Journalist gives his honest impressions after visiting the 2014 New Orleans International Convention

The 2014 New Orleans International Convention, complete with "funeral home" decor
The 2014 New Orleans International Convention, complete with “funeral home” decor

Mason Miller, a journalist for the website Vice.com, has published an insightful article on his experience as an outsider attending the 2014 New Orleans International Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Having personally been an attendee at these events in my youth, I was immediately reminded of my own convention experiences. As an adult looking back, I must say his assessment is delightfully accurate.

The article entitled “The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Annual Convention Was So Organized It Was Creepy” gives an account of Miller’s strange day at the New Orleans event, minus any personal bias or political correctness.

Miller begins by mentioning a few pieces of odd Witness trivia, including Watchtower’s ties to Prince and the 144,000 doctrine. He also shares his preconceived ideas about Jehovah’s Witnesses before attending, and relates some of his interactions with other attendees throughout the day.

The homemade lunches get a mention, with their all-too-memorable aromas filling the air. It is also noted that concession stands were closed to attendees who may not have remembered to pack their own food.

The article tells of a B movie-esque video drama complete with bad acting and make-up that elicited laughter even from some in the crowd. The anticipatory “Quiet Please” signs held by attendants were also the subject of some bemusement.

Miller also includes five photos of convention goings on. Two of the images are attributed to the PR Team of Jehovah’s Witnesses, including one that blatantly shows three very young girls being readied for what the author describes as “mass baptism.”

child-baptism3

As this website has repeatedly emphasized, the increasing onus on child baptism is one of Watchtower’s more disturbing trends. Once a child is baptized as a Witness they become prone to shunning in their later years, but this is a risk the Governing Body is more than willing to take since child indoctrination is fast becoming the only truly effective means of acquiring fresh converts.

In his concluding remarks, Miller sums up by saying, “while I still don’t understand the Jehovah’s Witness faith or its people, and while I may still think of them as cult-addled nuts, they’re still just people.”

Those of us who have grown tired of the obligatory flattering convention report in the local newspaper will appreciate this man’s honesty, and his ability to look through the crowds of “cult-addled nuts” and see real people trying to navigate their lives of indoctrination and ceremony as best they can.

 

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Further reading…

44 thoughts on “Journalist gives his honest impressions after visiting the 2014 New Orleans International Convention

  • June 28, 2014 at 1:25 am
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    When I look at that picture of the three girls getting baptised I find it totally unbelievable that Watchtower would hold these girls to account when they are older and wiser. They are agreeing to follow the Watchtower’s doctrine to the letter, and if they do not they could be kicked out of the org and shunned for the rest of their lives by friends and family.
    Good point about the reason why they encourage youngsters to get baptised. Certainly in Europe where I live the door to door work brings in very few people these days, so they now target the kids of witnesses.
    This is one sick religion.

  • June 28, 2014 at 2:22 am
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    I want to thank Cedar for this blog. it’s been an outlet and I have been able to identify with so many people that thought the same things I did and never dared put them into words.

    A rich young man, who was doing all required by the law, was told to give up his riches and “follow me”.
    My riches are the friends I’ve cultivated for over 50 years,
    my beloved children and grandchildren. I now have given
    all of them up in order to be true to myself. It’s taken a few
    years of much sorrow, understanding I have been in the wrong place. I feel the inner strength to leave it all comes
    from God and his Spirit.

    So, my good friends, I will no longer be signing myself
    Doublegame, but Gameisover.
    I’m almost 80, but it’s never too late, Right?

