misinformation debunked by fact checking sites

[Frances Bennett]

8 hours ago, New World Explorer said:

Conspiracy Theory- The Great Reset: A theory that suggests the COVID-19 pandemic is being used as a pretext for a global elite to "reset" the world order, imposing a new, authoritarian system. (Conspiracy theories often are marked by extremely high level of speculation and sowing doubt) 

 

Interesting that you use this example.

 

The Great Reset is a proposition of the World Economic Forum, a think tank that became a strategic partner of the United Nations a few months prior to the outbreak of the pandemic:

 

https://www.weforum.org/press/2019/06/world-economic-forum-and-un-sign-strategic-partnership-framework/

 

One of the main objectives of the partnership, according to the press release above, is "to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda". 'The Great Reset' proposition is a big part of that.

 

Here is the United Nations page on the 2030 agenda:

 

https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda

 

As Christians our perception of the world and the decisions proposed by it's leaders,  particularly the organisations identified in prophecy, are focused through the lens of bible understanding.

 

Here is some WEF source material on 'The Great Reset'

 

https://www.weforum.org/videos/series/the-great-reset-863c8ea2d4/

 

Watching / reading the source material and analysing it through the lens of bible understanding raises many questions.

 

The Great Reset is being held out as a hope for a bright new future for humanity, if only humanity would take on board the suggestions of the United Nations proposed in the 2030 agenda.

 

As bible scholars we understand what that means. We have been prepared for this by the organisation.

 

Is this a conspiracy theory? Or is this exactly what the WEF say?

 

This is a perfect example of why balance is needed. As Christians we have to use discernment as it says in Hebrews 5:14

 

"But solid food belongs to mature people, to those who through use have their powers of discernment trained to distinguish both right and wrong"

 

I see a lot of simplistic thinking in threads on here that discuss conspiracy theories. A lot of "conspiracy theory bad, fact checkers good" statements. 

 

It's not really as clear cut as that and viewing things is such a black and white way can be a danger.

[New World Explorer]

2 hours ago, Frances Bennett said:

It's not really as clear cut as that and viewing things is such a black and white way can be a danger.

What danger will eventuate if we follow what Jehovah asks to do? 
Even if some Conspiracies will prove true, how this will affect our lives if we listen to Jehovah?

We know enough about this system and future events to remain faithful and trusting our Father.

I just read beautiful Psalm 37:23 and feel confident that Jehovah will guide us through the maze of this world into a new one without need to dwell on conspiracies.

 

[Witness1970]

There is a difference in some lies and intentional lies.  Some people may repeat lies/false information believing that it is true.  This is called misinformation.  Others may intentionally lie to achieve a purpose.  This is called disinformation.  

 

I used to say I hate assumptions.  Then I realized that most, if not all, people make assumptions, including myself.  The correct thing to do is to get facts that prove whether or not an assumption is true.  This is crucial because acting on a wrong assumption can cause much distress.

Edited November 24 by Witness1970

[Frances Bennett]

1 hour ago, New World Explorer said:

What danger will eventuate if we follow what Jehovah asks to do? 
Even if some Conspiracies will prove true, how this will affect our lives if we listen to Jehovah?

We know enough about this system and future events to remain faithful and trusting our Father.

I just read beautiful Psalm 37:23 and feel confident that Jehovah will guide us through the maze of this world into a new one without need to dwell on conspiracies.

 

 

I'm a little confused by your reply. Sorry if I have got the wrong end of the stick but what do you mean regarding "following what Jehovah asks us to do"? How has Jehovah asked us to "view things in a black and white way" - which is what I referred to as a danger?

 

[Frances Bennett]

33 minutes ago, Witness1970 said:

There is a difference in some lies and intentional lies.  Some people may repeat lies/false information believing that it is true.  This is called misinformation.  Others may intentionally lie to achieve a purpose.  This is called disinformation.  

