Jump to content
The World News Media

18,000 join together at Norway's biggest Bible convention - double-page picture spread


Jack Ryan

Recommended Posts

  • Member

gfwmvghl5t811.png

An article in Aftenposten, Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation.


18,000 join together at Norway's biggest Bible convention

Aftenposten (Norway), Monday, July 9, 2018 - front page (via Google Translate)


Tens of thousands gathered at the Bible meeting in the Telenor Arena

Aftenposten (Norway), Monday, July 9, 2018 - pages 26 & 27 (via Google Translate)

PICTURE: It's not every day 18,000 smartly-dressed people vote in the hymn "He's shouting" (??) at the Telenor Arena.

Never before have so many been gathered for Bible teaching in Baerum, according to the organizer.

"Why do not we have to give up when we encounter difficulties?" Asks the leader from the small scene in the middle of Telenor Arena.

From the stand, 18,500 spectators follow the big screens in the hall. One side is set to the English version of the discussion about the Bible.

"It is the highlight of the summer," says Andreas Hansen from Drammen, who is one of 60,000 who visited Jehovah's Witnesses at Fornebu this weekend.

Community feeling

The whole rest of the family has visited Alta to eastern Norway to attend the greatest gathering of Jehovah's Witnesses in Norway.

"It's a party and a holiday, then you're looking forward to dressing up," said Hansen, who has taken the lead for the occasion.

"We have become familiar with people from very many countries, it is a very common sense," says wife Kristin L. Hansen.

In total, nearly 60,000 visitors have been to the Telenor arena just outside Oslo since Friday.

Overall at Ullevål in 1965

Jehovah's Witnesses have more than eight million members in 240 countries. In addition, children and others who are not actively involved are coming. In Norway, there are almost 12,000 so-called "active publishers" distributed in 167 congregations.

"Stevnet is open and free for anyone who wants to participate," says Tom Frisvold, press contact for the event.

Every summer, the witnesses gather together in Norway, but for the first time since 1965 they have gathered for an international joint event in Oslo.

At that time, the stadium was Ullevål stadium, the day after a national match. Thus, the witnesses had to spend the entire night clearing up the 7,000 foreign guests, they wrote on their webpages.

Meeting with packed lunches

3,500 participants were invited from the United States, the UK, the Netherlands, Nepal, Japan, Australia, Sweden and Finland. For the sake of efficiency, the Norwegians have taken a packed lunch, while the foreign delegates receive food packages.

"They take good care of us. I get tears in my eyes, there is so much love, "said Erica Brown from Pennsylvania, USA.

When the congregations were invited to attend the poll in Norway, she submitted an application.

"I've been waiting for this since October," said Brown.

The married couple Sadanori and Kayoko Fujito Nakatsu from Kobe in Japan visit Norway for the first time to attend the poll.

"It's a beautiful country. We are here to meet other witnesses, they say.

But there will also be some time for sightseeing after the event.

"We have been to Holmenkollen, and Monday we will go to the museum," says Sadanori Nakatsu.

BOX: Facts - Jehovah's Witnesses

Established in the United States in the 1870s, first as a Bible study group, then as a religious community led by Charles Taze Russell.

View Jehovah (God) as the Bible's true author and Bible as God's infallible word and the only necessary guide in all the questions of life. The most important activity is Bible studies.

By 2016, Jehovah's Witnesses had 8,340,982 members in 240 countries.

Those who are counted as members are only those who "actively proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God every month. They may be baptized as Jehovah's Witnesses or not baptized but qualified to participate in the preaching work."

In Norway there are 11,652 preachers who provide Biblical teaching in 167 congregations. The members gather twice a week in the assembly houses called "Kingdom Hall".

