FIRMLY UPHOLD GODLY TEACHING

"Trust in Jehovah with all your heart and do not lean upon your own understanding.  In all your ways take notice of him, and he himself will make your paths straight." -PROVERBS 3:5, 6.

PRESENTLY, there are about 9,000 daily newspapers in circulation worldwide. Every year some 200,000 new books are published in the United States alone.  According to one estimate, by March of 1998, there were  about 275  million Web pages on the Internet.  This figure is said to  be growing at a rate of 20 million pages per month.  As never before, people have access to information on just about any subject. While this situation has its positive aspects, such a superabundance of information has caused problems.

Some individuals have become information addicts, always feeding an insatiable desire to be up-to-date while neglecting more important things.  Others acquire partial information about complex fields of knowledge and then view themselves as experts.  Based on only a limited understanding, they may make crucial decisions that can cause harm to themselves or to others.  And always present is the danger of exposure to false or inaccurate information. There is often no reliable way to verify that the flood of information is accurate and balanced. 

Curiosity has long been a human trait.  The dangers of wasting too much time in the pursuit of useless or even harmful information were recognized back in the days of King Solomon.  He said: "Take a warning:  To the making of many books there is no end, and much devotion to them is wearisome  to the flesh."  (Ecclesiastes 12:12) Centuries  later the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy:  "Guard what is laid up in trust with you, turning away from the empty speeches that violate what is holy and from the contradictions of the falsely called  'knowledge.' For making a show of such knowledge some have deviated from the faith."  (1 Timothy 6:20, 21) Yes, Christians today need to avoid unnecessary exposure to harmful ideas.

Jehovah's people also do well to heed the words of Proverbs 3:5, 6: "Trust in Jehovah with all your heart and do not lean upon your own understanding.  In all your ways take notice of him, and he  himself will make your paths straight. "Trusting in Jehovah includes  rejecting any idea that conflicts with God's Word, whether it stems from your own reasoning or from that of our fellowman.  To protect our spirituality, it is vital that we train our perceptive powers so that we can identify harmful information and shun it. (Hebrews 5:14) Let us discuss some sources of such information.

Next time: A World Overpowered by Satan

The Watchtower, 2000