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WT Society and JW Organization looking on Education of Priests in "worldly" Schools and Universities who give them Diploma or Credentials, as something that is not needed for serving God in any capacity. It doesn't matter if you are rank and file member or serving as Ministerial servant or an Elder in JW congregation. On the contrary, "higher education", no matter is it question about religious or secular education, is viewed from most JW congregants, as something that is in opposition to God, His Word - Bible, and in fact it is product of corrupted World which is run by devil. For this and some other reasons, WT publications giving advice to members not to go to University to get "higher education". Instead, they say, it is enough to finish Elementary school or some Higher school to be able to get some job that will provide you basic material status. What "flock" need is possible to get, to find through religious educational program provide by WT Society through congregational meetings, courses, some additional programs for specific groups inside organization (pioneers, elders, missionaries, etc.) One specific instrument for education is Gilead School. JW members and leaders are very proud of fact how God provide them best education through Bible and Organization. And how they not need any Credentials or Diploma to be able to prove how they have sufficient knowledge, expertise and ability for handle with Bible and to educate other people about God. Who need peace of paper as proof you have qualification to work in such spiritual field? Jworg web site: Application was made to the U.S. government for foreign students to be admitted under non immigration student visa provisions. In response, the U.S. Office of Education gave recognition to Gilead School as offering education comparable to professional colleges and educational institutions. Thus, since 1953, U.S. consuls throughout the world have had the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead on their list of approved educational institutions. As of April 30, 1954, this school appeared in the publication entitled “Educational Institutions Approved by the Attorney General.” - https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101993032#h=131 WT Society say how "worldly education" is of no worth for future life in Paradise, even more, it is inspired by devil and can corrupt JW young members, WHY this same WT Society had need to be RECOGNIZED by Educational worldly system, about whom they speaking so bad? For JW students who need visa for US to be able to come to Gilead School. This is technical reason. And Gilead School, by this action, found itself on worldly list with all other undesirable institutions who "spiritually corrupting people". Do Gilead School students get some "credentials or diploma" in shape of paper after they successfully finished program? Because they "graduate class".

A 32 year old Bethelite at Warwick, NY was walking along a sidewalk at Bethel, going to the cafeteria for the evening meal, and as he walked along, was in deep prayer to Jehovah God. He said, "Jehovah, you have promised to give me the desires of my heart. That's what I am asking you for right now. Please give me a confirmation that you will reward my faith and service to you.” Suddenly the sky clouded up over his head and God in a booming voice spoke to him. "I have searched your heart and determined it to be pure. The last time I granted someone the desires of his heart request .... it was to my servant Solomon.” “ He didn't disappoint me with his request for wisdom.” “ I think I can trust that you won't disappoint me either. Because you have been faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you the desires of your heart." The Brother sat and thought about it for a while and said, "I've always wanted to have a deep understanding of the Bible, and I have really tried, but I have forsaken a good education, and taken a vow of poverty and cannot afford a car or the classes I need to become an Engineer when my service here at Bethel is up …. could you help me afford a car, and a stipend so I can go to school, and learn to provide for myself and my future family as I get old?" The Lord laughed and said, "That's impossible! Think of the logistics of that! I would have to start creating again to make you a car, and money to use, and get you into a college without any background that would make sense for what you would be learning!” “ … Your request is very materialistic, a little disappointing. I could do it, but it's hard for me to justify your craving for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of another request …. a request you think would honor and glorify Me as well." The Brother thought about it for a long while and tried to think of a really good request. Finally, he said, “Oh God, please hear my request. I was Baptized when I was eight years old, and paid attention all my life, taking notes, reading the Bible, and meditation … but I just cannot understand the “Overlapping Generations” thing. I can’t see how Jesus or the Apostles or any disciples in the Early Church ever understood that, when Jesus was speaking. Can you help me to understand the “Overlapping Generations” Doctrine?” “I want to know what all the other Brothers and Sisters know, what they feel inside and what they're thinking ...I want to know how to be as truly happy as they are, knowing these deep things about You ....That's the wish that I want, Jehovah … my hearts desire." … after a few minutes, God said, "How about a Corvette and a full scholarship to Stanford University?"

My wife and I are planning to see the movie "DUNKIRK" this weekend, and I have seen "Saving Private Ryan", and "Schindler's List", all very violent war movies, and in my opinion very IMPORTANT movies to see. The list of incredibly important movies could fill a notebook. I could probably list 10 off the top of my head .. some important for very different reasons. "The Notebook" comes to mind. Some, merely cultural icons, like the entire STAR WARS and STAR TREK franchises, etc. What has been your actual experience about what kinds of movies the Brotherhood actually sees ?

