The saddest part of all of this is that there have very likely been people - of JW or other denominations - who bought into this idea, gave up the idea of college, and have failed to reach their full potential. Who knows how many of these people might have found cures for fatal diseases, or made discoveries in physics or math or engineering? Discouraging people's potential is shameful and selfish, and hopefully JWs who feel betrayed by their faith take the obvious step and leave that faith on the curb.
Rising to one's full potential frequently involves allowing those things that were holding one back or impeding their progress to drop off and be discarded. Religion remains one of the biggest impediments to growth and development that I know of.
And this is why Jehovah's Witnesses have disparaged higher education for as long as they have, and why their promotion of higher education is liable to be a VERY two-edged sword.
I'd like to add that not every one who missed the education might have gone on to make some advancement in STEM, or healthcare, or any where else. Perhaps they could have just afforded to send their child to public school with a new pair of sneakers, a backpack with a load of supplies, and a full belly. Even that was a loss to society.
I've long listed the JW's in my 'Some People Will Believe Anything' folder. It isn't limited to this odd sect, religious institutions in general tend to lay claim to the absolute truth while doing all they can to avoid having their dearly held beliefs challenged in any way. This helps promote the 'us against them' mentality that keeps people in the pews, and the money rolling in.
I believe they and the 7th Day Adventists are to lineal descendants of the Millerites from 1840's NY... They kept setting dates for the end of the world and it would come and go - no end. They (the JWs) believed that the bible said only 144,000 'elect' would go to heaven and had to change that too when enough of them had died to make this a bad deal for their proselytizing efforts. It is OK if a celibate nun or priest wants to accept a vow of poverty, but forcing all of your members to do so seems out of touch. So, I can see how some of them are honked off. I read somewhere that their overall attrition rate is 54%. Maybe they will finally fade away and stay off my doorstep.
They haven’t been on my doorstep in years. They’ve been in my mailbox instead. A few times a year I get a letter. It used to be handwritten, and now it’s simply printed from a computer.
They have these little kiosks on wheels in my area. They stand around hoping someone will stop and talk to them. I’ve never once seen anyone do so. And one time I saw them and their kiosk on a bike trail. Which seemed really unlikely to have any takers.
In my welsh village, it's kind of an Xmas tradition for families to go for an afternoon walk along our nice beachside promenade on Xmas Day afternoon. Small kids try out their new scooters or bikes, dolly pushchairs, skateboards etc. They dress up in their new superhero cloaks or try out new light sabres. They show class mates they meet their new toys as they haven't seen them since before Xmas. And by the Prom car park, there's a JW stand with 2 folk in charge of it. I want to ask them why they think this is a good time to proselytise. 'Now kids, if you become a JW, no more birthdays or visits from Santa, your grandparents and relatives won't be allowed to give you the lovely thoughtful gifts they give you now. Oh, and if you fall off that new bike or skateboard, be prepared to bleed to death, you won't be allowed a blood transfusion.'
I lived a few hundred yards away from a Mormon Temple. I haven’t had any Mormons come by since probably 2008. I have a pair of them come by during the proposition 8 campaign. I told the boys that I was an out and proud gay man, and I absolutely despised their church for interfering in the lives of people who are not members of it, and being willing to spend millions of dollars to interfere in my life but not spend millions of dollars to actually help people.
I haven’t seen a Mormon on my doorstep since.
Also, many years ago, I had a group of JW show up. They were fronted by a boy up around eight or 10. He asked me, “do you know who the king of the universe is?” I got down on one knee and looked him right in the eye, and said, “ I don’t know, and neither do you. Personally, I don’t think that there’s a king of anything. And the only reason you do is because somebody told you this, not because you know it yourself.”
When I lived is S FL, I tried pointing out to the Mormons that their founder, Joseph Smith was convicted of fraud... They punished me by coming monthly for months.
Next time they come to your door, ask the boys how old they are. And if they’re over 18, then tell the boys that you’d be happy to talk to them, but only if you can sit naked in the living room with them.
That should fix it.
50 years ago, my dope dealer was having a problem with JW‘s. One time, he noticed them coming up his steps. So he lit a cigarette and let them in while inhis underwear. He then blew some marijuana smoke in there faces when he answered the door.