    • June 28, 2014 at 5:57 am
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      gameisover,
      I feel your pain, and give you a hug.
      If you can still read ok, and you haven’t done so already, the book written by ray franz In search of Christian freedom, might be a good read for you.
      Im on the last few pages, and have learned a lot, from the writer who wrote the blue aid to bible understanding book.You’d think if anyone should know the scriptures It would be someone like ray.
      so for him to have left is saying a lot. As of late,
      my own mother called me ‘stupid’ for disagreeing on a certain subject, that she slyly led me into commenting on, one of which she will not take the time for me to show her scriptures to back up my reasoning, because shes ‘too busy’, I just realize how easy it is to manipulate a persons thinking.
      shes 72 years old now, and has only was successful at leading one person into the jw faith, and that was back in the 70s.
      I just cant comprehend why they just cant see that Satan has once again, influenced the minds of many and led them away from Christ. why are they so certain they cant be fooled? How do they not see the obvious? with hall these kids being baptized, a ‘new’ bible, and being told to avoid college, in a world where the associates degree is now only as useful as a high school diploma? This is why we can only trust In God and not men. and its easier than ever for me now to in good conscience work good towards all, when i can and want to. now, I just wish my whole jw extended family could let go of the rope that holds them to the balloon… before it pops.

  • June 28, 2014 at 2:37 am
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    Game is over,

    Congratulations on having the moral strength to leave the WTBTS at your sprightly age.

    It is never too late to change one’s mind.

    Those little girls getting baptised is a shameful abuse of Christian baptism. All baptisms in the bible are of adults, never children.

    I wish you well on your new life. There is so much to know and do in the real world, as opposed to living in a cult.

    Peace be with you

    Excelsior!

  • June 28, 2014 at 2:50 am
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    Along with other exJWs I have added afew comments below the article.

    As expected afew JW believers and non JW apologists have attempted to justify the Watchtower cult and sneer at the journalist.

    As always, the believers and apologists were soon shown that it is impossible to defend an indefensible institution whose every influence has been negative and destructive.

  • June 28, 2014 at 3:10 am
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    These children will now be owned by the GB, they will have to do all they are told and obey the slave, changing ones mind after the bloom of youth only lose all those you love and the GB couldn’t care less, keeps the number game up, new recruits and window cleaners, builders, electricians, bethel prospects all for the organization and its GB rulers.

  • June 28, 2014 at 3:38 am
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    Congratulations doublegame on your 80th Birthday once it arrives. You would think on the 120th Anniversary of Christ’s first 2nd Invisible Presence in 1874 and the 100th Anniversary of Christ’s second 2nd Invisible Presence in 1914 that the GB would have got idea perhaps The Game Really Is Over and get back in touch with the Master of Ceremonys himself before moving on. Taking it that Obedience is better than Sacrifice the GB could do worse than letting the the rank and file take the emblems at any future Memorial in all goodwill, sacrificing Heaven for a place on Earth OR Paradise Earth for a place in Heaven as their god je-ho-vah decides. GameOver!

  • June 28, 2014 at 4:13 am
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    Isn’t it about time that their god je-ho-vah started giving back to the Job’s of this world the true wealth of once lost children, friends and family to ones that have lost so much in time and devotion over the years serving faithfully the not so Discreet Slave-Masters GB.

    Regarding Child Baptism I got the distinct impression from reading the book of Acts that when any Households where baptised into Christ for the first time any Children in the household would be covered by their Parents Baptism.
    If Yeshua the Messiah is our model wasn’t he about 30years of age when he was baptised? Or are JWs calling Jesus bad association NOW??

    By the by, I really did like the taste of those Ham, Lettuce and Tomato sandwiches they used to provide at earlier Conventions/Assemblies back in the day, as long as they were Fresh, which of course they were. They were never left alone long enough for them to get soggy. Ah, good times, lol

  • June 28, 2014 at 4:59 am
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    A couple of years ago I popped into the Twickenham Stadium in London where a convention was going on. I was in the area and fancied a free tour as you had access to almost all of the stadium (except private areas of course). However I was not wearing a badge that identifies you as a congregation member, instead I was wearing casual clothes. The article above reminds me of that day because I was followed too but the “security” (normally skinny little men with huge ego’s) has walkie talkies not head sets. I walked around for a while ensuring I was being followed (just to make sure it was not me being paranoid) and later found a seat…two guards stood a few yards away and were so obvious it is pathetic. Now…was I being paranoid? Were they stalking me? I’d say yes because a few years prior and for a few years I attended with a name badge and a suit and no one followed me then. Makes me laugh, they did not know who I was but judged me to be possible trouble or a bad associate. Upon leaving I approached these two men and simply said “2 Samuel” and then “Matthew 7:1”, they looked puzzled that a “scruff” even knew a scripture. By the way it was a Saturday and they were doing the bit on the platform telling they obeying crowd about how we all should feel guilty about education, hobbies, social times, children, family, fun…sad thing was I was sitting next to a family of JWs (parents and 3 children) all busily writing down the things they “need” to feel guilty about.

