[Freedom]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

That was your experience, but I don't think it is the norm. There are those that I know who went to the FTT with the full intention of maintaining their career ambitions and have progressed further in their career as doctors, dentists or engineers since completing the FTT, with full blessing of their parents and elders who are also full time professionals.

And just what is the norm in the LC? My experience was that people were trying to practice what WL taught. WL's teaching was that everyone should seek the highest education, then be willing to throw it away.

Originally Posted by Evangelical

There is a simple practical reason that refutes many of the claims made here about the FTT being intended only for those who want to serve full time - who is going to pay for all of them?? For this reason, it is not practical or realistic to assume that it is assumed that every person who attends FTT will not pursue their career. It is also encouraged that people attain as high as they can in their education and be testimonies to those in their chosen professional career. Also, the financial health of the church partly depends upon members having good paying jobs so why would they try to discourage that?

It would seem like that is the case, but that is not what I ever observed. Where I'm from, the amount the church was spending was not in any way correlated to what people were giving. That's because the main source of funding for the church was several wealthy brothers. I suspect there are similar situations in other places as well.