by Amha·aret 6 Replies latest jw friends
....district conventions?
I know that the jews went to jerusalem and had a couple of celebrations where they gathered in large numbers during the year but did the early christians do anything like that? I'm a bit confused as to what the precedent for district conventions or assemblies are.
Thanks for any info,
Am
From what I've recently learned, the main reason for assemblies is "Ka=Ching!"
Christians in the first century are only spoken of as meeting as congregations or in private homes for both spiritual or social events except for Pentecost of 33 C.E. which was a unique event as far as I know.
I know from my educational studies that the average adult attention span for a lecture is about 20 minutes, 30 if someone is super focused,
The hours spent lecturing JWs is largely a waste of time from that standpoint. Also, sitting still that long is even unhealthy. I was told by a doctor that on one should sit more than an hour without moving.
It's conducive to various circulatory and joint problems, educationally a waste of time, so what's the point? The only thing I can come up with is "Ka-ching". Also, as an elder I know pointed out once, very tongue in cheek...I loved this guy, he was a true rebel at heart, that the main reason we have assemblies is it's the only dating service the organization has, and it gives Witnesses sort of a vacation which they might never allow themselves if they didn't mix it with a goodly amount of "spiritual suffering". A lot of Witness families leave a few days early and add on a day or so if they have to travel far to incorporate some sort of family vacation into it. Sort of "you can't have dessert until you eat this nasty casserole first" attitude about pleasure.
I think it's a holdover from spiritual endurance tests of the Puritanical nature. They thought sitting in church on a hard pew for hours on Sunday orbeing in the stocks for relatively minor religious infractions was good for the soul. If it weren't illegal now, I'm sure there would be stocks and pillories set up outside every KH.
Notice that there are no Puritans around today...except for the ones called Jehovah's Witnesses who also pride themselves on very similar, punitive ideas.
They often proudly refer to their resemblence to Puritans in the areas of morality(prudery) and avoiding excess (fun) and holidays(generousity and fun, oh noes!) in the WTS publications, if you'll notice.
I agree with mindmelda - assemblies and conventions are basically big ol' mating, dating, and chaste courtship roundups. It's the time when all the brothers get to stuff a sock in the front of their pants and fantasize about maybe one day getting to see the nude kneecap of a sister. It's the time when all the sisters leave wet spots in their seats as they dream about a spiritual man holding their hand in service and conducting a good family study night.
Yeah, it was like a meat market at times!
But I'm just wondering how the WTS sell the idea of spending money and taking holidays from work/school to the jws without any scriptures to quote to back the notion up.
Waffles, in my younger single days at conventions, I remember leaving feeling very sad if no single brothers noticed me or talked to me while I was volunteering for various jobs so I could hook up! I'm sure it was my main motivation for going.
The JW jokes about the Assembly Dating Service are pretty open. It's why the young singles spend 9 hours getting dressed, grooming for the assembly and everyone trots out their finest duds...and sisters often wear their "sexiest" (well for Dubs) clothes, figure revealing as they can get away with, wearing high heels although they're killing your feet on the hard floors and lots of bare summer shoulders, running around in predatory little packs, hunting single men!
Guys hang around and "poultry inspect"...checking out the chicks". That's what I'd hear them talking about.
That's how I mainly remember assemblies...I think we went there to learn some new stuff from the Crotchwatcher Drivel and Crap Society too. LOL
OH, and LOTS of crying cranky kids who'd had enough of being imprisoned in a sports arena or convention hall for hours while it was summer and they should have been playing, moving those cramped little limbs and getting some healthy fresh air.I always felt sorry for those little kids who just could not figure out why they had to sit there endlessly. Most of them would fall asleep anyway. I always did too, no matter how hard I tried.
I always felt lousy by the time an assembly was over, swollen ankles, (from eating too much crappy convention food or in fast food restaurants, which is all you can afford or that there is time for) back and headaches from sitting too long, hauling around lunch bags and book bags or lugging around a heavy baby/toddler the last time I went.
After I had kids and they were small, I barely heard any of the talks (thanks kids! LOL)...I was too busy nursing, changing diapers, taking a restless baby or toddler for a walk, for which I would get scolded by the attendants. We also lived 400+ miles from the nearest district convention site, so it was a major expense for us.
I just finally quit going...seemed a huge waste of time and money. I'd let someone else tape it for me and listen to about half of it...most of it was in the Watchtower a few months later anyway.
I don't think it's much more than more control and a way to make more money, follow the $$$ trail. That is what it is all about.
Agreed! Shame the people going can't see what it truly is tho.