    I have only recently left that organisation although I was drifting away for several years..but have only made it known I was leaving them recently in January 2013. It has been the most empowering thing I have ever done.

    After leaving them I no longer judge others, I no longer see it as us and them (JWs v World), I no longer feel bad about enjoying myself and I have seen more good in people that are not in that organisation in great abundance.

  • June 28, 2014 at 5:05 am
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    In the congregation I was in for several years (now I am not part of that organisation), If I recall correctly there were 12 new baptisms. I know for a fact only 1 of them was from the “outside”. The other 11 were either young or older “Extended” family members brought in by the JW family (cousins etc). I really do wonder how many genuine people get baptised from the outside as opposed to those raised in JW families.

  • June 28, 2014 at 5:34 am
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    @Gameisover

    Congratulations! Conditional love and friendship is not love nor friendship, it is manipulation and control. You are now free to be loved and not controlled. No one knows how long we will exist on our planet. Feeling alive and free, is a feeling most witnesses will never know. It truly is never too late for that.

    @Jeni

    Nice article.

  • June 28, 2014 at 5:46 am
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    I must say this in all honesty!!just the sight of those much too young babies;yes! that’s what their are ,getting dunked by those old donuts makes my belly boil.my eyes fire red as i fail to contemplate what’s going through the GB’S HEAD..I CAN REMEMBER IN MY TEENS BACK THEN,THEY WERE NOT TOO ENTHUSED ABOUT DUNKING YOUNG ONES TOO QUICKLY..It now seems to be an act of desperation and reckless abandon in an effort to keep up the status quo as much older and enlightened ones are heading for the exit doors,not only that but this too has to do with the overlapping generation theory that they are trying to sell,so that in the KM’S YOU SEE THEM CALLING ON THE YOUNG KIDS MORE SO THAN THE ADULTS EVEN THOUGH THESE POOR KIDS DON’T FULLY COMPREHEND WHAT THEY’RE SAYING, NO MORE THAN GETTING DUNKED TOO FAST. AND MUCH TOO SOON.Only just a few days ago i was talking to an older brother and he brought up the very same subject of too much emphasis on the very young…both for baptism and appointments…also i do think in my opinion…and this is just an opinion…that they know that the older folks with experience in the org to them is like old dogs to whom you can’t teach new tricks…but the young ones are vulnerable and can be easily programed with the so-called new light and serve blindly in hope and loyalty of passing through armageddon and into the bright new world as the overlapping generation just like they cajoled us back in the fifties and sixties, that we were not going to die or get old as the end was so iminent…so here they go again folks ,with a new generation!!! How pitiful and oh how so sad.

  • June 28, 2014 at 6:17 am
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    I hear that the B-Movie that was playing at the Convention was about Joshua and company passing over the River Jordan into the Promised Land after 40years wandering around in the Wilderness. Are the GB planning something Spectacular for later in the year, it now being almost 40 years since the 1975 Failure of Armageddon and the Brave New World of Paradise Earth.

  • June 28, 2014 at 6:38 am
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    … very well put.

  • June 28, 2014 at 6:44 am
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    Jim B
    well done brother there is true freedom in Christ if you seek it.

  • June 28, 2014 at 6:51 am
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    chatpal well said.

    this is a very dangerous cult.

  • June 28, 2014 at 6:56 am
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    gameisover, well done i am happy for you, it is never too late because what is eternity compared to 80 years !

