District Convention Symposium “Reject What is False!

I have attended many scholarly conferences over the years, including scientific, religious and industry group gatherings.  I sat through fifteen years of Watchtower Society conventions of various sizes.  Contrasting the differences between the Watchtower’s convention methods and the standards of an academic conference is in order.  Typically, organizers of an academic conference issue a call for papers.  Independent researchers submit their work and a committee chooses those they think best represent their planned meeting.  At such a conference, multiple sessions occur at the same time, participants select what they want to hear. 

“Symposiums,” consist of shorter presentations on related subjects.  Frequently, several symposiums occur at the same time, convention participants pick the ones they want to hear.  The program usually includes time for question and answer sessions with presenters.

Watchtower conventions appear to follow this format, but this is deceitful.  The Watchtower’s leadership produces all information, speakers read the material from manuscripts.  In fact, observers follow every presentation to catch any deviation.  All convention “delegates” hear all the information.  Separate sessions, and question and answer periods do not take place.  The Watchtower has grown fond of the word symposium, although their version does not follow the typical academic format.      

Nevertheless, Witnesses treat these events as important occasions.  Many travel hundreds of miles to hear the program.  In the past, the summer “district conventions” lasted four or five days with thousands present. Current events are shorter and smaller. The use of terms like “keynote address” and “symposium” in the program provide a veneer of scholarly work.  Speaker introductions feature proud listing of their credentials as Witnesses, which hides the scripted nature of the performance they deliver. 

I now have, and will review, audio of most of this year’s program. I expect to make several posts at least providing my analysis of the speeches. My review starts with the first symposium presented on Saturday, just because it follows up on my last post so well.  Under the title “Reject What is False!”  The symposium consists of four talks, each about ten minutes long.

The first, “False Gods” contained a common theme in Watchtower literature.  It takes several scriptures about God and applies them to the Watchtower Society.  For example, both Hebrews 3:12,13 “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God,” and Psalm 86:11 “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name,” are applied to accepting Watchtower teachings as an article of faith.  In other words, anything from non-watchtower sources is wrong.

The last part of this talk struck me as funny in light of what I wrote in my last entry. It ended with a dramatization of a Witness studying an unnamed publication.  He turns off his internet to avoid distractions.  Yes, don’t let the greatest pool of knowledge in human history distract you from your research!  See my previous post about deliberate ignorance.

The next brief talk concerns “False Hopes.”  From the title, I expected a discussion of false prophecy. Instead, the “false hopes” discussed center on hoping to get away with violating Jehovah’s (the Watchtower’s) standards.  This talk features a dramatization of a single sister turning down a dinner invitation from a non-witness co-worker she apparently likes.  Can’t have any association with “worldly” people.

Part three, “A False Front” highlighted the Bible’s condemnation of hypocrisy and false faith.  The material, while simplistic, at least covered a worthwhile topic.  However, the message apparently has not reached the right target.  If the Watchtower intends to curb a two-faced attitude among its followers, it needs to correct the problem at the top.

The Watchtower counsels its members to avoid material pursuits and concentrate on the impending destruction of the world.  Meanwhile, construction continues on a multi-million dollar, 253 acre administrative complex in Warwick, NY.  While touting the cleanliness of its congregation, the Watchtower attempts to cover up a major pedophile problem within the organization and pays out millions in settlement claims.  The Watchtower leadership has its own problem with a “false front.”

The final talk is “The False Stylus.”  There is a brief discussion of Jeremiah 8:8.9 which speaks of men using a false stylus to circulate wrong teachings.  In the first few minutes of the speaker states that dishonesty is rampant in the world, and paints the media as spreading false information, as opposed to always honest Witnesses.  The talk then turns into a lengthy discussion of keeping integrity in personal affairs, and provides a demonstration of witness business owner debating, and then rejecting the idea of cheating on a contract.

Throughout listening to this symposium something struck me as odd, I did not fully grasp it until listening to the fourth segment.  I expected some in-depth scriptural and theological information.  Instead, we are treaty to simplistic and shallow reasoning about ignoring outside information sources, and staying away from relationships outside the witnesses.  While listening to the second half of the symposium I realized what was wrong.

I thought a talk about protection from dishonesty in business to explore recognizing that someone is cheating you.  Then it struck me the Watchtower can’t instruct its members in such methods, they might apply the analytical techniques to the Watchtower itself! Within weeks of starting our independent research, my wife and I began the process of mentally leaving the religion.  A Witness, with moderate training in recognizing propaganda espousing a false hope, might quickly connect the dots in promises that college education is unnecessary because the end of the world is coming. 

This is the first time in years I’ve listened to a District Convention part in full.  It is obvious these events subtract from, rather than adding to, the knowledge of the Jehovah’s Witness flock.  

You can lead an ignorant person to a library, but you can’t make him read a book.

I do not fault anyone for lack of education or knowledge., We cannot know everything.  However, we can always be willing to learn; willing to examine new facts, and consider differing points of view.  Refusal to challenge our own assumptions, to reevaluate what we think we know is willful ignorance.   

An abundance of information exists to support the idea that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not teach “the truth.”  As noted in an earlier post, I did my earliest research on the Watchtower at the public library.  The dozen or so volumes available to me proved sufficient to convince me to leave the religion.  That was in 1988.  Today the internet provides more information than anyone can absorb.  Typing “Jehovah’s Witnesses” into Bing produced nearly three million results.  “Jehovah’s Witnesses errors” produced 945,000.  While doing my library research, I constantly watched over my shoulder in irrational fear of discovery.  An internet search takes place in the privacy of one’s own home. 

The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society elevates willful ignorance to a moral and educational virtue by discouraging such searches. My own experience provides an excellent example.

In 1979, the Watchtower magazine printed two statements on the nature of Jesus’ relationship to His disciples.  The first, a short “Questions from Readers” comment in the April 1st edition stated, “Jesus is the ‘mediator’ only for anointed Christians.”  The November 15^th issue carried a seven-page study article “Benefiting from ‘One Mediator Between God And Men’ that elaborated on this theme.  According to this article the “great crowd” of nonanointed Jehovah’s Witnesses benefit from Jesus’ role as mediator by associating with the anointed class.

At the time, I did not appreciate the full implications of these articles.  In fact, I don’t remember studying them at all.  I did not grasp the significance of this information until I began my independent research eleven years later.  So for ten years, I lived in willful ignorance of my own religions true teachings. Contrary to published Watchtower doctrine, I believed Jesus was my mediator with God. 

I’m not alone in this.  A few years ago, two Jehovah’s Witnesses knocked on my door.  From their age and manner, I believe they were Elders.  I told them that as a Christian, I could not believe a religion that taught that Jesus was only the mediator for a small group of people.  They told me the Watchtower did not teach that.  My response “when did that change?” confused them.  I told them to look up the 1979 articles and come see me again.  They never came back.

For many years, I lived in willful ignorance of the history and teachings of my religion.  Breaking free of that ignorance took time, hard work, and a willingness to challenge my own assumptions.  Some people, caught up in high-control groups seem unable make the effort.  Some people eventually do break loose from the bonds that hold their minds.  Having made the journey, I will encourage them whenever possible. 

A note about future posts. This post started as an analysis of information from this year’s District Convention Program, the content of which got me to thinking about willful ignorance.  I intend to launch a detailed review of the Convention program.  Stay tuned!