by MsGrowingGirl20 48 Replies latest jw friends
At the last MS/Elder meeting with the CO I attended it was made clear that elders encouraging ones to pursue superior education would no longer be able to speak to the congregation with freeness of speech and would need to be removed.
I'm sorry, did they really say that, if you speak freely, you have lost your freeness of speech?
Since they paid people to go to college, how can The Watchtower itself speak with "freeness of speech" in discouraging attending college? Or is that the reason they like to keep their actions confidential?
Rob Pollock was the Bethelite (sent to college while at Bethel). When we visited Bethel in the 80s, Rob, at the time, was being sent to college for engineering classes by the WTS. We were asked to keep quiet about it, as the Society sending Bethelites to college was considered something the friends in general would not understand, and might resent. I also heard at the time that with his work at Bethel and the schooling, Rob was hardly making any meetings for months at a time.
Rob went on to become one of the main engineers overseeing the Patterson, NY Bethel project.Anyone remember Rob and Cindy Pollock? As far as I know they're still at Bethel.
When I was a young teenager I dreamed of being a nurse for the World Health Organization. I thought Jesus would approve. Women could only be elementary school teachers, secretaries, and nurses. I went for the profession that would work next to doctors, true men. Not JW men. There were so many teenage girl books based on nursing. My dream was compromised first by blood doctrine. I could not give a blood transfusion. My plan was to discuss it with the nursing school. In the meantime, I could earn credit for a nursing scholarship by being a candy striper, a teenage hospital volunteer. I hated it but I loved the cute outfit. I saw the problems related to the local hospital, not nursing in general. I had a MS assignment. My plan was to pretend I was preaching/teaching, fetching for the director. I wrote a rough draft. My mom told me I could tell no one at the KH what I was doing.
I recall the hurt to this day. Oh, to be a man and just talk the way my bro did. My mom let me volunteer so why did I have to hide it. My controlling JW father saw that I loved candystriping. In order to punish me for having a vagina, I was forced to quit. Everyplace I went older men would see me in my uniform and ooh and aah over me. Yet at home I was filthy for helping people. The director was very upset.
He was pulling me out of high school where I was in the college track with all the War on Poverty $ available to me. I was determined he would not stop me so I faced the reality of losing the rest of my family. It was very embarassing to raise the issue with the principal of the school getting a court order so I could live in a foster home. The legal battle was piling up when he died. I would watch students go to college on TV and their parents were so proud and happy. Me, I must live in secrecy and go before a judge. He died and we breathed for the first time. The transition to college was difficult. Many times I thought I would not be on campus if he had not died. Whatever - I was determined that he could take away the Beatles, friends, clothing, makeup, jobs, special programs, he would not take away college. Court order I would go.
Maturity is nice. I believe he could control me. He despised Lennon and ranted about him in his undershorts. My mind could not help but make the link to Lennon's genius and fame. Lennon helped protect me. He might yell about pulling me out of school b/c I was "
worldly" but I knew a judge would put him in his place. Why did he believe he had such power in the first place.
This thread is both painful for the memories and triumphant for my degrees. Many times my classmates commented that I did so much better than they b/c I appreciated it. I never found it boring or a waste of time. Not for one second.
Band, thanks so much for posting that! One day, we must meet.
Skeeter
about 13 years ago when I was a college student (and still believed everything the society teaches) there was not much said about not going to college so many of the kids in my hall in my age group went to college. I hate to think that if I was college agenow,I would be pressured not to go. I now have a career I love and I don't regret going to college. If you can please go. By the way,what would you like to study?
Sulla: if you speak freely, you have lost your freeness of speech ...
Nice catch, oh the irony!
It think it's time to re-read Animal House ...
It sounds to me that you are an adult.
You don't need their permission. And they don't need you sharing things with them that are absolutely none of their business. They may believe that they are entitled to be involved in your personal business, but keep reminding yourself that they are NOT.
Your livelihood and your education are none of their business, and they shouldn't be meddling with your life choices. I had to deal with the same kind of mentality when I went back to school, and that was when the JW rules on "higher education" were somewhat relaxed.
We ended up moving outside the circuit to be closer to campus. We never set foot in the Kingdom Hall™ after that point, although at first we didn't rule it out. Still the judgemental attitude reared its head whenever we met JWs we knew: "Why are you wasting time in college, when Armageddon Is Just Around The Corner™??" My answer was that I wanted to provide for my family, the way the Bible expected me to do, because I sure as hell couldn't rely on the Congregation™ for that, and I learned the hard way that when times were tough, help from the Congregation™ was nowhere to be found.
Well, not only did I graduate with honours, I started earning a very decent living that I never could have hoped for with just a high school education. I have paid off my student loans, have a pension plan and can retire in less than 10 years, excellent benefits for myself and my family, have a car that I own, and could support my family independently if that became necessary.
That was 17 years ago. What would my life be like had I listened to the JWs who kept telling me that going to school was a waste of time? It would be exactly like the JWs lives are who warned me against higher education: exactly the same as it was 17 years ago, with the same financial struggles and hardships that I've put behind me.
However, be warned, if you do go to college or university, you will be treated as a leper in the congregation.
I thought this an interesting comment.
It's both true and false. (Based on my experience watching the interaction with my unbaptised nephew who will soon receive his doctorate.)
The superfine (apostle) Ricky Righteous types WILL treat you as a leper. (Prideful and jealous.)
The Rank & File members who are struggling in daily life are not like that. Most of them seem to respect and admire someone who has what it takes to accomplish this goal. They see the advantage there is for someone who already has a guaranteed career choice whre they will be earning over $100K. He says he regularly gets flack from the CO and other elder "heavies" about his decision, and about not "reaching out", esp about baptism, but not from the everyday JWs, many of whom have offered continued encouragement.
Doc
Congratulations on getting into college, youre eyes are about to be opened big time! Enjoy the experience
