The Watch Tower Society has long stigmatized higher education and dissuaded young Jehovah’s Witnesses from a meaningful career as anything other than unpaid promoters of the organization.
As far back as 1969 Watchtower was telling young ones that they would “never fulfill any career that this system offers.” Why? Because by the time they graduate, the “system of things” would be “well on the way towards its finish, if not actually gone!” (Awake! 1969, May 22, page 15)
It goes without saying that, in the 45 years since 1969, countless meaningful careers have both started and ended – including some that Watchtower has directly benefited from as technology has advanced.
Despite such demonstrably reckless past advice, Watchtower’s crusade against higher education is being waged just as ferociously as ever – as shown in the latest June 15 2014 Watchtower study edition. (download here)
A three page article entitled “‘Smooth Out the Course of Your Feet’ to Make Progress” uses strong imagery to present higher education as a hindrance and stumbling block rather than something that can lead to individual betterment and achievement.
The article begins by reminding readers of the ancient Jews returning to Jerusalem from Babylonish captivity, and how they were required to clear a highway free of any obstacles to make their journey easier.
The related passage in Isaiah 62:10 is crudely hijacked, with young ones asked to view higher education as a kind of obstacle from which they should free themselves.
The article then uses extremely loaded language to present higher education as something evil and sinister.
“When a young Witness does well in school, a guidance counselor, a teacher, or a fellow student may pressure the Witness to pursue higher education as a step toward success in this system of things,” the article warns.
If you replace “pressure” with “encourage,” and “in this system of things” with “in life,” the entire quote above immediately sounds sensible and positive – but Watchtower chooses its words very carefully to achieve its agenda.
The same is true of the sentence that immediately follows.
“Or a young brother or sister who has athletic ability may find that recruiters try to entice him or her into a sports career.”
“Entice” has clear, negative connotations of trickery and deception – making it just the sort of word Watchtower can make us of in raising paranoia among parents and young people. A career in sports must be seen as threatening and dangerous.
And it isn’t long before we are introduced to the career option that Watchtower conveniently approves of.
“Rather than pursue worldly goals, why not firmly establish ‘your ways’ before Jehovah by sharing in the pioneer ministry?”
Hence an article that tries to convey concern for the needs of young people is revealed as a not-so-thinly veiled attempt at recruitment and exploitation.
There are actually two main motives for Watchtower’s stigmatization of higher education for young people. The first is, as shown above, their selfish need for volunteer evangelizers to promote the organization.
Secondly, and perhaps more pressingly, is the threat posed to Watchtower by learning and personal enlightenment. Once young people are exposed to the rudimentary critical thinking skills that are taught in colleges and universities, the fog of Watchtower indoctrination quickly clears. This has been alluded to by Tony Morris in his rants on the subject.
Thankfully, certain current and former Witnesses are able to see through the spin and rhetoric, and with such ones the latest article will not have the desired effect.
Our latest 2014 Global Survey has so far attracted 1,640 respondents. For the overwhelming majority of these, the stigmatization of higher education by Watchtower is the most contentious of all teachings and practices, with 1,316 voicing their disapproval.
The following table shows the top 10 most contentious teachings/practices in our survey.
To dupe and exploit adults is one thing, but to rob young people of their hopes, aspirations and potential through coercion and propaganda for purely selfish ends is disturbing and immoral.
Though it is encouraging that some current and former Witnesses are alert to this alarming side of Watchtower propaganda, we should still spare a thought for the countless teenagers whose achievements in life will be stifled by this and similar Watchtower articles.
Further reading…
Related video…
One wonders how Rutherford became a “judge” without higher education?
How did the lawyers, doctors and other professionals gain their qualifications?
If witnesses are not allowed to pursue higher education, then any skills that the WTBTS require either have to hired in, or they have to rely on people who have the qualifications to become a witness after their training is over.
Of course, the real fear of the GB is that witnesses will attend college and learn to think critically. The tissue of lies that is the WTBTS dogma will be exposed and another potential finance and labour stream is lost.
I remember that a cohort of men in my old congregation made different choices. One joined the family business, another trained to be a quantity surveyor, and another muddled through as best he could. The latter still felt bitter about it many years later. He eventually went to university and is now a lecturer.
