New Light on Education
For 88 years, from 1904 to 1992, The Watchtower Society discouraged higher education.
(From: Investigator No. 43 1995 July)
B J Kotwall
For 88 years, from 1904 to 1992, The Watchtower Society (WTS) discouraged higher education:
“…by guiding their children away from so-called ‘higher education’, these parents spare their children exposure to an increasing demoralizing atmosphere…”
(Awake! 1967 June 8 p.8)
“Many schools now have student counselors who encourage one to pursue higher education after high school, to pursue a career with a future in this system of things. Do not be influenced by them. Do not let them ‘brainwash’ you with the Devil’s propaganda to get ahead, to make something of yourself in this world. The world has very little time left! Any ‘future’ this world offers is no future… Make pioneer service, the full-time ministry, with possibility of Bethel or missionary service your goal. This is a life that offers an everlasting future!”
(The Watchtower1969 March 15 p. 17)
“Therefore as a young person, you will never fulfill any career that this system offers. If you are in high school and thinking about a college career, 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.”
(Awake! 1969 May-22 p.15)
After 88 years of vehemently discouraging youngsters from higher education and even saying that encouragement to such education is “the Devil’s propaganda” the WTS has apparently received “new light”:
“…no hard and fast rules should be made either for or against extra education… If Christian parents responsibly decide to provide their children with further education after high school, that is their prerogative.”
(The Watchtower 1992 November 1 p. 20)“Countless youths fresh out of school…are finding that they cannot obtain the kind of employment they had anticipated… an increasing number of (school) graduates are heading back to school rather than to the workplace. Indeed the rewards seem attractive… College graduates receive degrees that can open the door to employment opportunities… All Christians therefore, are keenly interested in education.”
(Awake! 1994 August 22 pp. 3-9)
The reasons given for the above about-face are that some schools are not giving students an adequate education and jobs today require higher levels of skills. (Awake! 1994 August 22 p. 3)
Nowhere in these 1992 & 1994 articles is acknowledgment or apology made for having previously misguided youngsters and lured them away from higher education with false predictions. Around 1970 the WTS was predicting the end of the world in about 1975—which obviously failed! (Jehovah’s Witnesses: A Statistical Survey 1992 p. 201)
Why has the WTS made this turnabout on higher education?
My guess is that it’s a part of the process of easing over predictions for the 1914 generation which has all but passed away without Armageddon in sight. (J Ws: A Statistical Survey, pp. 199, 201, 213.)
There is also the predictions of Armageddon “within our twentieth century”. (The Nations Shall Know… 1971 p. 216)
0pposition to higher education was in part a consequence of such prophecies. Getting the “higher education” fiasco out of the way might make future prophetic adjustments less embarrassing and condemnatory for the WTS.
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
“…almost all of the students have become agnostics or infidels.”
(CHILDREN 1941 pp. 17, 41)
“All this study put into many books which do not issue forth through Jehovah’s Theocratic Organization, has merely wearied mankind…
(J W Yearbook 1946 Text for November 23)
“…going to college or university would be a waste of precious time that could be used to aid honest hearted ones to gain accurate knowledge…”
(The Watchtower 1985 January 1 p.27)
“…they are subjected to a constant onslaught of ungodly ideas at college while separated from other Christians.”
(The Watchtower 1982 July 15 p.14)
And now its changed again!!
I feel like its ground hog day. I pioneered all through the 90’s and up until 2003 and wondered why there was a change in 92 regarding education and then a lot of quite over pioneering. For years it was not really pushed, then BANG!
Last year, education is out, pioneering is the only way forward!!!
Do these guys spin a bottle or what???
The sensible thing to do about education is not to allow doctrinal matters to make the decision for you. If a religion is going to make your decisions for you, then it is probably going to be the wrong one. The best decision should focus on (1) What are you most interested in, (2) What do you do the best, and (3) What are you qualified for. For instance, it does no good to get a college education if you are not able to read well–learning to read comes first. And you will not qualify for college if you do poorly in school. Finally, if you are bored with a subject or find the material too difficult, you are going to flunk out.
This is no decision that you can afford to let a group of old men in Brooklyn make for you. The Witnesses are notorious for flipflopping with their doctrines. What they say now is not likely to be what they say 20 years from now. I have seen this myself–in 1992, they allowed adherents to go to college with the understanding that it is to pioneer. Is that what you really want to do with your life?
In order for society to function, it takes people to create value in all areas. Some make great mathematicians, and these should go to college for math. Others are excellent in construction and may stink at science, and might choose not to go. But, for any religious or governmental group to take that freedom away from its members is a guarantee that people are going to suffer. It is best if you make the decision yourself, using your aptitudes and financial situation be the best guide. Do not allow your religion to make that decision for you, especially one that keeps changing its mind as Jehovah’s Witnesses have.
Sure, just in time for those that should have gone to college to miss out. And those who missed out are not supposed to feel bad because of some specious reasoning that they were faithful to what they thought was required.
I only hope that the Watchtower Society starts picking up the Welfare bills for these people. I would like to see this end up in a Time magazine that is going to be seen by hundreds of millions of people in the doctors’ and dentists’ waiting rooms, for months to come. These people are forced to take up part time employment to pioneer, and they are not trained to do more than run a cleaning business. (I wonder what is going to happen if I come up with the technology to keep things from ever getting dirty in the first place).
I have heard that they are now getting strict about education again. They feel that the same education that may help people make some money is also going to wise them up to what is going on. Apparently they care more about keeping the cult going on then they do about people’s welfare. I can only hope that someone puts together a special issue of Time magazine with all the sins that the Watchtower Society has committed, from the education debacle to the pedophile situation and others, print up about 100 million copies, and place them at every waiting room in the country. That ought to make people think before joining or giving. And then, if no one joins, they will have no ability to keep people from going to college or getting a good job.