Children of 1975

by d 278 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Pistoff

  I turned 21 in the fall of 1975; by then we began to realize that the end was not going to come on time.

  Forget those who tell you that the Society didn't build up 1975; if they tell you that they are either lying or were not there.

  It is not that we believed that the end was coming in or before '75; we KNEW it was coming. The hedging, the times when the speakers would say 'Now we can't say for sure', well we knew that they were saying that just to be coy, and to protect themselves.

  The society itself said it was not the 'time to be playing with Jesus' words that we did not know the day or the hour.'

  And the effect on the fellowship was amazing; we were very cohesive, close; we tolerated things we normally wouldn't because of the closeness of the end.

  After all, WE were going to be the core, the nucleus of the NEW SYSTEM; our little group, the ones we went in service with, cried with, commiserated with, side by side we were going to lift the bodies of the slain by Jehovah into the graves, we were going to rebuild the roads and reestablish civilization after the Big A.

  When you knew that was your future, you did not waste time worrying about the wife beater, the pervert; Jah would sort it all out in due time.

  To go to school, or do anything other than the basics (clean, lay carpet, wash windows) was a complete waste of time; those careers will be GONE, brothers.

  No sense making or accumulating money; it will be thrown into the streets.

  No times for children; only the selfish would seek to marry and bear children in THIS system.

  You didn't worry about acne, bad knees, bad teeth; Jehovah would give you new ones.

  We were going to see dead brothers, mothers, fathers resurrected while we grew young again.

  We would breathe the cleanest air, and drink from the streams. We would tend our garden, till our field, harvest our figs and olives.

  We were going to move up into that beautiful cabin on the side of the mountain you see on the front of the Awake! magazine.

  And when the tallest mountain was worn to nothing by the touch of the hummingbird landing on it, that would be the end of the first day of forever.
• 

  mrsjones5

  Forget those who tell you that the Society didn't build up 1975; if they tell you that they are either lying or were not there.

  Amen
• 

  jam

  Debator; A question for you. Because we are in the last days we are encouraging all JW,s

  too move to our facilties in up state NY. We encourage you to sell off your property and

  all your assets and follow us, as Jesus stated. Those brothers that decline the FDC call

  are considered weak. Would you make the move?
• 

  OUTLAW

  I am not denying that enthusiasm made them hopeful that Armageddon would be around this time but it was not an official teaching!

  If a brother linked them in a talk he was doing it depite this, not because of this.

  The first wt quoted makes it clear this is hopefulness and not a specific doctrine .....Debator/Reniaa

  I was there so were a lot of other people ..

  Millions of them..LOL!!..

  Articles were written in both the Watchtower and Awake..

  "1975 What does it mean to you"..September Watchtower..1968

  "Why are you looking forward to 1975"..April Awake..1968

  The KM praised JW`s who had sold everything,to preach for this date..

  The WBT$ did Everything in it`s Power,to make JW`s Focus on 1975..

  But..

  Never outright said 1975 is the date for Armageddon..It gave them deniability if they screwed up as usual..

  The WBT$ heavily Insinuated Armageddon would be in 1975..

  WBT$ Literature proves that..

  Is there some reason why you continueously talk about things,you know nothing about?..

  Really I`d like to know..

  Why you don`t shut up and learn,instead of stupidly running your mouth at every opportunity?..

  Do you have an Answer?..Other than "DUH"..

  ............................ ...OUTLAW
• 

  Nickolas

  Debator may have a point, but it is a weak technicality. From the reference material I have on hand, an official policy or teaching that Armageddon would definitely happen in the fall of 1975 is not evident. That should not be unexpected. What should be expected is that the Association leadership would have learned the lessons of its past prophetic disappointments and hedge its bets. Denial has always been, and always will be, the last resort of those in power who have erred. There is no denying, however, that the Association leadership made no effort to reign in rampant speculation and expectation about Armageddon in 1975. All of the WTBTS literature and the testimonies of thousands of people who were there support the fact that the vast majority of Jehovah's Witnesses held a hope and expectation that the wicked system of things prevailing in the world at the time would come to an end. Read what the August 15, 1968 issue of the Watchtower says on pages 499-501.

