Generation Issue: The Reason

by metatron 12 Replies latest jw friends

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  metatron

  The "Generation" issue has puzzled me for some time. Why would the Society bring up and keep talking about this issue? Logically, they should have left the whole thing alone and NOT brought it up again.

  But then I remembered...........

  Once upon a time, I had to deal with a fellow elder who was a real old timer, with lots of connections in the organization. He had lots of plans for building Halls, reordering congregations and more. After his declared plans fell apart, he became bitter and stubborn.

  If there was one outstanding aspect of his personality, it was this: I am never wrong!

  His wife admitted as much. The depth of his blind, stubborn mindset shocked me as the very antithesis of humility and it became difficult to work with him on the Body.

  And I think, there you have it! The "Generation" issue came up because of the same sort of stiff-necked lack of humility. It is an attempt to tell the publishers , We were never really wrong! We are going back to a modified form of our old (absurd) explanation because we were somehow right all along.

  And that's it. Their collective egotism has forced this potential 'straw that broke the camel's back' on tired, depressed publishers who fear that Armageddon never comes. Time will tell, but so far, it looks like they have committed a huge mistake.

  metatron
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  OnTheWayOut

  I have tended to think the same way you are expressing it. This new generation doctrine is stupid and genius at the same time. It is stupid in that it puts words into Jesus' mouth that many will see through and say "What the ... are they trying to get past us?"

  But it is genius in the sense that the devoted follower can hear them saying "The reason we thought it was the literal 1914 generation was because they are involved in the truth of the matter. The reason we thought it was simply the anointed was because they are involved in the truth of the matter. The reason we drifted off into something inbetween was because we were being led to a better understanding of the truth of the matter. We were never wrong, but we are more right now."

  If some have the opportunity to speak about this to JW's, we can focus on how they have flipped and flopped and presume too much to know what Jesus "evidently meant." We can try to say how this is rather self-serving for the Governing Body members as they expect blind following on this and the members won't realize they were wrong AGAIN until the current GB are dead.
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  undercover

  It's puzzled me too.

  I've wondered if they're trying to shake out the ones who really aren't dedicated to it...and I've stated as much...but then I realize that no matter what they've done in the past, most dubs just shrug their shoulders and carry on.

  The hubris angle makes pretty good sense. They haven't ever admitted being wrong and by re-working the doctrine, they get to keep using some of the same old buzzwords and methods.

  But it works for me as well. The previous generation teaching, up to 95, was what I grew up with. It was around for close to 50 years. It's in print multiple times that the generation that saw 1914 would not pass away. Everyone I knew was putting hope in the end before we got old. Well, we're getting old, our grandparents are gone, our parents are dying off. Hell, some of us are dying off.

  This change is much easier to damn than 1975 or 607/587 or any number of their convoluted doctrines. It was simply stated and it simply failed. New light is supposed to be clearer and easier to grasp, but this new light is cloudier and confusing. While most dubs will once again shrug their shoulders and carry on, this gives us an inside track to try to help JW family or friends that respond with confusion or curiousity about this new change.
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  WTWizard

  I hope it results in people in the territory slamming doors in the witlesses' faces. The witlesses themselves are going to fall for it, but they are going to have a miserable time selling it.
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  hoser

  They seriously need to do an update on the reasoning book. It still has the pre-1995 version of the generation even in the reprinted versions.
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  hoser

  If questioned about it I'll read it straight out of the reasoning book. I hope one of the elders or the CO are on the call with me
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  zoiks

  It is kind of genius, IMO. The idea that studying the bible alone is not enough has been pounded into the R&F for so many decades. They are counting on the average publisher looking at this teaching and saying, "Wow, I would NEVER have come to that conclusion by just reading Jesus' words! Truly Jehovah is using the organization to dispense deep spiritual truths."

  It goes hand-in-hand with their claim to be the sole channel through which god works. NO ONE ELSE would EVER have come up with this stuff, therefore, it must be from Jehovah.

  Edited to add: And if any low hanging fruit get shaken off in the process, well, no big loss.
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  Mall Cop

  Lots of material in the reasoning book need updating.
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  Mall Cop

  The reasoning book is unreasonable.
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  Mall Cop

  Conversation stoppers don't work anymore.