Jehovah’s Witnesses and Education – A Brief History

“It is only the ignorant who despise education.” —Publilius Syrus, Moral Sayings, first century B.C.E. – As quoted in Awake! of March 8, 1998

Once again, parents among Jehovah’s Witnesses have some tough decisions to make with respect to the education of their children. In its October 1, 2005 issue of The Watchtower, the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society (hereafter WTS) has published an article entitled Parents-What Future Do You Want for Your Children? With this article, the WTS has evidently decided to attempt to reverse, at least to some extent, a landmark change that was presented in the November 1, 1992 issue of that same magazine.

The goal of this essay is to acquaint the reader with approximately 40 years’ worth of history on this topic. It is written from the perspective of the United States of America or other similarly educated country, for two reasons. First; that this is the environment with which the author is familiar and, Second; that this is clearly the environment the article was written to address (see paragraph 6 of the referenced article and associated question). The hope is to put the question of education, or more accurately “higher education”, into the context of overall Jehovah’s Witness culture and belief.

1966
In the publication Life Everlasting—In Freedom of the Sons of God, the year 1975 is held forth as the end of 6,000 years of human history. For Jehovah’s Witnesses accustomed to believing that the Thousand-Year reign of Christ (the “Millennium”) would follow shortly after the conclusion of this 6,000-year period, this date engenders a sense of extreme excitement and urgency. It also leads to a “date-oriented” view towards many other matters of life, including housing, planning ahead for the later years of life and, yes, education.

1969
With respect to the question of how youths among Jehovah’s Witnesses just finishing high school should plan the next years of their lives, The Watchtower states the following:

w69 3/15 p. 171 What Influences Decisions in Your Life?
The influence and spirit of this world is to get ahead, to make a name for oneself. Many schools now have student counselors who encourage one to pursue higher education after high school, to pursue a career with a future in this system of things. Do not be influenced by them. Do not let them “brainwash” you with the Devil’s propaganda to get ahead, to make something of yourself in this world. This world has very little time left! Any “future” this world offers is no future! Wisely, then, let God’s Word influence you in selecting a course that will result in your protection and blessing. Make pioneer service, the full-time ministry, with the possibility of Bethel or missionary service your goal. This is a life that offers an everlasting future!

1970 – 1975
The 1975 expectations build to a “fever pitch.” The phrase “stay alive till seventy-five” is coined.

Some Witnesses adopt extreme viewpoints and engage in unwise behavior, such as taking on debt they never intended to repay or foregoing helpful, even necessary, medical treatment.

While the WTS did not necessarily advocate these extreme views or actions, they certainly do nothing to dampen the urgency of 1975 in other areas, including decisions with long-term consequences related to housing, finances, employment, and education. Long-time Witnesses may remember this comment from Our Kingdom Ministry:

km 5/74 p. 3 How Are You Using Your Life?
Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world’s end. (Bold mine)

The view of education in the midst of that environment continues to be about what one might expect:

w71 9/15 p. 563 Set Apart from the World
All worldly careers are soon to come to an end. So, why should today’s youth get interested in ‘higher education’ for a future that will never eventuate? The colleges are falling into chaos, anyway. The essentials of education for a useful life can be obtained by studying well at high school, and beyond that there is also the ‘highest education’ that Jehovah provides through his organization, preparing for a satisfying career of full-time service that goes on forever.

1976 – 1992
The year 1975 comes and goes, and it becomes clear that the hoped-for events with respect to “the end” had not come to pass.

Despite this, the negative view of education continues, even toughens. The few that do send their children to college are viewed askance by most of their brother and sisters. The WTS keeps the pressure on parents to conform, as illustrated by the following quote from 1987:

w87 12/1 pp. 13-14 Fear of God—Can It Benefit You?
Parents must also strive to impress on the minds and hearts of their children that they themselves, as parents, are “fearers of Jehovah.” (Psalm 22:23) One way in which they can do this is by applying theocratic counsel when training and disciplining their children. This is the third factor to be considered. Ask yourself: . . . ‘Have I accepted what has been said by Jehovah’s organization about higher education?’ ‘Am I instructing my children accordingly?’ ‘Are the goals that I have set for my children ones that will help them to have “godly fear”?’ (Bold mine)

Does this view of education within the organization yield good fruitage? Not in all cases. While accounts can always be related concerning “exceptional” young ones, the reality for a larger percentage of Witness youth is not as stellar. Early marriages become more and more common, where two young Witnesses, often fresh out of high school, decide to marry at 18 or 19 years of age. Poorly prepared to deal with the workplace or the “real world” in general, many suffer. The situation worsens if children follow shortly behind. Witnesses that enter middle-age begin to find their education a real limitation with respect to the options available to them. Those that were able to work at some form of physical labor while in their 20’s discover that they can’t keep up the pace as their bodies age and begin to break down. Others, due to their limited education and the correspondingly limited wages they are able to command, find themselves having to work two jobs, or overtime, just to keep up. Finally, many face their later years without anything approaching sufficient preparation for retirement. These find themselves working well into their 70’s, even 80’s, in some cases at physical labor, since this is all they have known.

