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Divine Peace in a Troubled World

AFTER sporting events, newspapers have sometimes featured such headlines as “Death at the Stadium.” In recent years, spectator violence resulting in injuries and deaths has occurred in Peru, Turkey, Argentina, the Soviet Union, Mexico, China, Egypt, Belgium, Britain, and India​—to name a few of the countries involved.

This stadium violence in countries of the East and the West is just further proof that we are living in a troubled world.

Stadium authorities spend large sums of money to install safety barriers to keep spectators away from players and umpires. They must also protect supporters of one team from those supporting the other team. All of this is necessary because of the violent activity of what the French newsmagazine Le spectacle du monde called “The Stadium Wreckers.”

However, once a year stadium officials in many countries are very happy to rent their facilities to a group with whom they have no fear of trouble​—Jehovah’s Witnesses. Appropriately, the district conventions of the Witnesses in 1986 were based on the theme “Divine Peace.”

Stadium Improvers

Far from being “stadium wreckers,” Jehovah’s Witnesses have built up a solid reputation as stadium improvers. For example, in Cork City, Ireland, the management of Neptune Stadium was delighted to see 60 volunteer Witnesses of both sexes clean up the stadium garden. An official praised them, saying: “What you did on Saturday was unbelievable. Everybody is talking about it. You’ve put us to shame. . . . You came along and just got on with the job. . . . It’s fantastic.”

One of the 15 conventions in Britain was held at the Manchester City football ground, where a member of the staff commented: “It’s lovely to have you back to give the place a good clean. I hope that all your good work won’t be undone by the crowds at the rock concert next week.”

In Valencia, Spain, a stadium official exclaimed: “Your cleanliness is unbelievable! If our club wasn’t in so much need of funds, we would let you use the stadium free of charge.”

When the Witnesses leave “their assembly grounds,” observed an editorial in the Norwegian newspaper Troms Folkeblad, “the facilities are turned over to the owners in almost better condition than when the Witnesses rented them. And all the work they do on such occasions is based on what they call ‘voluntary service.’ Yes, it is awe-inspiring indeed.”

In view of their reputation as peaceful, orderly conventioners, Jehovah’s Witnesses are being welcomed in many places where people were prejudiced against them for religious or other reasons. For instance, in Tomar, central Portugal, a town councillor told one of the organizers of the “Divine Peace” convention there: “You can use all the Municipal Stadium facilities we have. We know you will turn everything over in good condition. It is a pleasure to have you in our community, and we appreciate that you are exemplary, law-abiding citizens.”

Peace and Good Order

Yes, people notice the contrast between the conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the gatherings of others. “There won’t be liquor, drugs, cigarettes or rock music,” noted The News Tribune of Tacoma, Washington.

Continuing its report on the “Divine Peace” convention there, the newspaper said: “At the yearly conventions, which are held worldwide, children attend the daylong sessions along with their parents. Officials say they have few problems with discipline because parents teach children to respect them and to behave.”

Wherever Jehovah’s Witnesses hold conventions, they also endeavor to cooperate with local authorities and residents. For example, in Leeds, northern England, the Witnesses were concerned that the arrival and departure of convention delegates at the local football ground might cause some inconvenience to the workers at a factory nearby. So the convention office wrote the company, advising the management of the convention dates and the program schedule.

After the convention was over, the secretary for Pullmax, the company involved, wrote Jehovah’s Witnesses: “May we congratulate you, your colleagues and delegates on their orderly behaviour. To our knowledge there was little disruption or inconvenience experienced over the period of the convention proving that people can meet in large numbers without creating havoc if principles and attitudes are maintained.”

What prompts the cooperative spirit manifested by Jehovah’s Witnesses? A reporter covering the “Divine Peace” convention in Marseilles, France, pointed to the answer in the newspaper Le Provençal. “Living as a Jehovah’s Witness,” he wrote, “involves accepting certain principles, whether in the field of education, family life, or marriage, and these principles are drawn from the Bible. . . . The Word of God governs their entire life.”

Allowing Bible principles to guide their lives indeed yields peaceable fruitage, as the daily Stampa Sera notes in its comments on the “Divine Peace” convention held in Turin, Italy. “In the local stadium,” the paper said, “that great crowd gave, as always, an example of rigor, seriousness, and professionalism, together with prayer and a warm welcome to anyone who came near.”

Peaceful Relations With Others

A Bible psalmist wrote: “Abundant peace belongs to those loving your law, and for them there is no stumbling block.” (Psalm 119:165) An example of how the application of God’s law can prevent trouble was seen at the convention in Dortmund, Federal Republic of Germany. There, some 24,000 Witnesses had to line up for their meal in wind and heavy rain. Did they complain?

The German newspaper Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung commented: “Thousands of umbrellas formed an almost compact roof over their heads. Faithful to the assembly motto ‘Divine Peace,’ there was no grumbling, no unrest.”