 

I used to say I hate assumptions.  Then I realized that most, if not all, people make assumptions, including myself.  The correct thing to do is to get facts that prove whether or not an assumption is true.  This is crucial because acting on a wrong assumption can cause much distress.

 

Don't forget Mal-information, which is spreading things that are true but might damage the person / organisation that you are talking about.

 

This is the tricky one, if the Mal-information is done with the purpose of causing harm to the person / organisation by cherry picking "truths" to create a negative view when the whole truth would show a more positive picture, then that is just plain wrong.

 

What about when an organisation / person holds the power and someone spreads a "truth" about them to whistle blow? This whistle blowing will be called out as 'Mal-information' by the organisation / person in power, of course - but is it? 

 

That is where discernment is needed.

[Geralyn]

4 hours ago, New World Explorer said:

feel confident that Jehovah will guide us through the maze of this world into a new one without need to dwell on conspiracies.

 

These chats remind me of the conversation the resurrected Christ had with Cleopas as they walked along. Cleopas (referring to news) said... Luke 24: 18    

 

 

Cleopas was amazed that someone with access to news seemed so unaware!

Christ did not chastise him for "knowing things" or being interested in the meaning of things, no, he lovingly gave them information which they quickly shared with others...  

 

Once Christ even mentioned a local news event and did not chastise the news discussion but helped with a correct view of their attitudes.  Recalling the tragedy of the tower of Siloam. Jesus used that sad event to teach a profound lesson. 

[New World Explorer]

6 hours ago, Frances Bennett said:

 

I'm a little confused by your reply. Sorry if I have got the wrong end of the stick but what do you mean regarding "following what Jehovah asks us to do"? How has Jehovah asked us to "view things in a black and white way" - which is what I referred to as a danger?

 

It means following his guidance during the last days which comes through his Word the Bible, his organization and being involved in theocratic activities. If we follow this …the conspiracy theories will not have hold on us. And even if some “conspiracy” comes through it will not have significant impact on our lives as we know that Jehovah looks after us and we trust him. 
So, yes .. following what Jehovah asks us to do is the best way of living right now and gives us protection in many ways. 
(one of my family members is obsessed about conspiracy theories .. well, he left the truth behind. Conspiracies eroded his thinking so badly that whatever he looks at he finds conspiracies… the doubt is ruling his mind) 

 

Also I do not look at Conspiracy theory through the lens of prophecy as brothers on the Governing Body often phrase unknown prophecy details as …we don’t know … so there are many aspects that we truly do know know and the danger ⚠️ lies with connecting  conspiracy theory with prophecy of the Bible. It is safer to wait and go along with GB … simply saying we don’t know. 
 

My answer on GREAT RESET …. we don’t know. 

 

[carlos]

3 hours ago, Geralyn said:

Christ did not chastise him for "knowing things" or being interested in the meaning of things, no, he lovingly gave them information which they quickly shared with others...  

 

That's correct. There is nothing wrong in keeping up to date with the news. In fact that's a good thing. It's also true that some conspiracies are real. But that is not the point.

 

The problem the Slave warns about is when we spend too much time watching them and doing research, and then trying to share all those conclusions with everyone we know. Jesus mentioned something all his listeners knew, that a tower had collapsed killing a lot of people, and then made an application of it. He didn't spend any time researching the matter or denouncing the Romans, or anyone else, as being behind the so-called accident. All the media, even so-called independent sources, have an agenda and are trying to influence us. When we spend too much time watching or researching political matters, we unavoidably develop political opinions. We don't notice it, but those around us do. If everybody around is saying we sound like someone from X party, then that means we are watching too much political materials.

 

Ultimately, whether the news are true or false, most of the time there is nothing we can do about it, other than feel bad and become bitter. All that time could be better used to study the Bible, watching some refreshing or encouraging materials, get some rest, spend time with our family or tell others about the only real solution to all political corruption.

[Geralyn]

7 hours ago, Frances Bennett said:

The correct thing to do is to get facts that prove whether or not an assumption is true.  This is crucial because acting on a wrong assumption can cause much distress.