1992
Is the above description of the prevailing environment simply the opinion of this author? Keeping in mind that admissions of difficulties within the organization are always couched in the gentlest of terms, consider these comments from a watershed article that appeared in the November 1, 1992 issue of The Watchtower.

w92 11/1 pp. 15-21 Education With a Purpose
How much education does a young Christian need in order to respect these Bible principles and meet his Christian obligations? This varies from country to country. By and large, however, it seems that the general trend in many lands is that the level of schooling required to earn decent wages is now higher than it was a few years ago. Reports received from branches of the Watch Tower Society in different parts of the world indicate that in many places it is difficult to find jobs with decent wages after completing simply the minimum schooling required by law or in some countries even after finishing secondary or high school. (Bold mine)

Space does not allow quoting extensively from that article. But suffice it to say that the article faced head-on, and dealt with, the real-world situations existing among Jehovah’s Witnesses. It dealt with the typical questions that had been directed at parents who wished to send their children to college, such as: Is higher education really necessary? Won’t this be expensive? Won’t certain college courses tear down their faith? What about the moral environment in the colleges?

While providing encouragement that a youth not allow this to turn them aside from serving Jehovah -- even stating at one point that extra education would be “with the specific goal of full-time service” -- the article was fair, balanced and realistic. Careful readers noticed that the concepts in the article had relevance even for those not in full-time service. For example, in an apparent acknowledgment regarding the circumstances that affected older, married brothers with families, the article stated:

w92 11/1 pp. 15-21 Education With a Purpose
If married, a man should be able to provide properly for his wife and any children that may be born, with a little extra to give to those in need and to support the local and worldwide preaching work.

1995 – approximately 2001
In The Watchtower of November 1, 1995, the WTS alters their long-held understanding of “this generation.” The idea that the “generation” Jesus spoke of is tied to 1914 is removed, although the year 1914 is still stressed as important.

During the subsequent months, the concept that “we don’t serve for a date” takes on greater emphasis. Many observe that evidence of a “kinder, gentler” organization begins to appear in the publications. Love is emphasized to a greater degree; at least some allowance for freedom of conscience seems to be promoted, leading to hope of a “softening” in certain rigid positions.

In this environment, the general attitude toward education stays positive. While comments are occasionally heard which reveal a less than complete understanding of the changes, these tend to be minimal. Positive comments, even entire articles, with respect to education continue to appear in the publications in the years that follow. As just one example, here is a brief excerpt from an article that appeared in the March 8, 1998 issue of Awake!:

g98 3/8 The Bible’s Viewpoint: Does the Bible Discourage Education?
A Matter of Personal Choice
Just as was true in the first century, a wide variety of educational backgrounds exist among Christians today. Under the guidance of their parents, young people who complete their obligatory schooling may choose to pursue additional secular education. Likewise, adults interested in improving their means of providing for their families may view such additional schooling as a viable means to that end. Some aspects of traditional academic education lay emphasis on developing general intellectual capacity rather than professional or vocational skills. Thus, a person may find that even after investing much time in acquiring such an education, he lacks marketable skills. For this reason, some choose to pursue studies in vocational programs or technical schools, with a view to more readily filling actual demands in the job market.

At any rate, such decisions are of a personal nature. Christians ought not to criticize or judge one another on this matter. James wrote: “Who are you to be judging your neighbor?” (James 4:12) If a Christian is considering pursuing additional schooling, he would do well to examine his own motives to make sure that selfish, materialistic interests are not the driving force.

It is apparent that the Bible encourages a balanced view of education. Christian parents recognize the surpassing value of a spiritual education based on God’s inspired Word and give balanced counsel to their children regarding supplementary education. (2 Timothy 3:16) Being realistic about life, they acknowledge the value of secular education in gaining the skills necessary for their grown children to provide for themselves and their future families. Therefore, in determining whether supplementary education is to be pursued, and to what extent, each Christian can make sound personal decisions based on devotion to Jehovah God, which “is beneficial for all things, as it holds promise of the life now and that which is to come.”—1 Timothy 4:8.

Approximately 2001 - 2004
Some start to notice evidence of a ‘negative’ view of higher education reappearing in certain program parts on Special Assembly Days, Circuit Assemblies, and District Conventions. Comments seeming to disparage higher education appear with greater regularity. Whereas, in the 1990’s, youths who were pursuing higher education, while still exemplary in serving Jehovah, were featured on such assembly and convention programs, this seems to decrease. The idea of moving very quickly into “full-time service” right out of high school, or shortly thereafter, seems to make a comeback.

Still, nothing overtly negative appears in the pages of The Watchtower, the official doctrinal journal of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Alert publishers in the ‘field’ start to wonder whether a ‘tug of war’ of sorts is going on at Bethel with respect to this issue.

2005
At the ‘Godly Obedience’ District Conventions, a drama about the life of Timothy is presented. Some take the contrast presented in this drama between Timothy and a fictional contemporary who pursues higher education in the Roman system as further evidence that the organization’s view of “higher” education is once again turning negative. Still, without further commentary in The Watchtower, the matter seems left to some level of interpretation.

That changes with the arrival at Kingdom Halls of the October 1, 2005 issue of The Watchtower, and the article Parents-What Future Do You Want for Your Children?

Meanwhile . . .
The eighteen-year-old who graduated high school in the year 1969 turns fifty-four. He has children that are older than he was that spring day in 1969, when he was told “this world has very little time left.”