.......or just read The Watchtower and Awake and be the smartest person you know!
snare&racket
JoinedPosts by snare&racket
-
89
Do You Think “Higher Education “Is All That??
by minimus inas jehovah’s witnesses, we were regularly told how awful a college education is.
i’m no longer associated with the religion but i am not so pro university.
it’s not because i think you are better off without a degree.
-
-
-
89
Do You Think “Higher Education “Is All That??
by minimus inas jehovah’s witnesses, we were regularly told how awful a college education is.
i’m no longer associated with the religion but i am not so pro university.
it’s not because i think you are better off without a degree.
-
-
snare&racket
It depends on what you want to achieve, what career you want. Some professions require a degree, nursing, medicine, engineering, finance etc. If these are the careers someone seeks passionately, then a degree via higher education is necessary.
Higher education isn't for everyone, but from my experience it is the most life changing activity I have participated in. I saw first hand how very powerful a mechanism it was for transformation and I promote higher education to everyone that will listen. My nephew was working in pizza hut, JW parents, he worked hard at school, attended University to study finance and now works in London for a prestigious finance firm, on an extraordinary wage straight out of university. My sister was middle aged, exJW with no schooling of use, no career, attended college then university and was a year from graduating as a midwife only that personal issues hampered her from finishing. I was a JW window cleaner and labourer, now a medical physician and University lecturer.
As for debating professors.... well, professors love to debate and argue! I would disagree with my lecturers on issues without any consequence. As a lecturer now, I enjoy interacting with students willing to care enough to challenge a point of view.
I never saw any lecturer/professor heavily promote personal politics or personal beliefs in lectures and certainly nobody was hindered for their opinions, that was in 6 years of university education. There were many debates and discussions whereby ethics were discussed and opinions varied wildly. We were encouraged to recognise there was no right or wrong answers, but that we were to consider everyone's point of view and the legal requirements.
I now attend a masters in medical education and we debate educational theory with our lectures all day long and they encourage it! If you can defend your point of view with evidence, you are fine. In fact, unique and controversial arguments are what all students seek as they score highest in assignments for being different and thought provoking.
It could not be further from the life of a JW, as a student you are encouraged to believe nothing, critically appraise everything, construct your own point of view based on evidence and then test it for its function and efficiency. There is no hierarchy of power, that just isn't how education works, education evolves so quickly, the students become the lecturers and the evidence improves/changes daily.....anyone holding tightly to outdated/non-substantive views lose confidence.
I sincerely believe that those arguing against higher education and making points about politics and professors, have clearly not attended higher education facilities. In 2008, I was posting on this forum about how surprised I was to be allowed to question, how freeing it felt. That I had open access to the professors to debate them unlike elders/overseers or the GB. It was life changing to witness and experience it.
I am totally aware of the issues in America with Left/Right battle lines being drawn on university campuses. The convoluted dialogue between social sciences, psychology and philosophy departments appear to be muddying the waters not bringing clarity, This isn't surprising, these departments and experts are tackling new social issues with huge consequences for society, with much emotion, tribalism and political footballing going on from all sides. These debates and discussions should be taking place and it will be interesting to see what the future holds. The quicker they respect one another and respect each others free speech, the sooner they will mitigate the issues.
Lastly, for those that don't think higher education is for them, including some entrepreneur heroes of mine....great! I'm sure it isn't for everyone. It was a brutal 6 years of hellish study, 16hr Library sessions, crushing workloads and what seemed impossible finishing lines to cross. It wasn't always emotionally or psychologically healthy to be so academically driven and focused for so long.
-
14
'Evolution' definition can include 'origin of life'
by hooberus inthe popular berkeley evolution site (while responding to the misconception that evolution is just "a theory about the origin of life" does state:.
"evolutionary theory does encompass ideas and evidence regarding life's origins (e.g., whether or not it happened near a deep-sea vent, which organic molecules came first, etc.
), but this is not the central focus of evolutionary theory.
-
-
snare&racket
Physics encompasses atomic interactions, but it isn't chemistry.....