All three men have positions of authority in the WTBTS and are still witnesses.
So what is the harm? How can two of these men counsel young ones not to pursue higher education? By the way, the quantity surveyor is an Elder. His brother, a dentist, is also an Elder. What does the GB think of these two men? Both pursued higher education and the WTBTS benefit from their increased income in higher donations.
Cedars, is it a marking offence to choose to go to college? Many young people are finding it nigh on impossible to find work with only a high school diploma, or equivalent. Indeed, the UK government has now passed a law that requires young people to stay in full time education until they are 18.
Even with no desire to pursue higher education, these young witnesses will be exposed to it by being obliged to study for a further two years!
After an exhausting string of comments to Carol, a dear lady who is trying to bring down the GB from within, I am appalled that a college educated woman (she lectures on criminal psychology) can still be so unable to reason.
Really, I think that the GB are worrying about nothing. I have met many people with a Bachelor’s Degree who are as thick as two short planks that have been sawn in half and glued on top of each other to make a thicker plank. They are spoon fed their subjects and develop no critical thinking skills whatsoever.
A compromise would be wonderful, but it won’t happen.
They could encourage non science subjects, and push the witnesses into construction and other non academic subjects.
The fact that they won’t do this exposes clearly the cynical ownership the GB feel about the young people in their cult. They want free labour and free distributors of their propaganda, nothing else.
Another great article, Cedars!
Peace be with you
Excelsior!
Hi Excelsior – I don’t think attending higher education is a marking offense, but it could lead to a loss of privileges, either for the young person involved or for his or her parents.
I got onto this on your facebook site the other day ceders,especially the laded language straight away as in “pressure “and “Entice”its an old propaganda trick which many and the jw,s have been doing for years hit the fear and emotions right at the beginning …..then other a solution to relive that trigger,I did my mental health training as i returned back to the org after leaveing for many yeast a d was told I was wasting my tie in studying and it would not get me anywhere in this system now iam no longer a jw,I teach student nurses going into this field and have had the opportunity of working for he world health organization,but it gets to me really that it all boils down to being educated at any legal,which shows me that its only for a certain few as in the GB,ELDERS ect,and the way things are in economy through out te world having a back up as in education is a plus,but on saying there are many who can not due to employment issues which is hitting many,but yes drop everything dedicate your life to men not god and the rewards will be ten fold…….NOT!,,,,,,,,may be the governing body will start helping those to play bills ect lol…..
This is exactly what has pissed me off, after I came out of my coma…..and now I am middle aged and am having a really hard time of it economically speaking.
As I was fading, the cheap shots towards higher education taken at the assemblies used to make my blood boil! They never gave an answer as how you would take care of your physical needs if you pioneered….although most in my circuit had rich parents so I guess they never had a worry.
Before I met my wife, she had wanted to go to bethel. She was a pioneer for over 10 years so she asked the circuit overseer about it…..his reply was…”What do you have to offer bethel? Do you have a degree in something that they can use? Are you a computer expert or lawyer or doctor….no? I’m sorry but I can’t recommend you then”
My wife was left with her mouth open……they crap all over higher education but when they find out you did get one and they can exploit you, well then it’s with open arms that the Borg would want you in Brooklyn…of course you would be paid pennies for your expertise.
Sorry about the spelling…..
reff to going to higher education,I have not heard of marking or loseng privileges, I did a short stint of lecturing in Trauma and Psychosis at manchester uk,and there was two witnesses who were student psychiatric nurses and one of there fathers is an elder and I asked about this and there was no issues but i do no like my self I was classed as a mature student,and some was asking why I was at uni when studying,its another way of control,Education,Emotions,Behavoiur,once you have a grip of theses then you have control of that individual which is what the GB do………and why they don’t want others to be free thinking and have independent views….
After dissing many with BAs, I thought I’d better come out in favour of higher education!!
I left school at 16, with 5 O levels. I went straight into a job with a bank. It was possible back then.
I didn’t attend university until many years later. I had already developed my critical thinking skills myself, by reading voraciously both before and after I had been disfellowshipped.
