by hamsterbait 38 Replies latest jw friends
A comment I heard a few times was "even if Armageddon doesn't come in my lifetime, this is still the best way to live".
But so many people say this when they haven't lived life any other way. My dad was 27 or so when he started studying. He grew up in an abusive household, went straight to the Army, lived for 5 years searching and figured being a JW was the best. I don't get it, but that's just me. I've discovered the opposit...that it ISN'T the best way to live. For me.
*** w69 7/15 p. 437 Sacrifices That Are Acceptable to God ***
One who had spent many years in that service and still rejoices in it put it this way: "Even if there were no new order after Armageddon I wouldn’t have wanted to miss serving God here because just being here now is a sufficient reward in itself." That does not sound like making a sacrifice, does it?
even if Armageddon doesn't come in my lifetime, this is still the best way to live".
And yet, they don't tell newcomers that. They assure them that these sacrifices are merely temporary inconveniences. "Just wait until the new order and we'll all be in paradise!" And the implication is, that's just a short stretch down the road. Later, when you're all in because of family and business ties and other personal connections, they change it to "even if it doesn't come in your lifetime... (insert obscure benefit here)."
Not fast enough.
An elder that I know showed me his plans for a vacation home he's going to build and will then live in after he retires. What's wrong with that picture?
1. He's being materialistic. He's going to own two houses until he retires. His attention for the next year or so will be on building this house instead of the ministry. He will have to keep his high paying full-time job to afford this instead of maybe taking a lesser paying job and sharing more in the ministry.
2. He's not putting spiritual things first. He's looking forward to retirement in a vacation area instead of looking forward to pioneering after retirement.
3. He's putting off Armageddon. The urgency of the times that we live in are not that important to him. When he showed me the plans he made a quick comment about "if this system continues". To make these kind of plans and to get to the point of carrying them out, somewhere deep in his subconscience he knows Armageddon isn't coming. He just hasn't admitted it to himself yet.
When I was growing up, JWs never, ever thought of retirement. Armageddon will come before then. They didn't worry about pensions and savings, they fully didn't expect to need them. Today, JWs are planning on retirement, they don't expect to see Armageddon. The hope of a new system is still there in some small way for many of them, but they are starting to see that it may not be in their lifetime. Many others are starting to see that it was all a sham to begin with.
My mom retired in the past year. She made the comment that she never, ever expected to see the system go this long. Even though she is still devout in her beliefs as a JW, I see her making plans for her retirement years. Trips, places she wants to see, things she wants to do, improvements to her property. Not on that list is pioneering.
When I was growing up, JWs never, ever thought of retirement. Armageddon will come before then. They didn't worry about pensions and savings, they fully didn't expect to need them.
Back in the early 70's I knew an elder who was in his mid 30's. He was talking all the time about his investments. He had stocks,bonds and RRSP's on the go. We all thought he was a bit of an odball as we KNEW the"wicked old system"™ could not possibly last until his retirement. I guess he was about the only smart elder around. Most elders I know have retired in poverty.
My grandmother died in 1974 at age 89, and was so hoping to live through Armageddon. My stepfather was a graduate of Gilead, a Branch overseer in Holland, and a circuit overseer in Missouri, and an elder when he died in 2001 at age 87. I remember his saying many times that he didn't understand why the end didn't come and he was so tired of waiting for it.
My mother is now 93 and has resigned herself to the fact that she won't live to see the end. But she does believe all the recent tragedies are an escalation of the signs of the end. Sometimes I start recounting other tragedies in times past, that are much worse than what is happening now, such as the earthquake in China in the early 1900's that killed over 100,000 people, the Spanish flu, the potato famine in Ireland, that brought her grandparents to this country, etc. She always agrees with me and says those were also very difficult times.
As an active witness I have never thought I would never die and live right on into the New System. I have always Keep it in the front of my mind though. I know it will come and when it does I want to be ready.
I never thought I'd die in this system. I was the typical dub. I knew for sure that the new system would come soon.
I believe the generation change affected most dubs attitudes about the timing of the end. The friends have much more of a well it will come when it comes and I may be alive or not attitude.
Can you believe it's been 10 years since the change?!!? How many witnesses don't even understand how significant a change that was??
I remember sitting with friends (elders,COs, bethelites) and calculating how long an average lifespan would be and how old someone "of knowlege" would have to be and so on and so forth to figure out the general timing of the end. Then with a simple article everything changed.
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