Isn't going to Law School a no-no?

Chaserious

I was reading some education-related threads on here and I'm curious about something. I haven't been out too long, and while I was in, I was farsighted enough to get my college degree part-time at night. I kind of knew I'd be out someday and would need it... Anyway, since I've been out, I've been going to law school. There is a late 20's single mom in some of my classes who is a JW. I haven't told her I'm an ex-JW, don't really see the need. But.... isn't graduate school still heavily frowned upon in JW-land? I thought at first that maybe she was on the fringes, but she's friended me on facebook, and routinely posts status updates like the ones I have quoted word for word here. (Yes, I had to quote them exactly... too funny not to)

" jus got home from a loooong day out in service!! It's therapy I tell you!!!!! And now for sum coffee n gud ol' book lernin ;-) !"

" awsome awsome awsome watchtower and bcuz of my stupid car I cudn go to meeting! :("

" my baby gave his first comment today!!! Yey!!!!! So proud of him! :)"

(end quotes) This would say to me that she's a legit JW right? So how can she get away with this? I am positive that just a couple of years ago if I announced I wanted to go to law school, the elders would have cornered me faster than a pack of dogs on a three legged cat and not been satisfied until they could talk me out of this ridiculous folly. Am I on point here, or missing something? Just curious.

LV101

an ex-bethelite told me (about 1991) that the society had picked up the remaining lawschool tuition (couple of yrs., each person) for a couple of young people who HAD ALREADY STARTED LAWSCHOOL when they came into the truth (recruited). they, of course, had to promise to join the legal team at bethel upon graduation.

another witness told me (very reliable source) the society invited a lawyer and his wife (already witnesses) to serve at bethel and they PAID OFF ALL OF THEIR bills, mortgage and obligations, etc., in order for him to join the bethel team. also, that when a witness has left a sizable estate to the TOWER --- the w/tower sends their lawyers in ASAP to wrap up the deal.

NV1

lisaBObeesa

I know a guy who is a JW and went to law school to become a lawyer for the Society. And now he IS a lawyer for the Society.

yknot

I was trained up originally to attend Covington's alma mater....

Discern things this way...... the WTS says it isn't a 'secret society' but let me tell you it sure is an entitled organization!

robson

yes is a no-no to go to law school and if you go you are look down while you are still attending and you have to face comments regarding how spiritual you are and how close the system is in your life so if your friend is going to law school she either doesn't believe the principle of not going to school or she is in great need and had plans with that career in mind whatever the case is she is not a total JW.

There is a lot of people who go to the hall and don't do everything said by the FDS and that is fine I also believe nobody can force you do anything against your own will and there is people who go there and do many things to be considered an spiritual brother but they are far away from the truth they have two faces they are well-behaved at the hall but out of it they do what it pleases them most.

and there are some who are born inside the cong and come to know everything being said in the hall and we just believe everything comes from God and since God is telling us not to go to school we don't go and we never come to do many things in life and our life gets turned into a direction that we can't help us and nobody else financially so you trust the FDS and at the end you end up with nothing to offer but not all of us remain like that.

One example in my cong there are at least 10 brothers who went to school or work at school somehow well they always talk about how bad school is for young witnesses and they work there at an institution, that is ridiculous, also they have their needs well covered up and yes they don't help anybody in the cong so that is not right.

I don't believe nothing cause nobody ever asked me if I needed anything they just want me to show at the meetings go out on service and be a good example to younger ones and I now know that they are just all a bunch of hypocrites they have revealed secrets to me that are not good.

Well, simple if she is going she knows how you can handle this life and you as well so remember there is a double standard about education you can go and you can't go take your pick.

scotinsw

If she wants to be a lawyer she's going to have to learn how to spell!

I know a few witnesses who went back to college when they were in their 20s and 30s. Some do realise that being able to support yourself is really important.

Chaserious

@scotinsw- I know! I think that and cringe every time I see her spelling. It's very unusual for individuals in law school to use chat speak like a fifteen year old girl!

I think in this case, it must be closest to what robson suggests. Regarding the earlier comments, I realize that the WTS incents some to become attorneys, but I know this girl was already a JW before starting law school, and I somehow doubt they are sending single 30-ish moms to law school. I was around the org for over 20 years and have only been away less than two, so I well know that there are plenty of R&F who don't follow everything to the letter. She must be doing it against advice from the elders. It's just that only a few years ago, most of the elders didn't even like that I was going for an undergrad degree. I know bodies of elders vary on their strictness as to education; if you find one where a couple of elders are college grads, they can be more lenient, so maybe that's what it is. I just thought maybe something changed recently on education; I haven't been keeping up on the literature much for two years or so.

But in my 20+ years, I don't recall ever knowing or even knowing OF an attorney who was a witness other than those working for the WTS. I hope the education this girl is getting will help her see things more objectively. The legal reasoning process is in many ways the antithesis of how witnesses are taught to think. In the org, you are taught that almost all important questions only have one correct answer- theirs. In law, the answer to almost everything is "it depends". In complex and serious legal questions, rather than learning that there is a right and wrong answer, it can be shown that a strong argument can be found on both sides given the same facts. Sort of like when the WTS uses a bunch of scriptures to support a teaching, then does an about face and uses a bunch of other scriptures to support the opposite view. :)

Starfish

There is a young sister in the local congregation who told me she is at the local university studying Law.

I was surprised and I although I don´t know her well (because we seldom go). She seems a proper JWs and answers up.

Now bear in mind this is Spain. So I am thinking that in Spain the whole idea of not going for higher education is overridden by most JWs families seeing the sense of having a good education to provide for their families - the ones I know of seem to have professional jobs.

In the UK, I didn´t know many who went to University though and some witnesses were happy to claim benefits instead of working so they could pioneer.

Chaserious

That's interesting, Starfish! There is a big difference between the U.S. and Europe however. In most of Europe, study of the law is a First Professional Degree, whereas in the U.S. one must first get a four-year bachelor's degree, and then a three year law degree, so at least 7 years of University education is needed to practice law, if attending full-time, and even more than 7 years if some of the attendance is part time.

So you can see why this is heavily frowned upon in the USA. The more years of education a person receives, the more likely they are to be able to think critically on their own. This is not desired for adherents, obviously. My wife was even discouraged from going to a 1-year program at a technical school and just "encouraged" to pioneer instead when she finished high school, so 7 years would have been "right out" in any of the congregations I attended.

MMXIV

It's frowned upon but I know of several JW's who have studied law, either through Uni or as adults. All were considered ok but had to justify their actions and suffer snide remarks at meetings. Remember plenty of dubs work full time so it's a bit easier to justify switching to full time education if you still do the same FS and go to meetings and depending on how popular you are.

Come to think of it one of the sisters was married to a loser JW, got a scriptural divorce and then did her law degree. She had been pioneering most of her life, was quite stunning and intelligent so I think some local elders supported her (likely in the desperate hope she'd fall for one of them eventually - they were disappointed - she married an elder overseas).

I know that when you're no longer in it, there are so many actions taken by JW's that are hypocritical. She may well be spiritual or it could be part of her plan to fade - I guess approach with caution.

MMXIV

Isn't going to Law School a no-no?

Share this