Although I stand by my previous statement, I would like to clarify it.
Attending college or university allows exposure to many different philosophies. There are groups of many kinds that students can join, from bell ringing to religious and political groups. Maybe this is what the GB fear, more than the course itself?
Peace be with you
Excelsior!
Good article cedars! It reminds me a teenage whose life was ruined (now disfellowshiped) after the Watchtower wrote this about her:
*** yb08 p. 46 Preaching and Teaching Earth Wide ***
Rwanda
A teenager named Gentille became famous because of her ability to score goals when playing soccer. People called her Manayibitego, which means in the local Kinyarwanda language “God of Goals.” Some Italians noticed her ability and gave her additional training. They then invited her to participate in soccer games in Italy. Moving to Europe and having the opportunity to become an internationally known footballer was an attractive prospect. However, Gentille knew that accepting the offer would involve leaving her family. Her mother is a Witness, and although Gentille had studied the Bible, she never took the study seriously. What came first in her life was soccer. Gentille discussed the matter with her mother and came to realize the spiritual dangers involved. She decided to decline the offer and to put Kingdom interests first in her life. She was baptized at a recent assembly.
Less than a year after all Jehovah Witnesses in all the country marveled about the “God of Goals.” proud of her appearing in the yearbook, the girl was mercilessly disfellowshipped. Some say she accused an Elder to have attempted to rape her and she FINALLY paid the price…
The Victim – Blame game continues within the Watchtower…
Also I new personally the brother who set up the first app for the ministry in the uk,and was asked to go of to the states to help out on the Jw.org site only on the basis he was qualified to the high standard as in I.T,plus many more who have had higher education(university leval)so it seems to suit who they want but the rest of the sheeple must follow the shepherd ….
@ Excelsior, I feel the GB just don’t want critical thinkers,as may be that would be a threat to there organizational set up,personally no different than the main stream political leaders,..ooooooops I learnt that in manchester university Anti-fascists Group,sorry Gb For having a personal opinion lol……feel you no what iam on about ha ha xxx,but on saying that Jesus was one hell of a critical thinker when you ok back lol
I know an elder whose son and daughter both went to their local university (so continued living at home) for three years. This elder was not asked to step down, although more recently I think there has been more pressure to do so in such a case or if elders are promoting higher educational ambitions for young ones in their congregations.
Full quote from Awake 1969 May 22, page 15:-
“If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things. Why not? Because all the evidence in fulfilment of Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years. Of the generation that observed the beginning of the “last days” in 1914. Jesus foretold: “This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur”. Matt 24:34. Therefore, as a young person, you will never fulfil ant career that this system offers. If you are in high school and thinking about a college education, it means at least four, perhaps even six or eight more years to graduate into a specialized career. But where will this system of things be by that time? It will be well on its way towards its finish, if not actually gone!”
Just one more false prophecy!
@Dean….exactly my point.
In one of my previous congs I had a bethelite that was a doctor. In speaking with him he was canvassed really hard by his district & circuit overseer to go to bethel.
Of course, no one gave him crap for becoming the doctor, once it was done…..but if I said I wanted to go to college just for anything, oh my god, the grief and warnings I would get…..but if I prefaced it with, “but I want to go to bethel with my degree” then all would have been good….thing was,m I always hated bethel and everyone I knew had known that about me.
1969 was the year I started to study. It was just the same then, but not only was education spat on but also
women working. So I didn’t. Time moves on, my lovely
intelligent daughter becomes a window cleaner. My husband becomes an elder (also an enemy). We part
company, my daughter leaves home and marries young.
I reach retirement and have insufficient stamps on my card for following the rules and my state pension is half what it should be.
The upside is that we wake up in the meantime, my daughter becomes a mature student at Bristol University and now has a good job and earns enough to keep her own family and generously supports me. I am glad that my daughter is now happy with her life but there is a lot
of pain hidden within these lines. There are no words to describe this organisation. Its a cardboard façade and behind it lies a wasteland.
Brilliant reasoning Excelsior,your comments are almost poetic :-)
“Or a young brother or sister who has athletic ability may find that recruiters try to entice him or her into a sports career.”
