Jehovah’s Witnesses are schooled in how to recognise and handle misinformation in a helpful 2022 feature article on JW.org . The piece is entitled: ‘Protect Yourself from Misinformation’ and, as I began to read it, I couldn’t help but think; if only Jehovah’s Witnesses would take what they are here being taught and apply it to their own leaders and teachings. Let’s consider the advice they are being offered.
We all need to protect ourselves from misinformation.
So begins the article and they are correct. This is sound advice. So, what does JW.org suggests Witnesses should do? They offer four pointers:
i) Do not believe everything you see or hear
ii) Evaluate the source and content
iii) Be guided by facts, not personal preferences
iv) Stop the spread of misinformation
Again, this is all good, but Jehovah’s Witnesses reading this will completely fail to spot the irony.
Here we have guidance coming from an organisation which tells its members not to believe or trust anything coming from outside of their group. They have no need to check or evaluate anything they are being taught, because the Faithful and Discreet Slave is to be completely trusted. And what about being guided by facts? Have you ever tried to have a Jehovah’s Witness check the fact that Jerusalem fell to Babylon in 586/7 BCE and not 607BCE?
Types of Misinformation
It continues to warn Jehovah’s Witnesses about misinformation, misleading news, false reports, and conspiracy theories. Then, in another surprising turn, the article quotes the secretary- general of the UN.
‘For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the secretary-general of the United Nations warned of a dangerous epidemic of misinformation. “Harmful health advice and snake-oil solutions are proliferating,” he stated. “Falsehoods are filling the airwaves. Wild conspiracy theories are infecting the Internet. Hatred is going viral, stigmatizing and vilifying people and groups.”
It does make me smile when I find the Watchtower Society quoting the United Nations. After all, here is what it thinks of that organisation:
‘The UN really stands in the way of God’s Kingdom by the “seed” of Abraham. Hence, it is the present-day “disgusting thing that causes desolation.” (Matthew 24:15) No, the UN is not a blessing, even though the religious clergy of Christendom and the rabbis of Jewry pray heaven’s blessing upon that organization. It is really “the image of the wild beast,” the visible political, commercial organization of “the god of this system of things,” Satan the Devil. So the UN will soon be destroyed along with that beastly organization.’
The Watchtower, September 15, 1984, p. 15
This was before it was revealed in 2001 that the Watchtower had had a nine-year relationship with the UN as a Non-Governmental Organisation. After accusing the clergy of Christendom of spiritual fornication with the kings of the earth – they were found guilty of the same!
They go on to say that misinformation is not new, and this is true. For example, the Watchtower Society has been spreading misinformation regarding the way of salvation for the past 150 years. They quote 2 Timothy 3:1,13, not realising that these verses speak about them.
‘But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here… But wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse, misleading and being misled.’ (NWT)
The Internet
It is pointed out that the internet can be a source of misinformation as…’our email, social media, and news feeds can become filled with distorted facts and half-truths’.
This is their way of telling their members not to believe anything they may see or read on the internet, particularly if it is speaking about Jehovah’s organisation. The question is posed: ‘How can you protect yourself from misleading information and conspiracy theories?’
My answer would be to stop listening to anything the Faithful and Discreet Slave tells them, but of course that is not their answer. They say: ‘Do not believe everything you see or hear.’ Followed by the Bible verse:
‘The naïve person believes every word, but the shrewd one ponders each step.’
Proverbs 14:15
In a recent encounter with Jehovah’s Witnesses at their cart, I shared my testimony and why I believed they were in grave danger. After showing that I had clearly done some thinking, some fact checking and some research, they no longer wanted to speak to me. This seems to be the exact opposite of Proverbs 14:15.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses are looking for ‘naïve’ people who will believe their every word without question. They have no time for the ‘shrewd’ who will ponder each step. In a further show of blind irony, the article continues by saying: ‘We can easily be deceived if we are not careful’.
They then reference videos and images that can be ‘taken out of context’. Jehovah’s Witnesses are given some wise counsel in this regard. They are to evaluate the source and content. In this they would be wise to follow the biblical advice of 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to ‘Make sure of all things’ which, ironically, they quote out of context! If only Jehovah’s Witnesses would really make sure of ALL things.