Luke 10 v 21 In that very hour he became overjoyed in the holy spirit and said: “I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have carefully hidden these things from wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to young children. Yes, O Father, because this is the way you approved. This seems to show that 'higher education' was not needed to learn, understand and teach, the truth from God, at that time. It seems to be a well know thing within the JW Org and by people outside of same, that JW's are 'told' not to aim for higher education. I say told, although some will say strongly advised, with a possible caution of being disfellowshipped. Now I've noticed on here recently that deep conversation about many things has been and is taking place. Politics earthwide. religious beliefs earthwide and the latest thing seems to be Evolution (from a very deep standpoint ). ( These things were never taught to me at school. ) I left school at 15 years old, as soon as I was able, for reasons previously mentioned. Here in UK now teenagers have to remain in education until they are 18. The three years from 15 to 18 seem to me to be almost 'higher education', but compulsory. How much they learn at school now I've no idea. My feelings are, and yes ok i cannot put proof to these feelings, but, my feelings are, that all forms of higher education are advised against by the GB and the JW Org. Some of you may have some proof of this in writing. So, where does this leave JW's ? If a young person leaves school to go into full time 'service' ministry, they do not get a higher education. Their 'basic' education may have been just that, very basic. They are then not 'qualified' to talk to others on a higher education level, and this might even be to the point of not understanding such things as are being discussed on here lately. ( Much of what is being discussed leaves me miles behind. I'm a very simple person. Plus at 69 I forget more than i learn. Yes I do write lots of notes and have books for recording different things, but the mind boggles. ) With respect for those I knew and loved in the past, within my ex congregation, many of them were 'simple country folk'. And I think Tom said about not having the time or inclination to do research online or or otherwise. So let us go back to the scripture at the top. So many questions. Does God reveal more to those of a lesser education ? Is higher education and greater knowledge a disadvantage when wanting to serve God properly? Or is it that those of higher education are too stubborn to learn God's way ? Too proud maybe ? There are many things that the Bible doesn't tell us. is that deliberate ? Does God want to keep it simple for us ? So, should we pursue more knowledge about worldly things ? A problem may occur when talking to others about God, in that they may have more knowledge on a certain subject than we do and therefore believe something different. Should we then educate ourselves to their level on the same subject, or just pass them by ? Bearing in mind the scripture at the top of this page. There has to be a balance of course. But my feelings are that the GB would like JW's to be educated only by the Watchtower studies and by the 'workbook' evening meeting studies. And of course by personal Bible reading. But do JW's do as they are told in this respect or do a lot of them 'educate themselves', or take further education elsewhere ?

What principles do Jehovah’s Witnesses keep in mind when making decisions about secular education? Source

Religion has always been a feature of schooling in England. The Education Act of 1944 made the study of Religion the only compulsory subject in school and it was to be accompanied by a “daily act of worship” for all pupils. Back then religion was largely synonymous with Christianity. But a recent survey from the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education shows there appears to be a growing problem with parents taking their children out of school RE lessons. The findings show that parents are withdrawing children from lessons on Islam, or visits to the Mosque, calling into question their preparation for life in modern Britain. Recently published research suggests that “withdrawal” has been requested in almost three quarters of schools. More than 10% of those withdrawing are open about the fact that they are doing so for racist or Islamophobic reasons. In 2017, the RE Council set up an independent commission to review RE. This Commission on RE has heard much anecdotal evidence of Islamophobically-inspired withdrawal. Teachers up and down the country have stories of parents not wishing their children to learn about “that terrorist religion”. This conflicts with the duty of schools to promote “British Values” of tolerance and respect and to challenge extremism. Recently, the teaching union, the Association of Teachers and Lecturer, passed a motion condemning “racist” parents who pull their children out of RE lessons. The union has urged the government to put a stop to it. The law on withdrawal Parents are able to pull their children out of RE lessons by drawing on the 1996 Education Act, which states that a parent can request that for their child to be wholly or partly excused from religious education and religious worship in the school. A voluntary “conscience clause” existed in some church schools since the 1820s and became part of the 1870 and 1944 education acts. Put simply, if the only school in the village was a Roman Catholic school, and Anglican and nonconformist parents did not want their children indoctrinated into Catholicism (and vice-versa) they could be excused from the religious instruction offered there. They could then provide their own denominationally suitable religious instruction either at school or elsewhere. Some parents didnÂ’t want their children to visit a mosque. Shutterstock For decades this clause appeared to cause few problems. Indeed research I carried out suggests that there was little to be worried about. In a handful of schools, occasional families with a particular background – often JehovahÂ’s Witnesses – would not take part in assemblies or RE lessons and would instead, work quietly on their own materials. But it seems now, times are changing. Read more: http://theconversation.com/parents-are-pulling-children-from-re-lessons-so-they-dont-learn-about-islam-95235

