Do you think that the 'Convention' tract work will seem silly to most?

by AK - Jeff 34 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  OnTheWayOut

  I had to pause and notice, this is the perfect comment.

  It starts with a decent question:

  Do you think that the 'Convention' tract work will seem silly to most?

  Then it takes a great comment and adds sincere thought that has the ring of truth-

  Future converts are not the aim at all. They don't seriously want a bunch of unwashed worldlies showing up at conventions thirsting for knowledge.
  
  The "invitation" is just a front to show they carry out "free educational programs" in compliance with non-profit rules. The aim is to maintain precious tax-free status.
  
  The publishers fall for the ruse that they're performing lifesaving work and everyone's happy in la la land. The zero success rate never even phases them.

  Also, it keeps the convention first and foremost in the minds of the dubs who spend hours and hours distributing the tract. As noted, they think they're performing an important work, but on the perchance that they actually get a possible convert to attend isn't as important as the fact that they themselves haven't given any thought to anything other than talking about and attending the convention...exactly what the GB wanted.

  The statements here virtually never occur in the thoughts and hearts of active JW's. It's even fairly new concepts to us.
  Once it is said, it is obviously the absolute truth.
• 

  Watkins

  ....but... that thread is from 2006 and shows the theme tract for last year's convention. Was there a nrew tract for this year's d.c.?

  A strange thing I noticed --- someone had listed the convention titles for the past 20 years or so - get this(I can hardly believe it) --- the words "Jehovah" and "Jesus Christ" are not listed in the titles of the(world-wide) conventions even once in all that time. As much as "Jehovah" is bandied about as a common word in the "pure language" of the wtbtsbs, that surprised me. They believe bearing that name is their Biblically proven heritage that sets them alone apart as "His Named People" and "The True Congregation of Jehovah God", etc. --- and there's not even one headliner for Him? That just strikes me as very very strange. (Also strange how they now Capitalise their Grand Titles for Themselves?) Granted, they don't mention Jesus all that much to start with... but still... I was looking for the title of one particular d.c. I went to in the 90's that I was so sure had Jesus' name in it - the tract for that one had his picture on it - but none of them bear his name. Weird, huh?

  It's all part of the double-speak though. I really thought I'd learned a lot about Jesus through the WT, but in hindsight, there was only barely a mention of him, usually one scripture - then it was all turned around in WT-speak so what you learned was only what the WT wanted you to think Jesus really meant - not the true intent of what he actually meant. Seems Jesus always meant to say: be loyal "The Faithful and Discreet Slave Class" and you will be saved.

  And the titles sound old-fashioned, like someone made up that list years and years ago. Reading them now, the words just sound so odd and out of sync with the language we know from the general literature of the past few decades. Hmmmm.

  CoCo and OnTheWayOut summed it up nicely - many good comments about the tract-work in general. Still wondering if there was a similar 'campaign' and 'tract distribution' this year?

  ~Watkins~
• 

  Watkins

  Oops from me too Jeff! Sorry - didn't see your post 'til after I'd posted. Thanks - and the link worked fine. I must be getting dull, of course I remember this. And I have to amend my comments that until THIS year, Jesus wasn't mentioned in the titles. Lol. However, we know it's still wts double-speak, because it's going to be all about how "following Christ" really means following the F&DS.

  ~Watkins~
• 

  anewme

  You know, I might be tempted to go to the "Follow The Funk" district convention though!
  Looks fun!
  
  What's P-Funk? I need that!
  
  Anewme
• 

  Jim_TX

  What I find interesting is that the whole concept of 'going door-to-door', is a bit antiquated in this day and time.

  What with all of the other media outlets available to be used.

  TV (oh, that's right... TV is bad), radio (oh - it's probably an evil, too), the internet (definitely bad), etc. - it seems that they would be able to afford some air-time on one of these forms of media. If anyone has turned on the tube in the wee hours of the morning, they can attest to the fact that other religions seem to be able to afford the time-slot.

  Oh. That's right... they don't REALLY want to get more people - they just want to keep the ones that they already have - busy.

  Plus... thinking about it... they probably don't want to wind up on 'tape' (whether audio or video), that could be played back some 20 years later to embarass them, when they make some blatantly incorrect statement - or one that gets changed later with 'new light'.

  Regards,

  Jim TX