Persecution Fever

by radar 5 Replies latest jw friends

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  radar

  Do any of you recall the persecution paranoia, that swept across the congregations in the late 80s?
  The Great Tribulation was believd imminent, and Bro's were getting excited and encouraging everyone to be ready.
  The book study was highlighted as a meeting that MUST be never missed! because if a sudden ban came upon the Kingdom Hall meetings, then only those who knew where the current book study was held, would get spiritual food and help.
  The next thing was "hide your Watchtower literature" in places where the authorities would not find it.
  JWs, including myself, consequently hid literature in the WALLS of our homes. I remember taking out an air ventalator and shoving some books behind it, ready for the big day when the government would come around to our homes and ransack them in search of Watchtower publications.

  I wonder if such things still go on?

  Radar

  Like all people who have nothing, I lived on dreams
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  Prisca

  It must have been a local thing. Don't remember that ever going on here in Australia.

  My mother lived through the time when the JWs were banned in Australia during WW2. My grandmother had to literally bury her WTs and books. Those that she didn't have time to bury, were distributed amongst other secular books so they wouldn't be so obvious. When the police searched her home, they proclimed they couldn't see anything to do with the witnesses. The family story says that Jehovah closed their eyes so they wouldn't see the literature, but my guess is that the police were just too lazy to have a proper search.
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  Hyghlandyr

  I got baptised in 88 and I remember those talks. Make it to the bookstudy. It is amazing now how silly that sounds. I am here laughing my Nothingist (thats my religion..or lack thereof) tucous off as I think about it. I remember my dad (he and I got baptised the same day) sitting around for our one and only family study. THE GREAT TRIBULATION is COMING! They are going to torture us in ways you cant imagine!, they might tear the skin right off our bodies! But we must be ready to serve Jehovah!... I remember thinking, um, what AM I doing here?

  Then I think I went downstairs and masturbated or something.

  Also gotta love those stories darlin about Jehovah CLOSING the EYES of the police, you are right they are most likely just lazy. But if he can close their eyes why not just keep them from being banned in the first place? Unless he let them be banned so he could show that he could close the eyes of the police. Furthermore if he closed their eyes why bother hiding the literature at all? Or hiding the fact that you are JW? Hey Dude, I'm a bible student...no seriously I am..Jehovah is closing your eyes right now so you wont know it, but I am telling you I am, go ahead arrest me big shot, see what a kick in the backside you get from Jeeeeeeeehoooooovah then.

  AHAHA Speaking of persecution fever, why is it that Doubles (and other christians) can tell me, the unbeliever, their viewpoint, but if I tell them mine, I am trying to steal their faith, and am persecuting them? Why do they hold us up as examples of scoffers in the last days (wait was the the last hour? gee how long has that hour lasted?) when in fact by telling me the nonesense fables they believe (fable = literalized myth) they are persecuting my mind by cluttering it with lots of useless junk.

  And is it my masochistic nature that keeps me going back for more? Or my sadism since christians are usually an easy lot to play with?

  But honestly, what is it with feeling if you tell your viewpoint you are enlightening, if anyone else does they are persecuting. It goes on in the chat rooms all the time, the sorta smug commentary...

  Ok I was gonna quote but next time I will try to record a couple of them in action and post it on my webpage for yall...it actually is pretty funny.
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  Yadirf

  I'm not making jest of the idea, but I remember the time when my congregation renovated the KH, a little before the mid-7o's. The mail drop that went through the wall of the building, into about a 4-foot high box on the inside, was at that time devised in such a way as to have what appeared to be a false floor in its bottom. Underneath the "bottom" was a few inches of space in which a brother placed a NWT, completely sealed off. Some years after that a new KH was built and the old one was sold, but I guess to this day that the new owners of the old KH don't know that they are the proud possessors of a brand new NWT, all put away in a secret place.

  Yadirf

  Daniel 11:35 ... a prophecy that must be fulfilled before the "time of the end" gets underway.
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  anewperson

  It happens. Some do have hidden book stashes. Some halls have them too. For example with storage area for hiding books up in the attic, in a basement, behind walls. Yes, I have seen it. A lot of secretive things go on that women members are especially not told of. It varies from hall to hall, area to area and apparently nation to nation or within nations. That's why some elders will deny it in honesty, others affirm it also in honesty. There's also secret books and policies or rules the elders know of and the normal JWs don't. Secret ways of operating such as Theocratic Warfare doings. What else would one expect of a group emphasizing the end any second.
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  Si

  It was definitely the same in Australia during that time. It may have been a way of kick-starting things after '75, although I do remember a huge focus on the 'tribulation'prior to '75. The book-study - most definitely! Can't remember, but maybe tht was during a time when the attemdance was 'off'. Maybe the Revelation book (as I say, can't recall exact dates - which is strange for a JW!)