I attended the Guided by God’s Spirit District Convention this summer. Out of an abundance of caution (some may say paranoia), I will not elaborate further on when and where I feasted at Jehovah’s table. My observations on the program are below.
Friday: College is Evil
Friday’s program was primarily directed to young people. Not surprisingly, higher education was persistently and consistently bashed. This came to the forefront during the interview segments. Two examples come to mind.
One was a young brother who was attending a community college with the intention of completing two years of his education, then transferring to a university for the remaining two years of his engineering degree. He mentioned that attending one of the recent conventions motivated him to drop out of community college and take up pioneering.
Another young man gave up the prospect of an athletic scholarship in order to enter the pioneer work. Now, I don’t remember why he was in a position to qualify for an athletic scholarship being that JWs frown upon school sports. Nonetheless, he was proud to have turned down higher education.
These are just two examples. But I think you get the picture. College is bad.
Saturday: Get Out in Service, Slackers!
Saturday had a lot of talks about field service. Talks about the “ministry” are extra boring. Fortunately, there were a few talks that were at least mildly interesting...but probably not for the reasons the FDS intended.
One of the morning talks included an interview with an older brother who was baptized in 1958. He mentioned (candidly) that he thought he would see the paradise in 1958, and that endurance is a challenge because the wicked system is still going on. The brother said “so, I hope it will come this year; and if id doesn’t come this year, I hope it will come next year.” Then, he mentioned that staying active in field service keeps him focused.
Talk: “The Minding of the Spirit Means Life and Peace”
The focus of this talk was to reach out for privileges. It seems clear that not enough JWs are reaching out for privileges of service. I also noticed a similar theme in one of the talks at a recent circuit assembly. I have also noticed such a trend among JWs that I know. Lots of brothers that I know have no real desire to become Servants or Elders. Others are content to remain as Servants and do not want the extra pressure of being an Elder. Of course, there are still plenty of go-getters and folks who want the power and position, but there are plenty of folks who just can’t be bothered with it.
This talk also mentioned the recent Bethel dress and grooming brochure. The speaker (and I believe this was a manuscript talk) stated that we should apply these guidelines at the meetings and on other occasions. He stated that “we’re supposed to puzzle the world, not our brothers.”
There was also an interview with a young pioneer brother who kept getting promoted at his job. So, he quit the job and Jehovah provided a great small business opportunity that allowed him to continue pioneering.
Talk: “Keep Yourself in God’s Love”
Of course, this talk culminated in the release of the book of the same name. This talk contained quite a bit of material on respecting authority (that is, the FDS). The reason it’s difficult for us to submit to the FDS is because (1) humans are imperfect, and (2) we have an inborn tendency to rebel. Ok, great, thanks. It’s all my fault. Of course.
We need to trust those whom Jehovah trusts and not be like those murmuring Israelites. Side note: whenever a talk mentions the murmuring Israelites, I wonder whether the speaker has actually read the account in the Bible. If so, he would realize that Jehovah provided no fewer than six miraculous indications that Moses and Aaron were his channel:
(1) when God appointed Moses to deliver the Israelites, Moses was afraid the Israelites wouldn’t believe him, so God gave Moses the power to turn his staff into a snake.
(2) 10 plagues on Egypt, the last 6 of which only affected the Egyptians
(3) Jehovah led the Israelites by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night
(4) Jehovah used Moses to part the Red Sea
(5) even after all that, Korah, et al., rebelled, so God killed them (Numbers 16)
(6) even after all that, God wanted to show once and for all who he supported, so he had a man from each tribe (Aaron for Levi) place a staff in the tabernacle overnight; the one that sprouted flowers the next morning was the one God chose. (Numbers 17)
Sunday: Keep Your Urgency and Submit to the FDS
For lots of folks, the drama is the highlight of the convention. This year’s drama has been written about ad nauseam on this board and I don’t have much to add.
The morning session included a long symposium about the fruitage of the spirit. I think this is a good idea. Yes, I have some problems with the execution (it’s funny how each fruitage of the spirit can be tied back to field service). But, I have to give the WTS an ‘A-’ for effort on this symposium.
Talk: “Loyally Serving with Jehovah’s Spirit-Directed Organization”
This was given by the convention overseer (a local brother, not a CO/DO/Bethel speaker). The meat of this talk consisted of two primary pieces of evidence that the organization is guided by God’s spirit: (1) the preaching work, and (2) clean conduct.
(1) Preaching Work: The good news has been preached for almost 100 years. The only thing that could keep all these people preaching is the holy spirit. He used 2 Cor. 2:16 and 3:3 to allege that JW converts are “letters of recommendation” for the organization. He also read Matt. 28:19-20 and stated that God’s spirit-directed organization accomplishes the same thing as the disciples by the same power.
(2) Clean Conduct: He pointed out the brotherhood evident at international conventions and through help after natural disasters. He stated (and I agree) that “real love is engendered, not by rules, but by spirit.”
He also stated that “we need to be absolutely confident in the organization in these last days.” There was some talk of loyalty and future persecution.
Review of the 2008 Guided by Gods Spirit District Convention
by Olin Moyles Ghost 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Olin Moyles Ghost
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Awakened at Gilead
Olin,
You have a strong stomach.
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CunningMan
It's interesting that they didn't appeal to the organization being chosen in 1919 as evidence for their spirit-directedness. Perhaps they thought it was too difficult to explain or they're doubting it themselves.
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Olin Moyles Ghost
Cunning said: "It's interesting that they didn't appeal to the organization being chosen in 1919 as evidence for their spirit-directedness. Perhaps they thought it was too difficult to explain or they're doubting it themselves."
Good point. 1919 wasn't mentioned. I'm still waiting for the Society to trot out some evidence of Christ selecting them in 1919. I probably shouldn't hold my breath on that one... -
TopHat
WOW! All those stories about leaving college sound like "URBAN LEGENDS"
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gymbob
Frankly, how do you sit through a convention without screaming out??
If someone made me go to one day of a witness DC, i would consider to like Chinese water torture...... Gymbob
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What-A-Coincidence
KEWL...fresh batch of kool-aid! lol
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Olin Moyles Ghost
Gymbob, AAG: Yes, I have a strong stomach and a high tolerance for BS. In a perverse way, I enjoy assembly parts much more than I did when I was mentally "in." Now, I look forward to the Kool-Aid talks the way everyone else looks forward to the drama. And this year, we all got what we wanted: a Kool-Aid drama!
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cameo-d
"Generally more highly educated people who have higher incomes, consume more resources than poorly educated people who tend to have lower incomes. In this case, more education increases the threat to sustainability."
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Awakened at Gilead
Cameo,
I dont think that's waht the WTS has in mind when they
prohibitdiscourage college. The WTS could care less about consuming fewer resources, as llong as they keep people stupid and in subjection.