What about the Williams sisters! They claim to be JW’s and every time Serena wins a major tournanment she publically thanks “her God Jehovah.” Perhaps they both make significant financial donations to the WTBS.
Cedars….that Anthony Morris vid is very telling. He’s dishonest in his approach to the subject of higher learning. Every one knows that higher learning in this case is meant by University. But his dishonest explanation of why witnesses “do not” disapprove of higher learning is appalling.
This is what I get out of it:
The borg love it when you are:
“Down & Dumb”= Humble in wt terms
@miken…..sorry dude….different rules apply to celeb witnesses.
Do you think they would get the same grief you and I would receive? No way.
You think Prince gets ANY greif at all? He is totally shielded by his guru…brother Larry Graham
Good article by John Cedars. The GB’s mission is twofold yes, greed, and personal/doctrinal insecurity; the latter is the most revealing about themselves, if what you are teaching is so air-tight what do you have to be afraid of? In those days the Watchtower pitched their fear of promiscuity and drugs as their reasons to avoid higher education. Now I realize those senile old farts in Brooklyn lived under a rock, but they weren’t living that far under to not know you can get the same sex & drugs exposure from fellow employees while working at McDonalds.
At the time I took apart and cleaned machines for butchers to make ends-meet, those men and women were not puritans I worked around. LOL! The Society failed to tell us what was really on their minds as I would find out a decade later when I went to college at night to take up alcohol counseling and psychology. Guess what members of a certain religion became clients of some of my professors? I’ll spot you the Jeho and v.
My choice in ’82 to attend a 6-month computer language school was met with some backlash from one of our Elders, Brother Lorenzo Williams sharply asked me about my pioneer work. I was a regular at the time, I told him I could handle it. He then shot back that I wouldn’t be appointed Ministerial Servant. I think he was our PO then.
Just imagine if I told him I was flat-out going to college (btw Williams was a college graduate and and electrical contractor, the first black Master Contractor in Buffalo or so he liked to brag)? His objections stood out with me because of the new light thinking that trade schools were a recommendable alternative to college. Back then Buffalo NY had the highest unemployment rate in the country.
Labi siffre. Something inside.
Your information about the Watchtower’s current re-emphasis on the evils of higher learning touched a still sensitive nerve in me. As a new, devoted and eager Witness in 1966, I rejected a 4 year scholarship to Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. I graduated from high school in 1968 and immediately started “Pioneer” service, and since then have lived with the ever present threat of poverty, thanks to the idiotic teachings I supported for the next 42 years. I left in 2012, thank God and Christ. I am trying to restart my life, but now in my 60s, it is obviously much harder. My fervent hope is that your website and others like it will awaken young Witnesses to reality. I thought I was “seeking first the kingdom” all those years, but I was seeking first the interests of a few self-appointed leaders, who up until recently, remained shadowy representatives of Christ (I thought). Life is challenging now, but freedom is beautiful.
So glad you made it out Nan! Freedom from Watchtower tyranny is worth all the pain and loss associated with leaving.
Only those of us who lived the cult life of a jw can fully appreciate your struggle. I invested 30 years of my youth, but got out in 1981.
I always love to hear about stories like yours. Thanks.
I don’t agree with sending your kids off to a far away university or college especially if you’re living in a major city. However, if you wish to study Veterinary Medicine and you live in Toronto, these are your ONLY choices: Ontario Veterinary College (University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario), Université de Montréal, University of Calgary, Atlantic Veterinary College, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, and University of Saskatchewan. None of them are in Toronto, a major city. My dad as an elder, was never against higher education. That never made him a popular elder and neither was I when I was serving. Not all post-secondary institutions offer Philosophy 1 & 2. In Canada those are general education ELECTIVES, you choose to take or not take them. You have to know yourself well, your strengths and weaknesses. Higher education is a personal choice.
We let our son attend university. We moved home so that he could attend without the need for accommodation within the campus. He still put the ‘truth’ first; Bible study, meetings and field service were never neglected during this time. However, the brothers made it clear that they were not happy with our decision, as privileges (microphone duty, etc.) were removed without so much as a by your leave.