The peaceful relations Jehovah’s Witnesses enjoy with others is shown by the confidence placed in them. For example, in Denmark at the stadium in Århus, the keys of all the buildings were given to the Witnesses. “The whole staff was sent on vacation,” the convention committee reports. “That is how much they trusted Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

In Switzerland one of the “Divine Peace” conventions was held in the Hallenstadion, Zurich. The first morning, the men in charge of the parking lot arrived too late to collect the parking fee. By that time many Witnesses had already parked their cars and had made their way to the stadium without paying. An announcement was made to the conventioners regarding the matter. Some found unbelievable what happened the next day.

“Impossible! Impossible!” a parking official exclaimed. “Never in my life have I met people who parked their cars one day and came back voluntarily the following day offering to pay. If people all over the world were as honest as that, many problems would be solved.”

Grateful for Divine Peace

Yes, the “impossible” becomes possible among those who follow God’s principles outlined in the Bible. The entire four-day program of the “Divine Peace” conventions held throughout the world by Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1986 was designed to help them maintain peace with Jehovah and with their neighbor. To this end, Bible-based discourses, Scriptural dramas, and real-life reports were presented. Also, new Bible study aids, such as the book Worldwide Security Under the “Prince of Peace,” were released in several languages, much to the joy of the conventioners.

The fact that exactly the same program was presented at all the conventions, whatever the land or the language, did much to underline the worldwide peace and unity of Jehovah’s people.

Many were the expressions of gratitude for these assemblies. In the Netherlands a conventioner contrasted the peaceful atmosphere at the convention he attended with the troubled world around him. He put it this way: “Now that I am at the convention, I feel like someone traveling through a desert who suddenly finds himself at an oasis.” After attending the convention in Cardiff, Wales, a Witness wrote: “Where else but in Jehovah’s organization would anyone find true peace and have such upbuilding talks, exhortation, and guidance?”

Non-Witnesses also expressed their appreciation. In Finland a maintenance man at the Helsinki Ice Hall used for the convention enjoyed the songs of praise to Jehovah that were sung before, during, and after the sessions. He said: “Your music is beautiful, and the words of your songs are positive and meaningful.”

In Sweden a senior university lecturer was greatly impressed by the happiness and harmony so evident at the Norrköping “Divine Peace” convention. She stated: “I am used to attending conferences that last several days. The form of education presented here surpasses everything I have experienced. I am delighted with the content, the methods, and the high quality throughout.”

Yes, the fine upbuilding program of the “Divine Peace” District Conventions was appreciated by all those who seek “the peace of God.” (Philippians 4:7) In 17 countries of Europe alone, a total of 1,022,343 persons attended these conventions and 14,548 were baptized in symbol of their dedication to Jehovah, “the God who gives peace.” (Romans 16:20) In the United States and Canada, an additional 1,416,471 persons attended the “Divine Peace” conventions and 14,243 were baptized.

All these conventioners, as well as millions of others who have attended or will be attending the “Divine Peace” conventions in Central and South America, Australia, the islands of the seas, Asia, and Africa, are happy and grateful to have the hope of soon living in a righteous new system of things and to have found divine peace in a troubled world.

[Chart on page 27]

Some “Divine Peace” Conventions in the Northern Hemisphere

Country Number Peak Attendance Baptism

Austria 4 25,227 257

Bahamas 2 2,047 55

Barbados 4 5,330 82

Belgium 6 30,411 271

Belize 2 2,506 32

Britain 15 152,501 1,052

Canada 29 139,893 1,640

Colombia 11 67,046 1,424

Cyprus 2 1,523 25

Denmark 5 22,952 147

Dominican

Republic 2 19,666 267

Finland 6 25,502 326

France 11 126,946 2,263

Germany 18 150,705 1,157

Greece 5 29,979 358

Guadeloupe 1 12,507 197

Guyana 1 3,112 31

Haiti 2 10,942 212

Hong Kong 3 2,493 96

Ireland 2 3,949 51

Italy 27 196,840 4,921

Ivory Coast 4 6,185 139

Jamaica 3 18,068 248

Japan 27 220,054 3,709

Korea 7 73,469 1,655

Leeward Islands 3 1,587 34

Luxembourg 1 1,460 21

Malaysia 2 1,640 17

Martinique 2 5,837 117

Netherlands 7 42,886 169

Netherlands

Antilles 3 3,940 82

Norway 4 12,604 156

Panama 6 3,919 126

Poland 9 111,508 4,000

Portugal 10 54,623 995

Puerto Rico 6 42,102 350

Spain 15 96,627 1,871

Suriname 3 2,860 35

Sweden 10 29,039 315

Switzerland 5 20,092 218

Taiwan 1 2,058 52

Trinidad 1 10,053 151

United States 135 1,276,578 12,603

Venezuela 8 79,839 1,386

TOTAL 430 3,149,105 43,313

[Pictures on page 22]

Stadiums are often the scene of violence

[Credit Line]

ROSSEL and CIE, S.A., Brussels

[Picture on page 23]

Jehovah’s Witnesses transform stadiums into havens of peace

[Picture on page 24]

Joseph before Pharaoh in the Bible drama Preserving Life in Time of Famine as presented at the Spanish convention in Switzerland

[Picture on page 25]

One of the 39,313 persons who were baptized at 421 “Divine Peace” conventions held in the Northern Hemisphere

[Picture on page 26]

Martin and Gertrud Poetzinger examining the German convention releases