1995, I was too youg. The 2007 "new understanding of this generation" was the beginning of the end for me. I remember telling my husband :"I'm waiting for the new understanding...I can't swallow this one". I've left mentally before reading about the "2010 understanding" that is even worst than the 2007 one.
Happy to be totally out now and my husband rarely attends a meeting.
Who left or got stumbled over the 1995 generation thing?
by Julia Orwell 134 Replies latest jw experiences
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Desilusionnee
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Joepublisher1
Boy, looking back on this... I'm happy to see that it was not only I that felt like a sucker punch to the stomach when the WTS changed their long-standing "1914 generation" teaching in 1995! (However, I was so indoctrinated that I even made a comment during that Watchtower study and taken from a paragraph in that Watchtower that we should not feel like the end is far off.)
I can relate to many of the comments in the posts on this subject. Someone said they felt, 'well, there goes the time limit for the end'. That's exactly how I felt. I was never the same after that change. I stepped down from being a MS - many viewed me as an elder... the elders repeatedly wanted me to become one but I just felt like I didn't want the responsiblity of "judging" others in judicial matters. I now started concentrating on my job, which unfortunately I would be laid-off from and thus ill-prepared for the future.
I reflected on the change to the Awake Masthead and thought to myself, the WTS used to "claim" that the "1914 generation" teaching was "God's promise". I accepted that teaching as coming from God Himself - because it was supposedly based on His word and through His chosen servants on earth. Well, now I thought to myself, this change must be like what the JWs felt like in 1975 - indeed, as someone already said, 'This was my 1975 experience'. I started to reason, "Geez, the Governing Body seems to be just making this stuff up - they are simply guessing what the Bible says. They are no better than any other religion and their "interpretations" the Bible.
Being a loyal/faithful JW for 15 years, I remained in for another 7 years!, although my F/S time quickly went down to an hour per month. I NEVER had the same zeal after that change. I concluded, "How could I be zealous for something that let me down and was starting to lose faith in?... it just wouldn't be right!
Anyway, these feelings led to a lot of research in the next decade and I started to research 1975 and everything else I could find on JWs and its history. The result is the same as all of you have mentioned - a rude awaking! See you later WTS... I no longer believe in your balony. I've concluded that this religion is a fraud and a scam and I'm bothered to this day that the WTS leaders can continue to propagate what they should know is a fraudulent religion.
btw: I hold no ill feelings to the rank-and file, because I know what it's like to be duped. And, for the most part JWs are decent people. And, that's what makes me the sadest. The latest baffling change to the F&DS teaching should be a wake-up call to all JWs world-wide, though, because as someone brought out... why should anyone believe in them IF Jehovah hasn't even selected them yet! (Oh yes, apparently the 1919 date is just another date that goes into WTS grave-yard of failed important dates.)
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John_Mann
This is one of the best topics on JWN.
That change was the end of an era in the JW world.
Things never be the same after that.
1975 was bad but 1995 was beyond repair.
The dream was over after 1995.
After 1995 the only option left to JW's was the dumbing down of the whole thing and forget what they once tried to be.
At same time the internet was entering in the stage and it was a true paradise of knowledge and new possibilities.
I just can imagine what the old JW's from the pre-1995 era think about what's happening now in the Watchtower.
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Joepublisher1
If I may make a couple of additional points about the 1995 generation change:
When I looked back on that article (years later), several things bothered me – quite immensely! Here they are:
1. "Eager to see the end of this evil system, Jehovah's people have at times speculated about the time when the "great tribulation" would break out, even tying this to calculations of what is the lifetime of a generation since 1914” - Nov 1995 Watchtower
It really bothered me that the WTS leaders – the ones who come up with the interpretations and explanations, attempt to spread out the blame to include EVEN the rank and file – who NEVER have had anything to do with creating/changing/modifying the teachings of this religious group. How disingenuous and dishonest could the leaders be by not owning up to their blunder! They NEVER apologize for mistakes, I thought to myself. JWFACTS website founder (Paul Grundy) does an even better job at raising the issues of the WTS not owning up to their mistakes – check it out if you haven't already done so.
2. Rather than provide a rule for measuring time, the term "generation" as used by Jesus refers principally to contemporary people of a certain historical period, with their identifying characteristics. In line with the above, professor of history Robert Wohl wrote in his book The Generation of 1914: "A historical generation is not defined by its chronological limits . . . It is not a zone of dates."
In explaining their new understanding (read: interpretation) of the generation the WTS quotes an outside source to support their new explanation. I thought to myself, does that mean Robert Wohl (a non-anointed-JW) was correct BEFORE the spirit-directed Governing Body was regarding the meaning of “the generation”? (If that’s the case, why are we putting so much trust in the WTS leaders?)
Lastly, what this generation change did was to alert me to this fact: The WTS is capable of changing any of their core teachings – AND THAT FACT BOTHERED ME IMMENSELY. Of course, here we are almost 2 decades since that change and my gut was right – LOOK at all the changes that have been made to CORE teachings. The latest (the F&DS re-definition) is without a doubt, a block-buster! In my book, the WTS leaders have lost all credibility in claming to be the spokesperson for Jehovah God and the only organization that has his blessing. How they can refer to their religion that is CONSTANTLY changing their beliefs as having "the truth" is mind-boggling. One older book, entitled "The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life" now contains so many changes to core teachings, it's become a laughing stalk to informed people.
