What is the basis for advising “Don’t pursue higher studies”?

by venus 36 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • slimboyfat
    slimboyfat

    People who get an education tend to leave JWs. That's the basis of the "don't do higher education" instruction.

  • Steel
    Steel

    I always wonder how educated witnesses take this stuff with any seriousness or the whole wts as a whole serious.

    Ever cong seems to have that engineer or accountant or doctor.

  • My Name is of No Consequence
    My Name is of No Consequence

    This might have something to do with it. It is one of my older threads:

    The Vietnam War and “Higher Education”



  • ThinkerBelle
    ThinkerBelle

    Elders in our hall feel differently and don't discourage it anymore, but it's pretty techy in my town and many people have degrees. I guess it depends on the opinion of the body whether they say something or not.

  • stillin
    stillin

    Both sons of a local elder went to university. The elder is still much used and very visible. Both sons are still active in the Organization. Such bad examples!

  • tiki
    tiki

    Well...I graduated from high school in 1967 and the end was right around the corner, so Pioneer was the only right thing to do. And...if I went to college I'd have sex and believe in evolution. Those were the main reasons...not to mention my parents were too damn cheap and not living at home was out of the question. Oh and youd have no time for meetings and service. It all disgusts me to the core of my being. Did get my degree 40 years later. Sweet revenge...

  • tor1500
    tor1500

    Hi,

    At my KH, most of the kids go to college...some fast track courses they take...most of the congregation are minorities....got to have a degree, to even get your resume read...so education was blocked at one time for minorities...so not going to college is not an option...there was a time...minorities didn't have an opportunity to go to college....even to work at McDonald's you need a degree....

    So all that to say....my congregation did not heed that one...A sister told me once that an Elder was talking about some young person going to college, but should be in full time ministry...the sister said...so why are your kids in college...crickets....

    JW's just like to cry poverty...but go to their homes, see their cars...they travel....all this in secret....They love that scripture where Jesus says, I have no place to lay down...meaning he was homeless...but the JW's won't take it that far...they just give poverty lip service....

    The young ones are going to college...and if this religion continues..we are going to see some changes...if you read some of the lit....you will see they are changing....at one time you could not clap once a person was re-instated...now they do...at one time couldn't pray for anyone except if they were a JW or a study...that's changed...it's all subliminal....you just have to pay attention...the old lit. the JW's never smiled....now look at the pictures...grinning from ear to ear....little tiny changes...they got a good PR person...

    Tor

  • Vidiot
    Vidiot

    Over and over again, college and university have had a negative effect on young JWs' membership.

  • LongHairGal
    LongHairGal

    TOR:

    What you said is true and the hypocrisy makes my blood boil.

    First of all, the religion shouldn't be preaching poverty because it's unnatural and crazy. Simplicity is one thing. Poverty is another but I won't get into the finer points of a debate. Of course, people there don't want to be poor and they want nice things in life and I won't begrudge them. I like nice things too but am more on the minimalist side and don't want to be bothered with upkeep, etc.

    The problem with the damaging hypocrisy of the Jehovah's Witnesses is that they are preaching poverty for somebody ELSE!

    And, sad to say, they were mostly pushing it for women, namely single ones. Now, all these years later, many single women in the religion are needy. This makes me very angry because I would have been in this predicament if I were gullible. Thankfully, I ignored their shit.

    As far as elders who sent their kids to college telling somebody else NOT to go, how would they like it if a decade or so later they had needy people who listened to them ringing their doorbell asking for money???

    The Witnesses (especially elders) should be more accountable for bad advice to people. In fact, they really shouldn't give advice about anything because everything out of their mouths causes a disaster.

    In a nutshell: I'm glad I'm out and away from the fiasco and I'm glad I followed my own instincts!

  • stillin
    stillin

    This may help. If there is a decent college nearby, the kids can be commuting students. In people's minds this makes college just an extension of high school, and the Witnesses usually look the other way.

    However! Sending these innocent, naive, clueless kids off to another city, to live in a dorm with those worldly kids is a lot more likely to convince the uncages ones how great freedom can be. Thus, unwanted pregnancies, drug use, etc etc.

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