The content displayed below is for educational and archival purposes only.Unless stated otherwise, content is © Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
You may be able to find the original on wol.jw.org
Video above © Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
00:00:01 None of us like being told lies, 00:00:03 but we are constantly bombarded 00:00:05 with false stories. 00:00:07 If we are not careful, they could harm us. 00:00:10 Today, we are going, therefore, 00:00:11 to develop the theme 00:00:13 “Protect Yourself From Lies.” 00:00:16 We will answer three questions: 00:00:18 What lies must we protect ourselves from? 00:00:21 Why are those lies dangerous? 00:00:24 And how can we protect ourselves from lies? 00:00:28 Let us start with the first question: 00:00:30 What lies must we protect ourselves from? 00:00:33 The lies we want to talk about today 00:00:35 are often called false news, fake news, 00:00:39 misinformation, or false information. 00:00:42 Today, we are experiencing an avalanche of misinformation. 00:00:46 For example, there is so much misinformation out there 00:00:50 about the COVID-19 pandemic. 00:00:53 These lies deal with the origin of the virus, 00:00:56 unproven prevention, and cures. 00:00:59 They include responses by governments, 00:01:01 companies, celebrities, and others. 00:01:04 Now, common to misinformation 00:01:08 is their sensational nature. 00:01:10 They are created to be widely shared in order to generate revenue. 00:01:15 Or they are promoting or discrediting a public figure, 00:01:19 a political movement, a company, etcetera. 00:01:23 Now, we often find false, or fake, news in social media, 00:01:28 but we also find it in the established news media. 00:01:32 In many countries, people know exactly what newspaper or TV station 00:01:37 distorts the truth in one or the other direction. 00:01:41 And yet, misinformation of this kind 00:01:45 has been in existence throughout history. 00:01:49 Let’s look at one example that we find in 2 Kings chapter 18. 00:01:54 At one point, King Hezekiah 00:01:57 was confronted with propaganda by Assyrian messengers. 00:02:01 What were the elements of their misinformation? 00:02:06 Let’s look at the first element that we find at 2 Kings 18:21. 00:02:11 Here we find an outright lie. 00:02:13 We read: “Look! 00:02:16 “You trust in the support of this crushed reed, Egypt, 00:02:20 which if a man should lean on it would enter into his palm and pierce it.” 00:02:25 This was a lie, for Hezekiah had not made an alliance with Egypt. 00:02:31 Now let’s look at element number two. 00:02:34 We find it in verses 22 and 25. 00:02:37 After stating that Hezekiah had removed 00:02:39 Jehovah’s high places and altars in verse 22, 00:02:43 this is what we read in verse 25: 00:02:47 “Now is it without authorization from Jehovah 00:02:50 “that I have come up against this place to destroy it? 00:02:53 “Jehovah himself said to me, 00:02:55 ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’” 00:02:59 So element number two is cunning reasoning. 00:03:03 We find bits of truthful information 00:03:06 that were suddenly diffused with lies. 00:03:09 The message was that Jehovah would not act in behalf of his people 00:03:13 because he was displeased with them. 00:03:15 Yet, the opposite was true. 00:03:18 Jehovah was very happy with his people 00:03:20 because they had returned to true worship. 00:03:24 Now, what is element number three? 00:03:26 We find it in verse 31. 00:03:28 Here we see lies that are presented 00:03:31 in a way of an easy solution, with tempting rewards. 00:03:35 We read in verse 31 (in the middle, starting there): 00:03:40 “Make peace with me and surrender, 00:03:44 “and each [one] of you will eat from his own vine 00:03:47 “and from his own fig tree 00:03:49 and will drink the water of his own cistern.” 00:03:53 “Surrender” was presented as an easy solution 00:03:57 in connection with empty rewards. 00:03:59 The prospect of eating fresh bread and drinking new wine 00:04:04 must have been tempting to those in lockdown. 00:04:07 However, did the Assyrians ever 00:04:11 treat their enemies kindly? 00:04:14 No, never. 00:04:18 That brings us to our second question: 00:04:21 Why are those lies dangerous? 00:04:23 Now, in Hezekiah’s day, the propaganda 00:04:26 was supposed to lead the Jews in making a bad decision 00:04:29 —a decision that could have cost their lives. 