So what is the problem with higher education? A classical scholar, the late Sir Maurice Bowra, believed that the object of higher education is not the accumulation of knowledge but the training of the mind to think. Perhaps that is the key to the problem. The Society does not want us to have the ability to think for ourselves. It has been my experience that this lack of education, especially among the young, has allowed the Society to do their thinking for them. After all, we are recommended to never look outside of the Society’s publications for any guidance or answers are we? Get them young, control their minds, control their thinking. There you have it a ready made pioneer army. Sadly, the majority realise too late that they need an education in order to get reasonable employment. If the parents are not wealthy enough to support these youngsters they end up in the poverty trap and on benefits for the rest of their lives. How sad. When they reach 60 and the new system is still not here do you think they may feel regrets?
I think student fees are so high now in the UK that it’s out of reach for your average Joe unless he or she has parents who are in well paid jobs.
I think some degrees do carry bursaries but they are few and far between,physiotherapy is one if my memory serves me correctly.
I think on a personal note it saddens me to see brothers in their mid to late 60s climbing ladders window cleaning to make ends meet as they’re skint :-(
Hi Excelsior
Interestingly one of those three Elders you made mention of once commented that there is a two tier system within the Org. Those in the top tier can’t get enough in the way of qualifications and have very comfortable lifestyles as well as positions of power in the cong. The Org pay them handsomely for any professional services they provide. Those in the bottom tier provide free labour for the Org and are not lucky enough to be included in the “Social Club” of the top tier.
Ironically, a college degree does not make one rich. The average salary for person in the US with a degree is $45,327, I hardly call that rich. In some places that barely gets an apartment in a decent area. I have a college degree and I am not rich. Also as someone said here, if you have a college degree and go to Bethel you will get a prestigious position, you may have to spend a year in book binding or house cleaning or something but at least you have a potential to move up(more professional work) with a college degree. Of course some degrees come in, Doctors, IT degrees and etc with good position and living arrangements. I have heard these stories from people who have gone to Bethel first hand. Wow! a person in Bethel with a degree does not has as much an opportunity for advancement to do easier work. (Nothing wrong with manual labor at all, I have done a lot of this myself.) So what is wrong with a JW who does not go to Bethel to want to pursue a profession and not want to do manual labor all of their life. Nothing! Not to mention that with out a degree getting a job is difficult of if a person loses a job, they are on competition with people with degrees and sometimes the first things HR people do to eliminate resumes is get rid of those with out degree regardless of experience. I even believe Bethel pays for some people to go to Law School to become Society Lawyers. One final irony striving to be rich has nothing to do with having a degree or not, it is a mentality. There are people with out degrees who are rich of course because they wanted to be.
I just downloaded the article and had a look. It looks like the article mainly stresses upon not putting efforts in a way to focus the future upon wealth …
Actually, if there was some attention to the tendencies today, young people don’t seem to put the wealth on the first place in their priorities, but rather the quality of life aspect. If what I could come across is correct, many young people would prefer less money and more time for themselves and family rather than more money and a more demanding job.
A recommendation for a “simpler life” is nothing new. There has been quite a lot of recommendations, from religious or secular sources, in support for a life style without any superflous distractions, focusing on important things.
Those recommendations are quite different from what this article stated. The main objective is the individual’s well-being, whereas, as Cedars mentioned, here the idea is an opportunity to push forward the organization’s agenda.
How can someone who leaves the school for a “simple” job can make a living, raise a family, spend countless time pioneering, and attending meetings, studies, preparations, etc etc, and call this a “simple life” ?
On this image, what really upset me were the books and I think I saw a guitar too … Not everyone wants to be a successful musician, it’s just something people spend time on, just to feel good, have some level of creativity, taste some beauty of life … What a primitive mind can just push it aside like thrash as shown on these illustrations ? People “breath” with some basic artistic activities, sports, etc – not because they want to be rich with that, they just want to feel good, that’s part of life ! How can such a right be taken away from a youngster, what kind of mentality is this ?