September 6th, 2017: A just released research survey shows once again that Jehovah's Witnesses are among the least educated people in the United States: AmericaÂ’s Changing Religious Identity It is also interesting to note how JWs rank in the categories of: Income, Insurance Coverage and Homeownership. They are among the lowest in every one of these categories. 45% of JWs report household earnings of less than $30,000 per year Fewer than half of JehovahÂ’s Witnesses (48%) are homeowners Only 31% report having health insurance through their employer Â

Zachary Linderer said he wanted to go to college to major in the field of science, but growing up as a Jehovah's Witness, higher education was prohibited by his parents. Courtesy Luke Vander Ploeg Growing up on Long Island, Zachary Linderer was obsessed with science. He grew up a Jehovah's Witness, and like many others in the faith, he was homeschooled his whole life. By the time he got to high school, Linderer knew that he wanted to go to college for something in the sciences: physics, oceanography, something in that realm. But he realized at a young age that wasn't going to be a possibility. "I knew that it wasn't going to be encouraged that I get an education," Linderer says. "My dad told me that he knew people who were into science, and it dragged them right out of the organization, right out of the truth." The organization that Linderer is talking about is the Watchtower: the governing organization of Jehovah's Witnesses. The view that higher education is spiritually dangerous is very common among Witnesses, and for Linderer, it meant that his parents wouldn't support him going to college. Still, he knew that he wanted to study, so he decided to keep his ambitions a secret and figure out a way to attend on his own. Close to high school graduation he let his plans slip to a couple of his Jehovah's Witness friends. Word got back to his family. "When they found out, my dad and uncles made fun of me," Linderer recalls. "It really squashed my hopes. I knew I wasn't going to get their support, and without their support, it was really obvious to me at the time that I wasn't going to be able to do it on my own." With only a few credits left before high school graduation, Linderer dropped out. He had no prospects of education beyond high school, so getting the diploma seemed pointless. He struggled to find work after moving out of his parents' home, which eventually led him to get certified as an electrician. Still, that longing to study science haunted him. "I think I had that feeling at 17 years old or so that that was what I wanted to be, what I needed to be," Linderer says. "There's been this hole ever since then." From the top down Linderer's story is a common one for children raised as Jehovah's Witnesses. Pew Research shows that only 9 percent of Witnesses get undergraduate degrees. That's well below the national average of 30.4 percent and the lowest of any faith group. The likely reason for this trend is the religion's official warnings against college. Witness leadership declined to speak to NPR for this story, but Anthony Morris III, a member of the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses, outlines the organization's policies clearly in a video on the organization's website. The Watchtower Organization discourages higher education for two basic reasons. First, higher education is spiritually dangerous. In the video, Morris warns parents that "the most intelligent and eloquent professors will be trying to reshape the thinking of your child, and their influence can be tremendous." He goes on to say that continual association with non-believers in an academic setting can "erode thinking and convictions." Witness leadership also discourages higher education because they believe it's a waste of time. Jehovah's Witnesses have been predicting the end of the world since the religion's founding at the end of the 19th century. By their rationale, time in college would be better spent out on the streets, converting persons to become Witnesses. Morris makes it very clear that the Watchtower organization doesn't discourage education, but rather secular education. "If parents and young ones are motivated to pursue divine education," Morris says, "the quest for higher secular education becomes less and less of an issue." Amber McGee (Back) says although she didn't fulfill her dreams to go collage because she grew up as a Jehovah's Witness, she'll pass those dreams on to her children. Courtesy Luke Vander Ploeg More material problems The lack of higher education can translate into more tangible problems for Witnesses. Pew research also shows that Jehovah's Witnesses are among the lowest earners of any religious group. Amber McGee falls in that category. She grew up a Witness in rural Texas. Like Linderer, she was home-schooled from a young age. Her parents wanted to protect her and her siblings from worldly influences. That decision wasn't easy on her family. "My mom, who was supposed to be our home school teacher, was not capable of doing it, emotionally mentally," McGee recalls. "She had three young children. She was by herself, very far from family, and even grocery stores and that sort of thing." McGee's mother never finished high school herself, and the pressure of trying to teach three children was too much for her. She gave up on homeschooling them when McGee and her twin were in third grade. The kids were forced to fend for themselves using workbooks. When she had trouble with a subject, McGee says she'd just pass her work off to her twin, and vice-versa. This left both of them with significant learning disabilities. McGee says that when she got excited about a subject, her mother would often shut her down. "I told her how much I found history fun," McGee says. "She told me, 'Well, that's not important because it doesn't have any bearing on your future, and it won't be any use in the paradise." This "paradise" refers to the heaven on earth that Witnesses believe is coming after the end of the world. McGee barely graduated high school. In mathematics, she never made it past the seventh grade level. That's made life difficult for McGee. She's now 34 years old, and the most she's made in a year is about $14,000. McGee and her family left the Witnesses about a year ago. They're doing better now financially, but it's still far from what McGee had hoped for her life. She had wanted to be nurse growing up, but with no support from her parents and very little education, she didn't feel it was possible. Today, she struggles with that same feeling that Linderer talked about: the feeling of being robbed of something. It's a sentiment shared by most of the more than 100 ex-Jehovah's Witnesses that I heard from while reporting this story. Still, McGee says she isn't letting that feeling stop her from retaking her life. "I was taught very, very young to stop dreaming, to not have dreams," McGee says, "that you'll never be a famous person or a doctor or a nurse. It's not possible. So now, as an adult, at 34 years old, I'm learning to start dreaming again." Even if it's too late for some of her dreams, she definitely hopes to pass them on to her children. http://www.npr.org/2017/02/19/510585965/poor-education-leads-to-lost-dreams-and-low-income-for-many-jehovahs-witnesses?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