-
16
Gangs brawl in a Birmingham Cinema UK
by punkofnice inhttps://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10409135/birmingham-star-city-fight-evacuated-blue-story-gang/.
i don't normally bother with the gutter press, but this was interesting.. what they didn't show was that the faces of the kids, probably due to their age.. i saw the picture before it was pixelled out.
interesting that the kids with the machettes looked like members of the religion of peace.. just sayin'.. interesting to see what low life scum the film was about.. good grief, can't the jobos be right and armageddon(tm) come?.
-
-
snare&racket
All this assumption from the colour of their skin......
-
33
Besides Everlasting Life What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Offer To Anyone?
by minimus ini have been thinking... why would anyone want to join the religion or actually stay in the organization.
i understand that people don’t want to lose their loving family and dear friends so some stay in.
but what does anyone really ever get because they are jehovah’s witnesses??.
-
-
snare&racket
Not far off Nigerian email scam...
We are royalty, give money to us now to help us get our kingdoms assets and you will be repaid one thousand fold....... ‘soon’
-
33
Besides Everlasting Life What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Offer To Anyone?
by minimus ini have been thinking... why would anyone want to join the religion or actually stay in the organization.
i understand that people don’t want to lose their loving family and dear friends so some stay in.
but what does anyone really ever get because they are jehovah’s witnesses??.
-
-
snare&racket
‘Besides everlasting life....’ Thats already quite an offer already but.....
Resurrection of you
Resurrection of loved ones
Return to Youth
Good Health
Good Looks
Land and a big beautiful House
Food
Clothing
Security
A Purpose
It’s not complicated, they simply offer the satisfaction of every human need, fear and want.
They hold it behind a curtain of ‘we promise it’s just through there’ .... just give us your unwavering money, time, loyalty and efforts NOW and you can have everything without a catch in the ‘future’...... real ‘soon’.
What’s that? You have questions? ...”OUT!”
It is a textbook con.
-
52
How Much of the WT Teaching Did You Believe?
by Ding insome people on this forum have said that they never really believed any aspect of wt teaching, that they couldn't wait to get free of it all.. others seems to have been really gung ho, believing it all until something happened that got you questioning "the truth.".
i would say my own high water mark was about 50%, which put me squarely on the fence, trying to decide if i should be in or out.. how about you?.
-
-
snare&racket
I remember telling a friend with an unbelieving dad, that non JW people that were good would survive Armageddon as God has said if there was only one righteous person in S&G he wouldn't destroy it. My friend looked horrified .....,
-
-
-
snare&racket
Interpretation ends with opinion..... that is no way for a deity to make a life and death spiritual contract with it's creation.
Don't waste your life debating the interpretation of scrolls written by a wandering ancient tribe of farmers.
Maybe learn to juggle?
-
9
Food for thought-if it wasn't for the Roman Catholic church would Christianity have faded out into oblivion?
by nowwhat? insince it was the church that put together the bible canon and it was was them that spread the teaching throughout the known world.
thoughts?.
-
-
snare&racket
Go get a great book called .... The Lost Christianities
-
9
JW's growth dwarfed by a sect of Islam!
by The Fall Guy inthe new islamic sect started just after russell kicked off his new religion.
they also used volunteers to help build western europe's largest mosque in london for £15m.
(must have had god's blessing).
-
-
snare&racket
I remember asking my parents why Islam is not in any bible prophecy or JW interpretations. That was approx 1993, aged 13 after 'studying' with a Muslim man in our housing estate.
The WT had a book (mankinds search for god) with info on all other religions and it said Islam was the fastest growing religion, I remember wondering why that wouldn't be significant to end times prophecy in the bible.
Well, Islam was invented after the last books of the bible were written and they are not prophetic. Wachtower are not spirit inspired intepreters, so whilst spending 20 years talking about Catholics, the Russians and Anglo-America, they never mentioned the number one controversial, religious, cultural, political movement of these times.... ISLAM. Because it had not occurred yet! What a score that would have been in 2001 had they hinted at it!
They didn't even see sense enough to change their old light to new and name Islam the king of the North. Half read JW's would have said ...yes ... Syria, the caliphate, the middle east is North of Israel ....kinda .....and it all makes perfect sense....(though it doesn't) .....but wow if I was in those HQ wednesday meetings I could have convinced them lol