Expanded-mind: Glad to see that you are back in college. I can only imagine how your folks must have felt back when they were trying to get you to go to college earlier. Your persecution complex must have been pegging then.
misery loves elders: I remember shortly after I started college going back to that old Indy Fundy church that I had stopped attending for a while. His rants and tirades made me so bitter that I never returned to that church again. While the pastor did not speak out against college, I can at least see how stupid religion can get and can somewhat sympathize with the lady you spoke of who was attending college and decided not to return after that embarrassing meeting. Legalists ultimately cause their own demise because of the way they way overstep their bounderies.
MMXIV: Congratulations for sticking it out in spite of the odds.
Soldier77: Yeah, my wife's arguments are indeed weak. Personally, I think she just does not really get how hard it is out there. She's been lucky in that I had my degree when we met and when we moved to find better jobs, I was able to find something quickly and advance in it. She's also lucky too in that she found a job that will pay for her college. But she is talking about quitting or at least just hanging on until 2012, whether she graduates or not, because after that year her grant money runs out. I've been trying to encourage her to keep pushing and get that degree by 2012 but between her burnout and what has to be her religious peers possibly discouraging her, I feel like I am in a no win scenario. Witnesses are so warped in their thinking about college, I hope my daughter does not turn out this way.
OMG: I remember going to an assembly in Richmond where they made an example of a young girl who was very smart and doing quite well in HS. Her guidance counselor was urging her to attend college and seek out grants but this young girl gave it all up to serve Jehovah. At another assembly, a young boy was made an example out of who had an opportunity to attend college but instead gave it up so he can work at his father's (wait for it......) window washing company.
thetrueone: Keep the underlings ignorant, much easier to control them. So, so true.
babygirl30: From what I understand about what causes stress in families, one thing that seems to be so clear is that money problems cause a considerable amount of stress. While living the simple life helps, so does having a job that actually earns you a good salary. I've read articles that state that couples who were college educated were happier as they had less of the stresses that people with only HS diplomas or less had. You know, those money problems that come from working a minimum wage job?
gubberningbody: That is so true as college certainly broke me from the influence of my narrow minded influence of that old Indy Fundy church. The Christians at college were so much more open minded than the Christians I remembered from that church. They are the main reason why I remain a Christian today.
long hair girl: At times, I think my wife too is speaking from her own ignorance. Her sister is much less ignorant about how the world works than she is sometimes. I guess that is because her sister is a single mom who has to fend for herself.
I quit: Your wife's job sounds like my wife's job. They are requiring degrees now where they did not use to. I do hope my wife makes it to graduation by 2012 for if she does not, then the grant money will run out and she will most likely quit school. If she does that, she may find out the hard reality of not being able to teach because they are requiring the very college degree that she missed out on getting for free.
Pistoff: The society shoots its own self in the foot when it rails against college like it does. Other religions do allow it and they do survive. The pastor at my church even celebrated it one time by lining up all the people who were graduating college and honored them. Not all of those people were in Bible college or getting degrees in divinity either, some were in secular colleges getting degrees to do secular work. Evidently, the Watchtower Society does not know what the body of Christ really is.
wannabefree: They're really speaking out of both sides of their mouths.