“Winning the Battle for Your Mind.” That is the title of an article in the latest Watchtower magazine, of July 2017, pages 27-30. Wow, how ironic! Here is the direct link:
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2017488
The article begins by saying:
“YOU are under attack! . . . a very dangerous weapon against you. . . . Propaganda! . . . to attack, . . . your mind.”
The article goes on to say:
“What is propaganda? . . . It is the use of biased or misleading information to manipulate the way people think and act. Some equate propaganda with ‘lies, distortion, deceit, manipulation, mind control, [and] psychological warfare’ and associate it with ‘unethical, harmful, and unfair tactics. . . . Many of us are being influenced and manipulated – far more than we realize. . . . men and women have been ‘quite easily led into the most preposterously dangerous behaviour’ – such as ‘genocide, war, racist hysteria, religious intolerance and many other forms of irrational behaviour.’”
Then it goes on to say:
“Since truth is often the first casualty of war, you—like any other soldier in the heat of battle – need a source of trustworthy, reliable information to prevent the enemy from playing tricks with your mind. . . . But remember this basic fact expressed by author Noam Chomsky: ‘Nobody is going to pour truth into your brain. It’s something you have to find out for yourself.’”
Most telling is where it then states:
“Keep in mind that Satan does not want you to think clearly or reason things out well. Why? Because propaganda ‘is likely to be most effective,’ says one source, ‘if people . . . are discouraged from thinking critically.’ (Media and Society in the Twentieth Century) So never be content passively or blindly to accept what you hear. (Prov. 14:15) Use your God-given thinking abilities and power of reason to make the truth your own.”
BUT, then it advises this:
“Be determined to stick to Jehovah’s organization and loyally support the leadership he provides – no matter what imperfections may surface. . . . Surely there is ample evidence to show that you can trust the channel that Jehovah has used for nearly a hundred years now to lead us in the way of the truth.”
Isn’t that interesting – especially when you consider the record of seemingly endless falsehoods and flip-flops promulgated by and disseminated from “Jehovah’s organization,” supposedly the one-and-only channel of “the truth” in the entire world. One can always peruse the detailed synopsis of that in this itemized gem:
http://www.freeminds.org/history/key.htm
And then, finally, the articles actually gives this warning:
“Satan will use fear of man, fear of persecution, fear of death, and any other kind of negative fear to try to dominate you and make you shrink back from serving Jehovah. . . . Have you ever watched a film in which, from your vantage point in the audience, you can clearly see that someone is being deceived and manipulated? Did you find yourself thinking: ‘Do not believe it! They are lying to you!’”
Well, there certainly is a “battle for your mind” alright. But, funny enough, as we here can see, it’s a battle that is actually being waged and sustained by the very organization which has published the article.
Isn’t it so ironic how the fox has been in the henhouse trying to disguise himself as a chicken! (Or, if you prefer, a wolf dressing up as a sheep. Same thing.)