 

1 hour ago, carlos said:

He didn't spend any time researching the matter

 

I often wonder what Jesus and the disciples talked about as they covered their territory, I imagine they discussed the news affecting folks maybe someone was assigned to do research?  I know the Slave takes pride in the research team and plenty of time is spent getting it right...  I've watched the Society Videos!

 

Jesus once asked his disciples: “Who are men saying the Son of man is?” Their reply: “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “You, though, who do you say I am?” Jesus continued.   Jesus sure stirred up a good discussion and each of them revealed that he was paying attention to his neighbors!   Matt 6:13-15

 

I accidentally did a deep dive on 9 11 without even knowing it!  We were in 'lock down' as the 9 11  20 year anniversary came around and honestly the whole subject disturbed me enough that I had avoided the topic almost that long!!   A video popped up on my feed (Flight Attendant sheds new light on 9/11) and, well, after daily service and endless study I thought "why not see something fresh on the anniversary?" maybe COVID crazy time had put it in perspective?   It was fascinating and unexpected and changed my outlook on a few things in a good way...   I could have taken that info and run into a deep political rabbit hole but THAT video was enough, it made more obvious the truth in the Bible "the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one".  It set me free from a lot of fear programming I didn't realize I had adsorbed through the news, all without doing any other research!   COVID makes more sense too...   I can talk with my Conspiracy centric relatives a lot easier and I apologized for rolling my eyes at them all these years!  My arrogance taken down a peg.   I no longer get a stomach ache seeing large jets, I am more relaxed around people of eastern descent and trust very little .gov info and zero news reports have power over my emotions.   You can't unsee things like the truth unless it is willful.   I would rather KNOW than NOT know.   Like the tower of Siloam, I can now talk with people about this, it makes sense, I can draw conclussions and I can guide the conversation back to Bible truth in a competent manner.  WIN WIN! 

 

I now choose to let all conspiracy people be "probably right" (within reason) and it opens conversations!  The only hard part now is watching JWs discuss discussing it!  ikr

[StarHope]

6 hours ago, New World Explorer said:

It means following his guidance during the last days which comes through his Word the Bible, his organization and being involved in theocratic activities. If we follow this …the conspiracy theories will not have hold on us. And even if some “conspiracy” comes through it will not have significant impact on our lives as we know that Jehovah looks after us and we trust him.

 
Nicely worded. Ultimately, we must have trust in Jehovah. Satan will try anything to sever that trust.

[hatcheckgirl]

I like doing research. Like all Bible students, we are encouraged more and more to do that, especially with our daily Bible reading. Pour over a scripture or two, take the time to digest. And let God's word strengthen our faith.

 

Likewise, when the GB and helpers are doing their research, I have never seen them go down any rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. Not one. Ever. They only quote reputable sources. They find these reputable sources through various means including government health websites, historians, scientists, medical and law references. I trust in the research the GB and the organisation does.

 

In these last days, we have ample evidence where we are in the stream of time, and what Jehovah wants us to spend our time on. Each one has to do what they think is right according to their conscience and free will. But the safest course by far is to leave these conspiracy theories behind, even if they bring up some nugget of truth about how this system is run. And when we meet people in the field, we can definitely find a point of common ground without having to know the ins and outs of the latest conspiracy theories. 
 

Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. (X ref to Col 2:8 Look out that no one takes you captive by means of the philosophy and empty deception according to human tradition, according to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ). We take these warnings seriously.

 

Instead, all of us, me included, need to continue to be “rooted and built up in him and being stabilized in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with thanksgiving.” Col 2:7.  We were taught by Jesus who is using the FDS. It’s best to stay focused on this, especially in these confusing times.

[computerwiz]

18 hours ago, Geralyn said:

The only hard part now is watching JWs discuss discussing it!

 

Yeah, these topics make me do this:

 

 

 

And then this...