00:04:33 Today, too, making a bad decision 00:04:36 would be the result of trusting in false, or fake, news. 00:04:40 This is dangerous. 00:04:42 In this time of the pandemic, 00:04:45 this can have an effect on our health and our life. 00:04:49 Reacting to other propaganda can create financial losses 00:04:53 or can result in other negative consequences. 00:04:57 But there is even more at stake. 00:05:01 Lies destroy trust. 00:05:05 They create doubts, and they can undermine our lifesaving determination 00:05:10 to follow Jehovah’s direction. 00:05:12 For example, we are determined to respect governments and their laws 00:05:17 in harmony with Romans chapter 13. 00:05:19 Now, the news often presents politics, 00:05:23 politicians, state institutions in a bad light. 00:05:26 Sometimes, we are confronted with outright lies, 00:05:30 with cunning reasoning, 00:05:32 or with easy solutions with empty promises. 00:05:36 Please let’s be on the watch. 00:05:38 This can weaken our determination to be faithful to Jehovah 00:05:43 by obeying the superior authorities 00:05:46 and displaying Christian neutrality. 00:05:50 Another example is 00:05:52 misinformation about Jehovah’s organization and the Governing Body. 00:05:57 Jehovah’s Witnesses have been accused of promoting Communism, 00:06:01 while others claim that we promote 00:06:04 the ideals and interests of American imperialism. 00:06:07 Our brothers and sisters have been called anarchists. 00:06:11 And nowadays, we are being called extremists, 00:06:14 and the list can go on. 00:06:16 What will be the next lie? 00:06:19 Remember, lies create doubts 00:06:23 and destroy trust. 00:06:25 Some of what we hear and read 00:06:27 is based on misinformation campaigns of apostates. 00:06:31 It may sound convincing, even to us, 00:06:35 even if we now say: “I will not believe it anyway. 00:06:39 I’m just curious to know what it is.” 00:06:41 Exposing ourselves to this kind of misinformation 00:06:45 can create doubts 00:06:47 and undermine our complete trust in the Governing Body. 00:06:50 This makes us vulnerable. 00:06:52 Jehovah will use his organization 00:06:56 to lead us through the great tribulation. 00:06:59 There is just no other way to succeed. 00:07:02 That brings us to our third question: 00:07:05 How can we protect ourselves from those lies? 00:07:08 Now, we can protect ourselves from those lies 00:07:11 by limiting our exposure to misinformation. 00:07:14 Therefore, we need to look at the quality 00:07:18 and the quantity of the information we take in. 00:07:22 The quality 00:07:24 —we want to pick the most reliable source of information. 00:07:29 Quantity 00:07:31 —to stay up to date with world events, 00:07:33 we do not need to update ourselves every hour. 00:07:36 Therefore, let us set a personal time limit 00:07:39 and then stick to it. 00:07:42 What else can we do? 00:07:44 Proverbs 14:15 says: 00:07:46 “The naive person believes every word, 00:07:49 but the shrewd one ponders each step.” 00:07:53 So the key is to have a healthy skepticism 00:07:57 while keeping an open mind. 00:08:01 Or we read at Job 12:11: 00:08:04 “Does not the ear test out words 00:08:08 as the tongue tastes food?” 00:08:11 So before reacting quickly on something we hear or read, 00:08:14 we want to “test out words.” 00:08:16 Let us look for solid confirmation. 00:08:19 We want to compare what we’ve read in the Bible 00:08:22 and what we’ve learned from the Bible and what Bible principles apply. 00:08:25 Is there any guidance from the organization? 00:08:29 And when it comes to news about Jehovah’s organization, 00:08:33 we can expect more lies to be spread as we get closer to Jehovah’s day. 00:08:37 Let us, therefore, strengthen our trust today. 00:08:42 The good guidance from Jehovah’s organization during this pandemic 00:08:46 is just another proof 00:08:48 that Jehovah is with the Governing Body. 00:08:52 So our theme was “Protect Yourself From Lies.” 00:08:57 We discussed the danger of misinformation in its different forms: 00:09:00 outright lies, cunning reasoning, and empty promises. 00:09:04 Lies destroy trust. 00:09:08 Therefore, let us limit our exposure to these lies 00:09:12 and strengthen our trust in Jehovah and his organization today. 00:09:16 This will prepare us 00:09:18 for one of the greatest lies in the very near future: 00:09:22 “Peace and security!” 00:09:24 And remember, this will be fake news 00:09:27 and many (most people) will believe in it.
