be tremendously enhanced by higher education.
It almost makes me want to believe in hell. Those shriveled trolls in Brooklyn deserve some roasting.
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...OUTLAW