 

[Pjdriver]

5 hours ago, computerwiz said:

Yeah, these topics make me do this

 

Yet, you can’t look away. Something keeps pulling us back....... 

[carlos]

On 11/24/2024 at 10:17 PM, Geralyn said:

I now choose to let all conspiracy people be "probably right" (within reason) and it opens conversations!  The only hard part now is watching JWs discuss discussing it!  ikr

 

Geralyn, what you say in that post is quite reasonable. It's fine to be informed. We cannot simply accept everything we hear. That's true. I agree that not arguing with people who are into conspiracies is the best approach too. After all, we don't go in service to argue about politics, but to give them the message of the Kingdom. That balanced approach is fine and is not what the Slave warns about.

 

However, I don't typically see that balanced approach in people who are into conspiracies. They are often obsessed and spend all day watching Youtube videos about those subjects. They try to convince everybody of their theories and in fact it's like they are unable to have a conversation about any other subject. Many times they start confusing their theories with Bible truth, and misapply scriptures to say they have the divine obligation to spread their theories as if they were the good news. You can see that here at the forums. There are a number of members with hundreds of posts, and all of them are about vaccines, covid and other conspiracies, often using political language. Not a single post about spiritual matters. That is what the Slave warns against.

 

Do you remember the demo in the circuit assembly last year? It doesn't matter if the latest viral video about a corrupt government is true or not. It doesn't serve any purpose, it's discouraging and a waste of time. We don't want to watch it. It's good to be informed but we don't need to delve into Satan's deep things. We have much better things to spend our time in.

[LeolaRootStew]

1 hour ago, carlos said:

However, I don't typically see that balanced approach in people who are into conspiracies.

 

I have personally seen the more reasonable conspiracy people who acknowledge that the world is full of lies, but focus on the Kingdom more than the problems. They're usually quieter, which skews the perception of the entire group toward the vocal and unbalanced ones. We don't need to know who paid who to run into an iceberg, we just need to know the ship is sinking and help people find the lifeboats.

[Eejay]

3 hours ago, carlos said:

I don't typically see that balanced approach in people who are into conspiracies. They are often obsessed and spend all day watching Youtube videos about those subjects.

They do not have Jehovah's spirirt and thus cannot display its fruitage. And interestingly, they are ignorant of the greatest conspiracy of all because: "the god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers," and, "Satan himself keeps disguising himself as an angel of light. It is therefore nothing extraordinary if his ministers also keep disguising themselves as ministers of righteousness." 2Cor4:4; 2Cor.11:14-15.

[Tsheppar]

5 hours ago, Eejay said:

They do not have Jehovah's spirirt and thus cannot display its fruitage.

I myself , a 3rd generation witness , believe in many conspiracy theorys. I think that someday we all will be very surprised at just how corrupt this world really is. You can review many of my posts on here and view my reputation and decide for yourself whether Jehovah's spirit is not upon me or if I am not displaying the fruitage of the spirit.  I will stand before Jehovah on that. 

 

I feel that I am a balanced person, but my personal life experiences have led me to understand the world is not as it seems perhaps if in a different way than you

( and the majority  on here) do. 

 However , I appreciate the varied viewpoints on here. Im just sayin.Im just sayin 😁 Lol 

[New World Explorer]

56 minutes ago, Tsheppar said:

I think that someday we all will be very surprised at just how corrupt this world really is.

Nope... no surprise for me as the system is run by the most dark, monstrous and sheer evil mind ever in existence. 

 

But as for me I take this scripture into consideration in relation to the conspiracy theories. 

Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are of serious concern, whatever things are righteous, whatever things are chaste, whatever things are lovable, whatever things are well-spoken-of, whatever things are virtuous, and whatever things are praiseworthy, continue considering these things Philip 4:8
 

Does this scripture leave room for considering conspiracy theories? (Rhetorical question, no need to answer) 🙂

 

“True.” This word describes things that are upright and trustworthy, such as the information found in God’s Word, the Bible.—1 Timothy 6:20.

