Wow! Someone had to write that crap!
Nov.15th WT - Quotes Dissing - Internet, Higher Education, Earning a Living
by flipper 53 Replies latest jw friends
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Retrovirus
This brings to mind the thread about the WT's subtle deception.
Vigilant Christians refrain from using the world to the full with regard to higher education. Many people in this world consider higher education an indispensable stepping-stone to prestige and an affluent life. But we Christians live as temporary residents and pursue different goals . We avoid "minding lofty things ". Consequently, young Christians are encouraged to pursue spiritual goals, getting ONLY AS MUCH EDUCATION AS IS REQUIRED to meet their BASIC NEEDS
So, nothing is defined. How high is "higher education"? Isn't it probable that in poorer countries that bar would be set lower? And this miserable article would discourage even the education within their reach!
And what are "Basic needs"? Wouldn't these include health care, a home without a mortgage, the ability to raise and educate children, look after elderly parents, fund a retirement? And how can these be assured without a decent income?
Associating undefined "higher education" with "prestige and an affluent life" - as if that is the only reason it is undertaken - is grossly dishonest!
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talesin
Wanted to say, mrsjones, you and mister are, well, you got me all choked up. If people like you had been in my life as a teen, things would have been so much different. Just knowing he has a fall-back if he gets kicked out of home, is going to make a world of difference in that young guy's life.
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sizemik
Even if I could force myself to believe the WTS genuinely believes that limiting education to the "bare minimum" is actually a wise choice . . . it would still be a callous and insensitive restriction to impose IMO.
Even with a College education . . . making headway in today's world is bloody hard . . . and by no means guaranteed. Really . . . as much education as you can access while you're young . . . is a "bare minimum" in itself. Any young person foregoing educational opportunities, who still desires the natural and normal accompaniments of life . . . a partner, family, home etc., is consigning themselves to uncertainty and hardship. It seems an enevitability that one day they will look back and lament "what could have been" . . . JW or not.
In reality, the WT$ is asking the young to forego long term personal interests for nothing more valuable than their own short-term selfish gains.
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ziddina
Marking...
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Aussie Oz
They have of course, been playing this deck of cards for decades long gone.
In 1973 when my parents split over the JWs the biggest frustration my Father had was over the anti education stance.
and they are still at it.
oz
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LongHairGal
Flipper:
This was always my biggest issue with the religion as well as the bad attitude towards women. Both reasons, in and of themselves, were enough for me to exit the religion.
But, what I cannot stand is the pure hypocrisy on the religion's stand about education. It is a well-known fact that they accept people in bethel who have a skill that could only be acquired by college. So, the message I get, loud and clear, is that they do not want the average JW to have an education unless the religion is directly benefiting from it. If the average JW can't put food on the table, what the hell do they care? And NOBODY is accountable for preaching these things. If a JW is unlucky enough to follow this advice and is damaged and goes to complain, he is told that he should have used "discernment". In other words, tough luck.
In the congregations, you see an elder here and there who educated his kids (which is a good thing). However, that same elder had better not ever preach an anti-education stand at any point in his career. Anybody who does this deserves to have destitute people on their doorstep.
All in all, what I noticed is that the poverty that the religion preaches is not for them, just somebody else. I also could not help but wonder if certain ones in the congregation were specifically targeted for this shit, specifically single people esp. women. Maybe some brothers with businesses in the religion are hoping to have JW employees who are uneducated and destitute and then can work for peanuts.
I also noticed in a recent thread about a ponzi scheme where JWs lost a great deal of money. Sad. What I am amazed at is how these JWs had such large sums of money to "invest". While I do not begruge anybody for having savings from hard work, I wonder how did they earn this money ? Surely, such large sums of money were not gotten by "pursuing poverty" that the religion preaches. Anybody who strictly pursues the religion's ridiculous advice would not have two nickels to rub together!!! They would be lucky enough to just barely scrape by!
My problem about the whole thing is the hypocrisy, pure and simple!
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Mad Sweeney
One of the problems the Borg is having right now in this regard is that JDub kids approaching college-age right now were born during the relaxing of the ban on higher education in the 1990s. JW parents had kids during that period fully expecting that their kids wouldn't be subject to the educational limitations that the Watchtower imposed on them and their parents of the previous generations. That generation of JWs is going to be difficult to rein back in by the Borg leadership. It won't be until the reinstituted ban on education (c. 2002-2005) has been in force for 15 years or so that the current JW parents and kids will have been raised with the anti-education attitude.
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Mad Sweeney
compatibility mode, Cadellin.