Jehovah's Witnesses and college

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Yep, that’s true! I participated at a couple of those shindigs. I just helped with the food - making some of it and serving. One of those occasions involved my own Kingdom Hall (i.e. church). Due to losing members, it has since been disbanded, and the property was sold. It’s a weird thing to remember because during the KH dedication sermon many tears were shed. It was like people were trying to see how weird and culty they could be. Then just 15 years later the KH was sold. Remaining members had to travel further to attend services. They tried to act happy with the “arrangement.” It’s like you have to have an extremely short memory and be forever positive about ALL changes and orders from the big wigs as a Jehovah’s Witness. You can’t admit, even to yourself, that some of the dudes comprising the leadership are as*holes. *backs away from that train of thought*

Anyway, KHs utilize the labor of volunteers, and members pay for the KH. Every month, the accounts are read from the podium, and if the KH is in the hole with the loan and/or expenses, members donate more.

When the KH is sold, the money goes to the Watchtower. They’ve been paying a lot in CSA lawsuits, so I’m sure such money comes in handy.

The organization operates like a pyramid scheme.

Given how Jehovah's Witnesses are very, well, I want to say reclusive, but that's not the word I'm looking for - (it is pretty much a cult from my understanding, so they discourage outside interaction) I'm very surprised to hear how many of them go to public school instead of being homeschooled. I've always wanted to hear from an ex-JW as to why that is. I have listened to Owen Morgan a lot (I got into him because he also covers the Trump worshiping prosperity gospel scam charlatans that I've unfortunately been acquainted with) in the past. He is an ex-JW and talks about it a lot, but went to public school and I know many others have.

I really like Owen! (He went to public school until halfway through 7th grade and then started “homeschooling.” He returned to school when he was 16 - a year behind his peers.)

Most JW kids do go to public school. I went to elementary school, except in 4th grade, but solely homeschooled from 6th grade on up. Anyway, JW kids are supposed to preach to fellow students - a demographic adults can’t reach. They’re also supposed to be setting a good example to spark adults’ interest in the religion. When I homeschooled, some JW parents in my church acted like I should be in school, so I could preach there. I didn’t preach to fellow students in elementary school, but I felt guilty about not doing it from time to time.

Scriptures like Acts 20:25-27 were drilled into me: “And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again. 26 Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.”

In other words, if you don’t try to convert people, you could be considered “bloodguilty” (according to the JW interpretation of scripture).

I watched a video put out by some former JW's and she said her kingdom hall was bashing her because she went to nursing school locally.Is that common?Are some really extreme JW's opposed to nursing school.It seems like they could get more tithing revenue as a church if the membership was more educated but I guess thats not the JW business model.

Most JWs are okay with nursing school as long as it’s a basic degree. They are cool with a 2 year degree to be an LPN but not a 4 year degree to be an RN. Of course, some Kingdom Halls are more or less strict/judgmental than others depending on their specific elders.

They are against more education because most educated folks can’t maintain JW beliefs. I couldn’t. Many JWs who get bachelor’s degrees end up leaving. It’s also really rare to convert an educated person. Most people they convert are poor, poorly educated, and disenfranchised in some way. All of that stuff contributes to their negative view of education.

Ya I knew a JW kid when I was in junior high but he never tried to preach to me or evangelize to me.Sometimes I wonder what happened to him after all these years.Its sad because I thought we were friends but looking back on it we were not because I dont think JW kids can be friends with classmates that are not JW or at least thats what I heard online.

Yep, they are discouraged from being friends with “worldly people” - what they typically call nonbelievers. If JW kids happen to mention a worldly friend to a believing adult, they’ll often be corrected with: “You can’t be friends with worldly people. They are just acquaintances.” I heard that one myself in elementary school. There are rare exceptions in less strict families, but their leadership is very clear and firm about this stuff. It leads to a lot of loneliness because Kingdom Halls won’t always have that many (or sometimes any) kids of the same age or with the same interests. When friends in my KH moved away, there was a long time where I didn’t have any friends which isn’t that unusual. Such kids are often encouraged by the Watchtower to become close to some of the “older ones” in the congregation. I suspect that this precept may have played some small role in their pervasive problems with CSA.

Oh okay.That "older one" thing reminds me of the International Church of Christ where everyone had mentors they had to confess all their sins to.

JWs are supposed to confess what’s considered major sins to elders. Then there’s a mock trial (“Judicial Committee”) in which they determine your guilt, “heart condition,” and what your punishment will be if they think it’s warranted. I’ve been there. as*holes.

For lesser sins like masturbation, JWs are encouraged to talk to older ones, but in this instance, young women can talk to older women if they are more comfortable with it. I’ve known guys who actually confessed to elders about that in particular because they were indoctrinated to feel guilty about something that was perfectly normal and harmless. The hold that religion has on people never ceases to amaze me.

Ya at my church people are encouraged to come forward on sunday mornings in front of the whole church after the sermon.Also at this time the elder reads a confession letter to the church on a sunday morning from the church listing what sin they are struggling with and have a prayer for them.I have seen it happen so many times and its a very routine thing in the church of Christ.I thought I was going to have to go forward because I had a beer with people from church when we celebrated my friend's 21st birthday by going to a restaurant for drinks.