00:00:01 None of us like being told lies, 00:00:03 but we are constantly bombarded 00:00:05 with false stories. 00:00:07 If we are not careful, they could harm us. 00:00:10 Today, we are going, therefore, 00:00:11 to develop the theme 00:00:13 “Protect Yourself From Lies.” 00:00:16 We will answer three questions: 00:00:18 What lies must we protect ourselves from? 00:00:21 Why are those lies dangerous? 00:00:24 And how can we protect ourselves from lies? 00:00:28 Let us start with the first question: 00:00:30 What lies must we protect ourselves from? 00:00:33 The lies we want to talk about today 00:00:35 are often called false news, fake news, 00:00:39 misinformation, or false information. 00:00:42 Today, we are experiencing an avalanche of misinformation. 00:00:46 For example, there is so much misinformation out there 00:00:50 about the COVID-19 pandemic. 00:00:53 These lies deal with the origin of the virus, 00:00:56 unproven prevention, and cures. 00:00:59 They include responses by governments, 00:01:01 companies, celebrities, and others. 00:01:04 Now, common to misinformation 00:01:08 is their sensational nature. 00:01:10 They are created to be widely shared in order to generate revenue. 00:01:15 Or they are promoting or discrediting a public figure, 00:01:19 a political movement, a company, etcetera. 00:01:23 Now, we often find false, or fake, news in social media, 00:01:28 but we also find it in the established news media. 00:01:32 In many countries, people know exactly what newspaper or TV station 00:01:37 distorts the truth in one or the other direction. 00:01:41 And yet, misinformation of this kind 00:01:45 has been in existence throughout history. 00:01:49 Let’s look at one example that we find in 2 Kings chapter 18. 00:01:54 At one point, King Hezekiah 00:01:57 was confronted with propaganda by Assyrian messengers. 00:02:01 What were the elements of their misinformation? 00:02:06 Let’s look at the first element that we find at 2 Kings 18:21. 00:02:11 Here we find an outright lie. 00:02:13 We read: “Look! 00:02:16 “You trust in the support of this crushed reed, Egypt, 00:02:20 which if a man should lean on it would enter into his palm and pierce it.” 00:02:25 This was a lie, for Hezekiah had not made an alliance with Egypt. 00:02:31 Now let’s look at element number two. 00:02:34 We find it in verses 22 and 25. 00:02:37 After stating that Hezekiah had removed 00:02:39 Jehovah’s high places and altars in verse 22, 00:02:43 this is what we read in verse 25: 00:02:47 “Now is it without authorization from Jehovah 00:02:50 “that I have come up against this place to destroy it? 00:02:53 “Jehovah himself said to me, 00:02:55 ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’” 00:02:59 So element number two is cunning reasoning. 00:03:03 We find bits of truthful information 00:03:06 that were suddenly diffused with lies. 00:03:09 The message was that Jehovah would not act in behalf of his people 00:03:13 because he was displeased with them. 00:03:15 Yet, the opposite was true. 00:03:18 Jehovah was very happy with his people 00:03:20 because they had returned to true worship. 00:03:24 Now, what is element number three? 00:03:26 We find it in verse 31. 00:03:28 Here we see lies that are presented 00:03:31 in a way of an easy solution, with tempting rewards. 00:03:35 We read in verse 31 (in the middle, starting there): 00:03:40 “Make peace with me and surrender, 00:03:44 “and each [one] of you will eat from his own vine 00:03:47 “and from his own fig tree 00:03:49 and will drink the water of his own cistern.” 00:03:53 “Surrender” was presented as an easy solution 00:03:57 in connection with empty rewards. 00:03:59 The prospect of eating fresh bread and drinking new wine 00:04:04 must have been tempting to those in lockdown. 00:04:07 However, did the Assyrians ever 00:04:11 treat their enemies kindly? 00:04:14 No, never. 00:04:18 That brings us to our second question: 00:04:21 Why are those lies dangerous? 00:04:23 Now, in Hezekiah’s day, the propaganda 00:04:26 was supposed to lead the Jews in making a bad decision 00:04:29 —a decision that could have cost their lives. 00:04:33 Today, too, making a bad decision 00:04:36 would be the result of trusting in false, or fake, news. 00:04:40 This is dangerous. 