    (Luke 14:26-27, 33)

  • June 28, 2014 at 7:54 am
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    In reply to doublegame,you’re not alone now that the gameisover !!Here you are free to say what’s on your mind respectfully..and that is something you cannot do on ,you know who ???…or even at the kingdom hall !!even if you are speaking with spiritual correctness,you are in for condemnation by the spiritual police and elderettes…THE MORE OUR HAIR TURNS TO SILVER,TO THEM WE BECOMES CHOPPED LIVER….Most of us spend the best years of our lives trapped,cajoled and under control in our love of Jehovah while not being cognizant that we were under the influence of men…colossians 2:8 …however ON the flip side of it all,when you see the light and really find the truth;then that truth sets you free,free,free!!!!! AND NOW YOU CAN FREELY EXPRESS YOURSELF IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH…We all that are here,been there,so enjoy yourself without fear…GOD IS A HAPPY GOD AND A GOD OF LOVE..HE NEITHER SHUNS OR HATE…GOD IS WITH YOU AND SO ARE WE MY BROTHER..

  • June 28, 2014 at 10:55 am
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    The Vice article was not much of a read. They should hire Mr. Cedars to write for them.

  • June 28, 2014 at 12:16 pm
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    Jeni, Thanks for the great article and giving us the perspective from an outsider, bold enough to tell it like he sees it.

    I miss those sandwiches too…I used to help make them, and I remember the love that went into the making of each one. (It didn’t hurt that we volunteers got to leave our seats early….and arrive back to them late…without guilt)

    Gameisover, We all know the pain from losing family and friends for obeying your conscience, instead of obeying men.

    Be assured my brother, that you now have much more family than you could have ever imagined possible. Our love for you and for each other is unconditional.

    We are all in different stages of our own personal growth, spiritual or otherwise, but we all now have the freedom that comes from setting ourselves free from the control of men. 79 going on 80 is not too late to enjoy your freedom! None of us is guaranteed tomorrow, so every day of freedom is precious to us all.

    Gameisover, the games played by the Watchtower are over for us, but your real life is just beginning!!! Any time you need encouragement, just comment on a post of JWSurvey, and someone will respond to you.

    It’s even worse than we thought, I see five children in that picture. Three in the pool, one on the ladder and another child waiting in line….and those are just the ones we can see. Those brothers should be ashamed, baptizing babies!!
    When you’re a child, all you want to do is please your parents and make them happy.

    What will we see next…training pants and diapers? I reckon it “depends” on how desperate the GB gets.

  • June 28, 2014 at 3:36 pm
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    The Watchtower besides being boring reminds me of positivity 4th street bob Dylan. X

  • June 28, 2014 at 3:42 pm
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    Things have changed.

  • June 28, 2014 at 3:57 pm
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    My most favorite song besides how does it feel. Dignity. B.dylan. Not for sale. Love.x

  • June 28, 2014 at 4:19 pm
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    How does it feel, bastards?

  • June 28, 2014 at 4:28 pm
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    What make me laugh about these “spiritual” people (not individual Jw) is they don’t know how Laminations applys. Sad really.

  • June 28, 2014 at 7:03 pm
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    Ah, convention time. I think it fitting to compare this New Orleans International convention to one from the post-1975 era. 1977-ish. It was hot; JW’s were surly and irritable (post-1975, need I explain it?); attendance was expected of everyone (not an invitation-only event for the creme de la creme). The aroma of home-brought lunches was only for those caught between full-time service and too many, unaffordable children; the Watchtower Society ensured those who sacrificed for full-time got a “free” lunch, and the rest got scrip money to buy the sandwiches made-with-love by volunteers from fresh, local ingredients. In those days the Watchtower inadvertently did give back to the community through its large purchases for the convention–hotel room blocks, food supplies, decor, venue rental, etc. If memory serves the James book and some other literature written by soon-to-be apostates was released here. The Youth book–which taught little boys that 99% of the population masturbates (and 1% lie).

