Friend Told: "Your Son Will Never Start School Before Armageddon Comes!"

Seeker4

Ha!

I just learned that a childhood Witness friend, Rusty, just passed away. He was 60 and had suffered from a heart condition for many years.

I remember when I was a young teenager and he was graduating high school, his mother told me that when Rusty was born, the Witnesses told her that she didn't have to worry about him going to school, Armageddon would be here before then! That was 60 years ago. Any of you ever hear that sort of thing? I sure did, and all of them wrong, of course.

When my wife got pregnant, there were friends that actually said how sorry they were, and quoted Matthew to us, about woe to the pregnant woman and the one suckling a child, when the end came! How rude! Of course, that "baby" is now in her 30s with babies of her own!

An interesting side note about Rusty. He was a real shaky Witness growing up, but handsome, smart and personable, a fun person to be around. He married a non-Witness, divorced, re-married a semi-Witness. Had a couple of kids, divorced again, and then came out of the closet. Yep, Rusty was gay.

He tried reconciling with that, but struggled. When his heart condition developed 20 years or so ago, I think he was scared enough by that that he moved back in with his parents and started being an active Witness again! He ended his life as a semi-invalid, living with his mother, a celibate gay man.

Ah, the rich, JW lifestyle makes for some strange tales.

S4

candidlynuts

RIP Rusty..

there are cemetaries full of old people who were told by the watchtower they'd never start school, or have to worry about a career in this old world. it's so sad.

minimus

I was told that my entire life as a child. (My entire life as a child. Does that make sense??) Of course I'm 50, my kid's gonna have a little girl (1st) and we all could've gone to college.

BrentR

My mom was convinced that I would never have to start school. Now my daughter is in second grade and I love to remind my mom about that. She hates it but it keeps her from pitching me the line about how this system is going to end soon.

OnTheWayOut

When I became a JW as a young adult, they still had the end coming before "this generation" of 1914
passed away, so I didn't need to plan for retirement. I started planning for it after 1995, and was not
really criticized for it, as I was an elder. I am sure if I ignored the doctrine in 1990, I would not have
been appointed. I have heard JW parents recently talking about not bothering with the future for
planning retirement for their kids. When I can, I straighten them out.

Confession

My mother and father were baptized in the mid 1950s. My brother was born in 1953. Mom used to say how they laughed at the idea of his actually reaching the age of five and needing to attend school. They just knew Armageddom would come before then. Well my brother is now 54, and he came to have three other siblings. Heck, I came thirteen years after him--and I'm all of 41. And still the Watchtower's promised Armageddon has not arrived.

undercover

A good friend of the family told the story one time of how they were fussed at by others in the congregation when his wife became pregnant. The friends told him that Armageddon was due any moment and what were they thinking of, having a baby to deal with when it comes.

Of course that happened in 1954, both parents are now deceased and the "child" is now 53 years old.

The wanderer

Sad stories that you hate to hear.
Sorry, about your friend Rusty.

Respectfully,

The Wanderer

Seeker4

OTWO:

I remember an elder friend telling me that he had this job at one time when he was young where the company offered to match the employees dollar for dollar whatever they wanted to put away in a retirement fund. As you're aware, that's a hell of a deal.

He said he refused to join the plan, thinking that the end was near. Kind of woefully, kind of jokingly, he added, "We sure made some stupid decisions, didn't we!" He's pretty much at retirement age now.

S4 - Whose 401K just hit five figures, and who recognizes he'll have a more "creative" retirement than many of his silly "worldly" friends!!

Gordy

When we had our first child other JW brothers and sisters said he would never go to school in this system.

Considering he was born in October 1975 I thought it was ironic.

He will be 31 this year.

Friend Told: "Your Son Will Never Start School Before Armageddon Comes!"

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