BOOKS Below, put a ✔ next to your favorite type of reading material. ○ Fiction ○ Nonfiction ○ Classic literature ○ Other Did you know . . . ? More than a thousand books are published each week in the United States alone. What to avoid. Similar to movies, many books promote values that are contrary to Bible standards. For example, some are sexually graphic or have spiritistic themes. But the Bible says: “Let fornication and uncleanness of every sort or greediness not even be mentioned among you.” (Ephesians 5:3) It also says that spiritistic acts are “bad in the eyes of Jehovah.” (2 Kings 17:17) Ask yourself, ‘Do the books that I read entertain me with conduct that God disapproves of?’ A Guidebook for the Blessing of All Mankind The Bible is one of the oldest of the books that have survived till our time, especially among religious texts. Its earliest part was written in ancient Hebrew some 3,500 years ago (which corresponds to the Shang dynasty in China) by an Israelite named Moses. It began with the book of Genesis, an account of the stages of creation and the beginning of the human family. In the following 1,600 years, about 40 different people took part in completing this collection, or library, of 66 books containing laws, prophecies, history, poetry, letters, counsel, and much more. Even though the Bible is old and has been the target of much vicious opposition and hatred, it has turned out to be the most widely distributed book in history. The Bible has now been translated into some 2,500 languages, and about three billion copies, in its entirety or in part, have already been distributed! It is said that 98 percent of the people on earth have access to the Bible in their own language. Just think: If God intends to communicate with mankind by means of a book, is it not reasonable that this book should be well-known and easily available so that people of all nationalities and races could read and benefit from it? (1 Timothy 2:4) Of the facts stated in the Bible, some have only come to be known and confirmed by science in recent times. For example, the Bible long ago revealed a beginning for the universe (Genesis 1:1), the correct order in which all living things were formed (Genesis, chapter 1), and the effects of the hereditary process (Psalm 139:16). Long before people had any concept of germs and hygiene, the Bible provided the Israelites with instructions that anyone touching a dead body (or excrement) became unclean and had to wash himself and his garments. (Numbers 19:11-22; Deuteronomy 23:12-14) A Guide for the Blessing of All Mankind Many Orientals contend that the Bible is a product of the West, that its teachings and advice are not necessarily suitable for people living in the East. Is this true? Since the Creator understands human needs better than anyone else does, he has provided the Bible for mankind as a whole so that all people can benefit from its teachings. For instance, Chinese teachers and sages through the ages have provided many ethical aphorisms and sayings, some of which no doubt are of practical value. However, many of these sayings merely echo what the Bible teaches. Here are just a few examples: Respect your seniors: Before gray hair you should rise up (Leviticus 19:32) Honor your parents: Honor your father and your mother (Exodus 20:12) When you drink water, think of its source: Remember, now, your Grand Creator in the days of your young manhood (Ecclesiastes 12:1) He who comes near vermilion is stained red, and he who comes near ink is stained black: He that is walking with wise persons will become wise, but he that is having dealings with the stupid ones will fare badly (Proverbs 13:20) Benefits promised in the Bible, however, are not limited to life today. The Bible reveals that God will soon bring an end to all wickedness and injustice, by means of a righteous government of his making. The earth will then become a global paradise. What requirements, though, must you meet so that you can enjoy such marvelous blessings? So much information read the rest of the article at: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102009553?q=books&p=par