    GB v0.5 had gagged Freddie from going on and on about chronology [interesting walk through history with this video and its notes about the chronology doctrines (watch for the clever facial ticks from Russell and Rutherford pics)–
    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5JnngqQYvc&w=960&h=720%5D
    ]

    Also, interesting to note, the GBv0.5 was building its head-count to become GBv1.0–note that the GBv2.0 appears to be diminishing its numbers and moving once more to the singular charming, charismatic leader down the primrose path to perdition.

    With that divergence, returning to message, it is interesting observation that the current stance of JW’s seems to be letting the r/f members earn as many dollars (to be siphoned off) as possible by non-mandatory convention attendances that interrupt workdays which allows some JW’s the opportunity to amass a facade of wealth.

    Also, this rush to baptize little children is an afront to the long-history within Adventist forerunners of eschewing child baptisms–Anabaptists, Mennonites (Waldensians successors), early Adventists, etc.–where children are rubber stamped into a body without having an adulthood awareness of what they’re doing. Of course, one counter argument could be that even adults aren’t aware of what they’re doing when they pledge allegiance to an organization by dipping into a pool.

  • June 28, 2014 at 11:20 pm
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    Gameisover! Feel the warmth, the Hugs and the tears… of True, Brothers and Sisters.

    You were tricked into your persona of “Doublegame”.. none of us back in the ’70s were baptised into a “Spirit directed Organisation”… Watchtower was a mere (disposable) vehicle, provided to support us, preach the Word. It was never painted as a “White House” “Houses of Parliament” or “Kremlin”.

    Kingdom Halls were not “Churches”, merely places of gathering… not Status symbols.

    Your Mantra should be “Obey God as Ruler RATHER than Men”… when it gets to the point that Your Conscience can no longer cope, then I must ask:

    “To whom do You (We) belong… which God will You obey?..”

    Soon, Your Conscience will rest… the sting in your Spiritual eyes will settle… and You will see the Real Truth clearly.

    All the best… Age is no barrier to a good relationship with your Creator. What you have experienced in WT is like a total lunar eclipse. Now you see the Sun clearly!

  • June 29, 2014 at 1:48 am
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    I can see more black in the queue for baptism! Why? Even in the “SWIMMING POOL” or “BAPTISM POOL” I do not know how you call it, the adults I can see are black? The Watchtower is not shy about the question. See what on AWAKE! said some decades ago.

    *** g81 11/8 p. 20 Is the Bible a White Man’s Book? ***
    Is the Bible a White Man’s Book?
    “CHRISTIANITY was brought to us by adventurers and opportunists who gave us the Bible and took away everything.” This opinion by a radio announcer in Botswana expresses what many Africans believe. A similar viewpoint is held in other parts of the world. In Africa many blacks put it this way: ‘The Bible is a white man’s book. They brought it to Africa and used it and their religion to tame us and rob our land.’
    Are these accusations true? Did white men ‘rob the land’? Was it “adventurers and opportunists” who brought Christianity to Africa? Is the Bible really “a white man’s book”?

  • June 29, 2014 at 9:00 am
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    In my long experience with JW’s, and perhaps to their credit, the organization seems entirely anti-racist. They are just as diligent with the preaching work in Europe as they are in Africa. Others may have different experiences with this so accept this comment as my opinion only.

    That said, Jim Jones was anti-racist too ;)

  • June 29, 2014 at 9:24 am
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    It is interesting to read how the writer describes how “security” instanty identified him as a journalist and directed him to some kind of PR agent that would meet him and presumably make sure he got the “right” impression.

    In regimes like North Korea, foreign journalists also have “keepers” assigned to them who are to follow them around and make sure they behave as they are supposed to. They must not speak to common people without proper “supervision”, which also removes any temptation on the part of potential interviewees to speak their mind overly freely.

    Is this the system the Watchtower strives to emulate?

  • June 29, 2014 at 12:41 pm
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    An interesting part of the journalist’s experience is how he was instantly identified by “security” and asked to wait until some kind of PR agent could take care of him, undoubtedly to make sure he got the “right” impression. These people are clearly VERY concerned about their public image.