"Hey, did you hear that your elders now allow higher education as a personal choice? I am so enthused to think that you all are now permitted to go study art, history, math, science, education, engineering, medicine, whatever you want! Doesn't that sound cool? I would be happy to tell you about my college and grad school experiences if you're interested. And I have here some materials on the local community and 4-year colleges if you'd prefer that to a conversation."
No JW knocked on my door since I threatened to unleash my Doggesses on the only who tried to have a "discussion" with me. No toilet paper either but I would love to have some based on my last name, a language my paternal family stopped to speak starting with grandparents generation one century ago 🤣
Despite their aversion to higher education, their out-group surveillance of us is crazy sophisticated. After they knocked on my door in Pensacola, Florida and I verbally disabused them, they noted my wife's Vietnamese first name in our public records and switched to only mailing Vietnamese literature to our home.
Thanks SB for emphasizing their millennist framework. I have been dealing with JW for years in a medical context and have learned too much about their beliefs. They are probably the most cult-like of the major christian-adjacent movements. "Elders" are always present by the bedside to make sure no deviation from their beliefs. They are always polite but one gets the sense that one is looked down upon as someone doomed behind their smiling eyes. Besides blood transfusions they can be difficult to deal with in terms of end of life issues. They don't believe in heaven (good for them) but instead a resurrection from the grave. They also don't vote or serve in the military (both good for us).
Half of my husbands family joined the JW in 1945. They had to skip from being nazi traitors to the ones that was telling the "good" news.
A quarter of my family joined The 7th Day Saints in 1944, while being forced by the nazi to leave North Cape area. They were nicer and didn't really follow the rules when I grew up. But now they do.
To those JWs who now feel gypped out of a real education...
You mean that standing in front of department stores, transit entries, etc. with your fellow JWs and your biblical literature while most people pass you by and ignore you didn't turn out to be quite as fulfilling as you had hoped?
I’m still pissed my family had to eat my mom’s poor version of “fish” each Friday. Then, after I moved out, suddenly it wasn’t a sin anymore. What’s up widdat?
JWs shoot themselves in the foot about BASIC things. The blood transfusion business is one of them, but their bias against higher education is, in its own way, far worse. The comments in Hemant's post are evidence enough for anyone to understand that the Jehovah's Witness hierarchy clearly didn't understand until recently just how badly they were hamstringing their members.
Of course, there's also the matter of learning more being the potential downfall of their movement altogether. Courses in US History and Comparative Religions particularly could have a considerable negative impact on an individual JW's faith. Somehow, I can't see some JW hotshot telling prospective college students what courses they CAN take and what courses they CAN'T.
To me, this looks like a lose-lose situation for the JWs. They either can't compete or they educate themselves OUT of their cult.
I wonder if it's a way to increase tithing. Not everyone will leave and those that stay may make up for the loss from the tithings of the poor.
I can just imagine the meeting now. "You know, those Southern Baptists forming their own universities, they seem to be onto something. Maybe we can collaborate with tRumpU."
Well, a sad OT about my dog. A serious turn for the worse this morning. A vet is coming this evening for in-home euthanasia. My bride cried for an hour this morning.
Just seeing this (had logged out before it appeared).
I'm glad we never had a pet (though neighbor cats kept adopting us as theirs). Deciding to end their lives due to illness is just too mentally gut-wrenching to have to face.
That is so true, my dog Tiny has been gone for more than 20 years. Yet I think of her and the good memories that I have with her. In time you will forget this moment, and you will only remember the good times that you had with your dog. Well, that was the case for me.
I said it before “We grieve with you?” Vulcan saying.
So sorry. Such a tough decision to make and to say goodbye. We used in-home as well which I think is much preferable to taking them somewhere they are stressed.
So sad. This is why I won't have my own pet any more. Tree times is enough. Give your bride a hug from me and tell her I know exactly what she is going through. A hug from me to you too.
One of my clients was putting herself through college. Her parents, up in the mountains of North Carolina, kept telling her, "Don't go be above your raisin'. "
That is just so beyond despicable. Again I find myself thinking of my daughter and how she is so much more accomplished and together now than I was at her age. What loving parent would want to LIMIT their kid?
