Death of a generation

by onacruse 22 Replies latest jw experiences

• 

  onacruse

  Terry's thread http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/127651/1.ashx got me to thinking about this.

  One of the characteristics of the WTS is to "weather the storm" of a major disappointment, and, as evidenced by the last two major cycles, count on the death (as much in a literal sense as a figurative one) of the generation of JWs that went through that debacle...and thence to recommence with the eschatological emphasis as if nothing had happened.

  The post-1925 period is perhaps even more exemplative of this than the post-1914 period, because a good many Bible Students, grasping at every straw to salvage their belief system, swallowed the chronological recalculations and Jubilee-cycle antitype interpretations, which extended 1914 to 1925. But 1925 was the last straw for most of them. It initiated a major revolt among the rank-and-file (and especially the elders...the leaders of "that generation") which haunted the WTS for the next 20 years, and a chronological review of the Watchtower articles and books during the entire Rutherford period shows a preoccupation with vilifying those who dared to remind of that debacle.

  With the 50s came a major expansion in the WTS, and a consequent dilution of that disillusioned group. Those that were still alive, and who were still JWs, had by that time invested so much of their lives into that way of life that...well, how could they find the muster to dump off 40 years of life energy and say, finally, "Well, I was wrong, wasn't I? I guess I'll have to start all over." So, by death or by surrender, that generation died.

  The same can be said about the post 1975 era. And now, with far fewer than one in ten of JWs alive today who went through 1975, and with all of those having expended another 30 years of their lives in some form of denial--what are they to do? They do like my folks, and my brother: say nothing, other than "where else are we to go?", or "Well, it didn't really happen like that."

  As a consequence, the WTS could come out tomorrow with a "new revelation" about the beginning of the end times (rather along the lines of what Ray Franz mentioned, the atomic age, or something like that), and the vast majority of JWs today would have no idea that this was just another repeat in the cycle. It would, in fact, for them, be a new truth.
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  I agree. They could do this. They might decide that they need a new focus for
  retention and recruitment. That could be a new deadline for Armageddon.

  As you say, "the vast majority of JWs today would have no idea that this was just
  another repeat in the cycle. It would, in fact, for them, be a new truth."

  Here's the problem- 1995 change in Generation didn't go over well. Their growth
  rate since then has been to foreign language groups in established countries or
  to economically depressed countries. If they continue their focus there, this
  could work. With the internet, many potential recruits will discover the
  past lies before investing in the new lies.

  Still, I think they might do this.
• 

  BluesBrother

  The same can be said about the post 1975 era. And now, with far fewer than one in ten of JWs alive today who went through 1975, and with all of those having expended another 30 years of their lives in some form of denial--what are they to do? They do like my folks, and my brother: say nothing, other than "where else are we to go?", or "Well, it didn't really happen like that."

  God ! that makes me feel old., but you are right . When we were young boys or girls in "The Truth", how did we view the old books that some of them still had in the house? I mean stuff that,in my case, had been printed in the 1940's or before. We viewed them as mere curiosities, collectors items to be put on the shelf, nothing more. It is scary to think that that is how the study books of my time must now be seen.

  The under 40's would not know what it was like to be living in confidence of Armageddon within "months not years" , the under 20's never have expected the "1914 generation " to never die out.

  As new babies are brought up and converts made, the old lies can be just recycled and reborn - but will there be enough remaining ones to keep it going?
• 

  stevenyc

  I can remember some time back as a kid I looked up "Jehovah's Witness" in an encyclopedic dictionary. As part of the definition is said "also know as Russellites". I asked my mother about this. She is a second generation Jw. Her mother started studying in the early '40's, so she was indoctrinated with the tail end of the Rutherford smear campaign. Her response was: "The Russellites wanted to worship the man and turned their back on Jehovah". I wonder if a kid asking their parents today would receive a similar response.
  
  steve
• 

  onacruse

  OTWO:

  Here's the problem- 1995 change in Generation didn't go over well.

  I left out that period, since it was then that I "took my leave," and, though I've seen a fair bit about the growth statistics and characteristics you mention, I didn't personally experience them.

