When they showed the GB picture at 5:10 Guy Peirce was still in it.
Atlanta Int Convention 2014:The Big Party. Does this look like WT believes Armageddon is coming "soon"?
by AndDontCallMeShirley 173 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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zound
OMG. The last 5 seconds are crazzzzzy!!!! The little girl turns to the camera and says - "Listen, obey and be blessed."
CULT!
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steve2
And not one word about "the end" - although "field service" was mentioned once. More information was given about the 15 nights of entertainment which smells suspiciously like a lukewarm "America's Got Talent". Oh, I love the way the brothers crowed on about Jehovah blessing the arrangement and helping them solve problems that got in the way of progress in arranging the conventions. Jehovah sure blesses his American Witnesses. Sadly, in many other countries, He's not so willing to bless 'em - even though they obey!
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ThomasCovenant
As portrayed in the video the witness religion of today is not the one that I was a part of seven years ago.
Unfortunately whilst watching it I cannot help but have the emotion of hatred.
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Magnum
kneehighmiah - I take your word for it (that the video is for congregations only). It just seems so odd that it would be for congregations only. It seems so commercial and secular and mainstream and worldly. I agree with ThomasCovenant; this is a religion different from the one I was in. I second what steve2 said. They talked more about the entertainment than the Kingdom or Jesus or the end of the world.
zound: OMG. The last 5 seconds are crazzzzzy!!!! The little girl turns to the camera and says - "Listen, obey and be blessed."
CULT!
Yep, I felt the same way. That was weird - so creepy and cultish.
What the hell's going on? This is so weird to me. I just don't understand. What has happened and what is happening to/with JWs? What are they morphing into? They are just so different from what they were.
Suppose for a minute that JWs are Jah's chosen people. It seems that if they are, then they are paralleling some time in the history of Israel when the Israelites strayed from true worship and needed a major cleansing/discipline. If there is a Jah and the Bible is true, I actually feel safer outside the JW religion. I feel that I (and some of you) are sighing and groaning (Eze 9:4) over the situation. I have the ability to see the truth and discern that something is wrong... and something is wrong. If the end truly is near as they say, they should be doing the equivalent of somberly marching around Jericho - not focusing on entertainment and becoming more light-hearted and more like the world.
Wow, these developments are interesting to watch.
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AndDontCallMeShirley
kneehigh: the governing body's instructions on public transportation use are patently absurd.
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How many times was MARTA mentioned in the Atlanta video? I lost track. No doubt as part of whatever deal WT cut with the city of Atlanta, heavy promotion of public transit use was among the requirements for WT in order to get certain favors. And, the "obey theocratic direction" order by ordering JWs to drive 25 miles south to get on the MARTA station there instead of the one that's right in the area of the KH in the north? Absurd is right !
I checked on the stadium stats: it has a seating capacity of 70,000; only 30,000 JWs are invited to this convention. Every JW could drive to the venue instead of using MARTA and the parking lot would still be at half capacity. There's no reason to tell JWs to park on the outskirts of town and use the rail. Also, MARTA and bus lines can handle 140,000 people a day (2006 stat, more now). This convention is on a weekend -meaning very light public transit use. So again, the demand by WT, not only that JWs use public transportation, but which specific rail station they are to use, is equally absurd. The system can more than handle the relatively small convention crowd with ease- there's simply no practical reason for WT to exert such control other than simply to exert control.
Finally, did anyone else catch what the father in the 'family study' scenario said about their MARTA pass? He already reserved his passes but WT is still in negotiation for the actual price. Really? So we are to believe WT has spent two years on this project and has negotiated every aspect, including the stadium itself and hotels, but it hasn't gotten around to negotiating the cost of rail passes for the transportation that it is ordering JWs to use?? I checked online: a multi-day, unlimited-use pass costs from $13-$19. A very reasonable price already, in my view. My guess: WT is going to negotiate the city down to $10- but charge JWs the usual $13-$19- and WT keeps the profit.
steve2: I love the way the brothers crowed on about Jehovah blessing the arrangement and helping them solve problems that got in the way of progress in arranging the conventions.