It's madness, pure and simple madness ... but then, that's religion in general.
That is exactly the kind of thinking that got us where we are today. It was part of a long term strategy to destroy our democracy. Sadly, it worked to perfection.
"What loving parent would want to LIMIT their kid?"
The kind that have been brainwashed into believing it's the best possible thing for their kid, of course. Religion hates it when people think for themselves.
That's typical of the fundie mindset even outside the mountain areas of NC - and I suspect is the case across the fundie spectrum. There's also a strong cultural favoritism for 'plain-spoken, simple folk' around here. Most parents want their children to go farther and do better in life than they have, but there's also a deep-rooted suspicion of people who do - as they're too uppity for their roots. That's the basis for a lot of right-leaning prejudice against higher ed.
And this is not the first time. They have pivoted hard on more fundamental aspects of their doctrine. 1878, 1881, 1914, 1918, 1925, and 1975 is their official date for the end of the world.
You know how it is, god has a plan and when he's ready, he tweets out a new vision for the next phase. The people who needed it have received the great gift of poverty and suffering.
I have always despised JW for the way they exclude their members of everything. The kids especially. I have two stepdaughters who were raised JW by their mother. They were not allowed to do anything, not birthdays, Halloween, Christmas, anything. I was so happy when the youngest broke away. My favorite thing she ever said, when told they don't celebrate Christmas, was "We do at Daddy's house." She is now studying to be a pharmacist. So proud of her ❤️
All their door-to-door crap does is to create ill will with the general public. I'd bet that not even one visit in a hundred yields even a little interest, let alone a conversion.
JWs have been pissing into the wind for about as long as they've been in existence, and allowing higher education will only fracture them further.
And faster. What I fear is the emotional blackmail they will try on the youngs who will go to college "Behave or get cut from your family". Not everyone will be ready to leave their parents and siblings behind.
Going off to school potentially means BEING MORE INDEPENDENT, not having mommy and daddy monitoring your every move, as well. This is one more nail in the coffin of church authority.
It sounds more and more as though the JW hierarchy hasn't thought this through, and they may well have engineered a catalyst to their own demise.
I think this reflects some of the worst attitudes I've ever seen from Christians, and part of what makes it so awful is simply that this is what I've commonly seen from them.
This attitude seems to be a combination of Christianity, smugness, manipulation, condescension, and gaslighting that makes an incredibly ugly package. In this 'update' the JWs are essentially saying 'Oh, did you not understand? No, more education is fine, it's a personal choice that 𝒚𝒐𝒖 made, we aren't responsible for that.' The whole point is to fool people into thinking the leadership is infallible and therefore cannot be questioned, despite the reality that this is completely their fault and thousands of lives have been deeply damaged thanks to JW leadership. The worst of it is that 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑱𝑾𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒒𝒖𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒔.
Somehow that last statement makes it very clear why Trump is currently the president, doesn't it? I think I'll go lay down for a bit.
The saddest part of all of this is that there have very likely been people - of JW or other denominations - who bought into this idea, gave up the idea of college, and have failed to reach their full potential. Who knows how many of these people might have found cures for fatal diseases, or made discoveries in physics or math or engineering? Discouraging people's potential is shameful and selfish, and hopefully JWs who feel betrayed by their faith take the obvious step and leave that faith on the curb.
Rising to one's full potential frequently involves allowing those things that were holding one back or impeding their progress to drop off and be discarded. Religion remains one of the biggest impediments to growth and development that I know of.
And this is why Jehovah's Witnesses have disparaged higher education for as long as they have, and why their promotion of higher education is liable to be a VERY two-edged sword.
Edumacation is DANGEROUS
You bet your ass it is!
I'd like to add that not every one who missed the education might have gone on to make some advancement in STEM, or healthcare, or any where else. Perhaps they could have just afforded to send their child to public school with a new pair of sneakers, a backpack with a load of supplies, and a full belly. Even that was a loss to society.
Can you say "cognitive dissonance?"
