Day 1
FRIDAY
9:50 Be Attentive To Jehovah's Promises Of Deliverance
Would you believe that this 20 minute talk was solely about being attentive to the program? Literally, there were 4 steps given to be attentive to Jehovah's provisions.
Step 1: EACH day, prepare your heart for the program.
Get enough rest and sleep and a good meal.
Focus on the program.
Fix the theme of the day in your mind.
Build anticipation for the talks.
Did you enjoy the musical preludes? (Yes, I'm serious)
What about your singing? Be attentive to the lyrics, think about their meaning.
Listen closely to the prayers.
Step 2: Keep your eyes on the platform, avoid being distracted.
Step 3: Keep in mind what is being said. Offer up to Jehovah a prayer for you to have inner peace so you can concentrate on the program.
Step 4: Make a checklist of points that touched you personally.
Also announced was that "the faithful and discreet slave have good reason for us to review the convention program."
All this, and the program hasn't even officially started yet. The speaker highlighted various talks over the three days - At 2:15pm on Saturday, the talk "Maintain a Scriptural View of Health Care" is a MANUSCRIPT talk - I have no idea what it could be about though. Seems that on Saturday morning, they are reusing the illustration of "the Birdcatcher" again.
10:20 Practice the Things that You Learned
Interview with several people, many youth among them about how last year's District Convention changed one aspect of their lives. One young brother who was studying music decided that after listening to the 2005 Drama: "Pursue Goals That Honor God", he would give up his studies and start pioneering.
SIDE NOTE
Throughout the day, there were many references as to how Jehovah "has already delivered his people." - this consists largely of peace of mind or being set free from Babylonish thinking - not the sort of deliverance as was seen at the Red Sea in the time of Moses.
So brothers and sisters, Jehovah has already delivered you? What are you complaining about? Get out and preach.
11:40 Keynote Address: Jehovah's Provisions for Our Everlasting Deliverance
The usual spiel about what Jehovah has done for us: bible based publications, elders (gifts in men) and that the counsel from the "faithful and discreet slave" is comparable to "waters of life" mentioned in Revelation.
After the song, the brother who dismissed us for lunch did a short infomercial on the musical preludes, stating that a new soundtrack had been made - same old melodies though. I don't get it with the preludes, every cinema and theater has some musical prelude, they don't go on and on about it.
2:15 Cherish Your Place In The Congregation
Have we found our place in Jehovah's arrangement, the congregation? Likened meetings and assemblies of ancient nation of Israel to meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses. Christ is the head and he has appointed the faithful and discreet slave, we should obey them in all things.
2:35 Jehovah Tenderly Cares For Older Ones
What a laugh I got out of this one - it seems the only possible way Jehovah can "tenderly care for older ones" is by giving them spiritual food and helping them get lifts to the Kingdom Hall. Speaker neglected to mention the Bethel administration kicking out the old timers because they're to expensive to keep.
Jehovah won't remove our physical complaints blah blah blah - of what good is it to get someone to the meeting and out on service when they're riddled with cancer?
Interview with several old timers who listed their complaints and then claimed Jehovah had delivered them.
3:45 Symposium: Jehovah - Provider Of Escape
The speaker mentioned that the "inner rooms" referred to by Ezekiel (I think) could very well refer to Kingdom Halls and we should run to them when Armaggedon breaks out.
4:45 No Opposing Weapon or Tongue Will Succeed - Given by Brother Max Larson of Brooklyn Bethel
Oh, and by the way, he's been in Bethel for 60 years - creature worship me thinks by the way they advertised this fact
Bro. Larson droned on about opposers and bans etc - never mentioned apostates though for some reason, or even half truths. Talked about Rutherford's time as a jail bird and even Malawi, where the brothers were beaten. Does he realize that he was probably instrumental in this?
GOD'S PEOPLE ARE UNDER ATTACK! (Quick everyone, get to the air-raid shelters)
Satan is angry that millions of sheep are accepting Jehovah God - adversary, roaring lion etc etc.
Framing trouble by decree - could the average brother explain what was just said?
Gross misrepresentations, smear campaign, slander (I think we do quite a good job actually)
Accusations that Jehovah's Witnesses have got around tax laws (anyone think of Jimmy Swaggert?
The governing body represent the anointed (do they even know the anointed by name? You would think that if you were anointed and going to serve Jah in heaven with the governing body, they might at least know your name.)
Satan is attacking the remnant and the great crowd.
Bro. Larson has a way of raising his voice towards the end of a sentence.
Saturday's notes will follow tomorrow.
Pasted from <http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/114405/2001796/post.ashx#2001796>
Day 2
SATURDAY
"Deliver Us From The Wicked One And From Every Sort Of Lawlessness" - Matt 6:13, Titus 2:14
9:50 Fortified Against Satan by Considering the Daily Text
Brothers, Jehovah is preparing us for a spiritual warfare by means of the daily text.
Classic phrase: Satan causes a veil of darkness to cover the mind of "professed Christians".
10:00 Symposium:
Continue in the Ministry - Deliver Those...Staggering to the Slaughter
When I heard this title I thought WTH? Staggering to the Slaughter? Speaker says that those "staggering" are the ones who need our message of salvation.
DEMONSTRATION: A brother, about 30 years old, who is single and cares only for himself is putting in just 2 Saturday's a month in field service and only staying out for an hour. He gets a shepherding call - elder is concerned about his hours and meeting attendance. After some soul searching, brother agrees to change his schedule, his attitude and view the ministry with more joy. He decides to work with some of the pioneers.
