More Quotes about the Media:
1977 Yearbook, Page 11:
The News Service Department at Brooklyn has also been instrumental in obtaining much publicity for these events through television, radio and other news media. Thus many persons were advised concerning the issues for which Jehovahs Witnesses are fighting and their unshakable loyalty in living up to Bible principles.
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1985 Yearbook, Page 175:
In addition to being objects of criticism and attacks through the news media, the Witnesses also became a popular subject for discussion in parliamentary debates.
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"Creation" Book (1985), Page 249:
9. Thus, in the Paradise to come, the nations, their educational systems and their media will no longer exist.
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"Revelation -- Its Grand Climax At Hand!" Book (1988), Page 134:
18. How is this judgment message delivered? Generally, not by the worlds news media, which are part of the world and often reproachful of Gods slave.
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1992 Yearbook, Page 126:
Just across the eastern border of the Sudan lies Eritrea. In the early 1960safter the expulsion of the missionariesradio, newspapers, and other media were extensively used in a campaign to malign Jehovahs Witnesses. Under such headlines as False Prophets and Beware of Religious Pretense Leading to Denial of True Faith, the Witnesses were portrayed as haters of the emperor and the church and as rejecters of the Trinity and the Virgin Mary. They were said to be agents of foreign enemies, immoral people who do not fight for their country. Demands for drastic action to rid the country of Jehovahs people were heard.
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1993 Yearbook, Page 144:
Sadly, during this time the boys parents and other Witnesses were subjected to a veritable persecution campaign in the media.
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The Watchtower, July 1st 1993 Issue, Page 18:
Many in religious and political establishments as well as in the media are opposed to them. Some of these, either by outright attack or, more often, by innuendo, try to sully the reputation of Jehovahs Witnesses and arouse prejudice against them.
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The Watchtower, July 1st 1994 Issue, Page 21:
13. It has been found that many secular authorities have the oddest misconceptions about Jehovahs Witnesses. This is usually because they have been misinformed by malicious enemies of Gods people. Or it may be that all they know about us they learned from the mass media, which are not always impartial in their coverage.
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The Watchtower, April 1st 1995 Issue, Pages 26-29:
HOW do you feel when someone reproaches you or spreads lies about you? Naturally you are deeply hurt. Jehovahs Witnesses experience something similar whenever they become the target of incorrect or distorted information in the media. But as Jesus said at Matthew 5:11, 12, they still have reason to be joyful.
Many press reports that heap reproach on Jehovahs Witnesses are an expression of this hatred, and such should be ignored. However, the media may at times present information that reflects a lack of knowledge about the Witnesses or that distorts and misinterprets certain facts. Some journalists might draw material from biased sources. Whether we ignore false information in the media or defend the truth by appropriate means depends on the circumstances, the instigator of the criticism, and his goal.
Sometimes the facts can be corrected by a properly written letter to the editor if the letter is published in full. But such a letter could achieve the exact opposite of what is intended. How? The original untruth might thus receive even more publicity, or opposers may be handed further opportunity to get lies or slurs into print. In most cases it is wise to leave the question of a letter to the editor up to the elders concerned. If a negative press report stirs up prejudice, the branch office of the Watch Tower Society can inform congregations in that country of the facts, thus enabling all publishers to give a satisfactory explanation to inquirers.
Do Not Be Frightened by Opposers
How encouraging to know that reproach does not stop people from becoming Witnesses! During a TV talk show in Germany, apostates wove a fabric of lies about the Witnesses. A viewer recognized the apostate embellishments as being fantasy and was moved to resume his Bible study with the Witnesses. Yes, public reproach sometimes leads to positive results!Compare Philippians 1:12, 13.
The apostle Paul knew that some would pay more attention to false stories than to the truth. He therefore wrote: Keep your senses in all things, suffer evil, do the work of an evangelizer, fully accomplish your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:3-5) So do not allow yourself to be distracted, and in no respect be frightened by your opponents. (Philippians 1:28) Remain calm and collected and preach the good news joyfully, and you will cope steadfastly with public reproach. Yes, remember Jesus promise: Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake. Rejoice and leap for joy, since your reward is great in the heavens; for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to you.Matthew 5:11, 12.
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1996 Yearbook, Pages 18-19:
Other specially designed brochures have been prepared in the past couple of years to counteract the gross distortions regarding Jehovahs Witnesses that the clergy and apostates have fed to officials and the media.
In Germany religious opposers have been especially active in using the media to blaspheme Jehovah and defame his people. (Compare Romans 2:24.) With the approval of the Governing Body, a brochure was produced that is entitled Jehovahs WitnessesYour Neighbors. Who Are They?
