More thoughts about my experience attending the 2018 Jehovah’s Witnesses convention:
(This is part 2; see part 1 here.)
I was able to have a good conversation with one of the attendants (ushers). He showed me (on his phone) the trailer for the Jonah film that would be shown in full the next day (Sunday). I brought up my concern about the “great crowd” believers being denied so many kingdom privileges, including having Jesus as one’s mediator. He (predictably) thought I was wrong. I told him that it’s spelled out very clearly in the Insight on the Scriptures book, which is accessible at the JW website, and also in several Watchtower articles. He still insisted that I must have misunderstood the information I had read. I encouraged him to research the subject, and we went on with just friendly talk. I hope he has or will research on the subject of mediator. I prayed that he would not forget, and would not be able to shake the subject from his mind and heart.
During the lunch break, I had a couple of good, friendly conversations with other attendees. I also asked several security team members whether there had been any protesters that day or the day before, but they said there had been nothing.
Groom’s Procession (not the one I saw), from sareez.com
Later in the afternoon, when I left one of the “talking head” sessions to get a break from the tedium, I saw a procession coming down the street, with people banging on drums and playing loud music. I thought it was going to be a protest group, but it was an Indian wedding procession, joyfully celebrating the groom traveling on horseback to the wedding site. How fun! I joined in the song and dance for a few minutes, something that I’m sure none of the JW’s would be caught doing. Actually, I don’t know. Can anyone provide insight as to whether JW’s in India participate in their traditional wedding revelry? There didn’t seem to be anything pagan about it, but well, you know how the Watchtower is. Please comment below if you know anything about it.
At the end of the day, we finally encountered “protesters”. At least, that is how the attendees saw them. Just outside the main doors of the convention hall, on the public sidewalk, there was a man and (I assume) his wife and daughter. They all held signs, saying things like “Jesus is Lord.” He was preaching with a bullhorn. I snapped a picture of them, which you can see above. He’s in the white shirt, his daughter is to the right in a blue shirt, and you can see part of his wife at the far left. The great thing was that he was not obnoxious. The bullhorn was not too loud. He was not shouting. He was using scripture, and all the right verses that make JW’s think, verses that I use with my JW friends. I chatted briefly with the wife, letting her know that I was praying. I was so encouraged that this family had a burden to preach the gospel to Jehovah’s Witnesses. More power to them (aka God bless them).
Almost every JW I talked with asked me, “Are you enjoying the convention?” or “Are you enjoying the talks?” Without exception I gave them my standard answer: “I’m really glad I came.” I highly recommend this response. Using it will enable you to give an honest answer that will always satisfy your JW friends. It’s good for kingdom hall use as well. If you go to a convention, be sure to take a lunch and plenty of snacks to keep you awake. Coffee was essential for me. Hard candies to suck on work well too. Do your best to endure the talks, because the opportunities for conversation before, in between, and after are priceless!
undercoverjw 
Do you not believe Jesus is the mediator between God and man? Naturally if you think Jesus is God he can not mediate between himself and others, so when you believe in the trinity I can understand an unbelief for such saying that Jesus would be the mediator and a high-priest for God (because when Jesus would be God he also cannot be a high-priest for himself and such a position would be ridiculous and of no value).
Are you aware of what the Watchtower teaches about Jesus as mediator? I do believe that Jesus is the mediator between God and man, and is the mediator for all believers. Watchtower teaches that Jesus is the mediator for ONLY the 144,000 anointed believers, and not for the “great crowd” believers. Many JW’s do not know this. They think that Jesus is their mediator, when clearly the Watchtower teaches that he is not. See the article “Mediator” in the Insight on the Scriptures book, either hard copy or the downloadable version on the JW website.
Not being a JW and not so much following their literature I have not an exact idea of what they teach about the mediator position of God His son, though by my knowledge about them I was convinced they too believe in the mediator Christ (what Trinitarians can not do except when they fool themselves by suddenly changing the position of their god son).
Can you give some examples where the Watchtower would teach that Jesus is not the mediator between us and God?