    In regimes like North Korea, foreign journalists have “minders” assigned to them to follow them around and make sure they don’t go anywhere they are not supposed to. Any interviews with local people are duly “supervised”. In this way, potential interviewees will not be tempted to speak their mind overly freely.

    Is this the system the Watchtower is striving to emulate?

  • June 29, 2014 at 5:18 pm
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    I thought it was just me–creepy is the word. The new soundtrack of JW-life is “creepy” in a word. It’s creepy when playing HQ choir-voiced doctrine-laced songs for funerals, for weddings, for conventions and for local meetings. The music alone was sleepy/creepy in the past, but now these disembodied voices piped in to aid the creaky local voices and give newcomers the illusion of a Mormon-Tabernacle-ish choir at the local level is retch inducing–just relax and tilt your head forward [nope not praying…]. The lyrics drone on and on sometimes in a monotone that is clearly preaching not rejoicing and lyrical “joy”.

    Also creepy and so very aligned with Jim Jones (who embraced the diversity of San Francisco and its minorities, just like televangelists today) is the “invitation-only” and “controlled access”. Sure, the times they are a changing when any kid with a rapid-fire ammo weapon can stage a coupe d’tat, but the way the security trailed this guy around the stadium—he doesn’t have a convention badge and he isn’t wearing charcoal gray suit. Note the allusion to nonconforming although the journalist/blogger seemed naive to this phenomenon causing him to stick out like a bald sheep in a den of wolves.

  • June 30, 2014 at 8:02 am
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    Interesting. My brother was just blowing up my phone this morning with loads of pictures from the International assembly. I could not help myself and responded by saying, “Hey, do you know you can see almost the same thing by visiting Epcot in Florida ? Except there you can walk around with a cocktail while enjoy the various countries. Makes for a far better time. LOL

    Seriously though they were posing with these people in their various costumes according to country and I was reminded of an amusement park. I was waiting to see if there were any brothers dressed up as one of the GB members.

  • July 1, 2014 at 8:43 am
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    Conventions, I remember not as the time of your life but a
    time of strife, Sitting in Wembly Stadium with two small
    children from 10am to 10pm and told not to leave till after
    the last prayer, Then struggling to find your way back to the digs after dark and public transport ready for shutting
    down, One time it was 1am when we made it back, The
    elderly couple we stayed with were very concerned
    especially for the children.

    But there were some good experiences especially among the
    “Rank and File”, One brother was piling people into his old
    car and taking them to the bus station, eventually his
    suspension collapsed so he made a makeshift repair with a
    plank of wood, Illegal and dangerous sure, But what a
    generous spirit.

    In contrast the w,t, big wigs gave their talks during the day
    and we’re back in their top London hotel, I wondered why
    they didn’t stay at the Bethel and save the money for the kingdom work, What a mug I was.

  • July 1, 2014 at 4:29 pm
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    Ugh, I couldn’t stand the drama. Everyone mouthing along to the american version. Why? Why couldn’t they just learn the parts and speak with their kiwi accents? And the gesturing?? So over the top, and the dramatic music to indicate that the location was changing, and quick, bring the fake rock back on stage and take the table and chairs away. Snore!

  • July 28, 2014 at 10:09 pm
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    You certainly can develop a little paranoia when having anything to do with this group. When I first posted in JW survivor comment areas, I used my given name. My purpose was to offer heartfelt empathy for those who felt alone and were in extreme emotional pain. The Tower offered them condemnation and shunning, I felt I had to do something even if it was only a few words of encouragement. In about 3 weeks, I was getting “serviced” every Saturday morning and some Sunday afternoons. One 30-ish couple who had been coming by maybe once every 1-2 months weren’t visiting me anymore, it was always two men, sometimes two 25-35 year olds and sometimes two men in their 50-60’s. The only thing that had changed regarding the faith was my frequent comments. After I commented on a very sad situation, I learned about involving “Sam” from the UK, (a JW Struggles video) I got a nice return comment from Sam, which caused me to take this more personally, so rather than losing sleep and being upset about the busted families, I make what I hoped to be uplifting comments to many others. Then the stampede to my front door. During the second week of July, I received 15 invitations to the District Convention in Tucson either quickly handed to me or left under the front mat. This could all be a coincidence, maybe my house was picked for a special efficacy study, or maybe some people from the closest KH’s wanted to see who I was since it is simple to get an address from a name. From a number of books written by apostates, I “get” that the Tower uses pretty intelligent software to follow the use of social media by members, apostates, and those who are actively involved in anti-JW work. That is so sad to spy on your people not trusting these non-worldly members that are said to have the Holy Spirit guiding them.

