Finally I am free. I wandered outside the convention around mid-afternoon, returning for the concluding song, so I didn't get to hear "Summary of the Botchtower" nor the final talk (which gets all the seals clapping).
KNOW THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NEAR
When is the Kingdom coming? Why is it always near but never here? These are the questions I ask myself when listening to the endless "Deliverance at hand!" comments.
9:50 Examining the Scriptures Daily Renews Our Sense of Urgency
Yes, the times are urgent - so urgent that the Watchtower has been proclaiming the end of the system since 1879.
"Brothers and sisters - now is not the time to lose our sense of urgency and risk spiritual drowsiness."
"We are living deep in the time of the end."
So, what are time period are we living in? The "last days" or "the time of the end"? I don't think they can quite figure out which.
The next few talks were boring - nothing notable was said.
As usual, the dubs look forward to the drama. And what a drama it was. Plenty of thinly veiled threats of death and destruction for those that have "an independent spirit"
11:10 Accept Jehovah's Authority - Reject An Independent Spirit
This 20 minute talk was about not ignoring the counsel from Jehovah's appointed ones - the "faithful and discreet slave" and the elders.
"This form of independence is truly a curse."
Trust in Jehovah, accept counsel from the faithful and discreet slave and the overseers, that they may not be sighing over you.
Overseers love Jehovah and they love you.
Speaker said that many false prophets have gone into the world (never a truer word was said by this fellow - he is talking about himself)
Disgruntled ones resist the counsel of the elders and can tear down a congregation.
Do not yield to disgruntled ones, those who complain about how things are done.
Diotrephes likes to have first place among the brothers.
We must subject ourselves whole heartedly to Jehovah.
Don't listen to the voice of strangers. (Where have we heard this one before?)
11:30 DRAMA: To Whose Authority Do You Submit?
Perhaps the most anticipated part of the convention program.
I can't be bothered to spell the strange names of the characters in this drama, but the situation was where Jeroboam was King of the southern Kingdom of Israel and Rehoboam was King of the Northern tribes. Jeroboam had kicked out all the Levitical priests because they didn't agree with calf worship.
Scene begins with two brothers arguing over why they should go to Jerusalem to worship Jehovah when King Jeroboam had made a golden calf in their hometown - for convenience. One borother says, "why do we need to go to Jerusalem when we can worship Jehovah here?" He then tells his brother who has reprimanded him for using an image to worship Jehovah, that "we should obey the King, you don't know the law."
The drama had thinly veiled refrences to situations in our time - the brother with the independent spirit in the drama said there were "too many festivals" (too many meetings) and "I can't worship Jehovah today in Jerusalem, I have my business to attend to." (Do not miss Friday of the convention)
Lots of arguing back and forth
Jeroboam is accepting anyone as a priest if they pay for the position. One prominent person pays to become a priest and expects to be waited on - two of his footsoliders put a robe on him.
A man of the true God comes in and tells off the King for worshipping a golden calf and for taking up the duties of a Levite priest. Man of the true God makes it known he cannot go back the way he came, nor can he eat or drink in this place.
Jeroboam begins a sacrifice and the altar splits in half (cheap effects) and his hand withers up.
The King pleads for the "man of the true God" to make his hand whole again, and the hand promptly returns to normal.
The two brothers who were observing the sacrifice go and tell their father what happened. Their father is also happens a prophet.
Prophet asks the brothers to invite the man of the tue God round to his house for dinner, DESPITE knowing the man of the true God cannot eat or drink.
As it happens, the prophet accepts the dinner invite, goes round to the old dude's house and has a sumptuous feast - the host has an apparent fit and then tells his guest he will die
for disobeying Jehovah's instructions.
Man of the true God promptly stuffs his face before leaving, gets crushed by a lion and the host gets upset hearing this news! Tells his brothers that he wants to be buried by the
prophets bones upon his death.
A very strange account, I never liked this.Drama was basically telling us that we had to listen to what the Society says and obey them.
Concluding comments by myself It seems as if the Society is more desperate than it has even been in its 127 year history. They actually mentioned in a demo about a brother surfing the web for JW reports on the Hurrican Katrina relief work and finding negative talk about the Governing Body. They bashed higher education repeatedly. They tell us we should listen to the FDS and not question them. Do we have the pioneer spirit? Are we carrying out our ministry to the best of our ability?The effect they want to have on us is not the effect they will get. While people clap for each talk and look like they agree with everything said, we all know there is a deep malaise in the organization. They are losing their young people and many, many more are wising up to what the WTS is all about, thanks to the Internet.
The Internet and freedom of information is what the Watchtower Society fear most. They can stop witnesses from talking to disfellowshipped ones. They can enforce punishment and shunning. But they cannot stop what is happening, and that is Witnesses of all backgrounds researching the Society or accidentally learning something about them by means of the Internet.
You are having an effect on their progress - growth is slowing. They had a 1.3 % increase for the 2004/2005 service year, the lowest in decades.
People are learning and they are leaving.
Even if they can't leave because of family ties, such as myself, they are unproductive and unfruitful because of what they know. They don't contribute towards the World Wide Work, they make up their hours and they don't study for meetings.
This board has been around for 6 years. Everyone who has come here, has been affected by this board in some way.
There have been differences on this forum between people, but the fact is we owe Simon a huge thank you, for without this board many would still be in the cult.
One brother once said to me, "be the change you want to see" - I think many here who are still in and in some cases in the "intimate groups of the Brooklyn hierachy" are doing their part to ensure that this organization will be forced to change their destructive policies.
Only lawsuits and the loss of money will force this religion to change. There is no chance of reform, for that would be an admission of defeat on the part of the Governing Body, but this religion is slowly coming apart at the seams. Reform is also impossible because the system works for them.
Some may say that the WTS will always be here - maybe that's true, but time and their chronological dates (1914, 1935) are not on their side.
Thanks to everyone for their comments during my last DC notes.