A question for Jehovah's Witness: What is the official policy regarding education?

Question

Just curious about what the JW policy is on education, particularly college and higher education?

Also is the policy the same for men and women?

zvezda_soleil
Your answer helped to shed some light on an onging conflict, thank you. Much appreciated.

Thanks to all who answered earnestly.

Answer 1

If you are preforming up to Witness standard, there is no time to have a higher education....

Being an active publisher means 5 meetings a week, family bible study,daily texts,reading all Watchtower literature,conducting bible study with others,going door to door.

It is an all consuming life style, so if you can keep up with all of that, I guess some schooling would be OK, as long as you do not learn to think for yourself.

Answer 2

As a JW of 40 5 years.... and having had a beard approximately 0.5 that element., I surely have been discriminated against in a minimum of 70% of the Congregations I surely have linked with. Jehovah's Witnesses attempt very problematic as a human beings to apply reason and Scripture because of the fact the muse for their ideals and movements ... that's what initially attracts them to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. regrettably ... there is not any the place else which you will actually flow to sidestep utilized stupidity, or i could have left years in the past. confident..this is incorrect to require issues that are no longer scripturaly based. Of the seventy seven% (Pugh Survey) of those that was Jehovah's Witnesses that have dropped or been thrown out, many elementary hearted human beings have supply up because of the fact they might use their powers of reason, and end that as quickly as stupid stuff is enforced, their own integrity is extra substantial. If there have been everywhere else to flow .... i could have left years in the past, however the fact from God's be conscious that, stupid because of the fact the fact sounds, in effortless terms Jehovah's Witnesses have as an prepared faith, would be unable to be chanced on someplace else. So, I publish with the petty tyranny of unreasoning human beings, because of the fact ... alongside with the mountains of rubbish that i'm meant to hold around that's no longer mandatory .. there is the diamond of certainty in there additionally it somewhat is unique to Jehovah's call human beings. The beard factor is a heavy, un-mandatory burden for adult males who can reason. in case you already know someplace else that has a extra suitable certainty, i'm all ears .. yet as an engineer, i are conscious of it somewhat is extremely, very unbelievable. Sigh. [e-mail]

Answer 3

There is no "official policy". Jehovah's Witnesses do put the worship of Jehovah first in their lives. All else is of secondary importance. (Hebrews 12:1) Our families, like all others, decide how much education is appropriate for ourselves and our children.

Answer 4

Offical policy on education????
What do you mean?

In my personal opnion, ..... I feel that education is a "must have" how are we as witnesses of the Most High able to teach others when we are unable to understand the basic tenets of the Bible ourselves? True, Jehovah gives His spirit to those who love and serve Him.....we read many accounts of that in the Bible....one example was Moses who had a speech impediment and felt unworthy to speak in Jehovah's behalf.

We represent our God in many ways. Our appearance speaks volumes and so does the upkeep of our homes and families and property.....our speech and how we conduct ourselves; all of these things speak of our high regard and love for Jehovah. Therefore being educated should also show that we have discipline to to set goals and accomplish them.

All of my children went to college, and they are good and decent individuals. The "world " can only have as much pull on you as you let it.
Some witness parents discourage their children from going to college,.......but then that's a personal choice, and they are entitled to that.
Did I answer your question???? I hope I didn't confuse you in any way.......remember, this is my opinion only, and I can't speak for the others.
Peace

Answer 5

There is no set "policy". Young JWs are just encouraged to put spiritual goals (which includes our ministry; Matthew 28:19,20) first, and secular goals second. And that goes for any gender.

Answer 6

For Jehovah's Witnesses, it's a gray area. You're supposed to concentrate completely on spreading the "good news", which means going door-to-door as much as you can and only doing what you have to do to support yourself and your dependents. The mindset is supposed to be to find a job to support you while you do the real work of preaching, not a career to make you more money or to find fulfillment. So, if you have to go to school to get the skills to get a job to modestly support yourself and/or your family, that's okay, but if you're going to school because you want to learn or because you want to have a career more challenging than fry cooker or automechanic, you'll probably get a talking-to from the elders.

