by BlindersOff1 49 Replies latest jw friends
Its that famous 1969 Awake! from May 22nd, telling young ones they will never fulfill a career because for a fact, they will never grow old in this system.
March 15th Awake! In the same year describes the advice from student counsellors who advise higher education. The magazine calls it "brainwashing" and that it is the "Devils propaganda" (p. 17)
Splash
excellent video
I quit high school over 20 years ago and got applauded for it - i was directly told by influential pioneers and elders to do so. I pioneered and then spent years trying to get a decent career. i went to college when i was older and was looked down on for this by the congregation. We regularly had talks that were scathing of education for the 3 decades I was a JW.
ArbolesdeArabia, your experience is not everyone else's experience - your sweeping statement suggests you didn't pay attention to the frequent anti-education messages from the GB. Do you know anything about this cult?
mmxiv
My experience is the same as ArbolesdeArabia, although I understand the message was different in the leadup to 1975. I certainly empathize with the ex-elder in the video. In my congregation in the 90's/early 2000's I can't think of anyone who dropped out of high school. They also changed their tune in the literature:
"You need to be able to think clearly, speak logically, and read and write well—skills that are taught in school. So take your school courses seriously, as did Tracy, a youth in Florida, U.S.A., who graduated from high school with scholastic honors. She expressed her hope: 'I have always had as my goal to be a full-time servant of my God Jehovah, and I hope my education will help me achieve this goal.'"
-wt 12/1/96 p.18
Even as far back as 1980 they were discouraging dropping out of high school. From Watching the World: "'Nearly one out of every two students dropped out of New York City’s public high schools over a four year period ending in 1978,' reports the New York Times. The information was provided by School Chancellor Frank J. Macchiarola, who said of the 45-percent dropout rate that 'there is no question that our responsibilities to these young people have been grievously unfulfilled.' The New York public school system is the largest in the U.S., with 950,000 students." -Awake 1/8/80 p.29-30
"Christians have often found it advisable to take advantage of standard secular training available where they live. In America a high-school education is frequently of practical value." -wt 4/1/79 p.10I note the irony in including a piece about half of NYC high school students dropping out in the four years ending in 1978, when they might have contributed to that statistic by encouraging pioneering in "the remaining months" during 1974-75, which was part of the survey period!
That was a very touching, sincere video.
I had a similar experience after I resigned as an elder - I had a conscience purge. I apologized to everyone I could about judicial meetings and how I felt as an elder I could never provide true shepherding since you were too busy with other "kingdom activities". Besides, they dont call them judicial committees for nothing! There is no shepherding - only the handing down of a sentence. Crime and Punishment.
I would like to add my thoughts on the "quitting school" debate. Even though in our area it was never "encouraged" to quit High School and pioneer, they might as well have. You were certainly not looked down upon. "Worldly Education" was so frowned upon, even those of us who finished high school mailed it in the last few years. You knew you weren't going to college, so why extend the extra effort on college prep courses? Many kids I grew up with took co-op so they could get out early to pioneer, and the rest of them took fluff classes to hurry up and finish high school.
There is still a tremendous bias toward any form of secular education. I defended a family 5 years ago for sending their two girls to college. 2 elders in the congregation were on a witch hunt and wanted to "punish" this poor family for sending the girls to a local college. They ripped them for taking advanced HS classes, for being involved in music and some clubs geared toward advanced students. Thankfully, we won. The kids are still in college, and the 2 elders were deleted. One thing I do take pride in is that the few JW's that I stay in touch with still thank me for taking the stand I did. It at least helped clean two bulldog Pharisees out of the hall. Although looking back, it would be nice to have those guys back to drive more people out of "the truth" But, right is right......I had to do it for those kids.
I know so many kids in my area that are in home school or were home schooled. While a good environment can be successful for home schooling, is that what happens in JW land? Never in my experience! The parents pull them out of school. They do the absolute bare minimum to pass. They are very, very, uneducated and thus unequipped to compete in a difficult job market.........they are in their mid 20's, scraping by on menial jobs and living at home or with 3 other roommates in the same boat.
Arboles - perhaps it was not appropriate for Lois to call you a troll, but your response was over the top and I think requires an apology from you.
Your experience is clearly different than that of many with regard to education. I was encouraged to quit high school and pioneer, one of my friends quit at grade 10 and was accepted to Bethel. School was considered a waste of time. I believe the attitude has changed somewhat, as both my nephews went to university to become nurses and they are all good with their congregation as far as I know. But for many of us, we lost out on our education because of that religion.
AND marriage at 15 is exactly what my sister did - my mom was thrilled because it was to a JW. No danger that she might date a worldly guy. But her lovely JW husband went on to cheat on her, hurt her, and do his best to screw up their kids. It was unusual if you were NOT married by age 18 among all the JWs I knew.
I have a problem with his "we never graduated from High School", nobody I know was told to quit high school to pursue Kingdom activities.
I wonder if the writer of that line is talking of a slightly different circumstance.
1] There is no doubt that the heavy counsel from the platforms and printed page is to forego extended education and Pioneer or work, because Universitities are considered bad places to be and 'who needs further education to make the New World?'
2] Was anyone that I know actually taken in the back room and told to give up their own education? - No....although they heard the counsel often enough and would have been considered in a bad light.
NB It is strange, this thing about young marriage. There are many,many references in the WT that clearly say that young courtship and marriage is a bad thing, not for Christians..One should be of an age to make a mature decision. I have known appointed men removed if they allowed daughters in their mid teens to date steadily.
Wow... That was a very powerful personal story. I m glad he had the guts to share it with the world.
Hi ÁrbolesdeArabia I wanted to chime in with my own personal experience about NOT finishing high school as a 16 year old JW. On the morning of my 16th birthday I went to the principals office at 9:00am to announce that I was legally able to quit school. I started pioneering immediately with a vengence as the end was "right around the corner"! I was not the only one who did this. Of course I was held up as a shining example of a zealous preacher of truth. I shortly after attended the first "Pioneer School", studying the "Shining as Illuminators" book. Absolutely nobody batted an eye at quiting school to enter the full time work. This was in the mid 1970's and we all know the story well....
FWFranz
I want to make one thing clear about my post. I did in fact defy the Elders and my parents and ended up going to college. In fact it was this friction that woke me up to the WTBS's false doctrines. (it was very late last night when i wrote my response and I did not make myself clear.)
His story is genuine, from the heart! I'll give it a 10+! Sad about his JW older sister killing herself.
