Any Good 1975 Stories?

by Think About It 41 Replies latest jw friends

  • Think About It
    Think About It

    Despite denial by the WTS of any 1975 Armageddon predictions zealous JW's did believe it, openly talked about it, and some even sold houses & belongings in anticipation of it. Do you have or know of any good 1975 stories?

    Here's mine.........I was a freshman in college and had quit attending the KH back in HS. I remember all the built up talk about "will you be alive after 1975" and other catch phrases. Most JW's believed it hook, line & sinker. Since I wasn't raised a JW....I just wanted out.

    Fast forward to October 1975. I'm reading the newspaper and an article says JW's predict the end of the world will happen on such-n-such day October 1975. It was 2 weeks away! I had no contact with any JW's, so really didn't know what was going on. I actually believed the article to be true and had a sick feeling in my stomach. The next 2 weeks it was like I was a dead man walking on death row. Thought there might still be a chance it could be wrong, but still was pretty nervous about it.

    The predicted end of the world day in Oct 1975 arrives and I'm scared shitless! It's a beautiful warm, sunny day, but just in case the end doesn't come I go to classes anyway. However, my mind is on the end coming and I can't think about anything else. After classes it is still a beautiful day and I head home quick as possible. At home other family members are making plans to go out and do things. I never did tell them what I read about TODAY being the end of the world. I start talking about why don't we all just stay home today and be together. They start asking me why I am acting so weird, but I wouldn't tell them we were probably going to die any second now and I just wanted us to die together.

    Shortly thereafter, I hear a loud noise outside so I rush out on the porch and in my mind IT IS THE END OF THE WORLD! The sound was a garbage can flying down the street because of high wind gusts. The sky had turned pitch black and it started raining marble sized hail. It was probably the most scared I ever been, because I thought the JW's were right and I had missed my chance to survive Armageddon. Kept thinking any second an angel was going to smite me with a sword.

    After a few mintues the weather calmed down and turned nice again. More time went by and the predicted JW end of the world day did not happen. I survived an Armageddon that was in my mind.

    A few years later, I did return to the JW's as a young family man, because I still held some belief that it was the true Christian religion and I wanted life for my family. Became very zealous and moved up in the org. Eventually....seen the fallacy, became disillusioned, and left 15 yrs ago never to look back.

    What's your 1975 story?

    Think About It

  • OnTheWayOut
    OnTheWayOut

    My mother believed it, hook, line, and sinker. She and my father (unbeliever) had divorced, the JW's being a huge issue to him. But they started dating again, trying to work it out. But she was still JW and the end was still coming in 1975. Well, he calls her after midnight when New Year's Day 1976 just started and says "We're still here." They never got back together again. Probably never would have, but that was definitely too much for her. He was drinking and might have hoped it helped her to quit the JW's to hear that. Funny thing, he was right. She did quit for awhile. She was DF'ed for smoking, but really she left. Too bad for her and for me, she went back after a few years.

  • Gayle
    Gayle

    I had a baby girl end of '74. So happy and proud of my new baby, but still had concern in my heart that with the end was supposed to be happening soon in '75, I worried that I could possibly be in a prison with my baby, because all the world would turn against us. She is 35 yrs. old now and has two wonderful sons, and they are "free" of such nonsense.

  • booby
    booby

    What are you suggesting. Something was said about 1975. Who said what and can you prove it. I can prove nuthin was ever said.

  • shamus100
    shamus100

    Pretty much the story I was told, just like booby.

    Problem was they were just preaching it from the platforms and little else. Everyone who believed it was 'weak'.

    Idiots.

  • Gordy
    Gordy

    I became a JW in 1971, and not because of 1975, Why?

    Because the JWs I was associating with hardly even mentioned it.

    The only time it was brought up was when the brother I was studying with brought it up about 6,000 years since mans creation ended in 1975.

    And that it was no "Armageddon is going to happen then" , in fact in the 4 years to 1975 in the congregation it was rarely mentioned.

    I was married in 1974 and we had out first child born in OCTOBER 1975 , not one JW ever said a thing about us having a child so "near the end".

    Yet since I left 10 years ago I have met ex-JWs who say the opposite about their congregations,
    it was like panic stations in some as 1975 drew closer.

    I have met those whose parents sold up homes and businesses,and moved to areas were they could preach before "the end."

    I always say that in my old congregation we had Elders who had their heads screwed on, men who quietly kept things under control.

    Which is probably why after 1975 we didn't lose any members, but continued to grow.

    I'm sure many variations can be found round the congregations on how they took 1975.

  • awildflower
    awildflower

    Gosh Think, I could feel your fear reading that! And this is a really good thread, I was only 4 at the time so I know NOTHING about this time and it's really interesting to hear how this made people feel and act. Wow, very good read. I'm glad you guys didn't die at Armageddon and your here to tell us about it!.............wf

  • ssn587
    ssn587

    knew a sister several years ago that came in, in 1975 and swore that it wasn't true despite showing her the 1981 Wt that said that yeah things we said that may have pointed to that. She was definitely a denier, still denied it unti a CO mentioned it in a talk and of course blew it off like it didn't really mean anything the R&F just didn't understand.

  • jamiebowers
    jamiebowers

    My dear husband was married to his first wife in 1974 when she began studying with jws. They separated shortly after that, but she called to warn him that the end was coming in 1975. The ever logical person, he told her to stop by his place on Armageddon day, so she could watch him bend over and kiss his ass goodbye. He's hated the Watchtower ever since then.

  • Think About It

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