“Of serious concern.” This phrase refers to matters of real importance. They are not frivolous, trivial, or petty. Rather, they help to reinforce a Christian’s determination to do what is right.—Titus 2:6-8.

“Righteous.” This word refers to plans and actions that meet God’s standard of what is right rather than being based on limited human wisdom.—Proverbs 3:5, 6; 14:12.

“Lovable.” This word refers to things that are pleasant, that stir up feelings of love rather than hatred, bitterness, or conflict.—1 Peter 4:8

“Virtuous.” This word refers to things that are morally excellent according to God’s standards. They are good through and through.—2 Peter 1:5, 9.

 

If we contrast the words in bold above against conspiracy theories then we see that Investigating conspiracy theories can be a significant waste of time and resources, diverting attention away from more pressing issues like family matters or our sacred worship. 

We only have limited time to spare, so even this aspect needs to be considered. 

I prefer to play boardgames with my family and friends when I have spare time. 

 

 

[Eejay]

2 hours ago, Tsheppar said:

I myself , a 3rd generation witness , believe in many conspiracy theorys

 

Belief in what is false is not an evidence of Gods spirit operating: Jesus said at John 16:13:"However, when that one comes, the spirit of the truth, he will guide you into all the truth,"

 

So, "interest in" or "knowledge of" something is not the same as belief. Even then, the caution is clear. Jesus expressed his approval of those who "did not get to know the so-called “deep things of Satan” (Rev.2:24), and I think his rulership will allow no place for them at all. Like the Satanic machinations of the pre-flood world, we have no use for the detail of those "works of the Devil" that Jesus will "break up". 1John 3:8 And, we have no use for them now.

[Frances Bennett]

2 hours ago, New World Explorer said:

Nope... no surprise for me as the system is run by the most dark, monstrous and sheer evil mind ever in existence. 

 

But as for me I take this scripture into consideration in relation to the conspiracy theories. 

Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are of serious concern, whatever things are righteous, whatever things are chaste, whatever things are lovable, whatever things are well-spoken-of, whatever things are virtuous, and whatever things are praiseworthy, continue considering these things Philip 4:8
 

Does this scripture leave room for considering conspiracy theories? (Rhetorical question, no need to answer) 🙂

 

 

Hmmm

 

I like @Tsheppar also believe in quite a few things that I think fulfill the idea of conspiracy theories according to the view of most people on here (I see the shock on your faces! "surely that can't be said of Frances!" Lol 😉 ) but obviously I don't just believe any old nonsense. I'm not looking out for lizard people or anything like that!

 

When Tom says you "might be surprised" I think what he means is that the corruption by the "most dark, monstrous and sheer evil mind" might have spread to even things that you thought were trustworthy. This was my experience. There were things I put great faith in previously that I now know are hideously corrupted by Satan and his minions. There are things that I believed previously without question, that I have now undeniably seen are a complete pack of satanic lies. 

 

I agree that wasting time on it is a bad idea, however many of the things I have discovered have protected me from mental, physical and even spiritual harm.

 

The scripture you quote is very interesting. As a person that has uncovered many truths in my research I look at that scripture as confirmation that my research is worthwhile and actually in harmony with the new personality we are required to put on.

 

“True.” This word describes things that are upright and trustworthy, such as the information found in God’s Word, the Bible.—1 Timothy 6:20 - Truth is So important! Satan is the father of the lie, and when you are being lied to from sources that are responsible for what could amount to life and death decisions it is imperative that we are not naive, but shrewd (Proverbs 22:3)

“Of serious concern.” This phrase refers to matters of real importance. They are not frivolous, trivial, or petty. Rather, they help to reinforce a Christian’s determination to do what is right.—Titus 2:6-8. The things I read up on are definitely of serious concern. It's not like I'm scrolling around on instagram reels looking for nonsense. When my husband and I have needed to make decisions that impact on our family we have taken them very seriously, because a wrong choice could have serious repercussions. So we have researched the decisions deeply, reviewing the advice of "many advisors" (Proverbs 11:14)