So, basically there is no policy, but, in the congregation I grew up in, the implied thing was to get your high school diploma and nothing more.

At church and in our publications, we had people set out for us as examples who did things like turn down full-ride scholarships in order to preach more. Anything above high school is just tolerated, and the ideal is to be homeschooled with as much time as possible spent preaching.

As for the gender difference, there is no set policy, as I said before, and both men and women are discouraged from pursuing a higher education. However, there is a great deal of gender difference in the culture: the man is the head of his household, it is his responsibility to bring in income to support his wife and children, women are not allowed to speak directly to the congregation, etc., so I think it would be fair to say that women are slightly more discouraged than men.

JWs are really great people...just different.

I hope this answers your question.

Answer 7

Jehovah's Witnesses Men and Women can receive almost any type of education they want, but they have to make sure it doesn't effect them from attending meetings and doing field service work. Many Witnesses goto school and so forth, but it they still find time to serve God.

Answer 8

Like most parents J's W's want their children to make the most of their schooling. To that end, they teach their children to cooperate w/ their teachers.
In return, Witness parents & their children appreciate it when educators treat them w/ understanding & respect.
Like all parents, J's W's are concerned about their
children's future.
They therefore attach great importance to education.
"Education should help ppl become useful members of society. It should also help them develop an appreciation of their cultural heritage & live more satisfying lives"
As this quotation from The World Book Encyclopedia suggests, 1 of the main aims of schooling is to train children for day-to-day living, which includes enabling them to care for the needs of a family 1 day.
J's W's believe this is a sacred responsibility.
The Bible itself says: "Certainly if anyone does not provide for those who are his own, & especially for those who are members of his own household, he has disowned the faith & is worse than a person w/out faith."(1 Tim 5:8)
Witnesses endeavor to live by the Bible command:
"Whatever you do, work at it w/ all ur heart, as though u were working for the Lord & not men." (Col 3:23 TEV)
This principle applies to all aspects of daily life,
including school.
Witnesses thus encourage their youngsters to work hard
& to take seriously the tasks assigned to them @ school.

What About Supplementary Education?
Bc of new tech., the job market is constantly changing.
As a result, many youngsters will have to work in areas or trades in which they have no specific training.
That being the case, their work habits & personal training,
in particular their ability to adapt to change,
will be even more valuable to them.
Accordingly, it is better that students become adults
having a Renaissance essayist Montaigne expressed it,
'a well-made head rather than a well-filled head."
Clearly, a balanced education should take into account that more than material prosperity is needed to make us truly happy. Jesus Christ said: "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matt 4:4 International Version)
As Christians, J's W's appreciate the importance of developing moral & spiritual qualities as well as preparing themselves to care for their material needs.

Educational Programs.
Bc of the importance they attach to their Bible educational work, some may think that they are not interested in secular education. But that is not the case. To teach others, a teacher must 1st learn, & this requires proper training & instruction. So in addition to making good use of secular schooling, J's W's have for many years benefited from various educational programs & schools operated by the Watch Tower Society. These have helped Witnesses & others to improve themselves mentally, morally & spititually.
Reading is warmly encouraged w/in their congregations,
& each family is likewise encouraged to have a family library w/ a wide range of publications.

The Role of Parents.
Without a doubt, raising children to be balanced adults in today's society is no easy task.
The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health published the results of a survey of parents who were considered successful--those whose children aged over 21, "were all productive adults who were apparently adjusting well to society." These parents were asked: 'Based on your personal experience, what is the best advice you could give to other parents?' the most frequent responses were these: 'Love abundantly,'
'discipline constructively,'
'spend time together,'
'teach your children right from wrong,'
'develop mutual respect'
'really listen to them'
'offer guidance rather than a speech,'
and 'be realistic.'
Parents, however, are not alone in working to produce well-adjusted young adults. Eduators too play a key role in this. An experienced school counselor observed: "the primary objective of formal education is to support parents in producing responsible young adults who are well-developed intellectually, physically, & emotionally.