  I would wonder: did the 1994 "failure" (of course, just a purely speculative conjecture on the part of the r&f, right? LOL) happen because of an inadequately convincing posture of the WTS, or, perhaps, because JWs are simply becoming so 'secularized' that it doesn't even really matter if the end is going to happen within 10 years or 100 years (witness all the other eschatological movements of the last 150 years).
• 

  Bonnie_Clyde

  A fairly large percentage of elders were either not born by 1975 or were so small that they can't remember. Clyde's friend who still attends meetings told us that one of these guys stated during a public talk recently that the Society never said anything about 1975. That date came from a few publishers.

  Bonnie
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  I would wonder: did the 1994 "failure" (of course, just a purely speculative conjecture on the part of the r&f, right? LOL) happen because of an inadequately convincing posture of the WTS, or, perhaps, because JWs are simply becoming so 'secularized' that it doesn't even really matter if the end is going to happen within 10 years or 100 years (witness all the other eschatological movements of the last 150 years).

  The WTS was (as usual) fully posturing that they were fully convinced of the more enlightened understanding. Their
  articles on this leave little doubt that they fully invested in their new light. The problem is fully with the rank & file
  accepting it.

  I will tell you how a person who studied with JW's prior to the change felt. I was told the FACT of the "end" being
  imminent, within a few years, it's gotta be because those 1914 guys are soooo old. The mags and the elders continued
  to sell it. The change was not suggested years before it was made. The old light was the constant teaching. It was
  everywhere because recruitment was up. Recruitment was up because the end was imminent, the end was imminent
  because recruitment was up (I hope that's clear- results drives the doctrine and doctrine steers results).
  This totally NEW LIGHT was just kind of snuck into a study article. The buzz about it was not there from District
  Assemblies or CO visits. Once the new light was out, the buzz came afterward- just promote it and accept it.

  They truly had to have new light because the old light would get too old by 2004, ninety years after the cut-off. They
  must have thought they were so smart to get it out there (in their opinions) early enough to make it work.
  Well, with so many joiners thinking the end was imminent, then suddenly it is not, we stopped to think (yes- think) about
  the doctrine. We thought about the planning for retirement that should be done, the vacations we skipped, the
  educations we or our kids should have gotten- we thought about growing older in this system of things. We thought that if
  the end would come within a decade or so from 1995, there was no need for new light, so there must be more time. There
  are plenty who did not think that all through, but plenty who did. The urgency was still gone for those who didn't think so
  much.

  Now they will need to bring the urgency back. It is in the current study articles- building slowly. They learned not to make
  radical claims since 1975, so they have to build up their new "Armageddon is imminent" campaign- leaving plenty of room
  for plausible deniability.
• 

  uninformed

  I was baptized in 1961 and my wife in 1959.

  We should have left after the 75 debacle.

  In 1995, when we got the 'new light' re; the generation, I was the WT conductor and PO. I think that was the article that began my departure. When I was young, due to the incessant references to the 1914 generation, I made up my mind that if they ever changed the date 1914 that I would view that as proof positive that the WT was a false prophet.

  But, the way they disconnected the generation from 1914 was done so expertly, that I knew something happened but couldn't put my finger on it. Regardless, I knew that something happened, and I began my slide away. It took 10 more years and the UN thingy to finally cap it, but in June 2005 we finally walked away.

  It is a horrible religion, a false prophet and as sly as the devil.

  Brant
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  But, the way they disconnected the generation from 1914 was done so expertly, that I knew something happened but couldn't put my finger on it. Regardless, I knew that something happened, and I began my slide away. It took 10 more years and the UN thingy to finally cap it, but in June 2005 we finally walked away.

  It is a horrible religion, a false prophet and as sly as the devil.

  Wow, you could be my older brother. That's something I could think came from my thoughts.
  (except the UN thingy which I didn't learn until I started the fade)
• 

  moshe

  I suddenly feel old- just the thought of that little blue Truth book being relegated to the same shelf as Rutherford's and Russell's books should give that generation of JW's the final push out. The JW ministerial servant I talked to this past week had no real facts about 1975, either. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/127598/1.ashx . He pretty much accepted the JW's explanation of, "we never said the end was coming in 1975". However, when I told him the story of how the PO's son quit high school in 1974 to be a pioneer- because the end was so near- that got his attention. I gave him the names of several others and what they had done to to show they were putting faith in the nearness of the end of this sytem.- drop out of school, sell their homes and pioneer, give up jobs and their pensions to serve where the need is greater, etc. He was baptized in 2000 and he had no clue about what the 1914 generation changes meant. 1914 was just a vague date to him. he never knew it was printed inside all the magazines at one time.