{"id":489,"date":"2010-06-09T06:12:20","date_gmt":"2010-06-09T06:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/news\/2010\/06\/09\/what-is-most-widely-read-magazine-in-world-2\/"},"modified":"2010-06-09T06:12:20","modified_gmt":"2010-06-09T06:12:20","slug":"what-is-most-widely-read-magazine-in-world-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/what-is-most-widely-read-magazine-in-world-2\/","title":{"rendered":"What is most widely read magazine in world?"},"content":{"rendered":"
A lot of magazines are struggling in this era of the Internet. But a few are doing well. Many North American think the most successful magazines around now are either The Economist or O, The Oprah Magazine.<\/div>\n
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But the most widely read magazine in the world is not the rigorously-edited global affairs magazine with a business emphasis, nor TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey’s contribution to health, happiness and spiritual growth.<\/div>\n
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No, the world’s most popular magazine is religious.<\/div>\n
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It is The Watchtower.<\/div>\n
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It is the official publication of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.<\/div>\n
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A recent story in The New York Times explored the theologically conservative magazine’s remarkable success, which is based on several factors — particularly that it’s free and distributed by an army of volunteers around the world, especially in rural areas and the Third World.<\/div>\n

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Here is an excerpt from the NYT feature:<\/div>\n
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“Every month, nearly 40 million copies of The Watchtower are printed in more than 180 languages and sent to 236 countries. There are no subscriptions and you won\u2019t find it on newsstands, but it\u2019s still hard to miss. Thanks to the efforts of Witnesses … The Watchtower is the most widely distributed magazine in the world, with a circulation of more than 25 million. Last year, the world\u2019s 7.3 million-strong Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses spent 1.5 billion hours knocking on doors and \u201cstreet Witnessing\u201d \u2014 stopping folks in parks and on streets \u2014 to preach the \u201cgood news\u201d with a copy of The Watchtower. Its closest competitors are AARP The Magazine (circulation 24.3 million) and Better Homes and Gardens (7.6 million). It doesn\u2019t hurt that The Watchtower has been free since 1990, with the option of a small donation.”<\/div>\n
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The Watchtower, published in the U.S., is a doctrinal guide to Witness beliefs. March\u2019s cover features a bearded scribe writing at a desk \u2014 over the cover line: \u201cThe Bible, Is It Really God\u2019s Inspired Word?\u201d Inside, a table of contents provides the answer. Page 4: \u201cThe Bible Really Is God\u2019s Inspired Word.\u201d Page 8: \u201cWhy You Can Trust the Biblical Gospels.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The Jehovah’s Witnesses formed in Pennsylvania in the late 1800s, and its ultra-convervative Biblical literalist beliefs are considered outside the Christian mainstream. Since its inception, the Watch Tower Society has taught that the present world order is in its last days and will soon be destroyed at Armageddon. It has stated that only Jehovah’s Witnesses “have any Scriptural hope of surviving the impending end of this doomed system,” but that God decides who will survive.<\/div>\n
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Despite rumors to the contrary, says the NYT, women can write for The Watchtower magazine, but not on scriptural matters. \u201cThat\u2019s what the Bible indicates according to our concept of it,\u201d \u00a0assignment editor John Wischuck tells the NYT. \u201cIf they wanted to write something about dressmaking, a sister could do that. It might be in another case that she interviews another woman and writes up her life story. That would go through an editor or a rewrite.\u201d<\/div>\n
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http:\/\/communities.canada.com\/<\/div>\n
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