Generation Change (page 4)

Highlander

I remember hearing about it at a convention, it may have been during the watchtower study portion of the convention or it may have been a talk specifically

geared toward the policy change.

Anyways, I heard gasps in the audience, specifically those sitting within a few rows of me. At that time I was about 20 years old and really didn't give a

rat's ass what was being said, though I did perk up and start listening when I heard the gasps from the audience. Soon those gasps turned into agreement and 'awe' over this

precious 'new light' that we were receiveing 'at the proper time' God I hate that phrase. 'at the proper time'

I remember when we first heard this, but, like the average Witness, it went right over my head. But two of my friends, who were definitely better readers and students that I, were definitely unnerved by this. For one of them it started her descent into doubts about the religion (which has gotten much worse since that time).

After I read CoC, the light truly got brighter and I finally realized why they were so upset about the change -- and now, so am I.

Joyal

anglise

I remember hearing the talk first at Norwich assembly, in the pouring rain if I remember correctly. Didnt take it all in at the time because we couldnt hear properly due the the noise of the rain on our brollies, and we had black bin bags over our legs to try and keep dry!!! Couldnt take any notes either.

I do know that we had a very outspoken pio sister and hubby who moved right out of the area very soon after the WT study came out and no real reason was ever given. Have often wondered if she couldnt face all her return visits with the "new light".

We also had a CO visit which pushed about "not taking down the boxes ie hobbies and materialistic pursuits, we had shelved until the new system". I remember chatting with another young couple at the back of the hall after that talk and we all said our boxes where down and opened and staying that way LOL. They are still in, we are not!! I often wonder if they remember that.

Anglise

Darth Yhwh

In 95 I wasn't attending meetings or studying they're propaganda any more. I do recall picking up an Awake! magizine and noticing that the generation paragraph in the begining of the rag had been removed. I couldnt help but think about all the poor fools that were un-aware of the carpet being pulled out from under them.

ferret

Like P.T. Barnum said there's a sucker born every minute. I think the dubs got them all.

sandy

I was so clueless back then myself. I was only 18 or 19 but I still feel like I should have know better and questioned it. But, in all honesty it seems like I only learned how to crtically think when I found this site about four years ago. Sad but true.

Well, I do remember being relieved at the time with the new light. I was living a "double life" at the time and I was afraid Armageddon was going to happen any day. Then with the new light I felt relieved that I had more time to get my act together.

There is one older witness lady that I knew. It seemed at about that time she stopped pioneering after many many years. She said it was to take care of her elderly mother. She went back to college for exactly what I don't know. She missed many many meetings and I believe now she is in active. Her husband remained an elder though. I don't really no the whole story. But I do think her "slowing down" had something to do with the generation change.

Darth Yhwh

For me the whole ‘generation’ thing is a big deal. It was a simple concept that the WBTS drummed into my young impressionable head early on. Although I have always been a critical thinker this was one area where I was confident that there was a clear line drawn in the sand. The WBTS clearly claimed that Armageddon would occur before the generation that was old enough to understand the social and political events of 1914 would pass away, or die. Not only did they make this claim, but they published it bi-monthly on the 3rd page of one of their rags. Certainly this would happen within my life span. I understood this at a very early age and when I discovered that they had indeed back peddled on this issue it reaffirmed in my mind that the WBTS is indeed one of the people that the bible refers to in Deut 18:22.No more proof needed. Case closed!

Suddenly they no longer had any power over me. They had exposed themselves to me and the world for what they really are: false prophets. No more, no less.

Seeker4

I well remember the 1914 generation change, and I was one of those who knew exactly what it meant. It was the key reason for me leaving the Witnesses, after over 30 years of "faithful service."

What especially pissed me off about it was that I had been the WT study conductor in 1989 when we had an article showing that "the generation" just had to refer to the specific generation alive in 1914. Then, just a few years later, here is an article showing how the VERY SAME Greek words "proved" exactly the opposite. I was incensed. That was definitely my reason for fading from the org.

Yeah, I was one of many thousands who left the Witnesses due to the "generation" change. The last student talk I gave at the TMS was an explanation, in very specific terms, of what the generation change meant, what the new teaching was on the sheep and the goats and that the King of the North had disappeared. In harmony with many of the comments here, several Witnesses - both old and new ones - came up to me after that talk and said that this was the first time they'd had these changes explained to them so that they now understood them. The average JW was - and is - essentially clueless about all of this.

S4

stillajwexelder

Well if you truly study the figures for Europe and Japan in particular, you will find that the strong growth stopped about that time - the generation change IMHO was the beginning of the end. What accelerated was undoubtedly the INTERNET

Seeker4

stillajwelder,

Yes. Exactly. I see the mid-1990s as the turning point in the growth of the Witnesses. There are two reasons for that, and you mentioned them: changes in key teachings (the 1914 generation in particular) and the rise of the Internet. In my opinion, the WTS will never recover.

For proof, look what happened when the Society closed down the Quotes site. A hundred new sites took its place.

S4

Generation Change

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