Literacy Among God’s People

IN ANCIENT times there was a high degree of literacy among God’s people. About 3,500 years ago, Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. His successor, Joshua, was commanded to read the Scriptures “day and night” in order to be successful in the assignment that God had given him. And God directed that Israelite kings, upon ascending the throne, write out for themselves a copy of the Law and read in it daily.​—Joshua 1:8; Deuteronomy 17:18, 19.

Reading and writing were not limited to the nation’s leaders. Though evidently figurative, the instruction to the Israelites to “write” God’s commandments upon the doorposts of their houses implied that the people were literate. Amos was a raiser of sheep, and Micah was a prophet from a rural village; yet, both wrote books of the Bible.​—Deuteronomy 6:8, 9; Amos 1:1; Micah 1:1.

Jesus had access to all the inspired scrolls of the Hebrew Scriptures in the synagogues, where, on one occasion, he read publicly and applied the text to himself. His apostles also were literate, quoting from and referring to the Hebrew Scriptures hundreds of times in their writings.​—Luke 4:16-21; Acts 17:11.

God’s People Today

Jesus told his followers to “make disciples of people of all the nations, . . . teaching them to observe all the things [he had] commanded.” He also foretold that the “good news of the kingdom [would] be preached in all the inhabited earth.”​—Matthew 24:14; 28:19, 20.

Like the Christians in the first century, Jehovah’s Witnesses today have carried out this commission by zealously teaching and preaching by word of mouth. They have also spread the Kingdom good news by means of the printed page. Since 1920, Jehovah’s Witnesses have produced and distributed over nine billion Bibles, books, magazines, and pamphlets in more than 200 languages.

Millions throughout the earth have responded favorably, becoming disciples of Christ. Among them are men and women who neither read nor write. These illiterate ones are not lesser Christians​—many have served God faithfully for decades, endured religious persecution, and have shown their love for Jehovah by observing his commandments.​—1 John 5:3.

Many of them yearn to read and write, realizing that literacy is a key that will open the way to richer participation in their worship of God. At meetings, they want to follow the reading of the Bible and Christian publications, and they want to read the words of the songs so that they can sing along with their spiritual brothers and sisters. At home, they desire to build up themselves and their families through Bible study. In the ministry, they long to teach others the truth of God’s Word without relying on someone else to read it for them.

Learning to Read

Responding to this need, Jehovah’s Witnesses have arranged to help promote literacy through their congregations and on an individual basis. Worldwide, they have taught countless men and women. In Nigeria alone, Jehovah’s Witnesses have taught over 23,000 to read and write. One of these was Effor. He relates:

“I began reading and writing in 1950 when I was 16 years old. The literacy class was conducted by Jehovah’s Witnesses. We used a manual published by the Watch Tower Society, and we were given reading assignments to do at home.

“I felt that my illiteracy was like a sickness. I wanted to explain the Bible to my brothers and friends, but being unable to read and write, I could not do that well. What motivated me to learn was my desire to preach and to teach others to become Christ’s disciples. I wrote on everything I could lay my hands on, even on plantain leaves. My desire to read and write was so great that I would continue practicing how to read and write in my dreams. I asked others to help me; I was not shy about that. I remember writing letters to friends and giving the letters to those who went to school to check through.

“It took me a year in the congregation’s literacy class to learn. After that I was assigned to teach the class. That gave me the opportunity to help many others.

“That school helped me so much that over the years, I was privileged to translate the Society’s dramas from English to Isoko, my native language. Apart from that, I have served as a congregation overseer since the 1960’s. In the 1980’s, I served as a substitute traveling overseer of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I was also privileged to conduct the Pioneer Service School [a school for full-​time ministers] and twice to instruct at the Kingdom Ministry School [a school for Christian elders]. I know that if I were still illiterate, all these privileges would not have come my way.

“How I appreciate this arrangement to teach the lowly ones to read and write! Sometimes when I lie down at night, I still thank Jehovah that I am no longer an illiterate in this modern world.”

Our Creator, Jehovah God, has graciously endowed humankind with the capacity to read and write. But these skills are not acquired without effort. The greatest reward for learning to read and write is being able to pick up God’s Word and obey the divine instruction: “In an undertone read in it day and night.”​—Joshua 1:8.

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How to Help Your Children Develop a Love for Reading

● Set an example by reading regularly yourself. Parents who read are likely to have children who read.

● Talk to your baby from his infancy. Exposure to meaningful language helps children understand words and concepts that will make learning to read easier.

● Read to your children regularly. When held on the lap and read to, infants get the message that words and books are good, even when they are not yet old enough to understand the story being read. Continue to read to your children after they have learned to read for themselves. Schoolteachers help children learn how to read, but parents can do much to help them enjoy reading. Children enjoy hearing their favorite stories over and over again.

● Have books available for your children to read at home.

● Encourage your children to write. A child who writes is usually a reader also.

● Choose a definite daily period for family reading. Take turns reading, and then discuss the material together. These times should be enjoyable and upbuilding.

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God-​fearing men of ancient times knew how to read and write