"Pioneers look so happy" the brother says to the elder, "I wish I could be that happy"
Elder encourages brother to develop a "sense of urgency."
Concluding comments: If we don't warn those who are "staggering" we will be blood guilty and accountable to Jehovah. Our ministry saves lives!
Continue in the Ministry - Pay Attention To Your Art of Teaching
Use the Bible more with the householder.
Householders may give you unscriptural viewpoints - do not correct them straight away, but allow the study to "mold their thinking.'
Keep it simple, teach with simplicity (not too difficult with the University of Awake! courses)
11:10 Delivered from the trap of the Birdcatcher - *** APOSTATE ALERT!!! ***
Satan is the Great Birdcatcher, always looking for a way to catch JW's. How does he do this?
Satan uses four methods:
1) Fear of man
2) Materialism - Get Rich Quick Schemes - speaker failed to mention any examples.
3) Entertainment
4) Personal differences and divisions
Other traps - Satan is cunning, he tries to ban the work - case of Ohio v Stratton mentioned (where JW's had to get a permit to preach)
DEMONSTRATION: A brother decides to search on the Internet for progress reports on the JW Hurricane Katrina relief work. He uses a search engine (not specified which search engine) and finds an article.
Then he says, "What's this? Negative talk about the Governing Body? I don't need this, the society mentioned about apostates opposing us on the Internet. I think I'll go to the official website of the Watchtower"
SIDE NOTE: The mention of searching for JW news articles on the Internet AND the mention of the brother finding NEGATIVE TALK ABOUT THE GOVERNING BODY is the FIRST example I have ever heard given of what a witness could find on the Internet about JW's and not just the usual "half-truths and apostate lies" mentioned.
It seems there is some desperation there - how many witnesses must have found out negative things concerning the Governing Body?
11:30 Searching Into the Deep Things of God
Many witnesses are content with the milk of God's word, preferring not to do deep Bible study and research.
Do you see a need for deep Bible study in your life?
12:20 Dedication and Baptism
Same old drivel - speaker announced that the youngest getting baptized was just 10 years old . My goodness, and they condemn Christendom's practice of infant baptism. What could a 10 year old really know about repentance, conversion and dedication?
INTERMISSION
SIDE NOTE: These attendants in the main foyer look ridiculous - they are walking up and down holding "Quiet Please" and "Keep Moving" signs.
2:15 Keep A Scriptural View of Health Care
This was a MANUSCRIPT talk.
Reasonable concern for health care is practical and beneficial.
We should have a realistic attitude about our health care and accept our limitations - some health problems will only be solved when God's new system arrives.
Follow example of Paul, who supposedly had an eye affliction - three times he entreated the Lord to remove the affliction, but the Lord said, "My power is being made perfect in weakness."
Timothy had stomach problems - Paul suggested a "little wine"
Our choice of therapies matters to Jehovah - some are pursuing questionable therapies (again, no examples mentioned)
Dangers of blood, blood derivatives and the occult in helping with our health problems.
Avoid obsession with health care - it can detract from spiritual things and slow you down in meeting attendance and the Christian ministry
Could lead to us being self-centered Philippians 2:3, 4
Be determined not to forfeit Jehovah's (WT's) approval by making use of unscriptural healthcare.
Have you read some of the life stories in the WT where elderly ones prayed to Jehovah, forgot their health problems and zealous pursued the ministry?
2:55 Foresee the Calamity And Conceal Yourself
A whole 20 minutes on the dangers of pornography, alcoholism, materialism and flirting
3:45 Maintain a Three-fold cord in Marriage
Lot of marriages failing among Jehovah's people - divorce brought up almost any time there are big problems.
4:10 Young People, Remember Now, Your Grand Creator *** Higher Education Bashing Alert ***
This whole article was nothing to do with remembering your grand creator but on the evils of higher education.
Brothers, would we pay an individual thousands of dollars to tell us how we can improve our life? Yet, some of you are paying thousands of dollars going to university.
Speaker mentioned 2005 WT about the dangers of higher education: Can our studies take us away from Kingdom interests? What about the immoral campus scene?
Are we making our best efforts to put the ministry first?
Interview: Two youths in their 20s who forsook a college education and engaged in the regular pioneer work.
SIDE NOTE: This is sick - they don't even let the youth make a decision about what he/she wants to do with their life. The youth HAS NO CHOICE in the matter. Doctor, dentist, nurse, technician, professor - forget it, just leave high school, get a crappy job and pioneer.
The only time someone could pursue education is to advance Kingdom interests.
Quote of the day: "Wise young people do not allow Higher Education to govern their thinking!"
4:35 Are You Living With Jehovah's Day In Mind?
Final talk -
A sense of urgency should permeate every aspect of our lives. We are deep in the time of the end. Deliverance is at hand! (Waits for seals to clap)
How long have we been waiting on Jehovah for deliverance? Some of us have waited for a few years, others for decades. Are you willing to wait patiently on Jehovah for deliverance?
New book release which summarizes the sayings and doings of the 12 minor prophets and how their prophecies find fulfillment in our day. I will be doing a separate post on this.
Pasted from <http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/114455/2002711/post.ashx#2002711>
Day 3
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 brother 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 references 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 foot soldiers 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 true 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 Hurricane 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 dis-fellowshipped 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.
Pasted from <http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/114503/1.ashx>
Please note that all credit should be given to truthseeker as he had to endure three days of this so that the rest of us will not have to.