Instructions To Elders Re: Pursuing Higher Education

by baldeagle 46 Replies latest jw friends

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  gingerbread

  The WTBTS has always railed against higher education and 'intellectualism.'

  The contents of this letter was reaffirmed in last Sunday's Watchtower study article - "Rather than acquiring secular degrees and titles after their names, true Christians" ... engage in full time service.

  They encourage training - particularly if it develops skills that can be used by the Org., but NOT a university education. They don't want us to be educated. An ignorant person is easy to control.

  The Governing Body wants us (instead) to serve their interests...by giving them our time, money, jewelry & gold, real estate, retirement, life insurance policies and our LIVES if necessary.

  ginger
• 

  snare&racket

  This says much about how they think and the role they have taken on, they believe they have the right to dictate to a parent, who then must dictate to their child, how to live their life snd plan their future. It is not even the parents desicion, its the childs... It certainly isnt the 8 strangers in brooklyN desicions.
• 

  Quarterback

  I don't beleive that the GB should dictate a person's right to education. We still should have our free will to decide if we want to work making pizza's, or if we have the aptitude, practice medicine. This is not a moral or Biblical matter. Sure the Apostle Paul couldn't continue to be a Scribe or Pharasee in the 1st century, but, what was his point? He travelled and had to adapt.

  We sure couldn't support ourselves as a Tent Maker today too.

  I understand that some have pursued 2 years at a Community College, this is not frowned upon.
• 

  Narcissistic Supply

  These jackholes are ignorant beyond words.
• 

  Bungi Bill

  In this as in a lot of other JW matters, favoritism is revealed here.

  I personally know of one prominent elder who sent his son through the Bachelor of Engineering course as far back as the mid-1970s
  (when the WTS anti-education stance was particularly strong), yet still retained his position as an elder. Furthermore, the son, in his turn, was appointed as an elder not too many years later.

  I am not for a moment suggesting that this young man should not have gone to university. You could almost say he was a natural; he is certainly a highly regarded electrical engineer to this day.

  However, I often wonder how these two get on when "counselling" others in the congregation about the "evils of higher education." Do they feel compelled to regurgitate the party line (making them hypocrites), or do they secretely tell people "go for it, anyway"?

  Bill
• 

  sir82

  However, I often wonder how these two get on when "counselling" others in the congregation about the "evils of higher education."

  Quite swimmingly I'm sure.

  There is a young MS in our congregation whose pappy is an unbeliever, and paid his way through college 10 or so years ago.

  Whenever there are anti-education articles (such as in last Sunday's WT) he is inevitably among the first to comment about the evils of university education. Seriously - every time.

  Meanwhile he pulls in 6 figures, and his wife also works full time. They travel extensively and spend money like water.

  If your two are anything like this guy, they have no problem giving such "fine counsel".

  JWs have no monopoly on hypocrisy, but they are certainly major players.
• 

  Stand for Pure Worship

  We had a situation with a Ministerial Servant that the elder body was pretty much unanimous in recommending as an elder. CO came to town and shot that recommendation down like Clint Eastwood. Reason being was the guy was in school at the time. CO even insinuated that the brother may never get appointed as an elder because he lacked freedom of speech when it came to upholding the WT's stance on higher education. The part that blew me away was during that same meeting, the CO after making the case against the brother's recommendation, used the letter which is the subject of this thread, to make a case against the brother even serving as a Ministerial Servant. It was a surreal night to say the least.
• 

  Bungi Bill

  sir82,

  There is nothing like the "I have got mine, but you are not allowed to have yours" attitude, is there!

  Bill.
• 

  Julia Orwell

  It's threatening to the dummies. They are threatened by people with education. The ones most threatened by the fact I was studying and then had a degree were the ones with the least education: the ones who dropped out in year 9 (one year before Australia's first school exit point). We had an elder in one cong I was in, an elder friend of mine who has his MBA and his wife, also a pioneer with him, was doing her degree in accounting. He didn't mind two straws if someone wanted to go to uni because he was educated himself and saw the benefits of it. He and his wife being able to earn $70- $100 an hour meant they could pioneer in comfort without leaching off others. He certainly wasn't going to be threatened by someone going to uni. It was always the ones who'd never finished high school who were most vocal about education.

  Funnily enough, it was also those ones who bleated the most about the evils of the university environment. I would calmly say, "Oh, which university did you go to?" and they would always say, "Um, I've never been..." which made my point exactly. However the ones who'd been never ran it down and went on about how evil it was.
• 

  JW GoneBad

  There are absolutely zero-zip-zilch Bible verses that put-down the pursuit of higher education.

  There is absolutely no commentary found in God's Word at all that says anything about higher education.

  So what gives these old farts in New York the right to speak to members of Jehovah's Witnesses in the following manner:

  'Appointed men must be exemplary in heeding the warnings given by the faithful slave and its Governing Body when it comes to education. (Matt. 24:45-47) Would an elder, a ministerial servant, or a pioneer continue to qualify to serve as such if he, his wife, or his children pursue higher education?......' (March 6, 2012 BOE Letter)

  Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses mind your own damn business!