I've long listed the JW's in my 'Some People Will Believe Anything' folder. It isn't limited to this odd sect, religious institutions in general tend to lay claim to the absolute truth while doing all they can to avoid having their dearly held beliefs challenged in any way. This helps promote the 'us against them' mentality that keeps people in the pews, and the money rolling in.
I believe they and the 7th Day Adventists are to lineal descendants of the Millerites from 1840's NY... They kept setting dates for the end of the world and it would come and go - no end. They (the JWs) believed that the bible said only 144,000 'elect' would go to heaven and had to change that too when enough of them had died to make this a bad deal for their proselytizing efforts. It is OK if a celibate nun or priest wants to accept a vow of poverty, but forcing all of your members to do so seems out of touch. So, I can see how some of them are honked off. I read somewhere that their overall attrition rate is 54%. Maybe they will finally fade away and stay off my doorstep.
They haven’t been on my doorstep in years. They’ve been in my mailbox instead. A few times a year I get a letter. It used to be handwritten, and now it’s simply printed from a computer.
They have these little kiosks on wheels in my area. They stand around hoping someone will stop and talk to them. I’ve never once seen anyone do so. And one time I saw them and their kiosk on a bike trail. Which seemed really unlikely to have any takers.
In my welsh village, it's kind of an Xmas tradition for families to go for an afternoon walk along our nice beachside promenade on Xmas Day afternoon. Small kids try out their new scooters or bikes, dolly pushchairs, skateboards etc. They dress up in their new superhero cloaks or try out new light sabres. They show class mates they meet their new toys as they haven't seen them since before Xmas. And by the Prom car park, there's a JW stand with 2 folk in charge of it. I want to ask them why they think this is a good time to proselytise. 'Now kids, if you become a JW, no more birthdays or visits from Santa, your grandparents and relatives won't be allowed to give you the lovely thoughtful gifts they give you now. Oh, and if you fall off that new bike or skateboard, be prepared to bleed to death, you won't be allowed a blood transfusion.'
Irony is lost on them. That’s is hilarious!
“Timing,” how does it work?
Probably why they’re there.
I get the letters in the mail, but I still am plagued with them and the Mormons...
I lived a few hundred yards away from a Mormon Temple. I haven’t had any Mormons come by since probably 2008. I have a pair of them come by during the proposition 8 campaign. I told the boys that I was an out and proud gay man, and I absolutely despised their church for interfering in the lives of people who are not members of it, and being willing to spend millions of dollars to interfere in my life but not spend millions of dollars to actually help people.
I haven’t seen a Mormon on my doorstep since.
Also, many years ago, I had a group of JW show up. They were fronted by a boy up around eight or 10. He asked me, “do you know who the king of the universe is?” I got down on one knee and looked him right in the eye, and said, “ I don’t know, and neither do you. Personally, I don’t think that there’s a king of anything. And the only reason you do is because somebody told you this, not because you know it yourself.”
I haven’t seen a JW on my doorstep, either.
When I lived is S FL, I tried pointing out to the Mormons that their founder, Joseph Smith was convicted of fraud... They punished me by coming monthly for months.
Next time they come to your door, ask the boys how old they are. And if they’re over 18, then tell the boys that you’d be happy to talk to them, but only if you can sit naked in the living room with them.
That should fix it.
50 years ago, my dope dealer was having a problem with JW‘s. One time, he noticed them coming up his steps. So he lit a cigarette and let them in while inhis underwear. He then blew some marijuana smoke in there faces when he answered the door.
They never came back
you can always invite them in for a glass of water while an Alyssa Grenfell video is playing!
Good for you.
Excellent responses
Thanks
Well now you have a great response.
"Hey, did you hear that your elders now allow higher education as a personal choice? I am so enthused to think that you all are now permitted to go study art, history, math, science, education, engineering, medicine, whatever you want! Doesn't that sound cool? I would be happy to tell you about my college and grad school experiences if you're interested. And I have here some materials on the local community and 4-year colleges if you'd prefer that to a conversation."
No JW knocked on my door since I threatened to unleash my Doggesses on the only who tried to have a "discussion" with me. No toilet paper either but I would love to have some based on my last name, a language my paternal family stopped to speak starting with grandparents generation one century ago 🤣
Despite their aversion to higher education, their out-group surveillance of us is crazy sophisticated. After they knocked on my door in Pensacola, Florida and I verbally disabused them, they noted my wife's Vietnamese first name in our public records and switched to only mailing Vietnamese literature to our home.
It is a mind control cult.
Thanks SB for emphasizing their millennist framework. I have been dealing with JW for years in a medical context and have learned too much about their beliefs. They are probably the most cult-like of the major christian-adjacent movements. "Elders" are always present by the bedside to make sure no deviation from their beliefs. They are always polite but one gets the sense that one is looked down upon as someone doomed behind their smiling eyes. Besides blood transfusions they can be difficult to deal with in terms of end of life issues. They don't believe in heaven (good for them) but instead a resurrection from the grave. They also don't vote or serve in the military (both good for us).
Those children are all victims.
Just like creationists.
They ARE creationists.
Half of my husbands family joined the JW in 1945. They had to skip from being nazi traitors to the ones that was telling the "good" news.
A quarter of my family joined The 7th Day Saints in 1944, while being forced by the nazi to leave North Cape area. They were nicer and didn't really follow the rules when I grew up. But now they do.
None of us do much to keep in touch anymore.
To those JWs who now feel gypped out of a real education...
You mean that standing in front of department stores, transit entries, etc. with your fellow JWs and your biblical literature while most people pass you by and ignore you didn't turn out to be quite as fulfilling as you had hoped?
Suckers.
When I pass by (on my bike) they wave and say "Have a blessed day." I shout back..."Enjoy your delusion!"
🔥🔥🔥 BURN!!! 🔥🔥🔥
When they joined, they were probably told that they would have careers in advertising.
𝑁𝑜𝑤, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑛𝑜 𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑛𝑜 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑒 “𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛” 𝑎 “𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒,” 𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑖ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔.
They have always been at war with Eastasia.
I’m still pissed my family had to eat my mom’s poor version of “fish” each Friday. Then, after I moved out, suddenly it wasn’t a sin anymore. What’s up widdat?
JWs shoot themselves in the foot about BASIC things. The blood transfusion business is one of them, but their bias against higher education is, in its own way, far worse. The comments in Hemant's post are evidence enough for anyone to understand that the Jehovah's Witness hierarchy clearly didn't understand until recently just how badly they were hamstringing their members.
Of course, there's also the matter of learning more being the potential downfall of their movement altogether. Courses in US History and Comparative Religions particularly could have a considerable negative impact on an individual JW's faith. Somehow, I can't see some JW hotshot telling prospective college students what courses they CAN take and what courses they CAN'T.
To me, this looks like a lose-lose situation for the JWs. They either can't compete or they educate themselves OUT of their cult.
It's how Libby Ann (Love, joy, feminism) deconverted. Her fundy parents were not happy.
I wonder if it's a way to increase tithing. Not everyone will leave and those that stay may make up for the loss from the tithings of the poor.
I can just imagine the meeting now. "You know, those Southern Baptists forming their own universities, they seem to be onto something. Maybe we can collaborate with tRumpU."
They'll make college grads tithe more. ;)
Tithe their scholarships.
Yeah two months of college ended my ability to speak in tongues.
Well, a sad OT about my dog. A serious turn for the worse this morning. A vet is coming this evening for in-home euthanasia. My bride cried for an hour this morning.
Just seeing this (had logged out before it appeared).
I'm glad we never had a pet (though neighbor cats kept adopting us as theirs). Deciding to end their lives due to illness is just too mentally gut-wrenching to have to face.
Pets are never with us for long enough... but the pain of losing them can't outweigh the joy of having had them in our lives in the first place.
That is so true, my dog Tiny has been gone for more than 20 years. Yet I think of her and the good memories that I have with her. In time you will forget this moment, and you will only remember the good times that you had with your dog. Well, that was the case for me.
I said it before “We grieve with you?” Vulcan saying.
My condolences. Glad to hear you have chosen the best way to say goodbye to your family member.
So sorry. Such a tough decision to make and to say goodbye. We used in-home as well which I think is much preferable to taking them somewhere they are stressed.
Same with Aria. Rhapsodie was the lucky one, she passed away in her sleep.
I was hoping for in his sleep but sadly had to make that awful decision.
DM had too back in 2001. It was harder for her because Fidèle was 4 weeks old when we got her and DM had to bottle feed her.
So sad. This is why I won't have my own pet any more. Tree times is enough. Give your bride a hug from me and tell her I know exactly what she is going through. A hug from me to you too.
So sorry to hear this.
Virtual hug for everyone. Double for Emily.
I'm sorry to hear this.
Oh I'm so sorry. Pets are just the best.
I think I liked everyone who responded. If I missed you, it was in error.
Thank you everyone.
Just saw this, so sorry to hear it. Take care of yourselves and be good to each other.
One of my clients was putting herself through college. Her parents, up in the mountains of North Carolina, kept telling her, "Don't go be above your raisin'. "
That is just so beyond despicable. Again I find myself thinking of my daughter and how she is so much more accomplished and together now than I was at her age. What loving parent would want to LIMIT their kid?
It's madness, pure and simple madness ... but then, that's religion in general.
That is exactly the kind of thinking that got us where we are today. It was part of a long term strategy to destroy our democracy. Sadly, it worked to perfection.
"What loving parent would want to LIMIT their kid?"
The kind that have been brainwashed into believing it's the best possible thing for their kid, of course. Religion hates it when people think for themselves.
That's typical of the fundie mindset even outside the mountain areas of NC - and I suspect is the case across the fundie spectrum. There's also a strong cultural favoritism for 'plain-spoken, simple folk' around here. Most parents want their children to go farther and do better in life than they have, but there's also a deep-rooted suspicion of people who do - as they're too uppity for their roots. That's the basis for a lot of right-leaning prejudice against higher ed.
Plenty of jobs where you can be plain spoken, live a materialistic simple life, yet be well educated and save up cash.
Heck, it don't get much more bare-bones living than grad school. Hello Raman my old friend... :)
OMG! Here's to Cult of Raman that sustained many of us for years! 🥂
And many cans of tuna
Peanut butter. I kept the empties to store rice and beans, etc. The number of empty PB jars was truly impressive.
I’ve spent years trying to come up with a better term than “reverse elitism” for that attitude. Because it is elitism.
I’ve tried gumbo elitism, cracker elitism, and redneck elitism. That last one is my favorite but I think it isn’t quite right.
Redneck elitism works for me, but, of course, no redneck is ever going to cop to being elitist.
“Middle school elitism”
Brain dead drone or mindless elitism!
“Home schooled” elitism?
That's pretty hard not to do, raisins are pretty small.
Which she first said that to me, those California raisins, like in the ad, came into my mind…and then I got what she meant. 🤣
𝑁𝑜𝑤—𝑝𝑒𝑟ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒—𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦’𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑖𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔.
And this is not the first time. They have pivoted hard on more fundamental aspects of their doctrine. 1878, 1881, 1914, 1918, 1925, and 1975 is their official date for the end of the world.
You know how it is, god has a plan and when he's ready, he tweets out a new vision for the next phase. The people who needed it have received the great gift of poverty and suffering.
Don't question the plan.
"Former members are furious as they recall their wasted scholarships, lost careers, and lifelong poverty."
FAFO
It is unfortunate that so many woke up to the abuse they suffered after their opportunities dried up.
That's why being "woke" is a bad thing. 😵💫
I had an ex in-law that was/is a JoHo. Totally messed up when married to my sibling. Still a mess.
I think your computer messed up somewhere 🤔
Nope, I posted that in the wrong place. I compose my posts as a reply to the post at the bottom of the list; this time, it is Boreal.
*Blink*
* I may severely lack of sleep and need second grade vocabulary and understanding level. Gracias.
And we abhor Woke!
I have always despised JW for the way they exclude their members of everything. The kids especially. I have two stepdaughters who were raised JW by their mother. They were not allowed to do anything, not birthdays, Halloween, Christmas, anything. I was so happy when the youngest broke away. My favorite thing she ever said, when told they don't celebrate Christmas, was "We do at Daddy's house." She is now studying to be a pharmacist. So proud of her ❤️
"They also think it’s a waste of time because the end of the world will happen any minute now—just you wait!"
To be fair, their Evangelical brethren are working very hard to achieve this.
And because of their size and deep pockets (looking at YOU, Southern Baptists) they have been able to wreak far more havoc and destruction.
This is what believing in woo-woo gets you. Will believers see this as a cautionary tale or even a wake up call?
Sadly, so many will continue to insist that the leopard won't eat THEIR face.
"Don't worry, Mom and Dad, I can go to State U., get my degree and still be delusional."
Watch these fuckers set up their own college.
They are one of the few who don't have one. These religious universities are akin to finishing school for their particular brand of indoctrination.
1) They don't get enough tithing.
2) Door-to-door doesn't win enough converts (see 1) and they will try their hand at college students.
All their door-to-door crap does is to create ill will with the general public. I'd bet that not even one visit in a hundred yields even a little interest, let alone a conversion.
JWs have been pissing into the wind for about as long as they've been in existence, and allowing higher education will only fracture them further.
The intention isn't to convert people.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/33e00e05adba84fda837420581c73d57874ec1cc3e8b047e5eb71e85bc94f7a4.jpg
Bang on. When somebody explains it to you, it all becomes very obvious.
Spot on!
Oh that is brilliant analysis. Thanks for sharing.
I wish I could take credit. I stole that from one of our commenters.
And faster. What I fear is the emotional blackmail they will try on the youngs who will go to college "Behave or get cut from your family". Not everyone will be ready to leave their parents and siblings behind.
Going off to school potentially means BEING MORE INDEPENDENT, not having mommy and daddy monitoring your every move, as well. This is one more nail in the coffin of church authority.
It sounds more and more as though the JW hierarchy hasn't thought this through, and they may well have engineered a catalyst to their own demise.
Good, one less religious sect to holding humanity back. Just 400000 sects or more to go!
If they are allowed to go on campus and live in the dorms. I predict another revelation where only virtual classes are allowed.
Absolutely! It'd be the wake-up call to end all wake-up calls for them! Social life! SEX! Making your own choices!
It's as I said: the JWs in the front office have NOT thought this through!
Jehova’s sound like the Amish, without Rumspringa.
Haven’t seen a pair of JW’s since Christ left Chicago. Is that blasphemy?
I think this reflects some of the worst attitudes I've ever seen from Christians, and part of what makes it so awful is simply that this is what I've commonly seen from them.
This attitude seems to be a combination of Christianity, smugness, manipulation, condescension, and gaslighting that makes an incredibly ugly package. In this 'update' the JWs are essentially saying 'Oh, did you not understand? No, more education is fine, it's a personal choice that 𝒚𝒐𝒖 made, we aren't responsible for that.' The whole point is to fool people into thinking the leadership is infallible and therefore cannot be questioned, despite the reality that this is completely their fault and thousands of lives have been deeply damaged thanks to JW leadership. The worst of it is that 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑱𝑾𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒒𝒖𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒔.
Somehow that last statement makes it very clear why Trump is currently the president, doesn't it? I think I'll go lay down for a bit.
They’re saying it’s just a typographical (mis-)understanding:
“No, more education is fine … ”
or
“No more education is fine … “
https://tinyurl.com/5n6mvu5t
OT - The Meteor and the Star Cluster
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250825.html
Beautiful and impressive, never mind serendipitous. That meteor wound up being a photobomb to someone shooting the Pleiades!
Incredible shot
"I like to use the illustration of a school of hungry sharks."
What's up with the morons and grifters, and their shark stories?
Next thing you know, they'll be throwing in batteries.
Just throw a battery in the water!
Goddammit, NOGODZ’s identical comment was less than inch down!
😀 Hee hee.
Same as asking what's up with these poodle dogs that Dumb Idiot Ken Ham rants about in his faulty drivels?
??? I think I missed the memo on this one (not that I seek out info on KH in the first place). What is his problem with poodles?
That's what I would like to know. Here's PZ Myers discussing about Dumb Idiot Ham's strange dislike of poodles.
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2023/04/16/why-does-ken-ham-hate-poodles/