Somewhat of a turning point occurred for me in 1966 when Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God book was released at the assemblies that year. This you may know was the book that calculated 1975 would end 6000 years of humanity on Earth possibly leaving the "thousand years" of Revelation to complete the 7000-year "creative day." Jehovah's Witnesses jumped on this implication as "new light" with enormous enthusiasm. The result was a spike in field service, pioneering, special pioneering "where the need was great," and missionary work the world over, as well as significant profit for the WT Society.
As a convert rather than having been raised in the religion, I soon had seen JWs blindly believing anything in Watchtower publications without question. It bothered me that many born-ins did not understand their own doctrines, which had to be proved to me in studying to gain my confidence (e.g., hell, soul, new earth, etc.) So when this 1975 mania erupted I actually argued that the book was not saying definitely, they could not, and we should not be saying this at the doors when we would offer the book in the field service. But I was accused of having little faith.
But to tell you the truth, there was something in that book that caught my attention that far-r-r outweighed the discussions about 1975. I thought some lunatic in the writing department had slipped something sly past the too-busy Governing Body. Nevertheless, I determined the book study of that particular page(s) was one I would not miss. I wanted to verify my suspicions of how gullible JWs were. It was soon after that I began fading, nevertheless hoping for "new light" on a number of things because I really did want it to be "The Truth." I'm going to quote those three paragraphs below, with only some highlighting added by me. Years later, even among exJWs, I had to carry the book with me to prove this had gone right over their heads. See if you see what I saw. QUOTE:
22 Before God created anything new, a woman, God left the man free to determine whether there was a suitable companion for him among all the lower animals. He did not oblige the man to go seeking a companion among them, thus requiring the use of much time on the man’s part but Jehovah God brought the various beasts of the earth and the flying creatures of the heavens before the man. God gave the man the freedom to name these creatures. But the perfect man, created in God’s image and according to God’s likeness, was not inclined to bestiality. He merely acquainted himself, unafraid, with them and named them, but he found among them no suitable companion for himself. As a lone human on earth he continued to worship his God and Creator, not lower animals. He needed no command from God against animal worship. He had just the one law against improper eating.—Genesis 2:19, 20.
23 After the man fully exercised his freedom to reject any of the lower creatures as a companion and helper for him, God acted. “Hence God had a deep sleep fall upon the man and, while he was sleeping, he took one of his ribs and then closed up the flesh over its place. And Jehovah God proceeded to build the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman and to bring her to the man. Then the man said: ‘This is at last bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This one will be called Woman [Ishsháh], because from man [ish] this one was taken.’”—Genesis 2:21-23
24 This reveals that God told the man just how the woman had been created, to show to the man that she was related to him in flesh and bone, for she was a part of him. Adam’s words on accepting the woman as his wife make plain that he exercised his free choice to have this woman as his helper and companion. She was the last one of the creatures that God brought to Adam to see which creature he would choose as his life-long companion.
Source:Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, pages 45-47, par.22-24 (1966)
What could be the purpose of wasting three pages on this outlandish speculation?
~Binadub