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The JW propogandist said,' we didn't know how it would all work out, but we just kept at it and things fell in line'. Duh!! Read any book about successful people, setting goals, etc. and you'll find this is one of the most common themes: set a goal, then get busy accomplishing it. You can't know all the details of how it will work out, it's a process.
This JW minion, of course, chalks it up exclusively to G-Hovah's blessing and how WT is his singular, blessed organization, but the simple fact is, the GB demanded that Atlanta would have a convention this year, so they eventually got a convention this year. No big mystery (except to WT cronies).
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AndDontCallMeShirley
The little girl turns to the camera and says - "Listen, obey and be blessed."
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If you watch what the Mormon church does, you'll notice that WT soon follows suit. "Family Worship Night"? A Mormon idea. WT simply copied it.
Slick, high-quality videos promoting the religion? Mormons did it first ( I wouldn't doubt that WT hired the same production company for its videos that does the Mormon videos- they have the same look and feel to them, i.e. cultishly creepy).
Mormon slogan: "And, I'm a Mormon".
WT slogan: "Listen, obey and be blessed."
The LDS Church makes it appear as if it's one big party everyday if you're a Mormon; WT, with this Atlanta video, is doing the same thing: dances, concerts, sight-seeing tours, etc. What was the repeated phrase in the video? "Get ready for the time of your life!"
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johnamos
Quote Magnum- Suppose for a minute that JWs are Jah's chosen people. It seems that if they are, then they are paralleling some time in the history of Israel when the Israelites strayed from true worship and needed a major cleansing/discipline.’
2 And I have to make things tight for Ar´i·el, and there must come to be mourning and lamentation, and she must become to me as the altar hearth of God. 3 And I must encamp on all sides against you, and I must lay siege to you with a palisade and raise up against you siegeworks. 4 And you must become low so that you will speak from the very earth, and as from the dust your saying will sound low. And like a spirit medium your voice must become even from the earth, and from the dust your own saying will chirp…13 And Jehovah says: “For the reason that this people have come near with their mouth, and they have glorified me merely with their lips, and they have removed their heart itself far away from me, and their fear toward me becomes men’s commandment that is being taught,
Also the book of Joel is the counterpart of the above… also read Ezekiel 13:1-16, etc.
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kneehighmiah
Magnum and ADCMS I feel like the governing body are just figureheads, mascots. The real bosses are the greedy corporation presidents. Would anyone trust Anthony Morris, Sam herd or Lett to run their business what business experience do those guys have? They were just bethel and circuit slaves. The real bosses are cutting deals with cities, grabbing money from congregations, hiring "worldly" production companies to make slick marketing videos, promoting their website etc. it's no wonder they want to fire dinosaurs like Fred Franz and Milton G and are booting DOs and old people. They need to make being a JW cool. The website shows young adults traveling the world to preach and cool stuff They're are almost taking a page out of the us army and navy recruitment playBook. I'M not surprised that the focus is not on spiritual things but on having the time of your life. It's a different org. I think it will backfire though. It's hard to be totalitarian and secular at the same time. Just ask the Soviets. The org was founded on the belief that Armageddon was imminent. Once people stop believing that, what do they have left besides the social aspect?
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Magnum
AndDon'tCallMeShirley - in response to your last post above - I think you're right. Something is going on. This is so weird. I'm just having difficulty wrapping my head around it. Who would have thought twenty years ago that JWs would be like this now? I wonder what the serious, sincere, hardworking, old-timers are thinking.
If what you say is true (and I tend to believe it), then I think that the GB and others at the top know they don't have the truth. They're just trying to make the best of what they have. If they're following what Mormons do, then they must know they're not guided by a superhuman deity. They're starting now to just go with the flow - to be more mainstream and entertaining and secular.
see KateWild's post: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/social/entertainment/280563/1/Detroit-Style-Ballroom-Dancing#.U5Mbj6PD-ig