leff@smu.UUCP (11/24/83)
#N:smu:17100002:000:2360 smu!leff Nov 23 17:05:00 1983 In net.cse there was a comment raised that teacher's need more pay among other things such as better working conditions, more respect, more interested and/or intelligent students, more money to buy equipment and supplies, smaller class size, more autonomy, better or less administrators, etc. I pointed out that many people here at SMU studying for the ministry left high paying jobs in accounting, computer science and engineering to study for the ministry. If we compare that to computer science B. S's these people are making more of a sacrifice than a computer scientist would make to study for the Ph.D. and go into teaching. Most of the students studying for the ministry receive no financial aid. Most reasonable C. S. students receive an assistantship. A Ph. D. in computer science would make more than a minister, even in a fairly low paying University. * An answer was given that a person studying for the ministry feels a call from GOD. The question why is the call from GOD to preach greater than the call to teach An atheist who believes in following 'humanism' or morals could feel the call to serve his fellow human as a teacher as greatly as a theist could feel a call from GOD. At least those who argue that humanism is as powerful a religion or belief than a theistic religion should see that. Other fields that should attract this attention should be lawyers, doctors, nurses, social workers. Also some religions would feel that GOD can be served well by serving one's fellow human in some capacity. I mentioned this to some of the people studying here for the ministry and they felt they were following a call. One minister and one person who was not were a little more crass arguing that they would be rewarded in the afterlife and that GOD would take care of them. Kind of like an entrepreneur working hard for low wages so he make a good killing later. I believe this sort of crassness is the exception rather than the rule. I know of no major argument in the churches that preachers should get more pay, at least not as great as that for teachers. * The Wall Street Journal also did an article on people following vocations. More older people are going into the ministry some from extremely high paying sales positions or medical practices, etc. We don't see this happening in other helping professions.