Convention without a 'Badge' (page 3)

Emma

We had a bizarre experience at one of the last DCs we attended (about 20 years ago - how time flies!) My ex and I with three children in tow, bookbags and bibles, and dressed in our goin' to meetin' clothes, were stopped at the entrance to the Silverdome in MI. There were two or three brothers who intercepted us and were going to escort us away from the building. We saw my sister and her husband, who were living at the local assembly hall and managing it, and they vouched for us. I was so startled. We never got an explanation. I was mentally on the way out and briefly wondered if they knew my intentions! And it used to be that the Public were welcome.

Stealth

Just go by the lost and found and pick one up.

What I always thought was weird, was when people wore their badges after the convention when they went out to eat and such. I never did that.

godrulz

I go with jeans, facial hair, and a purple KIT. I don't want to be deceptive and can handle being followed by goons afraid of the Holy Spirit in me. I am respectful, but go to pray (spiritual warfare) and perhaps share a verse or principle or two with individuals. I have never been a JW, so am opposer, not apostate. I want to identify with these precious people and let them know that Jehovah God loves them and wants them to come to Christ through the gospel and to free them from a manmade religion.

Stealth

1) Grow a long beard

2) Show up at next years convention wearing a leasure suit with a convention badge from 1974.

3) Bring a green bible and pink song book.

4) Tell everyone that you have been in a coma since 1974, just woke up and was wondering if the end is still coming in 1975?

5) Ask if Fred Franz will be the guest speaker?

Open mind

I worked in security, oops, not supposed to call it that... Watchman duty for several years. Watchman duty is divided between external and internal. A fair amount of each section would have radios so they could feel all James Bondish. If anyone approached the Convention who didn't look like a typical JW robot, they were observed all the way to their seat. If they gave obvious signs of wanting to start trouble, they would be confronted by at least a couple of JW Watchmen (aka Barney Fifes) who would try to discern their intent and either escort them to a seat or escort them off the premises depending on how they responded.

The only way that Emma's story makes sense to me is that some local JW must have known you guys had "apostate leanings". Lack of a lapel badge alone is just a minor yellow light in the eyes of the Watchmen, IMO.

om

Paralipomenon

3) Bring a green bible and pink song book.

heh, love it.

"muh bibul haz a din-o-sour in it!"

sd-7

I've been worried about that. It seems like it'd be easy to fake one if you weren't well-known. There usually are cops on horseback who watch the conventions in my area, but they're generally not expecting trouble, apart from heat stroke and cardiac arrest, maybe. I gathered that the attendants were probably ruthless, because that's what they'd be in the local congregations, after all...

But...I occasionally wore my badge outside of the program itself, but I never 'witnessed' to anyone about it. It was more like something I felt I had to do. It seemed stupid to me because, we don't wear badges at home. We were supposed to be identified by our 'love for one another', not badge cards. It was like circumcision to me--irrelevant. It's not he who wears a badge on the outside who is special, but he who wears a badge on the inside. Sad that even in this small way, it was Pharisaic. Of course, now I know it was just about free advertising.

--sd-7

godrulz

Do they have a right to escort people away from a public gathering? If one refuses or resists, would they call police? Watchman duty?! Dig the euphemisms for heavy handed goons.

Open mind

godrulz: "Do they have a right to escort people away from a public gathering?"

Yes. The public is invited, but it's not public property. Once they decide they don't like the cut of your jib, they are instructed to utter these warm words:

"Your implied invitation has been revoked."

Once that is said, you're trespassing if you don't leave.

om

paladin

You have to hear this. At this last Saturday's DC assembly, a man walked in during a talk by Guy Pierce, a Bethel representative, and yelled out "go back to where you came from you piece of "S..t". People were just skaking their heads after that. The young man was wearing derss clothes and an older name tag. He got through security and got out in a hurry. Is this Guy Pierce not liked very much and why? I was told he is from the New York Bethel.

Convention without a 'Badge'

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