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"Family Happiness" Book (1996), Page 90:
2. In a similar way, parents must find a balanced way to protect their family from the destructive influences that rain down on them from many sourcesthe entertainment industry, the media, peers, and at times even the schools. Some parents do little or nothing to shield their family. Others, viewing nearly all outside influences as harmful, are so restrictive that the children feel as if they were suffocating. Is a balance possible?
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The Watchtower, March 15th 1997 Issue, Page 24:
JEHOVAHS WITNESSES in France were recently the target of a barrage of false accusations. Seizing upon tragic events involving religious cults in Europe and Japan, the media spread distorted information about the Witnesses. They were wrongly portrayed as one of the largest and most dangerous cults.
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The Watchtower, April 1st 1997 Issue, Page 17:
16. In the new world, Satans propaganda media will have been removed.
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The Watchtower, June 1st 1997 Issue, Page 15:
14. In many places Jehovahs Witnesses are becoming more and more the center of media attention. Similar to what happened to the early Christians, they are often misrepresented and placed in the same category as questionable religious cults and secret organizations. (Acts 28:22)
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1998 Yearbook, Pages 43-44:
Many in the world recognize Jehovahs Witnesses as law-abiding, family-oriented people who have high moral and ethical standards and who are actively preaching the message of Gods Word. However, there are also people who oppose our work and will stop at nothing to besmirch the reputation of Jehovahs people and to hinder our efforts to let the light shine. They do this by providing government officials and the media with inaccurate, lying, and disparaging information about Jehovahs Witnesses. In an effort to correct such misrepresentation, in February 1997 the Governing Body approved the formation, under the oversight of the Writing Committee, of a Public Affairs Office. General information desks have been functioning in the Societys branch offices.
Page 140:
the media had painted a cruel picture of Jehovahs Witnesses, depicting them as people who are willing to let their children die.
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The Watchtower, January 15th 1998 Issue, Pages 27-28:
At times, the news media as well as the authorities are duped by clergymen and apostates into pinning false labels on us, misrepresenting our Christian beliefs and way of life. . . . Will we allow those who are blinded by Satan to intimidate and dishearten us and make us feel ashamed of the good news? Will we permit lies about the truth to affect our regular meeting attendance and our preaching activity? Or will we stand fast and be courageous and more determined than ever to continue declaring the truth about Jehovah and his Kingdom?
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The Watchtower, May 15th 1998 Issue, Page 20:
16. At times, the news media and secular authorities pin false labels on Gods people, misrepresenting our Christian beliefs and way of life. This should not surprise us, for Jesus clearly shows that the world would hate us because we are no part of it. (John 17:14) Will we allow those who are blinded by Satan to intimidate and dishearten us and make us feel ashamed of the good news? Will we permit lies about the truth to affect our regular meeting attendance and our preaching activity? Or will we stand fast and be courageous and more determined than ever to continue declaring the truth about Jehovah and his Kingdom?
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The Watchtower, December 1st 1998 Issue, Page 14:
5. In many instances, the principal instigators of persecution of Jehovahs servants have turned out to be religious opposers who have used their influence with political authorities and the media to try to suppress the activities of the Witnesses. How should we, Jehovahs Witnesses, respond to such oppositionwhether it is a result of our beliefs and practices or because of false accusations?
Pages 17-18:
15. At times, Jehovahs Witnesses have been the target of distorted information in the media. For example, on August 1, 1997, a Russian newspaper published a slanderous article claiming, among other things, that Witnesses categorically require members to reject their wives, husbands, and parents if these do not understand and do not share their faith. Anyone who is truly acquainted with Jehovahs Witnesses knows that the charge is false. The Bible indicates that Christians are to treat unbelieving family members with love and respect, and Witnesses endeavor to follow that direction. (1 Corinthians 7:12-16; 1 Peter 3:1-4) Even so, the article was printed, and many readers were thus misinformed. How can we defend our faith when we are falsely accused?
16. Here again, there is a time to keep quiet and a time to speak. The Watchtower once expressed it this way: Whether we ignore false information in the media or defend the truth by appropriate means depends on the circumstances, the instigator of the criticism, and his goal. In some cases it may be best to ignore negative reports, thus not giving further publicity to the lies.