  • July 28, 2014 at 11:41 pm
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    I couldn’t read all of the comments, because I was convinced by the first few! Convinced that most of you are cowards and idiots. Stop trying to prove them wrong. If you don’t believe them, and they are wrong; you are just as wrong for the way you treat and/or talk about them. Oh, but won’t the joke be on you if they’re right? Give that a thought: here’s where the cowardice really shows- if they are right, will you change? Obviously many have! And if you look at the stats, your church/religion is likely among the fading faiths. Don’t take my word on that, go examine YOUR religion. Don’t think more of yourself because you find error in JWs religion. If you were a TRUE CHRISTIAN, you’d be kind and loving and… hmmm… maybe do what Jesus did and make the effort of getting of the couch and going door to door yourself!
    Done ranting like your kind.
    Just remember: if they are wrong, go door to door to help them. If they are right, don’t be an idiot or a coward, join them.

  • July 29, 2014 at 2:20 am
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    JustLookingAtYou,

    Your spelling and grammar are appalling. Your logic is flawed. Your comments do not give praise to Christ.

    What did you hope to achieve by your comment? It has singularly failed to convince me to stop defending the right of every child to be free from abuse. It has singularly failed to stop me defending women from domestic abuse.

    Do you think that it is right to cover up child abuse and domestic abuse? Because that is what your religion does.

    Should I change my morality to match yours? Should I assist in the cover ups?

    It is not cowardly or idiotic to want to protect the vulnerable and powerless from abuse. It is, in my opinion, one of the most righteous and Christian things anyone can do.

    You are like so, so many Witness apologists who post on this site. You use terrible spelling and grammar, you accuse other people of being cowards and idiots and you fail to change any opinions whatsoever. Indeed, comments such as yours make me even more convinced that your religion is a cult and needs to be combated at every opportunity.

    I would sincerely urge you to do some independent research on your religion. You will find, sadly, that it has many serious crimes to answer for.

    I hope that you take this opportunity to examine your religion carefully and prayerfully. I hope that you will join us in our struggle to bring justice and true Christian morals to your religion.

    Peace be with you

    Excelsior!

  • July 29, 2014 at 6:31 am
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    @JustLookingAtYou. Up until about 9 months ago, I might have thought just as you do that if the Watchtower is evil and we know it, then we should go knocking on other people’s doors and tell them about it. True Christians would be preaching, right? I always thought that too because that is what I had been told for the 48 years of my life since I got baptized at the age of 19. From what I had been taught to believe, the Witnesses were the only ones that Jehovah God was using as his warning to tell people that Armageddon was coming and it was up to us to warn the people or we’d die and all the people who didn’t listen to us would die. But the problem was that nobody told me about the history of the organization BEFORE I got baptized to convince me that God was indeed speaking through the Watchtower to warn the people of Armageddon. It wasn’t until after I got baptized that I was told that I could never question any of the teachings coming through the Watchtower on the threat of being disfellowshipped so I learned early on to keep my thoughts to myself. There were many things that I thought that couldn’t be Christian, such as why could a man could have sex with an animal or another man and the wife didn’t have the right for a scriptural divorce and why was a woman or girl to die if she was threatened with rape and the man had a knife to her throat or if she didn’t scream in an instance like that, she would be disfellowshipped for fornication. Why would only 144,000 be going to Heaven when the rest of those scriptures at Revelation were symbolic? Why would Jehovah resurrect Sodom and Gomorrah. Why did Lot’s daughters have to have sex with their father? Where was Abraham and his family at this time that they couldn’t have married and had children with that family instead? I was always told to wait on Jehovah and not to ask or complain or I’d be disfellowshipped for apostasy. Now I know the real history of the Watchtower and it’s disgusting and it is nothing Jesus or Jehovah would have chosen as his mouthpiece in 1919. There are provable disgusting facts about the Society that you love that you will never read in the Society’s literature and you have been taught to not look at “apostate” websites because, according the Society, these sites are all “liars”. The problem with this is that once you actually take a look at these web sites, you will see that they all are quoting directly from the Bible, the Reasoning Book, the Insight books, the Watchtower and Awake magazines and books that the Society has printed and distributed as “truth” over the last 150 years.