“Righteous.” This word refers to plans and actions that meet God’s standard of what is right rather than being based on limited human wisdom.—Proverbs 3:5, 6; 14:12. Righteousness is so important - but we aren't going to see it in most of the people leading the nations today. Satan controls the kingdoms of the Earth otherwise he wouldn't have been able to offer them to Jesus, so their plans and actions do not meet God's righteous standards. As a Christian couple my husband and I have strong consciences that we feel are in line with Jehovah's righteous standards. When we have to make decisions we use our bible trained consciences. Often things held up as pure and righteous by the world are riddled with satanic corruption, shrouded in a mask of virtue. It is imperative as christians that we make sure we don't gulp down the camel in our rush to be righteous (Matthew 23:23-24)

“Lovable.” This word refers to things that are pleasant, that stir up feelings of love rather than hatred, bitterness, or conflict.—1 Peter 4:8 Absolutely, and I feel this is where many people who have opinions outside of the mainstream go wrong. However, I have a glorious group of like minded christian friends who think very similarly to me and would likely be labeled conspiracy theorists by most on this forum. I can honestly say that the love I feel from them is wonderfully healing and a gift from Jehovah. They are deeply spiritual people, stable and trustworthy, balanced and balancing - they have a wonderful stabilizing effect on me, and I hope I do the same for them. (2 Col 2:7)

“Virtuous.” This word refers to things that are morally excellent according to God’s standards. They are good through and through.—2 Peter 1:5, 9. As with Righteousness, the same applies. You will not see virtuous things from Satan's world. You will, however see a lot of "virtue signalling" - https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/virtue-signalling#google_vignette This behaviour is exactly what Jesus was calling out in Matthew 23:23-24 quoted earlier. It is so very important as Christians that we do not fall into this trap. It is so very easy to do that as we are spoon fed the behaviours that the world consider virtuous. We must make sure that they really are virtuous according to Jehovah's righteous standards.That takes deep digging. Unfortunately many things are absolutely not as they are appear and backing them is backing Satanic lies and in some cases horrific, hidden satanic practices. We have uncovered so many ugly truths behind many seemingly innocent things in this world - think about Pagan rooted celebrations, Blood transfusions, body contaminating health practices - we reject them. There are many more "things like these" though. (Gal 5:20)

 

Perhaps I am one of the more sensitive ones that Paul was discussing when he wrote regarding the food sacrificed to idols in Acts 15, in which case I will continue to research into the origins of the "meat" I consume, even if that research makes me appear like a conspiracy theorist!

 

 

[LeolaRootStew]

5 hours ago, Eejay said:

 

Belief in what is false is not an evidence of Gods spirit operating: Jesus said at John 16:13:"However, when that one comes, the spirit of the truth, he will guide you into all the truth,"

 

So, "interest in" or "knowledge of" something is not the same as belief. Even then, the caution is clear. Jesus expressed his approval of those who "did not get to know the so-called “deep things of Satan” (Rev.2:24), and I think his rulership will allow no place for them at all. Like the Satanic machinations of the pre-flood world, we have no use for the detail of those "works of the Devil" that Jesus will "break up". 1John 3:8 And, we have no use for them now.

 

I recommend not doing "purity testing". No Witness on earth can say all of their beliefs are 100% true, so by your standard none of us have God's spirit. That is unreasonable. Conspiracies happen all the time. Saying that you don't believe in any conspiracy theories is like saying you always believe the official story. Car salesmen lie, doctors lie, governments lie - and when they try to cover it up it's called a conspiracy. Do you believe the Russian lie that Witnesses are dangerous extremists? Do you believe the Russian lie that imprisoned Witnesses beat themselves and that's why their bodies were covered with bruises and other evidence of torture? If you don't believe those lies - congratulations, you are a conspiracy theorist. Now someone can easily say that you don't have God's spirit because you don't believe the "official story".