00:04:42 In this time of the pandemic, 00:04:45 this can have an effect on our health and our life. 00:04:49 Reacting to other propaganda can create financial losses 00:04:53 or can result in other negative consequences. 00:04:57 But there is even more at stake. 00:05:01 Lies destroy trust. 00:05:05 They create doubts, and they can undermine our lifesaving determination 00:05:10 to follow Jehovah’s direction. 00:05:12 For example, we are determined to respect governments and their laws 00:05:17 in harmony with Romans chapter 13. 00:05:19 Now, the news often presents politics, 00:05:23 politicians, state institutions in a bad light. 00:05:26 Sometimes, we are confronted with outright lies, 00:05:30 with cunning reasoning, 00:05:32 or with easy solutions with empty promises. 00:05:36 Please let’s be on the watch. 00:05:38 This can weaken our determination to be faithful to Jehovah 00:05:43 by obeying the superior authorities 00:05:46 and displaying Christian neutrality. 00:05:50 Another example is 00:05:52 misinformation about Jehovah’s organization and the Governing Body. 00:05:57 Jehovah’s Witnesses have been accused of promoting Communism, 00:06:01 while others claim that we promote 00:06:04 the ideals and interests of American imperialism. 00:06:07 Our brothers and sisters have been called anarchists. 00:06:11 And nowadays, we are being called extremists, 00:06:14 and the list can go on. 00:06:16 What will be the next lie? 00:06:19 Remember, lies create doubts 00:06:23 and destroy trust. 00:06:25 Some of what we hear and read 00:06:27 is based on misinformation campaigns of apostates. 00:06:31 It may sound convincing, even to us, 00:06:35 even if we now say: “I will not believe it anyway. 00:06:39 I’m just curious to know what it is.” 00:06:41 Exposing ourselves to this kind of misinformation 00:06:45 can create doubts 00:06:47 and undermine our complete trust in the Governing Body. 00:06:50 This makes us vulnerable. 00:06:52 Jehovah will use his organization 00:06:56 to lead us through the great tribulation. 00:06:59 There is just no other way to succeed. 00:07:02 That brings us to our third question: 00:07:05 How can we protect ourselves from those lies? 00:07:08 Now, we can protect ourselves from those lies 00:07:11 by limiting our exposure to misinformation. 00:07:14 Therefore, we need to look at the quality 00:07:18 and the quantity of the information we take in. 00:07:22 The quality 00:07:24 —we want to pick the most reliable source of information. 00:07:29 Quantity 00:07:31 —to stay up to date with world events, 00:07:33 we do not need to update ourselves every hour. 00:07:36 Therefore, let us set a personal time limit 00:07:39 and then stick to it. 00:07:42 What else can we do? 00:07:44 Proverbs 14:15 says: 00:07:46 “The naive person believes every word, 00:07:49 but the shrewd one ponders each step.” 00:07:53 So the key is to have a healthy skepticism 00:07:57 while keeping an open mind. 00:08:01 Or we read at Job 12:11: 00:08:04 “Does not the ear test out words 00:08:08 as the tongue tastes food?” 00:08:11 So before reacting quickly on something we hear or read, 00:08:14 we want to “test out words.” 00:08:16 Let us look for solid confirmation. 00:08:19 We want to compare what we’ve read in the Bible 00:08:22 and what we’ve learned from the Bible and what Bible principles apply. 00:08:25 Is there any guidance from the organization? 00:08:29 And when it comes to news about Jehovah’s organization, 00:08:33 we can expect more lies to be spread as we get closer to Jehovah’s day. 00:08:37 Let us, therefore, strengthen our trust today. 00:08:42 The good guidance from Jehovah’s organization during this pandemic 00:08:46 is just another proof 00:08:48 that Jehovah is with the Governing Body. 00:08:52 So our theme was “Protect Yourself From Lies.” 00:08:57 We discussed the danger of misinformation in its different forms: 00:09:00 outright lies, cunning reasoning, and empty promises. 00:09:04 Lies destroy trust. 00:09:08 Therefore, let us limit our exposure to these lies 00:09:12 and strengthen our trust in Jehovah and his organization today. 00:09:16 This will prepare us 00:09:18 for one of the greatest lies in the very near future: 00:09:22 “Peace and security!” 00:09:24 And remember, this will be fake news 00:09:27 and many (most people) will believe in it.
