Why can't JW's eat from street vendors? (page 2)

SAHS

They are encouraging families to pack their own lunch and stay at the convention site.

Actually, I heard in the letter from the Society which was read to the congregations that they don?t want the vendors to show up for work at the stadium food counters because that would be ?spiritually distracting.? I guess they?re afraid that the food vendors might mention any bad publicity about the JWs they may have come across on TV (news shows such as Dateline), in books, or on the Internet, etc.

Who knows?if the stadium food stands were open, you could be innocently getting a hotdog, and the cashier just might slip a miniature-sized copy of Crisis of Conscience into your shirt pocket without you even knowing!

?SAHS

TallTexan

There was a recent WT article that linked street vendors and concession stand workers with ancient pagan rites, as the vendors would sell food to those worshipping false gods. Further, the hot dog and the taco are both sexual symbols created in ancient Rome, where they would be eaten in the Colesseum while Christians were being fed to the lions. Additionally, since the mustard seed was used in one of Jesus' illustrations, it would be irreverent to use the product of the mustard seed on a phallic symbol, such as the hot dog. The article went on to say that one of Jehovah's people must think long and hard about whether their conscience would allow them to be employed in such a spiritually precarious environment. A Christian who sought alternative employment would be showing respect for the 'food at the proper time' given by the 'faithful and discreet slave'.....as long as that food wasn't a hot dog w/ mustard on it sold by a street vendor.

Seriously, though, you would think they would view it as a great opportunity to 'witness' to those concession stand workers who couldn't help but hear all the assembly parts and see the brothers existing in 'united love'......

Elsewhere

Although, in all fairness, if they open the concession stands, then people can't bring in their own food, so it would make it hard on some of the brothers to attend.

Not necessarily... the WTS used to sell food at the conventions before they had to pay taxes on such sales, and people were still able to bring in their own food if they wanted.

Bottom line is this: The WTS will go to extraordinary lengths to avoid paying taxes, even putting a burden on the rank and file.

If they wanted to sell food at the conventions, they could, but they would loose out on about 8.25% of the money because of having to pay taxes. They would much rather have that money donated while the rank and file struggle to bring cold sandwiches.

(8.25% is the most common sales tax rate here in Texas)

Sirius Dogma

Could it also be they simply don't want "worldy" people hanging around? If you have concession workers at a stadium, you have lots and lots of people working, not just people working the counters selling, people cooking, packaging, cleaning, transporting, etc. It would be like invading the holy land, the witnesses would be inviting the world to join them.

Plus, heaven forbid someone worker there actually listens to the crap they spew and starts provoking the sheep to think

or

god forbid an apostate gets a job serving food to the holy witnesses!!! jebus saves us!

can you imagine the guildlines the WTS would try to impose on the food vendors. Ok, no one talk to our members about anything except the transaction and they cannot be an ex-jw, homosexual (they could contaminate the food), a member of any other fanatical religion, anyone related to deprogramming, anyone who works in the psychiatrict field, etc. The screening proccess would be cost prohibitive and silly. Of course the vendors would do zero screening and many people who would like to help the witnesses (deprogrammers, apostates and psychiatric workers) would get in and probably help a few people. Thus the WTS will not allow it.

whatever, sometimes I think they deserve to eat that turkey and mayonnaise sandwich that was sitting in the sun for 6 hours.

TallTexan

Not necessarily... the WTS used to sell food at the conventions before they had to pay taxes on such sales, and people were still able to bring in their own food if they wanted.

True, but a lot of venues will not allow people to bring things in if the concession stands are open. It's not so much a WT policy as it is the policy of the individual venue.

Valis

Eh TallT...I see that worked for you...

Sincerely,

District Overbeer

Elsewhere

True, but a lot of venues will not allow people to bring things in if the concession stands are open. It's not so much a WT policy as it is the policy of the individual venue.

That would certainly explain something very odd I saw growing up...

Many of the convention centers I atteneded had concession stands, but the food people did not use them. Instead, they would setup tables in front of the concession stands and sell the food from the tables. I always thought that was very very strange.

Valis

Else, probably not strange considering all that crap prolly has to be OKd by the health department. And extra stuff that has to be cleaned, plus they might have had to pay more to use them. Just a couple thoughts.

Sincerely,

District Overbeer

Gretchen956

Actually, I heard in the letter from the Society which was read to the congregations that they don?t want the vendors to show up for work at the stadium food counters because that would be ?spiritually distracting.?

What???!!! You'd think they would realize they have a captive audience of new recruit material and make sure the talks were all being broadcasted loudly in all hallways. I know they have the capability because they do it at baseball and football games.

I know they also know all about captive audiences too, reference any JW funeral or wedding you ever went to. There's another thread where Blondie (I think) posted the WT admonition to use this occasion to witness to unbelievers in attendance.

So what it really comes down to is control. What makes me sick is that they never even sold one hotdog according to the vendor mentioned by someone on this thread. So what happens if they start passing out the poisoned kool-aid?

I am so f**ing thankful that I am out I cannot begin to tell you.

Sherry

Undaunted Danny

Check out this media "puff piece":

Jehovah's Witnesses off to clean start
Evansville Courier & Press (subscription), IN - 9 hours ago
... The water sloshed as the Boonville, Ind., resident moved through the facility that will host this weekend's regional conference for Jehovah's Witness

Jehovah's Witnesses have scheduled 211 conventions in 63 cities this year. Organizers have scattered the locations so no Witness would have to travel more than 150 miles. "Evansville is not a huge, big city," said Keith Goodwin, a News Service overseer acting as a spokesman for the convention. "But it's located in a convenient location."

The convention, which draws Witnesses from Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky, unofficially has scheduled a return to Evansville through 2009.

"As long as things go well, there's no reason for us not to come back," Goodwin said.

The convention has a $3 million value to the greater Evansville area in direct and indirect expenditures, officials estimate.

"Three million for the two weekends is a very fair, very conservative figure," said Laura Libbs, marketing director for the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Officials based the economic impact on hotel bookings, gas sales, restaurant bills, and sales and usage taxes.

"It's kind of the trickle-down effect of cash flow," Libbs said.....................................................................................Our standard is a little higher," said Viviene Swope. She began cleaning about 10:30 a.m. and said she would finish the job. "I just like to see clean." So armed with her brush, she worked her way through west end of the stadium. Underfoot, the cement floor splashed with mop water.

But the activity is as much about practical needs of a clean facility as about the Witnesses' belief that Jehovah calls his people to live clean lives physically, spiritually, morally and mentally.

"The Bible says God's people are clean people," Goodwin said.

It's not from Scripture, but the adage of "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" seems to apply to this conference, themed "Walk with God." "We're living in turbulent times," Goodwin said in reference to the Iraq war, declining family values and terrorism.

So this conference, like the others, will focus on helping Witnesses identify ways to live as Christians and to follow the path set by Jehovah.

"We feel it is very important for us to follow the example he set for all of us," Goodwin said. "Every talk will highlight God's moral standards." alt

Why can't JW's eat from street vendors?

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