by The 50 Replies latest jw friends
I was born a witness, and fifteen in 75. There was a great sense of expectancy in our congregation in the years leading up to that time. Although my elder dad tempered it with "no man knows the day/hour"
I know of people who sold up and went travelling the year before, and know that many were stumbled over the society's attitude to this issue. They may not have put it in writing, but they set it up in many ways.
Excellent picture post unclebruice! I can remember being an adolescent JDub studying the ramifications of the "truth" that this picture presented. Althought I old enough to understand the 1975 false prophesy, I certainly did understand the generation that would not pass away.
When I asked my mother regarding 1975 many years ago I got a simple one sentence responce that many JDubs thought that the end would come in 1975 and that the WBTS never said that, so they fell away from the "truth".
I was born after 1975 and i'd really appreciate any comments from brothers and sisters who were around at this time.
As others had stated, the Watchtower encouraged this thinking that 1975 would be the end. How did the Watchtower respond when it didn't happen, see for yourself:
w76 7/15 p. 441 A Solid Basis for Confidence ******
15
But it is not advisable for us to set our sights on a certain date, neglecting everyday things we would ordinarily care for as Christians, such as things that we and our families really need. We may be forgetting that, when the "day" comes, it will not change the principle that Christians must at all times take care of all their responsibilities. If anyone has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his own understanding was based on wrong premises.
For some documentation about the build up before 1975, you might find these comments from Ray Franz's book helpful:
unclebruce (or anyone else who knows) --- which publication is that pic from?
Here is something that might be helpful too: Brochure: Have JWs Ever Made False Prophecies?
unclebruce (or anyone else who knows) --- ; which publication is that pic from?
I stole it from here: escape from watchtower
I didn't start studying until the mid-80's and had no knowledge of Jehovah's Witnesses or their peculiar history at that time. One of the first things that was brought up by the sister who studied with me was 1975. There was no reason for her to bring it up as I didn't know enough to even ask about it, but she seemed to feel the need to make a preemptive defense of the WTS. Why would she bother if 1975 hadn't been a pretty big deal and much hinted at by the Society...enough so that even non-JWs might know of their unfulfilled expectations and use it to discredit them?
My grandparents and parents did not fall for the 1975 thing, but many in the hall did. However, it did bother my grandfather to the point today that he says that the Society threw out the idea and allowed people to run with it that way when it did not happen they could come back with the whole - we never printed that 1975 was THE year. So it is like watching politicians, "I never said that ...." Semantics. It is funny, bros that give talks at the assembly are hawked about anything they say, you mean to tell me that they were not hawked then? so if they did say something their @$$ was not grass when they walked off that stage. There were some families we knew of that went out and bought and bought with the thinking they would not have to pay it back. But again how is that the JW way of thinking - material gains. So much of it did not make sense. But it was real, based on your elders, PO, CO, if they bought into it we heard it from the platform.
What i've noticed from personal experience is that many brothers and sisters feel that only " a few " were stumbeled due to the expectation that the end would come in or around 1975... In you opinion/s is this view correct?
The Society's own statistics show this is not the case. The years following 1975 were the only time since perhaps 1925 (when another predicted date failed) that the number of publishers actually decreased. The actual number of people who left is also actually larger than the decrease itself because there were still new converts...The following article discusses the statistics for Holland alone and concludes that some 5,000 left the movement in 1976-1980 (compare the peak of 29,700 JWs in 1974, some 16,660 of which joined the movement since the promulgation of the 1975 prophecy).
http://www.watchtowerinformationservice.org/1975.html
The most dramatic claims were made orally in convention talks, not in print (tho some damning stuff was published)...
"The youth has a bright future. Many of us suffered from misery, sickness and death. You don't have to experience that any more. The new order is near. ... There will be a very special Service Meeting in the week of 8 September 1975. Invite everybody. And what will then happen? Well, we don't tell. You think, that if Jehovah makes such an appeal, that there's nothing unusual behind it? Yes? ...Well, sell your house, sell everything you own and say oh boy, how long can I carry on with my private means. That long? Get rid of things! Pioneer! Plan to shower people with magazines during these last months of this dying system of things! Everybody you meet!" (source: tape-recording, Divine Purpose District Assembly, Utrecht, Holland, Aug. 1974).
"Well now, as Jehovah's Witnesses, as runners, even though some of us have become a little weary, it almost seems as though Jehovah has provided meat in due season. Because he's held up before all of us, a new goal. A new year. Something to reach out for and it just seems it has given all of us so much more energy and power in this final burst of speed to the finish line. And that's the year 1975. There's been a lot of talk about the year, in fact even this week some individuals have been wondering, 'well, what does it mean? Do we dare talk about it? Is it something we can discuss among ourselves, even though we may not talk much about it in public? Do we really know what it means?' Well, we don't have to guess what the year 1975 means if we read the Watchtower. Because the Watchtower has been very explicit as to what the year 1975 means to us. If you wish to write down the page, 262, in the [May 1] 1967 issue of the Watchtower, we read: What does the year 1975 mean for humankind? The end of 6000 years of human existence, and possibly, the time when God executes the wicked and starts off a thousand-year reign under his son Jesus Christ. Unquote. What did it say? The end of 6000 years of human existence and that's all? NO, it gave us a little more to think about there.... This is meat, and it's come at the right time. And it's in its due season. And it's not wrong to think about it, and to look forward to it. As far as knowing for sure? Well, we know what we know for sure. We just read it. 'The end of six thousand years of human history, and possibly the execution of the wicked and the beginning of the thousand year reign.' And that should be exciting enough, and talk enough for us.... It's only eight years to '75. How little time there is left. How much to happen.... Well now, who will be there of use here tonight? Well the Society has made application of this scripture, pointing out, that those of us among Jehovah's Witnesses that are not regularly associating with his people, without good cause such as being flat on our back, will not be in the New Order. And we're the ones that are going to come around when the doors close and say 'I want in now. Sir, open to us!' And Jesus will have to say 'I'm sorry, I don't even recognize you.' Now wouldn't that be an awful thing? You see now why the Society implores us year in and year out, the same old thing: 'Brothers, get in the flock. Don't let any excuses get in our way. Nothing of any nature.' There's only one thing that's going to count when that time comes, and that's that we are inside. And we hope that all of us here tonight are going to listen to the Society's imploring. We're going to listen to their agonizing entreaty 'Brothers get in' because they know what's coming! And it's coming fast. And don't wait 'till 1975. The door is going to be shut before then.....As one brother put it, 'Stay alive to '75' " (Public Address by District Overseer Bro. Charles Sunutko in Spring 1967 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin [listen]).
And consider these articles from the time that make specific claims about how short the time is:
Don't forget too this choice excerpt from the June 1969 Kingdom Ministry (p. 3), which repeats the same thoughts as the Awake! article:
