Pasted from a jw board!

Oh im going to puke, I did a copy and paste from aisnes db, all real jws. the part where she says the awake and wt mags surpass a college education really sent me over the edge!

"I have 5 children. Sorry to say none of them were able to finish high school because of our very difficult circumstances.
I am happy to say they are all successful in their lives. One daughter is undergoing a very hard time at the moment, but I have no doubt that she will overcome it and bloom again.

Their Father on the other hand Graduated from High school as did I. He is a total loser in life.

It has been my choice to teach my children the value of being educated in many different avenues. For example just reading the Watchtower and Awake can give any one a college education that far surpasses any education they may or may not get in the world of schooling. I have nothing against extra schooling to benefit your livelyhood. But sometimes it is just a stepping stone to growing up.

Just my opinion folks.

It always helps to put forth a positive side in whatever you choose."

------------------

Claudia,

Thanks for making ME yak.

TR

"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every
form of tyranny over the mind of man." --Thomas Jefferson*

Thanks for sharing this interesting post.

Many witnesses say that reading the Awake gives one the equivalent
of a college education.

This is just plain wrong. I'd like to ask each and every one of them upon
what are they basing their statement?

What articles has the Awake or Watchtower published concerning algebra,
trigonometry, calculus or vector analysis? What about physics? Mechanics?
Electromagnetism? These are just a few examples of what does NOT appear
in their magazines.

What about writing courses? Reading the Awake will train one in writing essays?
What about critical thinking? Or would that be too close to "independent thinking"?

People make tremendously stupid statements based upon nothing.
Maybe this is what the Awake and Watchtower really teaches them to do!

--VM44

<i>Many witnesses say that reading the Awake gives one the equivalent of a college education.</i>

Sure, just like I'll get my Masters from glancing through a couple of old Reader's Digest copies in my doctor's waiting room.

This attitude simply reflects the fact that the concept of "studying" has been re-defined and narrowed down to "memorizing rather simple, one-dimensional stuff without a hint of critical analysis" in the JW world. It's that desparate programme of forcefully simplifying a world that seems just way too complicated to grasp. That's why so many JWs seem to believe they "know how the world works". Yes, their model of the world: good vs. evil, black vs. white, God vs. Satan. Hey, the world is so simple, why even finish high school? What could we possibly learn from such an "advanced education"?!

Poor kids.

f.

Claudia,

Where is this discussion board where you got that post?

--VM44

I remember about 8 years ago, the "good ole boy" elder in our Congregation, (you know, the one who got his college education before he came into the Borg and now has a good paying job) stood on the platform and spouted this same crap.

Now, you must remember that the majority of the rank and file never finished high school, thanks to the WTBTS and their propaganda machine. They would have absolutely no idea what was involved in higher education. So it would be really easy to convince them how much education they were getting when all they are allowed to read is the WackyTower and the Afake mags. They would think of themselves as highly educated. Especially with that smelder patting them on the head telling them so! Poor dumb sheep didn't know any better. Don't blame them, blame their oppressors, the WTBTS.

RCat

I've got to play devil's advocate on this one. Though I believe that the WTS is wrong in their teachings, and is most definately a cult, I would not have the vocabulary that I have today, if not for the publications and "theocratic ministry school". I definately don't think them to be better than a college education, but I do believe that they have helped me with my reading and speaking skills. My mother has a learning disability, and could not teach me much other than the alphabet and the small words she knew how to say or spell. But, she always had me read her the mags, and some parts of books. The vocabulary they use exceeds the level required by most high schools even, so because of that, I always managed to dazzle my teachers and classmates because of my ability to read and speak well, which I must attribute to the books and mags.
My Regards,
Joanne

Well, the writer did have a college education - and since I believe in people, that statement explains a lot to me. Now I don't need to wonder why people like teejay and many others on this board behave the way they do....LOL

Yakki Da

Kent

"The only difference between God and Adolf Hitler is that God is more proficient at genocide."

Daily News On The Watchtower and the Jehovah's Witnesses:
http://watchtower.observer.org

Claudia,
Interestingly enough, my father used to use that scripture in the New Testament that says something like "and God will finish your training". It is in 1Peter 5:10. He used it to show how being in the org. was the best way of life.
Somehow, I don't think having my own cleaning business reflects where I could have been in life by now with more education!
TW

Angelofmusic,

I think that you are getting a little confused here. No offense please. I don't want to question whether you excelled in verbal communication, or your reading and writing skills, but I read somewhere that the publications are written at about an 8th grade level. They also have cheat sheets at the bottom of the page, so the thinking is already done for you. I am sure that the ministry school has some merits, but the mags are not of much value, except in destroying trees and very good for the bottom of my bird cage.

Respectfully submitted,

68storm

if they really believe this nonsense, there are plenty of
college equivalency exams available in the US (CLEP, DANTES,
GRE. etc.) I doubt the 'Awake' would be fitting study material
for any of them.

metatron

A classic cult saying!

Cheers,
Ozzie

"Truth persuades by teaching, but does not teach by persuading."
TERTULLIAN, Adversus Valentinianos

VM44, im not sure how to send direct links, however the name of the

board is great crowd. the thread is titled "school drop out"

Hi Claudia,
Just a quick history on JW boards . . . The management of Great Crowd was stripped from Aisne within the first month or so after it became the "new spot" (pre-WOL) for JWs after the first mass-exodus from Witnet. Anyway, Aisne seemed to disappear w/o a trace after closing her coolboard months ago. Lots of people are wondering what happened to her.

Anyway, the post you c & p was from meeka/vktoria on Great Crowd. Here it is for any interested ones: http://www.greatcrowd.com/159ubb/Forum1/HTML/000256.html

Hope you don't my helping hand.

Cyn

Hi All,

I think that reading the literature and studying for parts on the meetings may help one to read better than someone who doesn't read at all, and may help one reason on some matters better than someone who doesn't think at all, but I think one's genes probably make the most difference to one's ability to think and learn than any other one factor.

I don't think ones education necessarily means success. I have seen the dumbest ones in my school class make the most money after going out in the world. I have also seen the brightest ones have success. Too bad I never had the drive to succeed since I had to keep my time free to attend meetings and keep the flock in line.

My wife just go laid off from work when we got home from vacation. It's going to be slim pickings for a while since I'm retired and living on my retirement check and SS. I'm really not that worried, but it could be hard to meet my bills. Most former JWs seem to be somewhat like me, just making ends meet, but getting by.

You may wonder why my wife is working and not me, she is six years younger than me and not able to draw any SS yet.

Damn, why am I telling all of you this???? I guess I think of you as friends and just wanted to chat for a while.

Ken P.

I agree with you here to a certain extent. I contribute alot of my public speaking skills and researching abilities to the TMS. I have no fear of public speaking, unlike most people, and I feel that my writing term papers and such was helped by writing talks out constantly.

I do feel that the magazines are written for the "average" 8th grader though. I never could read that crap for very long without getting very bored.

Slipnslidemaster: "Do, or do not. There is no try."
- Yoda

One of my biggest handicaps in life was not getting a good education early. It has been very difficult to catch up in adult life.

BTW Undecided – What I have in my jeans only helps me think about one thing.

Thanks Cynergy, I need all the help i can get!

It is likely that such a statement is made because the author of the message is NOT educated. I doubt even the Society would claim that reading these little readers digest type magazines surpass a real education, they would just say there is a worldly influence, it makes you greedy and all that. If they've never been to college or even high school, how would they even know what they're talking about? Of course, it's just another belief with no real basis.

"It is not so much that you use your mind wrongly--you usually don't use it at all. It uses you. This is the disease." -Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

Would anyone like to trace the development and growth of a myth?
See below.

Watchtower 06/15/83 p31:
"It has been said that by reading the Watchtower and Awake magazines,
along with other publications of Jehovah's Witnesses, a person will receive,
over a period of years, a considerable and broad education."

It then launches into the remarkable experience of a person who passed a
high school equivalency exam after only a grade 9 education.

Watchtower 06/15/88 p32:
"Helpful as guides to daily living. That is what a woman from
Toronto, Canada, called the publications of the Watchtower Bible
and Tract Society. She added: "I am a university graduate,
and I must shockingly admit that I have learned much more through
your publications than through all my years of study."

She's not the only one who's shocked by that admission.

The same article was repeated, almost word for word, in the
Watchtower of 02/15/91, p32. Even the picture was the same.
So, now we know the memory capacity of a witness - 2 years,
8 months.

So, an offhand comment about high school, gradually grows into
a statement of precise fact regarding university. The WT, once
again, creates something out of nothing.

Really, people, if you can get the equivalent of a degree from
a WT magazine, then National Geographic should be mailing
me my doctorate any day now.