"The END is soooooo close" (page 3)

wasblind

Blondie

The WTS steals the hopes and dreams that can become a reality today instead of some distant future

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Vidiot

Phizzy - "Is this because they are getting desperate for the life they live as JW's to change?"

I'm positive of that; in retrospect, it certainly was was for me at times.

It's funny; when I think back even more, I didn't want the Big A to come too soon, however, 'cause I've always been a movie geek and there were always exiting new up-and-coming films I wanted to see, but at the same time I never found the JW lifestyle a particularly enjoyable one, so I wouldn't have complained too much if it had.

I was weird, I guess; I don't think I was ever particularly self-righteous, but I was never worried too much about not making it through the Big A, either. My parents were certain I would and I trusted them, so it didn't keep me up at night.

'Course, on those occasions I had to deal with cruel shitheads in school, I really wanted it to come soon (movies be damned); it was my own personal supernatural revenge fantasy.

Needless to say, I have since mellowed.

BizzyBee

Any salesman conman can tell you that it is critical to create a sense of urgency in their pitch. You see it all the time - "must take advantage of this offer NOW," "limited time only!" "Must call in the next 15 minutes!"

Without the pressure of urgency, people would have time to stop and think. I've heard "soooo close" all my life from people who are now dead.

Moses Unedited

Mary wrote:

Unfortunately, the idea that 'Armageddon is imminent' is the center of the Watchtower's universe and they can't let go of that without risking that their entire house of cards will collapse.

I think that sums it up pretty well. The “end is near” sales pitch is what the whole religion was founded on. Who would have listened to C.T. Russell if he would have preached that Jesus return in 1914 would merely be an invisible presence where he turns his attention to the earth? How exciting would that handbill have been? Who would have sat and listened to Rutherford’s delusional diatribes had it not been for their belief that the end was near?

If it weren’t for the belief in an imminent apocalypse, who on earth would give up college so that they could approach strangers and offer them magazines that show people dressed in slacks and button shirts petting lions?

sir82

At our recent circuit assembly, the DO repeatedly, in his final talk, said we shouldn't "mockingly" disparage the nearness of the end.

He must have repeated that 3 or 4 times.

Curiously, he gave absolutely NO reason why we shouldn't - just said we "shouldn't".

DesirousOfChange

You know the canned reply:

(2 Peter 3:3, 4) . . . 3 For YOU know this first, that in the last days there will come ridiculers with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires 4 and saying: “Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep [in death], all things are continuing exactly as from creation’s beginning. . .

Doc

vanyell

Are they(WT) revving up the "End Time is near" machine again?

DATA-DOG

" Curiously, he gave absolutely NO reason why we shouldn't - just said we "shouldn't"

The reason is that He does not want to face reality. That is why JW die-hards persecute any doubters. To leave doubters and faders alone would be tantamout to accepting that they could have a point. That rabbit-hole is just too painful for some to venture down. That's why you must be a ridiculer! There is no other alternative! To admit that theyhave been duped their whole life is not something that most have the inner strength to face.

Moses Unedited

vanyell wrote:

Are they(WT) revving up the "End Time is near" machine again?

It does seem to me like they cranked up the volume on this with the global “false religion” kingdom news campaign that was launched in October of 2006. Post 9/11 seems to have given the Watchtower a lot of fodder for their Armageddon rhetoric.

In the organizations history, there seems to be cycles of heightened “end is near” drum beating. This was certainly the case during World War II, especially with the persecution that was launched against Witnesses in the United States and Canada.

The Vietnam War era (with the run up to 1975) saw a huge wave of Watchtower articles and convention talks that proclaimed the end to be just around the corner.

Each new cycle seems to capture the imaginations of a new generation that is too young to remember the previous failed predictions.

exwhyzee

My wife's Uncle is in his high 70's, I've known him for decades. A nice guy (elder) but he always sounds so exhausted by life. You can never get through a conversation with him without him saying at least once in a sad tone "Boy....we sure do need the new system, don't we ? I tell ya, it can't be much longer now" Sometimes we time him to see how long it takes for him to utter this montra. I usually bite my tounge but sometimes I want to say, "but what ever will you have to talk about " or "Either we need the new system or maybe we need to not expect life to be so perfect".

"The END is soooooo close"

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