was there a 1975 "scare"

Lotus65

Ive heard through different research ive done along with people ive talked too that there was a 1975 "scare" in which the time was supposed and the end was at hand is that true

arker

Yep. Supposedly the world was ending. Search for other posts, I'm sure there is a lot. You also can google it and read the articles from the WT.

AlphaOmega

Hello Lotus,

This would be a good thread to check
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/140408/1.ashx

It contains a talk that added to the hype.

Also, have a look here
http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/1975.html

lotus, even though they never came right out and said the world would end in 1975, it was highly alluded to. i can show you many articles that prove this. they were smart enough to throw in a "perhaps" or "maybe" into the articles to cover their ass when it didn't happen.

Mum

I was there. It is true. I think it came out first at an assembly in 1967. Then the date was published in a publication called Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God or something like that - a book with a red cover. Then in about 1968 the Watchtower published a study article entitled, "Are You Looking Forward to 1975?" Then in 1969, there was a special issue of the Awake! magazine called Is It Later than You Think? The Truth book came out about that time because time was of the essence and we were to have Bible studies for six months and force the householder to decide whether they wanted to be a JW and move on to others if they did not. After all, the time was short.

In field service, we talked about not getting dental work done, deferring everything until the "new order." People sold homes to "serve where the need was great." If you find some JW's who were adults at that time, you will find some who gave up lucrative jobs, promising careers, and families. We were electrified with anticipation.

Needless to say, Armageddon came invisibly and we are now living invisibly in the "new" world. Or something.

I opted to try the real world in 1979, after having believed them when they said they could be off a year or two either way. They were off, alright. So I was off to have a life.

Grateful to have been young enough to start over,

SandraC

hamsterbait

Welcome friend!

I lived through the 1975 hysteria.

one circuit overseer actually said in his public talk (Noble Bowers) "Armageddon will be over and done with by 1975."

There were tlks like this all the time yet the Witchtowere Babble and Trick Suckciety did not silence them.

People sold thier homes and savings to pioneer in the few months left.

Our book study conducto used to say at the start of the study " oh well, only four years and seven monthe to go!"

The book that started this is called "Life Everlasting in the Freedom of the Sons of God".

Published in 1963 it said 6000 years of human history would end in october 1975. It has been unavailable, and even the CD rom does not contain it, as it is so inflammatory and embarrassing to the WT.

There is a chronological chart around page 35 which shows the 1000 year reign of Christ as ending in the year 2975.

In 1968 and 1969 there were articles in the WT an Awake, such as "why are you looking forward to 1975?"

One actually told young adults "you will never grow old in this system." Yet thes ones are now poor elderly ones with lousy pensions.

Go throught the 1973 Kingdom Ministries and see how much 1975 was high lighted .

HB

Open mind

One of the most damning quotes was from a Kingdumb Ministry that talked about people quitting their jobs and moving to where the "need is great". It then said something like: 'What a fine way to use the last remaining months in this system of things'. I'm sure one of the research experts here will have the verbatim quote at their fingertips, but that was the gist.

I've heard some dubs say, "Well that wasn't the Watchtower, that was the KM"!!!! I kid you not.

Open Mind

( of the, lived through Armageddon once already, class)

rebel8

My mom got baptized in '74 and asked me if I wanted to stay a Catholic with my dad or be a dubbie with her, but I should definitely choose her.

I said, "Yeah but I won't get to celebrate Christmas," and she said, "Armageddon will come before next Christmas so you won't miss anything...."

Nice thing to tell a 6 year old.

There was lots said in talks about 1975 and some have been taped. Google.

Check out the article that said, "You WILL NOT grow old in this system of things," meaning the Big A would come within their young adulthood--a false prophecy. In the same article it says not to go to college because the Big A would be coming before you could finish a degree.

Maybe it doesn't say *in print* a specific date, but there were lots of false prophecies about Thee End coming in the 1970s.

garybuss

Apocalyptic groups only have one product to sell and that's the Apocalypse. It's sort of like running a dairy farm with only one cow to milk. If yer gonna make it, ya gotta milk the heck out of that one cow.

Here's the outline: Raise the kids with a subconscious fear of impending doom. Scare the adolescents with demon stories. Reward the adults with social benefits and status positions. Scare the adults with threatening to remove the social benefits and status positions. Reward the mature people with promises of paradise and seeing their resurrected relatives. Reward the old people with promises of being resurrected.

Oh, be sure rational thinking is called "doubt" and is seen as a weakness. :-)

Quandry

Apocalyptic groups only have one product to sell and that's the Apocalypse. It's sort of like running a dairy farm with only one cow to milk. If yer gonna make it, ya gotta milk the heck out of that one cow.

Here's the outline: Raise the kids with a subconscious fear of impending doom. Scare the adolescents with demon stories. Reward the adults with social benefits and status positions. Scare the adults with threatening to remove the social benefits and status positions. Reward the mature people with promises of paradise and seeing their resurrected relatives. Reward the old people with promises of being resurrected.

Oh, be sure rational thinking is called "doubt" and is seen as a weakness. :-)

Garyb-you have such a way with words!! I always enjoy your posts. This one hit the nail on the head!!