Will WT start having JW kids do school in kingdomhalls?

by EndofMysteries 10 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

EndofMysteries

With all the articles about trying to keep kids in and not learn TTATT, etc, I can see one day they will use the KH's for class during the day and any parents who volunteer to teach, can count that as time. lol
baltar447

Seriously doubt it. The legal liabilities are frightening.
Oubliette

What Baltar said. Also, since most JWs have no more than the mandatory legal education in their locale, there are not nearly enough JWs qualifed to teach.

Oh, yeah, all you have to do is read every Awake! and Watchtower for four years and you'll have the equivalent of a university education, NOT!
DesirousOfChange

Are you kidding? Someone would have to pay.

Public education is FREE (at least in the US).

JWs are BIG on FREE shit from the Gov't.

Doc
blondie

*** w10 9/1 p. 27 Trust in Jehovah—He Will Really Help You ***

The month before that convention, the Supreme Court of the United States had ruled that refusal to salute the flag was a federal offense, punishable by expulsion from school. How did the Witnesses deal with this decision? Many of them operated their own schools in order to provide education for their children. These were called Kingdom Schools.

*** w95 12/1 p. 22 A Hundred Years Old and Going Strong ***

Because of their refusal to salute the flag, six of my children were expelled from school in 1941, as were many other children in the United States and Canada. In order to meet the legal educational requirement, the Witnesses arranged schools of their own called Kingdom Schools. A former hotel in Lakewood, New Jersey, was the location of the school that my children attended. A Kingdom Hall was on the first floor, along with the school classroom, a kitchen, and a dining area. The girls’ sleeping quarters were on the second floor, and the boys’ bedrooms were on the third floor. It was a fine school. Most of the children who boarded there went home only on the weekends. Those who lived farther away went home every other weekend.

*** w93 9/15 p. 11 par. 11 Endurance—Vital for Christians ***

When some Witness schoolchildren were expelled because they desired to direct their worship only to Jehovah God, the Witnesses set up Kingdom Schools for their instruction. These students returned to the public schools when the Supreme Court of the United States acknowledged their religious position, as enlightened nations do today.
problemaddict 2

There have been JW only schools in the past......but they always somehow were a complte failure. Everyone screwing and not able to pass basic state mandated tests.
Oubliette
Blondie, those are historically interesting references.

A couple of comments. Several years ago I researched that topic and was unable to determine to what extant, if any, the WTBTS was involved in the formation of these "Kingdom Schools." I'm not even sure they were officially sanctioned at the time. It seems that individual JWs set these up on their own and the WT leadership has, in retrospect, included this as part of their "history" because it suits their purposes in that it makes them look good.

That being said, that was a long time ago, more than 70 years, and things are VERY DIFFERENT now.

I cannot see the WTBTS setting up schools for minor children for many reasons:
- Liability
- The governments already do it for free
- There are simply not enough JWs in the organization that are:
As a result, even if they tried--which I seriously doubt they would--they could never get accreditation. A high school diploma from an unaccredited school is not worth very much, at least in the US.

A student with a degree from a non-accredited high school would have a hard time getting many jobs that require a high school diploma. They could probably get in to a local community college without too much trouble, but they would likely not be able to attend a university without really rocking the SAT or ACT, not that it would matter to a hard-core, kool-aid drinking family because college is not something they would likely pursue due to the instense social pressure from the WTBTS to eschew higher education.

But I guess all of that doesn't really matter if all you want to do is Be a Window Washer like little Caleb.

That's right little Caleb, you take a GOOD, LONG LOOK at that Bethelite window washer. Isn't he happy serving Jehovah and cleaning windows for Jesus?

That will probably be your vocation too since there's no way in hell you're going to college!
NewYork44M

Where would they get the teachers to teach at a kingdom hall school? There may be a few withesses with the appropriate degrees to teach, but certainly not enough for an organized school.

Based upon just that issue, I doubt that there will ever be a JW school at the local kingdom hall.
blondie

Sorry, I did not mean to imply the WTS set up these schools but then they did not say they were wrong. The point I meant to say was that after the Supreme Court reversed their ruling that jws sent their children back to public school. There is no way the WTS is going to expend money, time, and other resources on WTS schools now. If once again, jw children are kicked out of public schools, jws may doo the same, set up schools. Jw teachers were kicked out too and taught at these schools. The WTS also concentrates on having jw children only go to school for the time required by law...and in recent times to get a job to support themselves and not be a burden on the WTS or its congregations.

*** yb75 pp. 170-172 Part 2—United States of America ***

KINGDOM SCHOOLS

Compulsory flag salute in schools resulted in the expulsion of many students who were Jehovah’s witnesses. However, the Watchtower Society aided true Christians to provide education for their children. As early as 1935 this was done by opening private “Kingdom Schools.” At these, qualified teachers from among Jehovah’s witnesses devoted their time and energy, instructing Witness children who had been expelled from public schools. God’s people organized and financed these private schools in various places.

