(This is definitely supposed to be under humor - it's a spoof of the 4 articles on "Propaganda" from the WTBTS that Middleman posted on Bible Research and Study Articles...)
"A liar starts out by lying to himself." - Ziddina
"You malevolent apostate!" the sister firmly stated, as she scurried past her disfellowshipped apostate sister. "You're just a wolf in service to Satan!" Then, since cleanliness is a quality that belongs to and originates with the holy and clean God, Jehovah, the woman strove to maintain spiritual cleanliness and slammed the door of the Kingdom Hall shut in her sister's face.
Despite the widespread propaganda of apostates, the Jehovah's Witness sister was showing love for her sinful, apostate sister. She knew that her sister had questioned God's divine provision of "Meat in its Proper Season" by arrogantly asking for further clarification of the February 2009 "Questions From Readers" regarding the 'new light' that kept Jehovah's Witnesses from eating any forms of fats. Despite this hateful, vicious demand, the faithful sister knew that, although her actions would cause the other sister pain, probably it would help bring the erring one back to "Jehovah's organization", and therefore, was the most loving thing to do to - for - her.
The disfellowshipped apostate sister lived to tell her story, fortunately, as Armageddon didn't come before she showed proper repentance and was reinstated. Many others won't be so lucky, however, as shown by the "Awake" article, "Armageddon - a Happy Beginning!" As stated in that article, "a God who is the very embodiment of love would inflict death and destruction on much of humankind"!
Yes, propaganda can be displayed openly, such as the apostates who stand outside Kingdom Halls with their inaccurate signs, making false accusations against supposed 'pedophiles' in the midst of Jehovah's holy people. Some even quote figures, such as listing a quantity of 23,000+ 'alleged' files on individual pedophiles within God's clean organization!
In response to such apostate propaganda, the protective teachings within the pages of the Watchtower urge believing family members to totally shun and cut off any rebellious family members who are on Satan's side in this Theocratic Warfare. Despite Jesus' words about forgiving one's brother, "not seven times, but seventy times seven times", we know that we are following Jehovah's stringent rules for cleanliness of the congregational 'body' by shunning and disfellowshipping those who are spiritually 'weak'. In addition, if wrongdoing is simply suspected, it can be subtly discouraged by the practice of 'marking' which allows Jehovah's Witnesses to avoid those that they realize are not sufficiently 'spiritual' to measure up to the WTBTS' stringent standards. These techniques have been regularly applied in an effective manner by the Governing Body, District Overseers, Circuit Overseers, Presiding Overseers, Elders, and mature-thinking Christian followers of Jehovah in the congregations.
How has propaganda been used to affect Jehovah's Witness' thinking and actions throughout the ages, and especially in recent decades? What can you do to protect yourself from this pernicious form of dangerous propaganda? Are there solid sources of trustworthy information? Let us continue on to answer these questions...
The Manipulation of Information
As the WTBTS has expanded its methods of communicating from printing presses and phonographs to going so far as to start up a website on the Internet that they frequently refer to as: "Satan's Tool of Seduction", in addition to the requirements that Jehovah's Witnesses in good standing be prepared for at least two if not more meetings per week, we can see that 'his' people are inundated by countless messages from every quarter. To their credit, many good Jehovah's Witnesses respond to this pressure by absorbing messages more quickly, accepting them without questioning, and refusing to - or failing to - analyze them fully.
Cunning propagandists love such shortcuts - especially useful for short-circuiting rational thought. Propaganda encourages such shortcuts, taking special advantage of statements that exploit emotions, insecurities, and capitalizing on family ties that can be used as a form of 'emotional blackmail' to force vulnerable ones to accept 'circular' reasoning and false 'logic'. As the profitable history of the WTBTS bears out, such tactics have proven very effective.
Because the word "propaganda" originated within the Roman Catholic church, this demonstrates that the word has pagan origins based in Satan's organization, specifically, that same religious group that constitutes the greatest part of "Babylon the Great, the Great Harlot who commits fornication with the rulers of the earth"! So, for good, trusting Jehovah's Witnesses to apply that word to the 'teachings' of the WTBTS would indicate that they have been possessed by the evil spirit of this world, Satan, and should be swiftly disfellowshipped!
We can see how the use of propaganda has long been entrenched in the "nations of the world" by looking at its history. The Egyptian pharaohs used propaganda to project an image of divine power. The Romans likewise used propaganda in maintaining the power of the Roman state over its conquered peoples, especially God's chosen ones, the Early Christians.
Much later in history, Adolph Hitler was notorious in using propaganda as part of his persecution of God's chosen people, which we feel must be constantly pointed out to the 'world', since the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in the concentration camps of Germany has been forgotten and deliberately ignored by everyone in the world!!
Generalizations
Generalizations are important in that they obscure facts and tend to hide the real issues in question. 'Worldly' generalizations tend to bring up unpleasant incidents such as child molestation, wife beatings, and murders, mentioning and even highlighting such crimes that were supposedly committed by Jehovah's Witnesses. We all know that Jehovah's people are all focused on obeying Jehovah's teachings, and would never behave in such a manner. In case of false accusations, however, we have evidence of God's loving concern for the "little sheep", especially by requiring two or more witnesses to such acts before an accusation against a brother is believed.
Name-Calling
Sometimes 'worldly' people insult Jehovah's Witnesses by slapping a negative, easy-to-remember label, such as "Cult", onto God's organization. We should not allow these 'servants of Satan', these who are lying in the power of the wicked one, who are following the "one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth", those who will be 'carrion upon the ground' after the great day of Armageddon, to rattle us by calling us "bad names".
Education versus Propaganda
There is a big difference between education showing you how to think, and propaganda showing you what to think. Good educators encourage discussion, with all sides presented; while propagandists force you to hear their views and discourage discussion.
Of course, we would want to be careful and not 'run ahead' of God's chosen organization by studying the bible by ourselves, or researching Hebrew or Greek languages. Those who have run ahead in the past have found themselves questioning Jehovah's will, becoming 'stiff-necked' against good Biblical advice presented as "Meat in due season" by God's organization.
Often, those following Satan's world have been misled by their personal research into the Bible, by 'higher' education, college degrees, and advanced business opportunities, into abandoning God's organization. Let us never become so puffed up with pride in our education that we would be stumbled out of God's organization!
Playing on the Emotion of Fear
Propaganda can be used to generate fear, which may lead to attacks upon Jehovah's chosen people. Are you prepared to withstand such attacks? Your very life, not only in this sinful world but also in God's new Order, will depend upon it! It is quite likely that propaganda will play a major part in bringing on the "Great Tribulation", which will lead to Jehovah destroying all the wicked at Armageddon. Be sure that you, who think you are standing, do not fall! Probably you may be saved at God's great day of reckoning at hand!
Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!
Exercise great caution in the presence of propaganda. You might follow misleading information, or you might even become a victim of deliberate deception. Remember the words of Deuteronomy 18: 20-22, "However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. And in case you should say in your heart: "How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?" when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. [Ya think???] With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him."
1874, 1880, 1914, 1918, 1925, 1940, 1975.... Maybe the Mayan 2012? 'Nuff said... Zid
Baba Yaga, I actually took most of the commentary from various articles on the "OFFICIAL" WTBTS website - that article, "Armageddon - A Happy Beginning" is for real!!! My aim was subtlety; that's a quality that most JWs aren't taught by the WTBTS, especially with ol' "Da Judge" Rutherford's overbearing, obnoxious legacy still woven into the Society's fabric...