The article continues by encouraging Jehovah’s people to ‘evaluate the reliability of the source’ saying that:
‘News media companies and other organizations may slant a story because of their commercial or political bias.’
This really is an article that just keeps on giving. This could just have easily have been put like this: ‘The Watchtower organization may slant a story because of their commercial and theological bias.’
Let’s Agree
I do find myself agreeing with some of the advice given in the article. For example, they say:
‘Compare what you see in one news outlet with other sources’. I agree. Yes, we should.
‘At times, friends may inadvertently pass on misinformation through email messages or social media posts. Therefore, do not trust a news item unless you can check the original source’. Yes, I agree.
‘Make sure that the content is current and accurate. Look for dates, verifiable facts, and strong evidence to support what is being said’. Yes, I totally agree.
They then add in another quote from a U.N. correspondent:
“Fact-checking now is probably becoming as important as hand washing.” says: Sridhar Dharmapuri, a Senior Food Safety and Nutrition Officer for the U.N.’
Be guided by facts, not personal preferences.
If only they would seriously apply the advice, they are being given. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not guided by facts – they fear facts. They refuse to consider any proofs presented to them, because they are conditioned to just trust what they are told by Jehovah’s organisation and it would never lie to them; would it?
Again they quote another Bible verse to support their point:
‘Whoever trusts in his own heart is stupid.’ Proverbs 28:26 (NWT)
It is worth looking at the whole verse, here quoted from the NKJV:
‘He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered.’ Proverbs 28:26
‘We know that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.’
Jeremiah 17:9
We mustn’t trust our heart, says Jeremiah, but the proverb also says we are to walk wisely. How is this achieved? By fact checking everything we are being told – even by the faithful and discreet slave!
The article then says something so true, yet the Jehovah’s Witnesses would never believe that it could apply to them.
‘We tend to trust information that confirms what we want to believe’.
Now, I have no problem with putting my hand up and saying I am sometimes guilty of this, surely, we all are. Yet the JW would no doubt say: ‘Not me’.
Continuing, the article rightly points out that our social media feeds will offer us information based on our interests and browsing history. They then quote someone named Peter Ditto, a social psychologist:
‘People are capable of being thoughtful and rational, but our wishes, hopes, fears, and motivations often tip the scales to make us more likely to accept something as true if it supports what we want to believe.’
They then ask: ‘Do I trust this information just because it is what I want to believe?’ I would say the answer is yes for some and always yes for all Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Stop the spread of misinformation
Finally, the article gives advice on how to stop the spread of misinformation. My advice to them is to just stay off our streets, but I trust they would not readily accept my guidance. Yet, they quote Exodus 23:1 (NWT), which clearly agrees with my advice to them:
‘You must not spread a report that is not true’
They then say something that is again true and clearly pointing at themselves:
‘Remember that the information you share with others has the power to affect their thoughts and actions. Even if you unintentionally pass on wrong information, the consequences can be harmful.’
How damaging is the ‘wrong’ information given out by Jehovah’s Witnesses. I am reminded of Jesus’ words at Matthew 23:13:
‘But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in…’
Sadly, their message can neither save themselves nor anyone else. What a tragedy!
They end with a quote from yet another ‘worldly’ source:
‘The No. 1 rule is to slow down, pause and ask yourself, ʻAm I sure enough about this that I should share it?’ If everybody did that, we’d see a dramatic reduction of misinformation online.’— Peter Adams, a senior vice president of the News Literacy Project.
The question is then posed to the loyal followers of Jehovah:
‘Am I sharing this information because I know it is true?’
This is not just a question about the spread of misinformation online, but also about their confidence in sharing what they believe as Jehovah’s Witnesses. They believe they are in the ‘truth’ (Jehovah’s organisation), yet they do not know the One who is the Truth.
Whilst they continue to deny the person of the Lord Jesus and reject what He has done for them, they will continue to spread misinformation
If only they would heed the advice given in the article on JW.org and apply it to the organisation, but they cannot. Rather they continue to believe that which supports what they want to believe and so they remain lost and without hope.