 

Regardless, Jesus is not here to guide us through the truth of what happened to Amelia Earhart, if the Loch Ness monster is real, or if aliens touched down in New Mexico; he's here to guides us about spiritual truth. Beliefs in how the Titanic really sank has nothing to do with our spiritual health and we shouldn't judge each other for giving a second look to things that don't seem right to us.

[Jwanon]

7 hours ago, Eejay said:

“deep things of Satan” (Rev.2:24),

 

interesting expression

[Doug]

On 11/23/2024 at 3:52 PM, carlos said:

 

In science, a theory is an proposed explanation that fits all the known facts and is confirmed by experiments. Further research may confirm, modify or discard a theory, but in principle it's a reasonable explanation with the information we have.  But actually it is incorrect to refer to evolution as a scientific theory, since it doesn't fit most of the facts.

 

 

I appreciate this comment, thank you.

 

Scientifically speaking, evolution is not a theory.  It doesn't reach the theory level of credibility.  Scientifically, evolution is a model.  A model is little more than an idea, thought or speculation.

[Motherhen]

On 11/24/2024 at 7:56 AM, Frances Bennett said:

Don't forget Mal-information, which is spreading things that are true but might damage the person / organisation that you are talking about.

 

This is the tricky one, if the Mal-information is done with the purpose of causing harm to the person / organisation by cherry picking "truths" to create a negative view when the whole truth would show a more positive picture, then that is just plain wrong.

 

The video below shows an example of RFK jr. being labeled as a spreader of Mal-information, which is actually a form propaganda, as shown in this article in the 2000 Awake:

 

"THERE is a difference between education and propaganda. Education shows you how to think. Propaganda tells you what to think. Good educators present all sides of an issue and encourage discussion. Propagandists relentlessly force you to hear their view and discourage discussion. They distort and twist facts, specializing in lies and half-truths. Your emotions, not your logical thinking abilities, are their target.

 

The propagandist makes sure that his message appears to be the right and moral one and that it gives you a sense of importance and belonging if you follow it. You are one of the smart ones, you are not alone, you are comfortable and secure—so they say. How can you protect yourself from the “profitless talkers” and “deceivers of the mind”? (Titus 1:10) We need to scrutinize whatever is presented to us, without being so narrow that we refuse to consider facts. When we are presented with persuasive arguments, we should ask questions. First, examine whether there is bias. Is it rife with name-calling?"

 

And since labeling someone as a spreader of Mal-information is a form of name-calling, then it fits under the definition of propaganda. Here is the video:

 

 

 

[computerwiz]

6 minutes ago, Motherhen said:

The video below shows an example of RFK jr. being labeled as a spreader of Mal-information, which is actually a form propaganda, as shown in this article in the 2000 Awake:

 

"THERE is a difference between education and propaganda. Education shows you how to think. Propaganda tells you what to think. Good educators present all sides of an issue and encourage discussion. Propagandists relentlessly force you to hear their view and discourage discussion. They distort and twist facts, specializing in lies and half-truths. Your emotions, not your logical thinking abilities, are their target.

 

The propagandist makes sure that his message appears to be the right and moral one and that it gives you a sense of importance and belonging if you follow it. You are one of the smart ones, you are not alone, you are comfortable and secure—so they say. How can you protect yourself from the “profitless talkers” and “deceivers of the mind”? (Titus 1:10) We need to scrutinize whatever is presented to us, without being so narrow that we refuse to consider facts. When we are presented with persuasive arguments, we should ask questions. First, examine whether there is bias. Is it rife with name-calling?"

 

And since labeling someone as a spreader of Mal-information is a form of name-calling, then it fits under the definition of propaganda. Here is the video:

 

 

 

 

Very nice article, thanks!

 

Yes when the name-calling starts, I stop listening.  That's when you know they lost.