  "Are we to assume from this study that the battle of Armageddon will be all over by the autumn of 1975, and the long-looked-for thousand-year reign of Christ will begin by then? Possibly, but we wait to see how closely the seventh thousand-year period of man's existence coincides with the sabbathlike thousand-year reign of Christ. If these two periods run parallel with each other as to the calendar year, it will not be by mere chance or accident but will be according to Jehovah's loving and timely purposes. Our chronology, however, which is reasonably accurate (but admittedly not infallible), at the best only points to the autumn of 1975 as the end of 6,000 years of man's existence on earth. It does not necessarily mean that 1975 marks the end of the first 6,000 years of Jehovah's seventh creative 'day.' Why not? Because after his creation Adam lived some time during the 'sixth day,' which unknown amount of time would need to be subtracted from Adam's 930 years, to determine when the sixth seven-thousand-year period or 'day' ended, and how long Adam lived into the 'seventh day.' And yet the end of that sixth creative 'day' could end within the same Gregorian calendar year of Adam's creation. It may involve only a difference of weeks or months, not years.. This time between Adam's creation and the beginning of the seventh day, the day of rest, let it be noted, need not have been a long time. It could have been a rather short one. The naming of the animals by Adam, and his discovery that there was no complement for himself, required no great length of time.. One thing is absolutely certain, Bible chronology reinforced with fulfilled Bible prophecy shows that six thousand years of man's existence will soon be up, yes, within this generation! (Matt. 24:34) This is, therefore, no time to be indifferent and complacent. This is not the time to be toying with the words of Jesus that 'concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.' To the contrary, it is a time when one should be keenly aware that the end of this system of things is rapidly coming to its violent end. Make no mistake, it is sufficient that the Father himself knows both the 'day and hour.' .. There was a ring of alarm and a cry of urgency in all their [the apostles] writings.... And rightly so. If they had delayed or dillydallied and had been complacent with the idea the end was was some thousands of years off they would never have finished running the race set before them."

  (Emphasis mine.)

  What is clear is that the official stance of the Society was one of exceptionally strong implication and expectation. Without doubt, the onset of Armageddon and the end of the first 6,000 years were repeatedly and inextricably linked together. To paraphrase, the Society is saying Yes, we can't say for sure it will be 1975, but all the numbers sure point to it as the year of Armageddon. And, even if it turns out not to be 1975, it will almost certainly happen very soon thereafter.
• 

  watson

  Debator said "gleaned." It must be a real witness. Oh well.
• 

  Nickolas

  The Society did seem to accept some responsibility for the disappointment of 1975. Here's an example of post-75 mea culpa, published in the March 15, 1980 Watchtower, pages 17-18:

  'Choosing the best way of life' .. In modern times such eagerness, commendable in itself, has led to attempts at setting dates for the desired liberation from the suffering and troubles that are the lot of persons throughout the earth. With the appearance of the book Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, and its comments as to how appropriate it would be for the millennial reign of Christ to parallel the seventh millennium of mans existence, considerable expectation was aroused regarding the year 1975. Unfortunately, however, along with such cautionary information, there were other statements published that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere possibility. There were statements made then, and thereafter, stressing that this was only a possibility. It is to be regretted that these latter statements apparently overshadowed the cautionary ones and contributed to a buildup of the expectation already initiated .. In saying anyone, the Watchtower included all disappointed ones of Jehovah's Witnesses, hence including persons having to do with the publication of the information that contributed to the buildup of hopes centered on that date."
• 

  OUTLAW

  Our chronology, however, which is reasonably accurate (but admittedly not infallible)

  at the best only points to the autumn of 1975 as the end of 6,000 years of man's existence on earth......Watchtower..August 15 1968

  What happens to you if you go against Watchtower Doctrine?..

  Your told to Shut Up or you`ll be Disfellowshipped..

  Period..

  It was no different in the days leading up to 1975..

  Anyone who would have made a fuss about 1975 would have been Disfellowshipped..

  1975 was not just Speculation..It was an Idea "ENFORCED" by the WBT$..

  ............................ ...OUTLAW
• 

  The Finger

  That's why you still find people saying they never said this and that and how it was everyone's fault but the squeaky clean GB.
• 

  thetrueone

  Yes, thats why Debater is right out lying about what the WTS. said and did back then, for to not lie would bring

  reproach onto to god's kingdom arrangement.

  Its good old fashion spiritual ware-fare at its best.

  I remember doing this myself.

  Just to reiterate what I mentioned previously, its imposable to to use bible chronology to calculate

  the exact date of Adams existence up to modern times like the WTS said they did.

  It was all a deceiving lie that all JWS such as myself swallowed as being the Truth.

  Time to grow up Debater and start to face the fact you've been conned by book publishers/peddlers.

  They used and exploited peoples emotions, fears and insecurities to perfilerate their published goods.

  Just like they do to day.