I am posting a transcript a part of the talk given by Anthony Morris III from JW Broadcasting July 2015. I've posted much much more than necessary but I wanted to keep it in context. Here it is -
“The Governing Body has approved of my speaking of something that Jesus himself spoke of on a number of occasions. And I might say at the outset that this is by no means a pessimistic speech meant to discourage anyone. It is a realistic discussion that we all need to be prepared for. The topic is persecution. It can come in many forms, some are very subtle....
The Apostle Paul in the first century CE describes certain men who oppose the early Christian congregation. He reminded loyal followers of Jesus about the persecutions and sufferings that he experienced in multiple cities. His followup words in 2 Timothy 3:12 are the theme for this material. Here Paul shows that the persecution would not be the experience of just a select few....What are some forms of persecution we might expect? As we mentioned it could be subtle forms such as negative talk about our beliefs or sarcastic comments by school mates or workmates. However Jesus himself itemized more outright forms of persecution...However, what is another form of persecution that Jesus specifically mentioned? At Mathew 5:11 he said that people will persecute you and people will lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake. Lies are particularly hurtful because they misrepresent the true nature of a person or organization. They’re often started with malicious intent, then they might be picked up by the news medium and published as if factual when in reaslity many of the facts never come to light. Jesus indicated that no matter what his followers did they would be criticized and misrepresented by people who speak untruths. As an example, at Matthew 11:18 he said of John the Baptist, he came neither eating nor drinking but people say he has a demon, then in the next verse Matt 11:19 Jesus commented on his very different own approach of the basics of life Jesus did not follow the strict dietarian restrictions of John . Jesus was also known to drink wine in moderation. The opposite approach of John who was criticized for his beahviou, what lying accusations did Jesus have to face? Matthew 11:19 says “The son of man did come eating and drinking but people say look, a man who is a glutton and given to eating and drinking wine, a friend of tax collectors and sinners” As in the first century we are criticized by some no matter what we do. But notice the significant comment of Jesus at the end of that verse, he said “All the same, wisdom is proved righteous by it’s works” In other words, people can usually see right through the exaggerated stories and outright lies. They know our good works and motives and our true reputation remains in tact. (Pause)
While we may take advantage of legal means to set the record straight in harmony with Jesus words we do not engage in smear campaigns with rebuttals either verbally or in print.
Instead we continue to go about our peaceful work for the good of humanity. This includes sharing the bibles message with all people helping them to better their lives spiritually and morally. We translate that message in some 700 languages, some of which we’ve never even heard of befoe. We go to great lengths to help the blind and the death with publications they can comprehend . Even though these are produced at significant cost. In fact, we produce some videos in 80 different sign languages. Jesus is right, wisdom is proved righteous by its works. But what about some of these erroneous ideas that are ceased upon and publicized by the media. Some municipalities misinterpret our intent and spread lies about the public nature of our ministry Commendably however in many lands the law supports our freedom of speech and worship and our persistence has actually set a precedent for others to enjoy similar freedom. At times lies are spread about our views of medical intervention when sick. For example reports are spread that say we would rather let our children die rather than seek medical help for them.