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Joepublisher1
I agree with everything you said in your latest post John Mann! You hit the nail on the head. I, too, have often wondered what the real oldsters think of all these changes. Deep down, it has to hurt. Also, I think all these changes have drained the zeal of this religion, esp. for those who are aware of all these changes and lived through them. It's difficult not to let this stuff effect you negatively, unless you're really-really good at employing cognitive dissonance.
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Joepublisher1
Oh, another thought. What a lot of people don't realize is that when you're a real student of the WTS, you really get into the Bible references and get a lot of exposure to what other religions teach on many scriptures. The thing that now stands out very clear to me is that the Bible is indeed open to many intepretations. In my opinion TOO MANY! And, as such, I can no longer accept the Bible as God's word. I know this is a different topic, so I'll end it here.... but, it's just part of the fall-out once you realize the WTS is a fraud. You just don't leave it there, you realize that all Christain religions are made up of leaders who "interpret" the Bible. Since men are imperfect - and thus its leaders - why would anyone imagine that their religion is "the truth"? I now feel: Fool me once, shame on YOU, fool me twice, shame on ME! (As far as those who claim to believe in the Bible as the word of God and don't belong to any religion, I can no longer accept that because I know all too well the inconsistencies and contradictions that exist in this book that is supposedly written by a perfect God. How a perfect God could not communicate perfectly in his word just doesn't make logical sense to me.)
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Vanderhoven7
Does anyone have a synopsis of WT changes made to "this generation" over the years?
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Vanderhoven7
I found one already
Who the 1914 Generation Applies to
1897 -? A group of contemporary people "?Other uses of this Greek word (genea) prove that it is not used with the significance of race, but in reference to people living contemporaneously.... In other words, the signs mentioned will occur within a generation - epoch in the close of the age.?" ? Studies in the Scriptures Vol 4 pp.602,603
1927 ?- The anointed ?"The irresistible conclusion therefore is that Jesus referred to the new creation [the anointed] when he said: ?This generation shall not pass until all these things be fulfilled.? This then would be a strong indication that some members of the new creation will be on the earth at the time of Armageddon.?" Watchtower 1927 Feb 15 p.62
1951 -? A fixed period of time from 1914 applied to worldly people "The actual meaning of these words is, beyond question, that which takes a ?generation? in the ordinary sense, as at Mark 8:12 and Acts 13:36, or for those who are living at the given period. So it was on ?this generation? that the accumulated judgments were to fall. (Matt. 23:36) This therefore means that from 1914 a generation shall not pass till all is fulfilled, and amidst a great time of trouble." Watchtower 1951 Jul 1 p.404
1995 -? A group of contemporary worldly people "Jesus was not departing from his established use of the term ?this generation,? which he consistently applied to the contemporary masses with their ?blind guides? who together made up the Jewish nation. ... Jesus refers principally to contemporary people of a certain historical period, with their identifying characteristics."? Watchtower 1995 Nov 1 pp.14,20
2008 ?- The anointed "As a class, these anointed ones make up the modern-day "generation" of contemporaries that will not pass away "until all these things occur." This suggests that some who are Christ's anointed brothers will still be alive on earth when the foretold great tribulation begins." Watchtower 2008 Feb 15 p.24
2010 ?- A fixed period from 1914 applied to the anointed "He 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." Watchtower 2010 April 15 p.10
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Glander
I was long gone by the time of this WT. My daughter sent me a copy and I must say I laughed out loud when I read it.
In 1982 I was freshly out when a well meaning witness friend stopped one day when I was out in the front yard. Nice guy, very sincere asking me to come back and I was very kind in my response.
I said to him very clearly, "David, mark my words. The WT teaching about the1914 generation not passing away before the end is going to be a problem. They have painted themselves into a corner. Watch for them to wiggle out of it no later than the late 90's."
I always wondered if he recalled my words when he sat in the WT study that Sunday in 1995.
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JakeM2012
I remember an elderly sister announcing at work in October of 1994 that this was 80 years, a biblical "generation", after 1914. I remember the change in the generation teaching in 1995, but it was like I never believed a generation to an absolute time period. However, when we got into the early 2000's I thought, "this is on the outside limits of their teachings, give or take some for error, the end must be close". Then, 9-11 happened and I thought well let's see. I remember that I thought things couldn't last much past 2008 by WTBTS chronology.
I was having some awaking thoughts and beginning my research in 2006-2008. One of the subjects I investigated was a "rumor" heard years before from a friend, Brandt Jones, about the Society joining the United Nations as NON-GOVERNMENTAL-ORGANIZATION. I remember telling my father-in-law this rumor and he said, "that would be apostacy", and well he (my father in law) was correct. Thanks to Brandt Jones, he even mentioned the book that Ray Franz had written while playing a game of pool at his house, and said emphatically, "they got rid of the wrong guy, everything he said has turned out correct". Later I downloaded the book and read it.
My grandfather died in 1999 and I remember my mother telling grandfather on his deathbed, that he would not die, because the end would be here before he died since he was born in 1914. Obviously, her hopes have been dashed. But, while becoming critical of the organization after the 1995 generation change, I never made a real stand until I heard the "overlapping" generation change in 2010, and I thought immediately, "what a load of crap". I remember visiting with an elderly friend immediately after the convention and asked what he thought, and his reply was, "well that makes sense'. It was at that moment that I was "out" mentally from the organization.