Education Policy

by Martin Harker 17 Replies latest jw friends

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  Martin Harker

  I was raised a Catholic until the age of eight which was a normal life. My mother took everything the JWs said literally and this destroyed my Schooling and education.

  The issue that I have with this religion is that they contradict what they say about education and elders encourage parents to prevent kids from gaining a college or university education as the JW objectives should be the primary goal in life.

  They sometimes seemed to encourage education and recently I checked and now they are saying that education leads to alienation and suicide. They state that University leads to immorality and drug taking. I was forced to leave School in England at 16 although I was a promising student. Thanks to the JW movement I ended up working as a cleaner and then in a factory where there was a lot of drug taking for recreation at weekend and at work and sexual immorality also. I do not believe that the policy on education is even faced up to honestly as when I have confronted elders they have denied being anti educational even though the pulications discourage some education and it's there in print.

  Denying an education leads people to have to work in poorly paid jobs with harsh working conditions. I have worked in appalling jobs and think that the JWs use denying education as a form of social control as uneducated people find them harder to challenge. Personally, I got an education later in life which has been very tough. I believe that the JW movement infringed my right to freedom of thought and education . I am not anti JW but I question the nature of their policies and whether they care about what the members have to go through due to this policy which is completely unrelated to anything written in the bible. People with an education could benefit their society as they have a higher skill set and are more motivated as they are are successful in their lives. Are JWs so insecure that they believe people will leave as soon as they learn enough to question them ?
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  leavingwt

  Welcome!
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  DesirousOfChange

  Uneducated drones are dumber and ask fewer questions and have a more difficult time earning a living wage and thus feel "persecuted", and feel they have found a better future without paying the price of working to achieve a good education.

  DOC
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  Broken Promises

  Hello and welcome!

  I was one of those students who was expected by my teachers to go straight to university, but my father and my religion said no.

  However, I have decided to start a diploma course next year, in a subject I'm interested in and see where that takes me.
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  NewChapter

  Welcome Martin! They can't risk followers developing critical thinking skills. These skills are more highly developed in college (university) than high school or trade schools. I went back to college after leaving the cult, and I have had to struggle with the idea that there simply is not always a right or best answer. For many of my classes, providing an answer and supporting why you chose it is enough. When you ask a prof a question, they answer it with a thousand questions. The JW's can't allow this kind of approach. The world is black and white, the answers are right or wrong, only one source has all the right answers and questioning that source is evil. Looking outside that source is evil. And coming to your own conclusions is evil.

  College is the anit-jw, so naturally they are extremely threatened. It takes it's toll too. On this site, I've seen a chart that breaks income down by religion. JW's come in last. I don't know how to find it though, so maybe someone else will see this and provide a link or copy.

  NC
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  Sapphy

  Income by religion in the USA

  http://pewforum.org/Income-Distribution-Within-US-Religious-Groups.aspx

  JWs don't do too well...
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  skeeter1

  Welcome! It's easier to lead people who readily accept their teachings. College teaches one to think critically. Cults don't like critical thinkers.

  Skeeter
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  TTWSYF

  True, cults do not like critical thinking and the longer that you stay on this site, the more contridictions with the WTS you will find. I was never a JW, but my brother and his family of four all are and have been for decades. Like you, raised Catholic and expected to further their education....but instead have settled for low income, low impact, low self esteem and miserable jobs. [I'm talking about door to door service].

  Welcome to the board,

  sincerely,

  dc
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  Dutch-scientist

  How will they survive in paradise earth?

  I think like the dodo bird in a Ice age movie.

  Ds
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  ekruks

  I think the education policy does help to control people, certainly, but it may not be exactly the reason it came about. I also think it may be to do within:

  1. Fear of 'rebellion' - the University life-style is often viewed as such - campuses are home to many grassroots movements, especially in the 1970s, which was a key period to many of the rules we have today. I think many do really belive it's a moral danger, but yes, as you say, poorly-paid jobs are not protection from such. I've worked in shops and offices were the behaviour and pressure to socialise after work was no different to the vices I faced in college.

  2. Those who get educated often stop being JWs or just loose interest - get better jobs; perhaps don't feel so depressed with life, even see the light, etc.. As NewChapter mentions, critical thinking.

  3. University sets one up for a career - not good for giving lots of hours to ministry, though actually, this may be questionable as many of us struggle to pay the bills and find spare time. The thing is that the Big A is so close, why spend time studying when we need to save lifes? Or at least, that is the mindset.