After one semester it's very easy to see why the society is so afraid of university education.

by JonathanH 20 Replies latest jw friends

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  JonathanH

  It is so antithetical to their way of doing things, and forces you into a state of mind they hate. It gets you out of whatever bubble you live in. You're expected to be an adult, which is the exact opposite of what the society wants from you.

  In my English 101 class we have watched R rated movies, talked about religion, learned how to recognize and dissect propoganda and my professor openly states that his goal is to challenge our prejudices and ways of thinking. Plus I have group projects that require me to *gasp* meet with people with different ideas and backgrounds in a semi-recreational manner.

  My biology class openly teaches evolution and all the evidence for it, and much to my surprise even though I am in the bible belt and alot of my classmate are people returning to college later in life, most of the students accept evolution as a fact after class. In all of my classes, debate and questions are encouraged, my professors make themselves available and are open to answer any questions personally, and don't just refer you to the text book.

  My professors openly do not give absolute reverence to the bible. My english teacher stated that in any research bible, the bible or other holy books are not a citable source. If you're in a philosophy or religion class, then in may be acceptable depending on context, but other wise your holy book is not a reference. This mind set is so vastly different from anything in any kingdom hall. He's not berating the bible, or saying it's a lie. He just wants to to learn to face the world objectively outside of your personal interpretation of your holy book of choice. That is a radically different paradigm that would scare the society's socks off.

  If I was a witness that secretly harbored doubts, (like I was five years ago), it would only take a semester or two to make me question my entire system of beliefs and examine it with the tools I had been given. The society hates college because they know that an educated person will almost certainly reject their absolute authority.
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  simon17

  Religion asks you to accept. University asks you to think.
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  LV101

  I WISH we could spread to the public on billboards, whatever, about watchtower being anti- education and how evil it is. Something to embarrass (impossible) and freak them out. Their dirt needs to be out in the open even though no one really cares but ex-members.

  LV101
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  AGuest

  I LOVED university, dear JH (peace to you!)... and law school after. Both make you THINK... outside the box, inside the box, on top of the box, under the box... and all around the box. Going back as soon as I can afford to.

  Peace and happy studying!

  SA, on her own...
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  mindseye

  Yes, college teaches one how to think, not what to think. And for those who fully embrace their education, it is a truly transformative experience. One of my favorite classes was an introduction to philosophy course. The professor was not the caricature of a religion-hating radical, but rather a liberal Christian. He accepted the evidence for evolution, and had a nuanced, metaphorical view of the Bible rather than a literal one. He encouraged those in the class, both the religious and atheistic/agnostic, to remain open to other ideas and ways of looking at things. That made me realize what the society really had to fear, for it is a closed system of thought rather than an open one.
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  ABibleStudent

  Hi JonathanH, it sounds like you are having a lot of fun (and hard work). Although I know that the WTBTS is afraid of education and is a big reason why I feel the WTBTS can be classified as a cult, I don't feel that religions need to be afraid of education and knowledge. Religion and education can co-exist with each other. Religion can be thought of as the inspiration of what to reach for, and education provides the tools to grasp what you are reaching for.

  Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

  Robert
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  maksym

  Dear JohnathanH,

  I am happy for you to be in college. I too have been in college after leaving the Watchtower Corporation. I am close to my first degree. I have taken many philosophy classes, religion classes, and biology classes.

  I certainly agree that the WT corporation does not like its people thinking independently, but don't trade one authority for another. Colleges only teach what is the current understanding on things and they usually tend to go sway with the pressures of politics, the scientific community, and the current public model.

  After having attained a fairly high level of education, I still find it absurd the theory of evolution is being taught in schools. It is also unbelievable the status rationalism has become in understanding creation, and which has become the philosophical standard by which all things are measured.

  But you are correct, any outside education besides the one source of printings from the WT corporation is a danger to them. So it is also in our secular society. I've attended three different universities both religious and public sector. A good rounding never hurts.

  Peace to you and have fun.

  Maksym
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  Farkel

  Rochelle,

  : I LOVED university, dear JH (peace to you!)... and law school after. Both make you THINK... outside the box, inside the box, on top of the box, under the box... and all around the box. Going back as soon as I can afford to.

  You've decided to finally apply for the Bar! Good for you! And THANK YOU for submitting to our State's Bar that I am worthy enough to be someone who is queried by them about your morals and ethics. I consider that a major compliment.

  I told them you were a dirtbag and didn't even finish filling out the rest of the form, though.

  ;)

  Just joking. After they read my answers, they just may offer you sainthood in addition to your legal ticket. I mailed the Office of Admissions my answers today.

  For the record folks, about ten or eleven years ago Shelby and I battled over various issues and I told her she just needed to learn some logic. She said she was willing to learn and so I pointed her in that direction. Most recently, I put her to a test on logic and she blew through it with flying colors. The Law deals in a lot of logic and my dear friend has learned it well.

  Farkel, Your Friend
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  wha happened?

  Isn't it such a shocking place to endure? An enviroment consisting of seperate individuals, who, although likely posses an equal amount of opposing opinions, can kindly and respectfully associatte without the need for censure. That sort of tolerance is completley unexceptable! Off with their heads!
• 

  WTWizard

  I did the same thing with several other books. One of the first books that "forced" me to do my own thinking was the Natural Cures books by Kevin Trudeau. While you may or may not believe in the cures, they will require you to do your own thinking to get anything out of them. Anyone reading those books will have to do their own thinking to get anything out of them, regardless of believing what they say. And they can transfer that benefit to analyzing their religion.

  The next major item was from Mark Hamilton's books. His books gave me a whole new paradigm, where independent thinking was absolutely required to get anything out of it. Again, even if you don't believe a word of what's in the books, just needing to do your own thinking to understand what's in them is enough to analyze your religion. Any witlesses who are struggling with the religion, or anyone disfellowshipped or thinking of leaving but too lazy to do their own thinking should read those books and others by those authors just to gain that independent thinking skill. Which would be one natural cure for the witless virus.

  After I got my computer, I got on these apostate forums--again, my skills to think independently were put to the test. Turns out that the apostates actually passed the tests. The religion had many of the fallacies that Trudeau and Hamilton taught me via their books. That was why I was able to believe the apostates instead of the religion, and why I didn't go running back into the cancer like too many others do when the first little thing goes wrong in the world. Again, a "natural cure" that actually works, whether or not anything in the books actually does anything for you.

  Going beyond that, I have ventured onto many "conspiracy theorist" web sites along with their mainstream counterparts. Which allowed me to see the real truth beyond what any religion could have taught me--again, using the skills picked up from Trudeau and Hamilton. I can now see a shake-up in the government of plague proportions (Europe, the Euro, and eventually the US Toilet Paper Dollar), along with the likelihood of mass human enslavement (Agenda 21) and even worse than what the UN itself has printed as possibilities without running back to the Kingdumb Hell in panic. Rather, I got lots of rechargeable batteries, replaced my crap items with quality items, bought plenty of premium quality battery chargers, bought silver, and am now in the process of preparation to get an immigration visa to New Zealand (having already submitted one online form to determine eligibility) and trying to learn a viable skill to support myself when I get there.

  Now, you will get different conclusions if you do the above. Trudeau might not cure your disease directly with the suggestions--he might, but results are never guaranteed in the medical business. Hamilton may not cure you of mental problems or educate you directly. But, both will give you tools to think yourself--and use those same tools to analyze your religion. Even if you don't directly benefit, if you later run into a major crisis and do not run back to the Kingdumb Hell because of what you learned in thinking skills, that's enough.