Jehovah's Witnesses in Bogotá (Colombia) prepare for their regional assembly

[The Librarian]

https://www.elespectador.com/noticias/nacional/los-testigos-de-jehova-en-bogota-se-preparan-para-su-asamblea-regional-articulo-792018

Jehovah's Witnesses in Bogotá prepare for their regional assembly

2 Jun 2018

National Newsletter

This Friday the event begins and will take place over the next ten weekends. They hope that the more than 50,000 believers who belong to the congregations of the capital will attend the meeting. Two of its spokespersons talk about religion and the assembly.

Jehovah's Witnesses in Bogotá prepare for their regional assembly

Rául Benítez and Humberto Zorrilla only have to look at the eastern hills of Bogotá to believe that God does exist, or Jehovah, as they call him. "In our genetic code, in the smallest particle of our being is the presence of it," agree the two spokesmen for Jehovah's Witnesses.

Both came to religion at different times and by choice. There was no pressure. Just a desire to discover what Catholicism didn't convince them. They themselves were the ones who approached other people to investigate, read and listen to the spiritual answers they were looking for.

The answer came to Humberto when he was only 14 years old. His brother, a confessed witness, never influenced him to look at magazines like The Watchtower, which he left at home. "I read the publications and started asking him questions. He explained to me with the Bible. I thought it was very nice and reasonable," says Zorrilla.

Jehovah's Witnesses have a great mastery of their holy book. For any situation, they have a verse that exemplifies, teaches or makes you think. They are very convincing with the word, do not hesitate, and do not make unnecessarily prolonged silences. This is one of his forms of propaganda, as well as his personal presentation, always impeccable and impeccable.

This aspect of Christianity, unlike Catholicism, does not believe in the Trinity, nor that Jesus is God. In 1881, in the United States, it was established as a religion thanks to the Students of the Bible, a Christian movement that sought the restoration of doctrine. After its consolidation as a legal entity under the name of Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania in 1884, publications for educational purposes began to be published.

These publications, mainly The Watchtower and Awake! which have grown over the years, plus audiobooks and the online television channel, with special programs for children, youth and families, translated into more than 700 languages, dialects, and sign language, make this creed a religion accessible to everyone.

Through these publications and the books of Daniel and Revelation, published by witnesses, Raúl Benítez also became interested in this aspect of Christianity.

Since he was a child, Benítez had already been close to the witnesses, but at that time he did not feel the need for spiritual answers that did arise when he was 25, after working as a journalist at RCN, Todelar, and Radionet.

"I made the decision to withdraw from the profession, a little tired and bored of almost reporting the same thing: scandals and corruption. That looks like it's never gonna end. I covered the sources of politics, economics, and conflict," says Benitez.

He doesn't regret his decision. The Bible became her main source of information, telling her how to act as a believer, husband, father and human being. His current work has nothing to do with journalism. He is dedicated to business and tourism transportation, and in his spare time to preach and help his congregation in communication matters.

Both what Raúl and Humberto Zorrilla do on behalf of Jehovah's Witnesses is voluntary, as is all the work involved in the management and operation of this religion. That is to say, neither translators, publication writers, preachers, illustrators, layout designers charge for what they do.

Religion is financed by voluntary donations from witnesses and people who promote biblical education through the door-to-door tours that their believers make every day along with the publications they give away. They do not charge tithes or alms, because they are based on what Jesus says. "He said,'You got free, you got den free,'" Zorilla says.

Among their other free activities are literacy and assembly, which anyone can attend. These assemblies are held simultaneously and with the same themes and schemes in the countries that are present, which are in total 240, including the non-self-governing territories.

This Friday begins the regional meeting, in which Benítez and Zorrilla work on its management. It will consist of ten consecutive weekends, from Friday to Sunday, to cover the total population of witnesses in Bogotá, which is more than 50,000.

As soon as this day is over, they will offer a special event in sign language and another in English for foreign witnesses residing in Bogotá.

The meetings will be held in Cota, Cundinamarca, in one of the headquarters of the witnesses in the department. Faithful to their beliefs, the event will be free of charge and will deal with conflict resolution issues based on Christian principles, those same principles by which the more than eight million witnesses on the worlds come out every day to practice and preach.