I see nothing here that indicates J's W's being against formal education. Furthering your secular education would depend on what you want to do for a living; if your family has to $ for college, did u earn a scholarship etc...
And in the survey released by the Mental Health Inst.,
I didn't see the successful parents comment that
"you must send your child(ren) off to college."

Answer 9

There are no official policies, only Bible-based suggestions; here are a few -

How Jehovah’s Witnesses View Education.

Like all parents, Jehovah’s Witnesses are concerned about their children’s future. They therefore attach great importance to education. “Education should help people become useful members of society. It should also help them develop an appreciation of their cultural heritage and live more satisfying lives.”

AS THIS quotation from ;The World Book Encyclopedia; suggests, one of the main aims of schooling is to train children for day-to-day living, which includes enabling them to care for the needs of a family one day. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe this is a sacred responsibility. The Bible itself says: “Certainly if anyone does not provide for those who are his own, and especially for those who are members of his household, he has disowned the faith and is worse than a person without faith.” (1 Timothy 5:8.) The years spent at school prepare children for the responsibilities they will take on in life. Accordingly, Witnesses feel that education should be taken very seriously.

Witnesses endeavor to live by the Bible command: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for men.” (Colossians 3:23, 'Today’s English Version.') This principle applies to all aspects of daily life, including school. Witnesses thus encourage their youngsters to work hard and to take seriously the tasks assigned to them at school.

The Bible also teaches submission to the laws of the land in which one lives. So when schooling is obligatory up to a certain age, Jehovah’s Witnesses comply with this law.—Romans 13:1-7.
While not minimizing the importance of training for day-to-day living, the Bible shows that this is neither the only nor the principal goal of education. A successful education should also foster in children the joy of living and help them to take their place in society as well-balanced individuals. They believe that healthy relaxation, music, hobbies, physical exercise, visits to libraries and museums, and so forth, play an important part in a balanced education. In addition, they teach their children to respect older persons and to seek opportunities to do them a service.
What About Supplementary Education?

Because of new technology, the job market is constantly changing. As a result, many youngsters will have to work in areas or in trades in which they have had no specific training. That being the case, their work habits and personal training, in particular their ability to adapt to change, will be even more valuable to them. Accordingly, it is better that students become adults having, as Renaissance essayist Montaigne expressed it, ‘a well-made head rather than a well-filled head.’

Unemployment, affecting both rich and poor lands, often threatens young people who are insufficiently qualified. Therefore, if the job market calls for training in addition to the minimum required by law, it is up to the parents to guide their children in making a decision about supplementary education, weighing both the potential benefits and the sacrifices that such additional studies would entail.

However, you will likely agree that success in life involves more than just material prosperity. In recent times men and women whose whole lives had become absorbed in their careers lost everything upon losing their jobs. Some parents have sacrificed their family life and the time that they could have spent with their children, missing out on helping them to grow up, because they were consumed by secular work.

Clearly, a balanced education should take into account that more than material prosperity is needed to make us truly happy. Jesus Christ stated: “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4, 'New International Version.')

“Education should help people become useful members of society. It should also help them develop an appreciation of their cultural heritage and live more satisfying lives.”—'The World Book Encyclopedia.'

Healthy relaxation, music, hobbies, physical exercise, and visits to libraries and museums all play an important part in a balanced education.

If you would like further information, please get in touch with Jehovah's Witnesses at the local Kingdom Hall. Or visit

Answer 10

There used to be, but now there is no official policy, per se, against higher education. Still, young ones are actively discouraged from pursuing higher education so that they can focus more on preaching from door to door. I secretly applied to go to college, and I was afraid to tell my parents about my decision. When I did, I was chastised by the elders.