Why are JWs against higher education?

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yessisan

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This is one question I cannot understand. Do they really want their members to be ignorant? Or are they afraid that with more education they’ll find out their religion is not the one true religion? :rolleyes:

DH was telling me that during his assembly on Sunday, a kid (10 yrs old or so) was baptized and an elder made a positive comment which was that this child had given up any further education, or anything past high school to be able to serve God full time… I don’t get how a parent can allow this of a child when nowadays you need at least a bachelor’s degree to get ahead in life. He (the elder) added that they don’t need material things now because they will get everything after Armageddon comes… (you know, they believe they will see the end during our time, when no one really knows when it’s coming).
 
I would like to know too… It almost seems as though they want to shelter their own with keeping them ignorant especially of History. Usually when they find out the truth behind their own history they realize that it doesnt seem so honest and appealing. That is what I love about our Catholic Faith the deeper you delve into it the more I am amazed how beautiful it is. We are never told not to ask questions or disfellowshipped if we persist with wanting answers. Truth does not change if it does then it never was to begin with.
www.jwfiles.com
 
If you ever want to send a JW into orbit, call them a Russellite. They hate that.
 
They are a doomsday cult. They think the end of the world is just around the corner, and that higher education is a waste of time.

Besides, they consider it as treason against Jehovah’s Kingdom for one of thier members to participate in a worldly institution. (Like College)
 
When I was in about 20 years back it was the same way. Reasons given by the JW’s were:

The end is coming, so why go to college?
Better to “Pioneer” (90+ hours of door knocking a month) than go to college.
Colleges are part of This System of Things™, Worldly, avoid at all costs.

My ideas are:

The avoidance of higher education further cements the cult mentality. If you keep your adherents uneducated they become more dependant upon the host and thus leaving the host becomes more and more difficult as time goes on. By avoiding college people avoid the basic knowledge in critical thinking skills. Critical thinking by its members is death to any cult. By avoiding college one is not exposed to ideas outside of the already ingrained ideas held, so no questions of those ideas surface.
 
Chris_LaRock said:
Besides, they consider it as treason against Jehovah’s Kingdom for one of thier members to participate in a worldly institution. (Like College)
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Is that really true? I have a nephew who’s a JW, with two children, and I can’t imagine him preventing them from going to college.
 
I used to study with them. I also did my own research into it. They definately discourage higher education because of the supposed end of the world, and thier fear of “this system of things”.

Ask anyone in the group in the late 60s, early 70s. They were told not to pursue education because of the 1975 end of the world prophecy.
 
Sandi said:
Is that really true? I have a nephew who’s a JW, with two children, and I can’t imagine him preventing them from going to college.
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It is true… My husband said he doesn’t want to send our future children to college. I told him they will be going and I am making them go just as my mom made us go. He was telling me it’d be their choice, but no way, they are going to college, period!

Look at these:

link

link2

link3
 
No Birthdays, no anniversaries, no school parties, no Christmas, and you’re surprised by no college?
 
Chris_LaRock said:
I used to study with them. I also did my own research into it. They definately discourage higher education because of the supposed end of the world, and thier fear of “this system of things”.

Ask anyone in the group in the late 60s, early 70s. They were told not to pursue education because of the 1975 end of the world prophecy.
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ugh… those prophecies make me sick… I wonder what they will say when all the current JWs are dead and new ones are roaming around. Will they still say, “this generation will see the end of the system of things”? Sorry, but I get a good laugh when I hear this… I don’t know when the end is coming, but I don’t believe it’ll be as they say. For that matter, then the world would be gone already.
 
mommyaprilj said:
No Birthdays, no anniversaries, no school parties, no Christmas, and you’re surprised by no college?
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You forgot to mention no school friends, no sleep overs, no friends outside the religion, no Easter…
 
yessisan said:
ugh… those prophecies make me sick… I wonder what they will say when all the current JWs are dead and new ones are roaming around. Will they still say, “this generation will see the end of the system of things”? Sorry, but I get a good laugh when I hear this… I don’t know when the end is coming, but I don’t believe it’ll be as they say. For that matter, then the world would be gone already.
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I’m looking forward to seeing how they alter thier 1914 doctrine when that generation dies off before the world ends.😃

They claim to be scripture only, but have many odd traditions.
 
