likely to reignite the debate on the correlation between religiosity and education <a proxy for income?>
Jehovah's Witnesses - The 2nd Poorest Religion
by Elsewhere 20 Replies latest jw friends
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garyneal
Most of those are probably Southern Baptists and Pentacostals, which consist of many Southerners who are just poorer in general.
That's a good observation. I just find it somewhat amusing that the poorest and least educated are also the most 'religious' in the most negative way.
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WTWizard
And no wonder. They have banned college--and most of those at the top either came in with high paying jobs, or went to college either against the Washtowel Slaveholdery or during the window when it was allowed. And, most of those with good jobs are hounded to quit them and start with some crap job.
I wouldn't be surprised to find that the witlesses take the lead in the poorest religion. If they keep banning all the decent jobs and college, they are not going to be able to generate income. Plus, pio-sneering wastes money-making time.
I wonder which religion is the sickest, and has the shortest life expectancy.
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dutchstef
I don't think it's the same situation everywhere.
I'm from holland and I'm sure, JW's are not the poorest religion. A lot of rich JW's on this site of the ocean.
But that's probably also the reason why so many of them leave the WTS, because we're smart
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Deputy Dog
garyneal
It also appears that evangelical Christians are also pretty poor. If evangelical = fundamentalist, then I know from direct observation that people who tend gather in these types of churches also tend to be very poorly educated.
Yea those dum dums like C. Everett Koop http://www.answers.com/topic/c-everett-koop
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LongHairGal
I am not surprised that they rank as one of the poorest religions. How could they not be with their stand against college and careers and their desire to keep their flock in ignorance?
As far as many members being formerly from black churches, I remember that being said to me. The person I studied with asked me if I 'minded' that there were so many black people at the assembly (because this person didn't want me to think it was a 'black' religion), I told them No because if it was the 'truth' what difference would it make? Back then when I was a believer I figured somebody had to have the 'truth' and it certainly didn't bother me. In fact, I was so 'moved' by the brotherhood that I would leave the assembly in tears because I was so 'thrilled' to be there!
As time went on and the scales fell from my eyes I started to see things differently. Their stand against college and careers was a thorn in my side the whole time I was there. I was particularly bothered by those who chose NOT to be part of the workforce and who pioneered but looked for handouts from other people. I heard a few remarks and some looked at me as if I 'owed' somebody something. Really??? I got news for them. As far as I am concerned, people who deliberately choose to live on the edge have no business looking at anybody who DOES work.
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garyneal
Yea those dum dums like C. Everett Koop http://www.answers.com/topic/c-everett-koop
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Just to be clear, my comments were not an attempt to perpetuate stereo-types. They are just my personal observations and I also know that things are not as simple as black and white statements. You mention C. Everett Koop, the most I remember of him was him being the surgeon general in the 1980's. Reagan was also president in the 1980's. A lot of ultra conservatives liked him. A lot of ultra conservatives also think that those who vote democrat are immoral people. I voted for Dole in 1996, Bush in 2000, Kerry in 2004, and Obama in 2008. When I told a midwestern person that I voted for Kerry back in 2004, she said that I was an immoral person.
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The person I studied with asked me if I 'minded' that there were so many black people at the assembly (because this person didn't want me to think it was a 'black' religion), I told them No because if it was the 'truth' what difference would it make?
My thoughts exactly. Truth is, the segregation of people that we see in churches is one of the more dissappointing aspects of religion that I see but things are changing.
My wife went with me to church at a predominately white mega-church. Then we later attended the meeting at the KH, her comments, "One of the things I like about the Hall. It is diverse!" Okay, we later went to their annual memorial and I look around at the crowd. Predominately black? What happened to the diversity? I recall a few years earlier when I attended my first assembly with my wife and her family, lots of racial diversity and lots of brotherhood across races. Wonderful, wonderful, I thought. Then I started attending a local Church of God church, very balanced racially, good diversity. The church I attend now comprises of a mosaic of 7 different churches on one 'church campus.' Fairly good diveristy both within some of the churches and across them.
Bottom line, Jehovah's Witnesses are not predominately one race and they also don't corner the market on diversity.
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av8orntexas
duthstef,
You know anyone from Maastricht ? I know a brother from my old congo who married a Dutch sister from there and they moved back over there in 2000. They lived here a few months and then moved over there. He says he loved it. The dutch...from what I could see from my friends wife, are more educated...I think she speaks 4 languages, university educated. And yes..they seem to do well.
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SacrificialLoon
Time to start treating cows as holy. I guess I'll have to throw out that ground beef.
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dutchstef
Sorry,
Don't know JW's from Maastricht. I'm from the Hague that's the other side of Holland.
And I'm also df'd since 1999.
But you're right. In Holland education is verry important en social pressure to study is verry high. So most JW's also study longer. untill they're 24 or 25 years old.
And Holland is a real trading nation so making money is our second nature.