Please give the quote and url so that I can see if you did not misunderstood some of their writings or if they really say that Jesus cannot be the mediator between God and man.
See their book “Insight on the Scriptures,” which can be found on their jw.org website. Click on “publications,” then on “online library,” then on “Insight,” then on “M” for mediator. Or here’s the direct link: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200002957.
the article say “The total number of those who are finally and permanently sealed is revealed in Revelation 7:4-8 as 144,000.” but to my knowledge does not say that Jesus then would only be the mediator for them alone.
also the text ” the benefits of which go first to those taken into the new covenant. (Heb 9:24) Here he acted both as High Priest and Mediator. In harmony with the pattern” does not indicate that it would only be for the 144 000. th eoppostite, next text gives the impression it is for all “And just as Moses read the Law to the people, so Jesus Christ clearly enunciates the terms of the new covenant and its laws to those sharing in it.—Ex 24:3-8; Heb 1:1, 2; Joh 13:34; 15:14; 1Jo 5:1-3.” + “Holding the offices of Mediator and High Priest, Jesus Christ, being immortal, is always alive and able to plead for those of spiritual Israel approaching God through him, so that he can mediate the new covenant until those persons receiving his mediatorial assistance are saved completely. (Heb 7:24, 25) He is able to conduct matters to the successful completion of the new covenant. Those in the covenant are eventually installed in the heavenly priesthood as underpriests with Christ, their great High Priest.—Re 5:9, 10; 20:6.” all people following Jesus coming into baptism would come into the New Covenant and as such would find Jesus as their mediator.
though I do agree there is the complication of the saying ” While Jesus’ mediatorship operates solely toward those in the new covenant, he is also God’s High Priest and the Seed of Abraham. In fulfilling his duties in these latter two positions, he will bring blessings to others of mankind, for all the nations are to be blessed by means of Abraham’s seed. ” which could also be understood that those who do not accept Jesus and do not come under his covenant get them no right to have him as a mediator, which could be a reasonable thought, because why should Jesus help or act as an advocate for those who do not want to know of him?!
Though somehow they say further that the mediatorship belongs or comes to everybody: ” Being made kings and priests by reason of the new covenant that he mediated, they will share in administering the blessings of Jesus’ sacrifice and of his Kingdom rule to all the nations of the earth. Christ’s mediatorship, having accomplished its purpose by bringing “the Israel of God” into this position, thus results in benefits and blessings to all mankind.—Ga 6:16; Ge 22:17, 18.” === to all mankind. So therefore to my mind they do not say that Jesus would not be a mediator for other ones than the 144 000.
Please read the end of the article which makes it clear that Jesus is also the mediator for other ones than the 144 000: “There are, thus, others not of the 144,000 “sealed” ones who also pray to Jehovah God in the name of Christ, putting faith in the merit of his ransom sacrifice. This sacrifice is not only for those for whom Jesus mediates the new covenant but also for all mankind expressing faith in Christ. (1Jo 2:2)
You do not fully understand the Watchtower teaching. They teach that only the 144,000 receive all those things you mentioned, including having Jesus as mediator, being in the New Covenant, being the seed of Abraham, being made kings and priests. It’s a whole package of blessings available ONLY to the anointed 144,000, and being denied to the rest of the believers, that is, the “great crowd.” The only real blessing the “great crowd” believers participate in is having Jesus as their ransom, but even then they only benefit indirectly. They are not given immortality like the 144,000, but instead are given the possibility of eternal life, if they remain faithful until the final test at the end of the 1000 year earthly paradise.
There are good reasons why I am not a JW or do not think to ever become one. (Concerning their Governing body and the 144000).
Nobody of us is given immortality like the 144 000 (when he or she does not belong to the 144 000) but those who are declared righteous shall be able to live for ever, not having to witness a death again. (In Dutch we do not call such a “not ending life” “eternal life” (because it had a beginning and an end and/or still can have an end) or “immortal” because there was and could have been still a possibility to die, though life is granted for ever).
I sincerely believe (or think) every JW is also convinced that he or she shall receive a non ending life in the Kingdom of God (or “eternal” life if you wish – though that term is not right at all).