They have already altered it. Now the younger ones never knew such a teaching existed. They will think you are lying. 1914 is quietly being laid to rest.
 
I was discouraged from going to college when I was growing up as a JW. The reasons were that it was a waste of time since the end of the world was coming so soon and it would open me up to bad association.

One thing that ticked me off was when I went and served at their World Headquarters and discovered that the Watchtower Society actually sent certain volunteers to college in the New York City area and paid for it when they needed someone specially trained.
This really bothered me.

Jeff S.
www.catholicxjw.com
 
I hate the fact this cult actually traps so many people in it. I hate it. Now I wish I never married a JW.
 
You know that is funny you say that about trapping people because that is almost how it feels if you dont understand who they are or what they are about, one time they came over and I was telling them what I thought very nicely and why I would NEVER join them "giving them the hope that was in me "and my husband was listening, to all of it he is not very apologetically inclined as much as I am I love apologetics he likes to stick to the basics more.Anyways to make a long story short when they they left (frustrated) my husband told me what if they are right :rolleyes: and I so I reread him the passage that they were trying to pawn off on me but I read it to him in its entirety and then he my hubby said “you know what they go around the neighborhood trying to manipulate people and the Bible, and thats not right. That makes so angry why do they do that?” And I said because they can. :cool:
I am sorry you feel regret for marrying your husband I can understand that is difficult and not the best feeling, all I can say is pray for him and also consider Adoration for him.
 
QuietTimes said:
You know that is funny you say that about trapping people because that is almost how it feels if you dont understand who they are or what they are about, one time they came over and I was telling them what I thought very nicely and why I would NEVER join them "giving them the hope that was in me "and my husband was listening, to all of it he is not very apologetically inclined as much as I am I love apologetics he likes to stick to the basics more.Anyways to make a long story short when they they left (frustrated) my husband told me what if they are right :rolleyes: and I so I reread him the passage that they were trying to pawn off on me but I read it to him in its entirety and then he my hubby said “you know what they go around the neighborhood trying to manipulate people and the Bible, and thats not right. That makes so angry why do they do that?” And I said because they can. :cool:
I am sorry you feel regret for marrying your husband I can understand that is difficult and not the best feeling, all I can say is pray for him and also consider Adoration for him.
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It’s not exactly regret, I wrote that because I’m frustrated. He was disfellowshipped about 15 months ago, and reinstated last night… :crying:
 
I am sorry maybe that was too harsh but I can understand your frustration, has he ever wanted to look into what you believe? I had to compromise my faith for the sake of my husband for many years till he decided to find out for himself although I have only myself to blame I can understand the dissillusionment. We are not where we should be especially with him being the head of the house and leading us into prayer but he does try now. I dont feel ashamed of my faith and before I did but I had limited understanding what the Catholic faith was about so that was my fault.
 
But I am not saying this is your fault at all, I am just trying to tell you where I am coming from.
I also have some realtives that married JW’s and they feel the the same way you do. I see the pain when they talk about it.
 
QuietTimes said:
I am sorry maybe that was too harsh but I can understand your frustration, has he ever wanted to look into what you believe? I had to compromise my faith for the sake of my husband for many years till he decided to find out for himself although I have only myself to blame I can understand the dissillusionment. We are not where we should be especially with him being the head of the house and leading us into prayer but he does try now. I dont feel ashamed of my faith and before I did but I had limited understanding what the Catholic faith was about so that was my fault.
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What makes me angry is that I took the time to learn about his religion (mostly to see what lies he was being told), but he never compromised to learn about mine. He believes he knows because when he was a child he was Catholic. At 10 his mom switched to JWism and dragged 4 of her 5 kids to it. Now there are 3 left in that religion…

But I really don’t want to get off the subject… sorry for changing it.

It amazes me how JWs don’t allow their kids to go to college. As Jeff mentioned earlier, they even send their people to college by headquater’s orders so they can perfom better tasks but don’t allow the rest to go? That’s ridiculous and hypocritical!
 
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