How many active JW's do you think got the memo?

foolsparadise

That no one lives forever and everyone dies?

It's interesting that sometimes in conversation a Witness can occasionally slip up on this. I was terrible for it. If the conversation turned to the distant future, or what I would be doing many decades from now, or when I am old, I would forget to 'factor in' the concept that Armageddon is 'just around the corner' and I won't be getting old. I was always forgetting myself with this, and having to backtrack on my words to bring Watch Tower doctrine into the equation. I wonder whether anyone else was guilty?

Cedars

Witness My Fury

No not really, I mostly believed it was only a matter of a few years away. In later years it was pushed off into a foggier intangible year. The disconnect between what the society said (imminent) and what it did (invest in multi year building projects way off into the future) always set alarm bells in my head, but sadly I failed to see the signs earlier. Now I just kick myself for my stupidity.

life is to short

I was totally like you Witness My Fury. I bought into it all the way. I was sure I would never be the age I am now. I was sure the world would not go past the year 2000 and when it did I was sure that the end was still close and that just Jehovah was testing us.

I know for myself the longer I stayed in the more I had invested of my life also. It is kind of like a gambler who is in for so much that he just cannot stop betting at the end until he is in such a bad spot that he has nothing left.

That was kind of how I felt. You mean to tell me everything I have given my life for was a waste? It just can't be. It has to be true. I gave my 20's, 30's, and most of my 40's to a lie! No way!

It is just really hard to swallow once you know what you bet on or put all of you money on or gave your life to is fake.

LITS

shopaholic

Thats why they are starting to push 'the end may not come in your lifetime' factor. Now it's starting to also be about being resurrected.

Found Sheep

what I'm going to die?

wasblind

" I mostly believed it was only a matter of a few years away "

Yes Witness My Fury, they had us believin' in that mess

" Gods purpose that there be survivors indicate that we are now very close to the end of this old system."________reasoning book page 242

LostGeneration

Hmmmm.....lets see 100% of the people who have ever lived have eventually died.

You may be on to something here...

DesirousOfChange

I was totally like you Witness My Fury. I bought into it all the way. I was sure I would never be the age I am now.

I think all (or at least most) of us "old timers" in The Truth (TM) felt that way, but I no longer see many JWs living like they believe that to be true.

Instead, I hear discussions about investments, I see younger couples buying and building new homes, I hear brothers worried about getting jobs with pension benefits, I see people taking more frequent and more expensive vacations to "see the world", I see 30% who do not worry about missing a meeting or two saying there will always be next week/next year/etc, I see fewer young men (even if devout JWs worrying about being MS or Elder, or Pioneer.

I do NOT see anyone downsizing to seek Kingdom Interests (any downsizing is from loss of employment or retirement). I do NOT see or hear of many young couples deciding NOT to have babies. I do NOT see any couples making huge sacrifices to both pioneer (most pioneers are non-working family members of wealthier JW families).

They may talk the talk about believing The End (TM) is near, but they are not walking the walk as tho they really, truly believe it.

DOC

cantleave

If the wages sin pays is death, and the expectation is that we are to expect a resurrection if we die an adamic death, what has been the point of the preaching work?