My Mother in Law is "young" 81 and has been a Pioneer for about 30 years. I asked her what she thought about the new understanding of the term " generation". At first she didn't know what I was talking about,then she said " Oh that.....well I don't pay any attention to that stuff" she quickly changed the subject. It made wonder what she teaches her Bible Studies when they come to the topic of 1914 and it's significance to the end of this system. She's 81so I cut her some slack. She's so steeped in this religion that it doesn't matter if they think black is white, she'll go along with it.
So what do your Jehovah's Witness friends and loved ones think of the generation teaching?
by garyneal 58 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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wallsofjericho
1-Won't discuss it, example: My mom simply won't discuss things she doesn't "get". If you bring it up, you can actually see her get physically uncomfortable and nervously change the subject; she doesn't like being shown she, or they, are wrong. My mom is an intelligent person, so how she can still hold onto their beliefs is baffling.
2-Too mentally lazy/Ignorant, example: My sister, whom I love dearly, and her husband will discuss this but they can only talk about what the borg has defined for them, if you try to get “deep” you can see the bulb dim and the spacey glaze start in their eyes. To them digging deeper and getting educated is too hard, so they are perfectly happy lazily living in ignorant bliss
this could be my life.
my mother is exact same way. My sister too.
To them, intelligence is parroting what the CO said in his talk to explain away the generation, not to actually understand it. Most JW's are like this. Blissfully ignorant. It's the only way for them to actually think they beleive what the WTS teaches. The fact of the matter is JW's don't have beliefs, they just have rules and routines. That's why they have no depth when you grill them, they have no interest in understanding anything, just how to dismiss it so they can file it away with all the other dissonance in their brains.
your grandmother may be a sweetheart but to her the WTS isn't about understading the bible, it's her fuzzy warm blanket. If she asks real questions it just takes some of the fuzz away. at 81 it may be all she has left.
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LostGeneration
The "generation" teaching is going the way of the "Armageddon" teaching.
If any JW truly thought out that about 1,000 people (many of whom would be innocent children) will have to die at Armageddon for their survival, they would quickly dismiss it as an obscene, asinine thought. Solution: Don't think about it.
Same deal with "overlapping generations" since 1914.
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james_woods
Could it be that they have finally put forward - in print - an idea so monumentally STUPID that even the ordinary rank & file are contemptuous of it behind the curtains?
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LongHairGal
garyneal:
There is no mention made of this controversial teaching by my few friends that are there. Maybe it is because I am a "fader" and not good association to discuss teachings with, LOL (not that I care). Besides, I probably know more about it than they do just by being on this forum!! The average JW does not even know what their present teachings are in many cases. I honestly do not think there is a whole lot of thinking going on by the people that are left in the congregations. They just attend meetings, answer by rote and get their few hours in. End of story.
In my friends' cases, I feel it is an "ignorance is bliss" attitude.
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Eiben Scrood
I firmly believe it is one of the most ridiculous things ever printed by the Watchtower - and that's saying a lot. It shows the extent of indoctrination and cult control that these people can continue to support an institution that would publish such an absurdity.
I used to still go to the Memorial but stopped after this was published. That was it for me. Tonight will be the second one I will miss.
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00DAD
"if you just look at it, all you've done is stretch the generation of 1914 from 80 years to 160 years."
It can be stretched even longer than that if they want!
In the outline for the DC talk reference was made to Fred Franz:
The SOCIETY does not refer to this New Light as "Overlapping Generations" because, according to their obfuscated "reasoning" and willingness to capriciously change the meaning of the word "generation, it is only ONE GENERATION made up of TWO GROUPS WHOSE LIVES OVERLAP.
Never mind the fact that there is a potential 99+ year age difference between the oldest person in the FIRST GROUP and the youngest in the SECOND GROUP.* They are "evidently " only one generation!
Jesus "… evidently meant that the lives of the anointed who were on hand when the sign began to become evident in 1914 would overlap with the lives of other anointed ones who would see the start of the great tribulation." - w2010 4/15, p. 10; w2010 6/15 p. 5
What, you ask, is the EVIDENCE that proves that Jesus "evidently" meant what this WT says he meant? Good question! The answer is: No one knows because none was given. I would posit that it is "evidently" because Armageddon has not come. This unfortunate development left the WTBTS with only a few options. They could either admit:
- They were wrong about 1914
- That they have absolutely no idea what Jesus meant
- Reinterpret the meaning of the word "generation"
They obviously chose Option #3. Why not, this is the sixth time "New Light" has flashed up regarding what this word means! It's worked before, it'll work again!
Now, since we're so clear on who make up the members of this single "Overlapping Generation," only one question remains:
Who are the Underlappers of this Generation?
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* Frederick William Franz (September 12, 1893 – December 22, 1992). His life was used in the 2010 District Convention discussing the latest generation teaching to illustrate the life of an anointed person from the FIRST GROUP of this single "Overlapping Generation":
"Since Brother Franz lived until 1992, many present-day anointed ones were contemporaries of his and are part of the 'generation' that Jesus said would not pass away 'until all these things occur'."
See the comprehensive JWFACTS article "Changes to the Generation Teaching" for more details.
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wallsofjericho
"if you just look at it, all you've done is stretch the generation of 1914 from 80 years to 160 years."
It can be stretched even longer than that if they want!
I heard recently from a friend that a CO was assuring congregations that WE are in the second of 2 overlapping generations. My friend was so pumped up about it, as if he had the "scoop" on it and we could be so happy to know it... :P
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undercover
Could it be that they have finally put forward - in print - an idea so monumentally STUPID that even the ordinary rank & file are contemptuous of it behind the curtains?
I doubt that. Generally speaking, anyway. It's more of a subconscious thing. Something deep inside is uncomfortable but they won't try to find the reason. And because they're lazy...or scared...or afraid to actually finding out the truth, they will not try to understand it. Instead they stick their head and the sand and hope for the best.
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Nambo
Been a while now since I was in, I seem to remember though that a lot of the plagues and prophesies of the Revelation where taught to have allready occurred.
I certainly remember and never quite believing, that the final and climatic verse of the book of Daniel, the most happyfying event that would occur at the end of the days, nothing better than this will ever happen to mankind was..............................the 1922 convention at Cedar Point Ohio.
Now the thing is, its more than just this "generation passing away" business, its the fact that when God released his people the Hebrews from captivity, led by Moses into the promised land, this was a pattern for an even greater fullfillment by the greater Moses at the end of the days.
Now those Eygptians suffered plagues that left them in no doubt whatsoever, what was happening, who God was, and who where his people.
The plagues didnt happen to one generation who where left thinking, "whats all this about then?" as fireballs fell from the sky, only to die and their grandchildren to recieve the answer to the question only thier dead Grandparents knew.
Like wise, if all these signs and wonders of Revelation have occurred, and the folk that witnesses them have died and gone, what was the purpose? who has learned anything?, what will it mean for the grandchildren of the 1914 generation who never experienced these "Biblical" events, when something does happen, unless God goes through the whole process again in order to remind mankind, they are likely to think we are being invaded by Aliens or some such.
I wonder how many Witnesses realise the happiest event in mankinds history occurred back in 1922 ?, never mind the Billions of others alive today.
When God does act, people are going to be aware of it, they will be in no doubt as to what is occurring, and it wont need a cloud of Pioneers with Revelation its Grand Climax books helping to explain whats going on!