17. In other cases it may be a time to speak. A responsible journalist or reporter may have been misinformed about Jehovahs Witnesses and may welcome truthful information about us. (See box Correcting a Misrepresentation.) If negative reports in the media arouse prejudice that hinders our preaching work, representatives of the branch office of the Watch Tower Society may take the initiative to defend the truth by some suitable means.* [FOOTNOTE Says: After the slanderous article was published in the Russian newspaper (mentioned in paragraph 15), Jehovahs Witnesses appealed to the Russian Federation Presidential Judicial Chamber for Media Disputes with a request to review the false charges made in the article. Recently the court issued a decision that castigated the newspaper for printing the libelous article.See Awake!, November 22, 1998, pages 26-7.] For example, qualified elders might be assigned to present the facts, as in a TV program, where failure to appear might imply that Jehovahs Witnesses have no answer. Individual Witnesses wisely cooperate with the direction of the Watch Tower Society and its representatives in such matters.Hebrews 13:17.
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1999 Yearbook, Pages 141-143:
Now, replacing the former persecutors of Jehovahs people, apostates took up the cudgel to beat their former Christian associates. (Matt. 24:48-51) During the late 1980s and early 1990s, these apostates became more vocal, their false accusations more numerous and virulent. Producers of some TV talk shows presented the apostates as being experts on Jehovahs Witnesses. However, some honest people questioned the wisdom of judging the Witnesses on the basis of statements of such disgruntled former members. After one such TV show, a young man phoned the Societys office in Selters and explained that some years earlier the former Witness who was interviewed had studied the Bible with him. For personal reasons the young man quit his study. But upon seeing the TV program and recognizing his former instructor, the young man became quite upset. He asked: How can he say such things? He knows what he is saying about the Witnesses is not true. The result was that the young man resumed his Bible study, this time with an elder in the local congregation.
Of course, there are many people who accept without question what they hear on TV or read in the newspapers. In view of the frequency of the attacks on Jehovahs Witnesses by the media, the Society prepared a 32-page brochure specifically to counteract this flood of misleading propaganda. It is entitled Your Neighbors, Jehovahs WitnessesWho Are They?
In that same year, yet another step was taken to deal with the persistent efforts of opposers to use the media to paint a distorted picture of Jehovahs Witnesses. Walter Kbe was appointed chairman of a committee in charge of Information Services. He explains: The massive campaign launched by opponents has forced us to give a supervised response by making information more readily available.
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2000 Yearbook, Page 213:
a campaign of ruthless attacks through the media began. Characteristically, the greatest freedom for attacks against Jehovahs Witnesses was provided in the religious press. Biased articles contained questions that were asked of the Witnesses during the registration process together with speculation by the writers regarding the answers given. On one hand, the charge was made that spokesmen for the Society had been deceptive when saying that Witnesses were not forced to believe or practice certain things. On the other hand, the answers given were claimed to be a betrayal of the organizations own principles.
Page 221:
An aggressive mass media constantly attacks Jehovahs Witnesses. This presents tests of faith that are as penetrating as those faced in the crucibles of Nazi and Communist prisons and in the chicanery of those that used these. The large majority of Jehovahs Witnesses stand firm in faith in the face of these tests.
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The Watchtower, December 15th 2000 Issue, Page 22:
Some [Jehovah's Witnesses]... have been the object of lying reports in the media.
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2001 Yearbook, Page 20:
Today opposers continue to stir up public opinion against Jehovahs Witnesses, sometimes using the media or other public avenues to further their aims. In response, the Public Affairs Office in Brooklyn and Public Affairs Desks in many of the Societys branch offices spend considerable time in providing information that is used boldly to make known the truth to editors, journalists, and others.
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"Our Kingdom Ministry", August 2001 Issue, Page 1:
3. To the World and to Men: Sometimes the media publish reports about the activities of Jehovahs people. While we appreciate good reports that are factual and fair in dealing with our work, we also expect bad reports to be spread by our detractors from time to time. Nevertheless, we must continue recommending ourselves as Gods ministers through bad report and good report. (2 Cor. 6:4, 8) To honesthearted observers it becomes clear that we are the true disciples of Jesus Christ.
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The Watchtower, August 15th 2001 Issue, Page 13:
Recently, some of the media in France have portrayed Jehovahs Witnesses as a dangerous religious cult.
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The Watchtower, October 15th 2001 Issue, Page 14:
Some opposers have spread slanderous lies in the media, even falsely accusing Jehovahs Witnesses of being a dangerous cult.
Do false accusations really matter? It is God who declares true Christians righteous, based upon their faith in the sacrifice of Christ. Why would Jehovah stop loving his worshipers after he has given them the most precious gift he couldhis own beloved Son? (1 John 4:10)
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The Watchtower, December 1st 2001 Issue, Page 10:
mental junk food is readily available and tantalizing to the senses, but it is detrimental to ones spiritual health. Cleverly marketed in the media is a profusion of material that features illicit sex and drugs, violence, and the occult. Feeding ones mind on such a diet is deadly to the figurative heart.
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