Jehovah's Witnesses at Hampton convention urge all to 'Keep on the Watch'

by insearchoftruth 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  insearchoftruth

  dailypress.com/news/dp-local_jehovahs_0710jul10,0,1218766.story

  dailypress.com

  Hampton

  Jehovah's Witnesses at Hampton convention urge all to 'Keep on the Watch'

  By Prue Salasky

  247-4784

  9:35 PM EDT, July 9, 2009

  The first of two district conventions for Jehovah's Witnesses in southeastern Virginia starts today at the Hampton Coliseum. This weekend's gathering, which is expected to draw a crowd of 5,500, takes place over three days.
  
  "Typically people come for a day or part of a day," says Jerry Housner, convention overseer. "They're not used to sitting still."
  
  The theme of this year's conventions –– they're repeated over two weekends to accommodate the crowds comfortably –– is "Keep on the Watch." It's taken from a passage in Mark 13:37 in the New Testament, in which Jesus Christ instructed his followers to "keep on the watch." Housner explains that, "It's being aware of what's happening in our world as it relates to Bible prophecy. And imitating Jesus' example of watchfulness, knowing that the end of wickedness on Earth is near."
  
  He emphasizes that the Jehovah's Witnesses message teaches that the end of wicked behavior is near, but not the end of Earth.
  
  The weekend's events, all conducted en masse, include Bible-based discussion, baptism on Saturday morning and a Bible drama enacted Sunday.
  
  Seventy area Witnesses congregations will attend the event, which is open to the public. Housner notes that there is no admission or parking charge, no special seating (apart from accommodation for the disabled), no collection or required donation, and that all the reading materials are free.
  
  "We don't sell anything during the convention –– including food," says Housner, adding that attendees are welcome to bring their own lunches.
  
  The local conventions are among 319 being held nationwide in 81 cities.

  News to Use

  What: Annual convention of Jehovah's Witnesses
  
  Where: Hampton Coliseum, Hampton
  
  When: Today through Sunday, 9:20 a.m.-4:55 p.m. (4 p.m. on Sunday); July 17-July 19, 9:20 a.m.-4:55 p.m. (4 p.m. on Sunday)
  
  Cost: Free, no registration required
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  Witness 007

  Yeah...."Keep on the watch".....to see what time the bloody Convention will finish,,,,,tick, tick tick COMMON!
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  VIII

  Ha ha ha ha ha ha

  Ahhhh, it's too funny given that a few weeks ago my Mom sent me her "Keep on the Watch, the GT is starting and Armageddon is right around the corner" e-mail, she decided to go out and purchase her first LCD, HDTV.

  And, she's going to get HD service from her cable provider.

  I guess she wants to see, very clearly, all those news reports of the end of this wicked system of things.

  Nothing like watching birds eating people's eyes and buildings collapsing in full 1080p!
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  shamus100
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  insearchoftruth

  But an old NWT, it is hard covered! I guess it is appropriate that the globe is showing Africa, the WTS may actually have some 'growth' there!!
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  shamus100

  Thankfully, the GB has defined what we need to keep on the watch.

  Without my globe, I'd be completely lost...
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  daniel-p

  Great captions on the cover. What always gets me is how they like to set up JWs to look all scholarly, when in reality the demonstration goes like this:

  "Look what's in the paper, dear. My, my! Now, it says in Timothy that people would be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. How does that apply to our day?"

  "Well dear, we see people stealing money, wars and reports of wars, and we see children disobeying their parents and even shooting them!"

  "Yes. Aren't we glad Jehoober will soon do away with this wicked system of things!"

  "And how!"

  (Well, maybe not that last line, but you get the picture.)
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  daniel-p

  Thankfully, the GB has defined what we need to keep on the watch.

  Without my globe, I'd be completely lost...

  This is how the WTS imagines it:

  "Well Johnny, what do you see in your section of the newspaper?"

  "Well pop, it says here that there was an earthquake in China!"

  "No kidding! That's what Jesus foretold over two thousand years ago."

  "He did, pop?"

  "He sure did. Can you show me where China is on this here globe Johnny?"

  "Well, I hope so.... Isn't it shaped like a banana?"

  "No, that's Austrailia, son. Here it is."

  "Ohhh... I see now. So that's where all those people died in the rubble. Will they be resurrected?"

  "They sure will be, son. Maybe in the new system you can go over there and study the Bible Teach book with them, and show them how to be lovers of God rather than the wicked lovers of pleasure they were before."

  "Wow! China!"

  Scene fades.
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  sir82

  He emphasizes that the Jehovah's Witnesses message teaches that the end of wicked behavior is near, but not the end of Earth.

  Somehow, he did not emphasize the JW teaching that 99.9% of the world's population, including newborn babies and grandmothers in wheelchairs, are considered to be "wicked" and deserving of death, should Armageddon happen to come today.

  He also seems to have forgotten to mention that "wicked behavior" includes things like celebrating Christmas, swimming in a YMCA pool, and attending a relative's wedding in a church.

  I'm sure he meant to say all that, but just ran out of time.
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  sir82

  Whoa...did anybody catch this point:

  ...which is expected to draw a crowd of 5,500...

  ...Seventy area Witness congregations will attend the event...

  JW congregations generally average about 100 publishers in the US. But 5500 / 70 = 79 attendees per congregation. Factor in unbaptized kids who belong to the congregations, and you've got maybe 65-70% of all congregation members attending the DC.

  Are JW conventions really so poorly attended?