Prince – Still makes music and wears high heel shoes
Serena and Venus Williams – Racy magazine covers
Marc John Jeffries – An actor who starred in the Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ with 50 Cent, and Notorious, a movie about the life and death of Christopher Wallace, the Notorious B.I.G., who was also raised as a Witness–motion pictures which Jehovah’s Witnesses are forbidden to see, although one of their celebrity members starred in all of them.
What would happen if the average male JW walked into a Kingdom Hall with Prince-inspired attire, shades, purple bell bottoms, high heel shoes, a ring with the all-seeing eye on it, and a chain with the Prince symbol attached to it?
they want a constant flow of young ones especially brothers for WT slavery.
They are really stupid to try and spin so much bs about this subject. One they say Uni only will stumble ones out of the faith bad environment, where as in school its twice as hard as kids have to face soluting the flag and singing the national song and there is drugs, and sex in high schools, so really should the GB start their own schools.
Next they push young ones getting trades, do they realize that in most countries now one has to go to uni to get a trade licence these days, so they constantly contradict themselves, what they really want is young healthy JW with trades and free time to slave for their empire.
There is a danger that they ‘might’ acquire critical thinking skills.
There are plenty of medics who believe, without question, the literal truth of the Koran, with its djinns, flying horses and other nonsense.
Uni., though, can still be a distraction from life’s central purpose, i.e. buying and distributing WT lit. in order to increase the capital value of the global publishing and property corporation that is the JW outfit.
I am currently “marked” and being preemptively shunned for attending University.
In 2010 after a year of outright hostility and weird coldness from 2 different congregations in the city that my Uni was located I quit attending meetings. I knew that god did not require me to be treated badly to worship “him”. I refused to hate my ” brothers and sisters” that I did not know and who would not give me a chance to get to know them. If god wanted to destroy me for this stance… then well, whatever.
Back home my congregation blamed me for my inability to adjust and make friends in these new congregations. Witness logic prevailed in that if all those “new brothers and sisters” were mean to me then I must be doing something wrong- and most likely I made people feel “stupid” because I went to school. The witnesses back home advised me to immediately quit school and move back to their congregation. Then they marked and shunned me to emphasize their point.
Anyway, despite my personal experiences with the anti-education stance of the WTS, it is just one small part of the overall high control cult experience that you live when affiliated as or with a jehovah’s witness. Really, the only acceptable life as preached by the org is to devote the major portion of your life (let your conscience and circumstance guide your effort) to the ministry.
Recent articles and the DC 2014 program focus on the ministry and pointedly mark out a life for the faithful that is devoid of “distractions”. It seems even more of a priority than previously though it’s hard to tell. This observation may be because I no longer “believe” .
In my everyday I explain the WTS to anyone who asks- have yet to meet someone who wanted to convert- most are just curious. I’m also quite ambivalent about what impact my efforts in the virtual world have on those trying to leave or who are already exjw. For those who are still firmly in- I avoid them. I have a strict no contact with jw life- even if they initiate. Guess what I’m saying is that no matter how ludicrous, cult like and controlling the WTS is/becomes/was it seems to me like this org will continue… I wish I thought otherwise…
The Self-appointed Slave, a/k/a the Governing Body, are a bunch of hypocrites. I personally know of a Bethelite that Watchtower put through law school, though he could have been peddling the “word” if they really believed what they want others to do. So it’s okay for them to invest their time and money into a law career for this Bethelite to defend pedophilia lawsuits against the Society but not for a young person to want to provide for his family a more comfortable lifestyle by being more than a pioneer/window washer? Evil hypocrites!
While you’re out marking “word games” don’t forget that “higher education” is a vague term of itself. Does this include the sundry storefront schools and night schools offering skills? On-the-job training?
For those who don’t get the clear picture of how opposed to higher ed, the Watchtower obliterated a former college campus to build its swank, gated, isolated compound Northwest of NYC.
During the 1950’s and early 60’s when college education in the USA and other western civilizations was not critical because menial, and factory-skill labor jobs were plentiful. To find these, now, you need travel to China, or Brazil. Janitorial jobs and so forth are dominated by Mexican and other migrant workers. So, short of being a pot-grower, or meth cooker, or a chronic welfare user, there’s not much left for the kid with a high school degree and a “C” average.
