Awake!

File:Awake cover Feb2007.jpg

Awake! magazine, February 2007

Awake! (ISSN 0005-237X) is a general-interest magazine published by Jehovah's Witnesses. The title comes from Mark 13:33 and Luke 12:36. It is considered a companion magazine to The Watchtower which focuses mostly on Bible study and doctrine. Awake! has a wider scope than the Watchtower, publishing articles on science, nature and geography, usually with a religious slant.

The magazine's predecessor, first published in 1919 by International Bible Students Association (an earlier name of Jehovah's Witnesses), was entitled The Golden Age. From 1937 it was called Consolation. In some countries it was also known as New World, for a while. In 1946 the present magazine called by the name Awake! was released.

Features

The magazine has included Bible crosswords and quizzes, and a number of regular columns: The Bible's Viewpoint, a column which applies the Bible to current issues; Young People Ask, giving Bible-based advice aimed at teens and young-adults; Watching the World, a selection of single-paragraph news items from a variety of sources; From Our Readers, a selection of letters commenting on previous Awake! articles; and How Would You Answer?, a compilation of Biblical trivia. There are also sections for historic Biblical dates, questions from the current issue's articles, and a section where kids can search for pictures throughout the magazine.

Articles relating to medical conditions are commonly featured in Awake!. These include dementia, transient cerebral ischemia, infectious diseases, bipolar disorder, and postpartum depression to cite just a few examples.

Autobiographical articles by individual members regarding their experiences and circumstances also appear periodically, and are notable as the only regularly credited writings in any Society publication.

Publishing

Until December 2005, Awake! was published semi-monthly. However, since January 2006 Awake! was published in a monthly edition. It is currently published once a month in all of its available languages. The magazine has 32 pages and is printed in full color. As of the start of 2008, it is available in 78 different languages, including English, German, Swedish, Spanish, Bulgarian, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Indonesian and Zulu with a total worldwide circulation of 35,754,000. Although it will not appear on top seller lists, since it is distributed without charge, it is considered to be the second most widely distributed magazine in the world (after The Watchtower). It is available, in selected languages, in audio cassette and compact disc (audio and MP3) formats.

In the past, Awake! and its companion The Watchtower were sold for a small charge, varying over time and from country to country. However, on January 17, 1990, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that sales of religious literature were subject to taxation, which would have required the Watchtower Society to pay tax on the price of the magazines. The Watchtower Society filed an amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief arguing that the sale of religious literature should be exempt from taxation.

From March 1, 1990, the journals were made available at no cost, on a freewill donation basis in the United States. This has helped to simplify their Bible educational work and to separate themselves from those who commercialize religion. The article "Use Our Literature Wisely" which appeared in the May 1990 Our Kingdom Ministry stated, that "there are growing pressures against all religious elements" and it went on to say that their main concern was to move ahead in the worldwide Kingdom preaching work, "without hindrance."

The sale of the literature around the world was gradually eliminated soon thereafter. It continued until the early 1990s, and in some places until early 2000. Awake! is now distributed free of charge worldwide, its printing being funded by voluntary donations.

Revenue

Awake magazines, and all Jehovah's Witnesses' literature, were sold at cost around the world until the early 1990s. The Awake is now distributed for free, though donations may be given. The Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of NY, Inc., not-for-profit publisher of The Watchtower, was as of 2001 one of the 40 largest revenue-generating companies in New York City, reporting an annual revenue of about US$951 million. The corporation is now legally headquartered in Patterson, New York. Its yearly report is different from a Wall Street company as the company's employees are volunteers who live and work in the Brooklyn complex.

Contradictions

As Awake magazine reflects the viewpoint of the Jehovah's Witness church, articles contradict each other as the beliefs of the Church change. For example, as the rules concerning blood transfusions have changed, articles in Awake magazine have changed from stating that the use of blood serums are 'a matter that must be decided by each person according to his conscience' to stating that 'true Christians do not use this potentially dangerous treatment, heeding the Bible's command to 'abstain from blood.

This change in beliefs also extend to the purpose of the magazine - in 1982 the aim of the magazine was listed as "this magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new order before the generation that saw 1914 C.E. passes away. When the teaching of the second coming arriving within the generation of 1914 was removed from Church literature, the aim of the magazine changed to "this magazine builds confidence in the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things"

External links

• Official MP3´s records of "Awake!" and "Watchtower"
• Current Awake! and The Watchtower topics
• Archive of Awake! articles
• Online PDFs of The Golden Age for: 191919201921192219231924
• Archive of Golden Age magazines Archive of Consolation magazines (unofficial website)