    When an organization writes and puts out as much literature as the Watchtower has over all those years, there are thousands of inconsistencies and lies that are so easily provable, simply because so many people still have all those books and magazines. Does it make any sense at all that if God actually chose the Watchtower as his “sole mouthpiece” on earth, that there would be all those contradictions? Wouldn’t God have seen to it that they were all really true according to the Bible? This is a man-made organization, set up to have people peddling books from door to door to boost sales and the carrot they use is everlasting life on a paradise earth and the fear of not doing it is being destroyed at Armageddon. This sight that Cedars has set up is for the benefit of us who have no voice. You have no voice. The only voice we are allowed to listen to is the Governing Body and they are not inspired and not even wise. They are just overseers of very large publishing companies and give talks that sound good. They were chosen because they are good speakers and that’s all and probably very loyal to the organization. Any one of us could have felt as if we were “going to heaven” when we died too, and if we even thought like that and went to the elders and told them that, we’d have been told that there is no way anyone of us could be of the 144,000 so perish the thought but because these men were pioneers and men, they weren’t laughed at. That is the only difference between the governing body and any one of us. They aren’t smart and they aren’t wise. This is a man-made organization and if there was any way that I could convince my fellow witnesses at my Kingdom Hall of that, believe me, I’d be the first one at their door but unfortunately if I even tried, I’d be shut up permanently for apostasy.

  • August 11, 2014 at 9:05 am
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    Hola: Yo fuí testigo de jehová por 30 años, pero gracias a Dios me quitó la venda de los ojos hace aproximadamente año y medio atrás. Ahora soy cristiano y he aprendido mas cosas de la Biblia en este tiempo que todos los años que pase en esa secta/culto. Yo era anciano de congregación, y cuando me salí de esa secta tenía muchos “amigos”; puede decirse que me salí en el mejor momento de mi vida dentro de la organización. Hace aproximadamente tres años atrás, yo ya no creía en lo que la Watchtower enseñana, por que pude percibir que durante una escuela para acianos de congregacíon, solo aprendimos “procedimientos judiciales” ¿Dónde quedó la biblia? ¡No se estudió la biblia! Solamente se trato de como poder sacarle bien la sopa a un hermano que se había metido en problemas. Yo me preguntaba: ¿Dónde esta la misericordia? ¿Dónde está la doctrina bíblica? Simplemente no se trató de la biblia -salvo algunos textos- sacados para apoyar sus falsas doctrinas a favor de la expulsión. No es posible pensar que esta organización tenga tan siquiera el Espíritu Santo de Dios por que se han convertido en una religión ´plastificada´. Ya no parece un lugar de adoración sino una empresa multinivel, donde se da mucho enfasis a la colocación de literatura que al verdadero mensaje de paz del Señor Jesucristo. Cuando deje la WT, junto conmigo salieron 20 más, – toda mi familia- y algunos amigos más. Ahora ya no vivimos bajo el autoritarismo de esa falsa religión. Creemos que la vida que realmente nos compromete a vivir como cristianos es AFUERA de la WT. Dentro eramos solamente esclavos de los hombres, pero no de Dios. Gracias a todos ustedes por permitir este espacio, donde podemos gritar a los cuatro vientos que ahora tenemos verdadera libertad cristiana. Dios les bendiga a todos ustedes.

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