Higher Education & Religion

[Surgenator]

I was waiting at lobby for my car to get fix. Next to me was the magazine Awake published by the Jehovah's Witnesses. I skimmed through it and laughted at some of its articles. Then I stumbled on a quote made by a pastor in Africa, "We never encouraged the children to pursue higher secular education." At first I though this might of been a random case. I checked the Jehovah's witnesses's website, and found this gem.

Slave for Jehovah

Dedicated Christians live for God’s will, not Satan’s. Their delight is in the law of Jehovah, and they meditate on it day and night. (Read Psalm 1:1-3.) However, many of today’s educational courses allow little time for a servant of Jehovah to meditate and to satisfy his spiritual need.

Higher education, with its emphasis on academic study, often produces graduates who have few or no practical skills, leaving them unprepared to deal with the realities of life. By contrast, Jehovah’s servants choose education that helps them to develop the necessary skills so that they can maintain a simple life of service to God.

In their article, they are clearly against higher education unless if it's their higher education.

Is religion, in general, afraid of higher education? Opinions and insults welcomed.

[FatAndFaithless]

Well, it's no new thing that as people become more educated, they become less religious, so they might be trying to scare people away from higher education (which might lead to them leaving the faith) by creating the boogeyman of "you won't be prepared for the real world!". However, according to them the only 'real world' is the world within their bizarre religious doctrines, so obviously anything besides their version of education isn't going to prepare people for their 'real world'.

TL;DR: yes, in general religiosity does down as education increases. I actually just read an article by a catholic "family values" group which gave the top 8 reasons not to let your daughter go to college.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

I think religion is afraid of education per se.

It's not a coincidence that religions tend to flourish in poorer communities than more affluent ones where education tends to be better.

That said, there is a slither of truth to the Jovo pahmphlet. HE in more recent times doesn't furnish students with a grasp of the reality they will be confronted with once they've graduated, especially if they're not a vocational degree (engineering, medicine etc). As universities have become more akin to businesses there's an emphasis in churning out any old degree just so long as the tuition fees are paid into the university coffers.

But that's another debate, and it's laughable that such a bizarre sect of Christianity like the Jovo's think they're better placed than the personal enrichment that can be attained through studying to advanced levels in subjects one enjoys.

[Minimalist]

An old concept.....shouted by their "founder."

“I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth.” ― Martin Luther

How very "Boko Haramish" of him!

[Tonus]

Is religion, in general, afraid of higher education?

The JWs are a doomsday cult, constantly warning the membership that the end of the "present system of things" is near. As in "any day now" near. As in "it could be tomorrow" near. As in "why the fuck won't god wipe these assholes out already" near.

Basically, anything that takes time away that could be spent waking people up on a weekend morning is bad, because what if you're in college learning something useless like biology (fucking darwinists!!!) and Jesus comes riding down out of the clouds with a sword hanging out of his mouth, ready to kick ass for the lord? Learn something useful like carpentry or masonry, so you can build houses on the carcasses of the wicked.

[Surgenator]

That said, there is a slither of truth to the Jovo pahmphlet. HE in more recent times doesn't furnish students with a grasp of the reality they will be confronted with once they've graduated, especially if they're not a vocational degree (engineering, medicine etc). As universities have become more akin to businesses there's an emphasis in churning out any old degree just so long as the tuition fees are paid into the university coffers.

I don't think it's the education itself that changes someones beliefs. The combination of compartmentalization and flat-out-denial is enough to ignore what is written in textbooks. What chips away their worldview is the people they interact with. Since secular schools are filled with people with all kinds of beliefs, people are very likely to interact with others who hold a different view.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

That said, there is a slither of truth to the Jovo pahmphlet. HE in more recent times doesn't furnish students with a grasp of the reality they will be confronted with once they've graduated, especially if they're not a vocational degree (engineering, medicine etc). As universities have become more akin to businesses there's an emphasis in churning out any old degree just so long as the tuition fees are paid into the university coffers.

I don't think it's the education itself that changes someones beliefs. The combination of compartmentalization and flat-out-denial is enough to ignore what is written in textbooks. What chips away their worldview is the people they interact with. Since secular schools are filled with people with all kinds of beliefs, people are very likely to interact with others who hold a different view.

I agree but it was referring more to phenomenon such as the cohort effect whereby a doubt sown into the minds of generally better educated people tends to lead to less religion in successive generations.

But I think you're spot on with your reply above.

[RobbyPants]

Is religion, in general, afraid of higher education?

There is a negative correlation between the two.

[Alex K]

The Jesuits always seemed to have a nag for high education. I wonder where they fit in...

During my time living in the bible belt I was close with some YECs who went through great pains to send their kids to the best education they could manage, moving to the best HS in the area, later supporting them to go to renowned unis. It's not all black and white.

[RobbyPants]

During my time living in the bible belt I was close with some YECs who went through great pains to send their kids to the best education they could manage, moving to the best HS in the area, later supporting them to go to renowned unis. It's not all black and white.

Sure, it's not a guarantee; it just correlates. Hell, you can't even infer causality from that. A popular interpretation of that data is that kids get indoctrinated during their higher education, which makes them less religious.

Most YECs that I've talked to for any length of time are fairly well educated. They tend to know enough about science to make it sound like they know what they're saying and to obfuscate when they've crossed from science to pseudoscience. If you want a great example of this, talk to a modern geocentrist and get them to explain why gravity doesn't exist.