Is Your Religion Your Financial Destiny?

by jworld 7 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  jworld

  Interesting article in the New York Times looking at the economic differences among the United States’s various religions. Jehovah's Witnesses get a mention in the article as one of the lowest income earners.

  "The most affluent of the major religions — including secularism — is Reform Judaism. Sixty-seven percent of Reform Jewish households made more than $75,000 a year at the time the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life collected the data, compared with only 31 percent of the population as a whole. Hindus were second, at 65 percent, and Conservative Jews were third, at 57 percent.

  On the other end are Pentecostals, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Baptists. In each case, 20 percent or fewer of followers made at least $75,000.

  Many factors are behind the discrepancies among religions, but one stands out. The relationship between education and income is so strong that you can almost draw a line through the points on this graph. Social science rarely produces results this clean."

  I wonder if this will make it's way into a Watchtower 6 months from now as a badge of honor that JW's are more pious because they shun education and money in service to the Watchtower (Jehovah).

  The whole article can be found at:

  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/magazine/is-your-religion-your-financial-destiny.html
• 

  lovelylil

  Jworld,

  Great find and so true. My hubby and I knew many families struggling financially, some never bought homes of their own and could not afford to retire EVER because they followed the societies advice about education.

  Since leaving the WT my hubby went to college and got his degree. As soon as he got it, his company increased his pay by 7%! I also went back to work full time in the medical field and left my lower paying job for a newer one. One that I could not of had if still a Witness because of the traveling and hours I work, however I doubled my income in a year!

  Hubby and I would be in the top income bracket of that chart as he makes more than the $75,000 target himself.

  We definately would not have the Life we have now if we stayed Jehovah's Witnesses! Peace, Lilly
• 

  jworld

  I was raised a JW, and I remember telling my parents are 17 I wanted to go to college. They sat me down and had a family study night about what I was looking to do with an education. Even the CO asked me if I was just looking to a 40 hour a week job. (in my mind I said yes. Dah!) I did end up going, and I am so thankful that I didn’t have as much zeal for Watchtower as my parents.

  My parents came into the org in the 70’s. My dad, more so than my mom, has really put time into the ORG. He is an elder, presiding overseer, etc. As such, they did not think about retirement and now it’s here. My dad will be 65 this year. I’ve always felt that even though my parents didn’t plan, that I would for them and for the last decade I have slowly put into place a plan that will allow me to help them out as they get older. I always wonder if at some point, they will recognize that this help came about by not following the Watchtower’s misguided advice on financial/career/life topics. They like to attribute help that comes their way as directly from Jehovah. Maybe it is from Jehovah!
• 

  Dune

  I was just about to post this, good thing i searched first.

  The funny thing is that I didn't even have to read the article, just the first sentence and I knew JW's would be a metric somewhere in there.

  As a teen, i remember hearing JW's say a $30K a year job was a 'good' salary to support oneself while pioneering. Growing up in a household where the combined income was less than 40K, even at 14, I knew that I wanted to make alot more money than that.
• 

  WTWizard

  Bad enough that the witlesses are preached out of college. Which might not be so bad if they had a rational approach (such as "Right now, there is a big ripoff going on in college. You get into debt, they demand taking courses that waste time so you need 6 years for a 4-year degree, wasting more money, and you are supposed to spend $200 on textbooks with a code that goes out of date after one semester. It might be better to buy used textbooks and self-educate in the subjects you are interested in, instead of going into this much debt."). However, they talk as if college was immoral. Their viewpoint is that education that takes you away from pio-sneering is bad.

  But, they will not accept when witlesses take apprenticeship. So I wish to become an electrician. I graduate from high school and become an apprentice with a master electrician. I can learn from this as much as from college (though it lacks the advantage of living away from home). After a few years, I can "graduate" to become an electrician myself. Instead of debt, I made money (albeit a reduced amount) during my apprenticeship. Seems that the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger is taking a stand against even that--and that doesn't generate debt. Rather, you are supposed to get out of high school, work a low-paying job with no potential part time, and pio-sneer. You get as much debt, if not more than, college. Yet you get nothing for it.

  Even those already working full time are urged to cut back on their work. "Can you cut back on work so you can pio-sneer?" They give examples, often bogus and/or embellished, about people that cut back on work and now pio-sneer. Obviosly, one cannot make very much money if one is cutting back this sharply on work so they can pio-sneer. I know of one family that did this during the 1990s, and I am willing to bet that they are going to regret it when they reach retirement age.

  They tried that sxxx on me once. I had just found a full-time job that paid a reasonable amount of money ("reasonable" in 1989 is less than "reasonable" today). I was able to comfortably pay my bills and have a little left for a little fun. They wanted me to quit my job, citing a made-up ownership by a church (and were vague in which one), and then pio-sneer. I don't see how in hell anyone is supposed to make a reasonable living if one doesn't work.
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  jgnat

  Yeah, last week's article suggesting cutting back to a 4-day, 3-day or even 2-day work week in order to pioneer. The profiled examples expressed happines in their choice, of course. Like you, I wonder how glad they will be at retirement.
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  lovelylil

  WTWizard;

  You are right, there is nothing wrong with a good trade school education. Electricians, plumbers and mechanics for instance can make big $$$ The WT is against anyone educating themselves in any way. They want all your time and $$$ so they make wanting to better yourself something evil.

  jgnat,

  Is that true? How the heck can anyone live on a 2 day a week job?? Especially in this economy. I can see the poor jw smuck telling Mr or Mrs Boss I need to cut back my days and the boss giving them their walking papers fast!
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  pirata

  Trades are not really looked down upon in my area because you only have to go to school a few months out of the year, you can help out with Kingdom hall builds, and it is "practical".