1969 Awake on Education - A Sore Spot for Me

by NotBlind 50 Replies latest jw friends

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  LongHairGal

  EVERAPOSTATE:

  Thanks for mentioning that an elder approached you to tell you that you are “materialistic” to get you to quit your good paying job and pursue a crappy one!

  I’m happily retired today and all these hypocrites with cushy lives who told ME to pursue poverty- have passed away after having lived a cushy life. No poverty for these bastards! But, yet they tried to ruin me!

  I can get down on my hands and knees in thankfulness that I never listened to the foolishness and bullshit in the Witness religion!
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  Beth Sarim

  NKJ Bible

  Deuteronomy 18:22

  ''when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken the prophet has spoken presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him''

  There. There it is word for word. Out of a more credible Bible.

  All it took was the Nov 1995 WT on generations. """Why""" did they change the "understanding" of generations?

  Because, well maybe they were making ""it"" up along. Research "their history"". It's eye-opening!!!!
  
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  LongHairGal

  I decided to bump this four year old thread to the top. The OP made an excellent post. It’s one of the best I’ve read on this subject. There are so many new posters on the forum in the last few years.

  This topic about JWs who never got a career or a good job decades ago and are suffering this very day has been mentioned lately. There are TOO many needy people scraping by in the religion. Sadly, this 1969 Awake article might have been the reason why in some cases.
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  BluesBrother

  Sadly, I can remember taking part in an Assembly Drama that directed young ones to pioneer . I played the role of a young man’s career advisor doing my best to persuade him to secure a future for himself.The Drama showed the perils of materialism ,and of course at the end he did the “ right” thing.

  I was miming to a tape recording but I do hope that my small part did not cause young people to miss out
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  Rivergang

  I, too, was directly affected by that bloody piece of so-called “guidance”. Several years back, when I confronted some of them about this who were operating an apathy cart, one cheeky bitch had the effrontery to try and tell me that I “was not old”. At 67, I was exactly the average male life expectancy for this country, when that article was published.
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  TonusOH

  If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things. Why not? Because all the evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years.

  This, to me, is such an important passage. JWs are taught to explain that there were no definitive statements made about 1975. And a JW who reads the above will immediately point to the second part and claim that they were just trying to interpret the evidence and were not making a definitive statement.

  But that isn't what the first sentence says. It says to a young person, you NEED to face THE FACT that you will NEVER GROW OLD in this system of things. There is no equivocation there. None. "Oh, but the GB actually said--" NO! What they said was that it was a FACT that you NEEDED to face- you would NEVER grow old. If you still object, I would ask you to check a dictionary for the definition of words like NEED, FACT, and NEVER.

  I got very lucky, that an opportunity for a career dropped in my lap when I was in my mid-20s and I took full advantage because it did not seem as if it would interfere with the meetings and JW obligations. And by the time it really got rolling, I was already starting to fade and could dive in without worry. But I was also not lucky, in that I had passed up a chance at a career I wanted just as badly, because I knew it would 'cause conflict' with my life as a JW. It still haunts me, though not as bad as it would if I was still a mail clerk today.

  And all that time, I did not know that they had predicted the above when I was not quite a year old. And I'm in my mid-50s now. If you feel that this does not qualify as GROWING OLD in the present system of things, I would say that you might be splitting hairs. To say nothing of people in their teens and twenties at the time, who are in their 60s and 70s now. The WTS lied to us. A LOT. Wake up.
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  punkofnice

  ....oooh, I don't wanna go there......................I wanted to go to Art College and become a success with art in some area.

  'Oh, No! You can't get a further education, Punk. Armageddon(tm) is right around the corner....and think of all the bad association(tm).'

  It makes my blood boil.
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  StephaneLaliberte

  Aside for my family, all I got was push back and judgment from my congregation when I attended University. They even made a “congregation’s needs” talk over it. I ended up quitting university in the first year, in part, due to this lack of respect for higher education, making me feel like I was not relying on Jehovah enough, I lacked faith. It’s not the sole reason, but it played a major role in my decision to stop attending.

  Despite quitting school, I eventually became a senior solution architect in IT and when I look at my career path, while different, it did have the same momentum than many others who did complete their higher education. Heck, I’m even further along than many who do hold diplomas. Still, I’m an exception; I’ve never come across anyone else with a similar career path.

  Anyways, even if I got “there”, I still hold a grudge against the WT as I am not doing what I really wanted to do: Law. I would’ve liked to become a lawyer, probably go into politics! But that was a big no-no, even to my family at the time. And unlike computers, where I learned while I earned, there is no way you can start without formal education.

  Anyways… just thought I’d share this, this morning.

  
  
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  Vanderhoven7

  I've told this story before, but it is worth repeating.

  I graduated high school in 1968. At graduation I asked Manfred, a fellow graduate, if he was going to university. He told me there would not be enough time since the end of the system is so close. He told me that if I did not become a JW before 1975 I would be destroyed at Armageddon. I told him he would wake up in 1976 with egg all over his face.

  I went on to university and got my BA, Ed & Special Ed. diplomas and had a successful 30 year teaching, career, and retired on a healthy pension. No clue where Manfred is today. If he remained a JW, he is probably living on government handouts thanks to the horrid beast of Revelation.
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  Foolednomore

  Why Watchtower hates Higher education is because it teaches one to think. To analyze. Once you truly think and analyze Watchtower core beliefs. It falls apart! Makes no sense.