But, sometimes, you have to get creative with finding financing to support your pioneering–am I right?
http://i34.tinypic.com/5pmsn7.jpg
It’s good to be the snake!
But, from practical point, most JW kids I know will be taking additional courses beyond high school–with or without parental or Watchtower consent. And, if you keep your mouth shut, the DO’s or CO’s that would be enforcing the fermented glop coming from the Writing Department would never be wiser until you’ve arrived at your chosen profession replete with Mercedes.
What this reflects on a broader scale is how much the Watchtower “inner circle” of staff has become “out of touch” with living a faith-based life. The staffers may have been “in the world” prior to coming to Bethel in the 1970’s or earlier, but now have lost contact with what it is to put forth a resume or job application with “straight A’s” and no work ethic behind it. After all, even the Watchtower down-sized its convention volunteer workforce, so young people can no longer use that on a resume–after all, can you put work experience as, I spent my summer “making out” with cute sisters during the convention?
But, really, as Cedars would attest, and myself, being multi-generational JW’s, most staff at HQ are 2nd or 3rd generations whose parents aspired this career for them. Trapped, they now propound a system that must exist to support and sustain their lifestyle.
@no name, I feel your thoughts. After I graduated college and moved to start a career path, I tried continuing with JW’s, as well. Mark, shunning, etc. But, then, I felt this when I was matriculating through high school with high achiever marks, as well. In those days, many JW kids would deliberately avoid high marks–average or hovering in B-student range–to avoid the conflicting trip to the guidance counselor or the overtures from military recruiters seeking highly intelligent enrollees in need of funding their college careers or making the military a career.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_D._Button
I encourage you to stick with college–reach out to make new friends with values you hold, and some that differ in values–diversity is a wonderful aid in overcoming the past. I say this, because as you grow, you will succeed and become less emotionally, spiritually and financially tied to the past. Plus, these persons who are shunning you and siding with the shunners have reasons to resent, reasons to control and envy you. As long as they’re not paying your bills (and will they pay your future bills? your medical bills? your family’s bills?), they have no reason to intervene in your business.
@Shakeem,
“What would happen if the average male JW walked into a Kingdom Hall with Prince-inspired attire, shades, purple bell bottoms, high heel shoes, a ring with the all-seeing eye on it, and a chain with the Prince symbol attached to it?”
You mean, if the elders could see him through the mass of drooling young sisters glamoring to start a study with him?
Okay, I think I tilting the spam-meter on this one…
There’s an old adage, it’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission. Do what you gotta do–
noname,
It will get easier. The good thing about Uni is that you make friends, that you may know for the rest of your life. They will give you encouragement and you will share a history. As for the decline of the WTS, so many are leaving, so many are waking up, I never thought this would happen but it is happening and more and more are saying No, this is my life, not yours and making good choices about education and life. Well done!
I totally sympathize with you @no name.
When I was disfellowshipped after my marriage collapsed i threw myself into education for 7 solid years which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Once I was reinstated many years later and it became obvious i’d pursued education I felt about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit.
Realistically though looking around the hall I didn’t really have anything in common with most of the congregants so wasn’t too fussed when I had pretty much a zero social life apart from a few who i’d know before I got busted.
In my experience and opinion Elders who were brought up as witnesses were the ones I could never warm to as opposed to those who’d come in afterwards and i would actively avoid such ones as most seemed to be emotionally and intellectually 15 foot above Neptune.
I can see that the WT says that the ONLY spiritual goals include pioneer service, help other congregations, etc.
what about read the bible for real? build up good attitudes? help the orphan and the widows?!
so…the ONLY way to please GOD is being a pioneer and avoid higher education. of course is not.
AND THEY DON’T STOP THERE!!
they put an experience of this woman Flavia who left her studies at the university and now she is serving at headquarters of JW…so that means that if you reject higher education or quit it..automatically you will go to NY. COME ON!!!
I faded from the wt because I wanted a higher education and low and behold many years later a local elder now is one of my sales reps ! He may not like higher education but doesn’t have an issue depositing his check from me
I’ve always wondered, why is it OK to go to high school but not college. After I watched that video my question has been answered: because in college they have Philosophy 1&2! LOL.