One of the Kingdom Schools was located in Lakewood, New Jersey. According to a former student there, C. W. Erlenmeyer, the Lakewood congregation’s Kingdom Hall was on the first floor, as well as the school classroom, a kitchen and the dining area. Bedrooms for the girls were on the second floor, and those of the boys on the third. “Of course,” says Brother Erlenmeyer, “most of us boarded right there and only went home on weekends, at the most. Those who lived farther away went home every second weekend, and the last year of school, because of wartime gas rationing, we went home every third weekend.”

With plenty of work to be done, a cook and a housekeeper were on hand. But the children had their assignments too—helping in the kitchen, washing and drying dishes, taking out the garbage, and so forth. There was a discussion of the daily Bible text at the breakfast table, and every school day began with a half-hour Bible study. So the children were fed spiritually. Furthermore, they had opportunities to use what they learned, in the field service on Saturdays and Sundays.

Another Kingdom School was established at Gates, Pennsylvania. Instructing there was Grace A. Estep, a public school teacher who had been dismissed because she would not conduct the pledge of allegiance and flag salute in her classroom. Sister Estep recalls the school’s first year as a “tumultuous one,” with every sort of “official” trying to find some reason to close it. She also states: “The schoolroom was often invaded by some official, school or otherwise, for the purpose of finding fault or adding further harassment. Additionally, patriotic fervor was not missing among many of the populace. A crowd gathered at one time with the purpose of bombing or burning the school, angrily remonstrating with the owner for having rented to us. But since the owner was a leading citizen of the town, and since they couldn’t figure out how to bomb the school without bombing the barber shop [in the same building], they gave up the idea.” Eventually, the student body increased, calling for kindergarten, eight grades of elementary school and four of high school.

How did Kingdom School students fare as far as their education was concerned? Lloyd Owen, who taught at the one in Saugus, Massachusetts, reports: “We used to give the achievement test to see how well we had been doing. Most of the time the students rated one half to a whole grade better than the grade they were supposed to be in. . . . We tested the students at least twice a year, and they persisted in having this very high rating.”

A fine spirit prevailed among those involved with Kingdom Schools. “The friends were so very wonderful, always offering help in so many ways,” says Sister Estep. “It was all a sort of community thing, the ‘community’ being everyone involved in any way with the Kingdom Schools. My heart swells with love and appreciation when I review all the marvelous things the dear friends did in those days, their love for Jehovah knowing no bounds. And though there was little money, they supplied the needed things to the limit of their time and strength.”

SUPREME COURT REVERSES ITSELF

On June 8, 1942, by a vote of five to four, the United States Supreme Court ruled against Jehovah’s witnesses in the license tax case Jones v. Opelika. Interestingly, however, besides their dissenting opinion, Justices Black, Douglas and Murphy recanted their votes in the 1940 Gobitis flag salute case. With that the Watchtower Society’s lawyer filed an injunction suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia against the West Virginia State Board of Education. Why? To restrain the enforcement of the compulsory flag salute statute. A three-judge court unanimously decided in favor of Jehovah’s witnesses, but the West Virginia State Board of Education appealed. On Flag Day, June 14, 1943, the Supreme Court of the United States reversed its position in the Gobitis case by holding (in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette) that the school board did not have the right to expel from school and thus deny education to children of Jehovah’s witnesses who would not salute the flag.

That decision reversed the holding of the Supreme Court in the Gobitis case. Though this did not end all problems associated with the Christian stand regarding the flag salute, Kingdom Schools no longer were necessary. Hence, for the first time in about eight years children of Jehovah’s witnesses could return to the public schools.

*** w55 7/15 p. 428 Part 14—Fight Carried into the Law Courts ***

While the federal and state judiciary was taking half a decade to make its top decision, Jehovah’s witnesses, for the education of their children, had to organize and finance private schools, known as “Kingdom Schools.” These private boarding schools were operated in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland and Georgia. Finally on June 3, 1940, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled 8 to 1 against Jehovah’s witnesses, rendering the opinion that it was up to the school boards, not the courts, to determine what rules shall be enforced upon children in the schools. A major loss in the struggle for freedom of worship was this. This blow of defeat set off a further wave of bitter persecution until June 14, 1943, when the Supreme Court reversed itself. As to the reaction of the 1940’s, this is described in the next part.

*** w55 10/1 p. 590 Part 19—Christian Neutrals in America During World War II ***

What rejoicing this victory brought to Jehovah’s people! Now their children could return to public schools for their education and no longer would it be necessary to operate the temporary Kingdom Schools. For the first time in eight long years could the children of the witnesses take their rightful places in the schoolrooms of the nation, This without their being required to make what to them is an idolatrous salute.
Oubliette

Blondie, again, look at the dates of all those references.

The religion now known as Jehovah's Witnesses is a very different religion than it was in the '40s and 50's.

Almost none of their beliefs and practices are the same except they will shun you if you leave or if they kick you out.

Actually, in the '40s they didn't practice excommunication and condemned the Catholics for it:

Oubliette

Will WT start having JW kids do school in kingdomhalls?

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