Read original language online version:
https://www.aftenposten.no/osloby/i/QlA4BP/Tidenes-storste-Jehovas-vitner-stevne-i-Telenor-Arena

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Views 955
  • Replies 0
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

An article in Aftenposten, Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation. 18,000 join together at Norway's biggest Bible convention Tens of thousands gathered at the Bible mee

Posted Images





  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Popular Contributors

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • It appears to me that this is a key aspect of the 2030 initiative ideology. While the Rothschilds were indeed influential individuals who were able to sway governments, much like present-day billionaires, the true impetus for change stems from the omnipotent forces (Satan) shaping our world. In this case, there is a false God of this world. However, what drives action within a political framework? Power! What is unfolding before our eyes in today's world? The relentless struggle for power. The overwhelming tide of people rising. We cannot underestimate the direct and sinister influence of Satan in all of this. However, it is up to individuals to decide how they choose to worship God. Satanism, as a form of religion, cannot be regarded as a true religion. Consequently, just as ancient practices of child sacrifice had a place in God's world, such sacrifices would never be accepted by the True God of our universe. Despite the promising 2030 initiative for those involved, it is unfortunately disintegrating due to the actions of certain individuals in positions of authority. A recent incident serves as a glaring example, involving a conflict between peaceful Muslims and a Jewish representative that unfolded just this week. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/11/us-delegation-saudi-arabia-kippah?ref=upstract.com Saudi Arabia was among the countries that agreed to the initiative signed by approximately 179 nations in or around 1994. However, this initiative is now being undermined by the devil himself, who is sowing discord among the delegates due to the ongoing Jewish-Hamas (Palestine) conflict. Fostering antisemitism. What kind of sacrifice does Satan accept with the death of babies and children in places like Gaza, Ukraine, and other conflicts around the world, whether in the past or present, that God wouldn't? Whatever personal experiences we may have had with well-known individuals, true Christians understand that current events were foretold long ago, and nothing can prevent them from unfolding. What we are witnessing is the result of Satan's wrath upon humanity, as was predicted. A true religion will not involve itself in the politics of this world, as it is aware of the many detrimental factors associated with such engagement. It understands the true intentions of Satan for this world and wisely chooses to stay unaffected by them.
    • This idea that Satan can put Jews in power implies that God doesn't want Jews in power. But that would also imply that God only wants "Christians" including Hitler, Biden, Pol Pot, Chiang Kai-Shek, etc. 
    • @Mic Drop, I don't buy it. I watched the movie. It has all the hallmarks of the anti-semitic tropes that began to rise precipitously on social media during the last few years - pre-current-Gaza-war. And it has similarities to the same anti-semitic tropes that began to rise in Europe in the 900's to 1100's. It was back in the 500s AD/CE that many Khazars failed to take or keep land they fought for around what's now Ukraine and southern Russia. Khazars with a view to regaining power were still being driven out into the 900's. And therefore they migrated to what's now called Eastern Europe. It's also true that many of their groups converted to Judaism after settling in Eastern Europe. It's possibly also true that they could be hired as mercenaries even after their own designs on empire had dwindled.  But I think the film takes advantage of the fact that so few historical records have ever been considered reliable by the West when it comes to these regions. So it's easy to fill the vacuum with some very old antisemitic claims, fables, rumors, etc..  The mention of Eisenhower in the movie was kind of a giveaway, too. It's like, Oh NO! The United States had a Jew in power once. How on earth could THAT have happened? Could it be . . . SATAN??" Trying to tie a connection back to Babylonian Child Sacrifice Black Magick, Secret Satanism, and Baal worship has long been a trope for those who need to think that no Jews like the Rothschilds and Eisenhowers (????) etc would not have been able to get into power in otherwise "Christian" nations without help from Satan.    Does child sacrifice actually work to gain power?? Does drinking blood? Does pedophilia??? (also mentioned in the movie) Yes, it's an evil world and many people have evil ideologies based on greed and lust and ego. But how exactly does child sacrifice or pedophilia or drinking blood produce a more powerful nation or cabal of some kind? To me that's a giveaway that the authors know that the appeal will be to people who don't really care about actual historical evidence. Also, the author(s) of the video proved that they have not done much homework, but are just trying to fill that supposed knowledge gap by grasping at old paranoid and prejudicial premises. (BTW, my mother and grandmother, in 1941 and 1942, sat next to Dwight Eisenhower's mother at an assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses. The Eisenhower family had been involved in a couple of "Christian" religions and a couple of them associated with IBSA and JWs for many years.)
  • Members

    No members to show

  • Recent Status Updates

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      65.4k
    • Total Posts
      158.9k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      17,670
    • Most Online
      1,592

    Newest Member
    Apolos2000
    Joined
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Service Confirmation Terms of Use Privacy Policy Guidelines We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.