by besty 42 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
My grandfather who was never a witness and despised them, who would be over 100 years old if still
alive. would tell me back in the 60's that my mothers religion, which I was born into, had been predicting the
end of the world since he was a young man.
He was trying to wake me up. I didnt wake until 1983.
I do agree with what Simon said because for the most part that is true. The last few years I even told my husband I could hardly stand them any longer because they were scraping the bottom of the barrel with a lot of the recent ones coming in._______Aunt Fancy
That sounds rather judgemental Aunt Fancy
I would hope your reason for leavin' this religion
was based on a more solid reason than a superficial one
jus' sayin'
Simon, your description of who falls for the bull-oney fits me to a T. Uneducated, friendless, weird and didn't fit in anywhere with anyone. The one day I answered the door and invited them in, after avoiding for over a year, they were SO NICE and interested in my life. If anyone had tried to tell me ttatt (nobody did) I would have sworn they were nuts.
Soon will work forever. It has worked for full human lifespans of several generations of JWs so far, so no reason it won't keep working.
Thats not true. Until 1995 JWs always had a specific timeframe to work with (1914, 1925, 1975, the generation). This "very soon" vagueness is relatively new territory, me it's proving difficult to sustain.
We converts were the disaffected people "the man with the writer's inkhorn" was looking for, i.e., those "sighing and crying" about the condition of our lives. For me, one of the benefits of being a JW as a teenager (from age 15) was the illusion that there were people who cared about me and my well-being and having teenage friends to do things with on weekends.
I came from an uneducated and unambitious family, so the dubs seemed normal to me.
I think "soon" will be what they stick with, its all a matter of perspective.
JWs, and previous generations of JWs all felt "special" as in they were/are living in a special time on earth. They have no real perspective regarding how long man has really been around, how long animals have been around, and no where near what 4.5 billion years equals, the length of time since Earth came into existence.
All it takes for a born in is an investment past the age of 20 in many cases. They get married to another JW, kids come fairly quickly, and they are damn near stuck. They don't think big picture, its scratching out a living while on that hamster wheel. "Soon" keeps them in the KH, they are counting on that bailout from Jah.
They needed growth in the 50s to the 70s. Now they have a nice little base of 7 million they can soak for money for the next fifty years if need be, no need to rock the cradle with a desperate prediction that they know will fail.
How long "soon" will work for young people is anyones guess. What saddens me is that most of the 25-35 year old former friends of my kids are still active and married to JWs. Many have babies and small children who they are raising to become still another generation of little robots. One couple joined the ASL cong. The young mother proudly showed off her baby signing Jehovah etc. Several other couples have joined forign language congs. At least 6 that I know of actually moved abroad to go where the "need is great".
Interesting 3rdgen, that is some of what I'm seeing.
For shits and grins, I did a bunch of lurking/spying/research on instagram today. I have heard of the app, but never really understood it. So many JWs on there, lots have settings on private, but quiet a few open.
I was stunned to see how many have #jw or #jwforlife or #jwforever in their profile. And mostly young ones. And the pictures, sickening from my perspective, all kinds of stuff of them in service, or at the DC. Just sad.
The social club is what its about, don't underestimate it. While the internet is good for thinkers, all the rest of them are simply giving their mind away to the WT. I thought there was a lot of progress being made with the younger generation, now I'm not so sure.
slimboyfat:
Until 1995 JWs always had a specific timeframe to work with (1914, 1925, 1975, the generation).
That's obviously incorrect. Bible Students in 1926 (and Jehovah's Witnesses from 1931 onwards) weren't 'patiently waiting for 1975'. The 1975 thing (after several alterations to JW chronology) was only invented in the late 60s. Prior to that, the end was supposed to come 'soon'. After the rather predictable dismal failure of 1975, they were again expecting the end to come 'soon', until renewed (and modified) focus was again later put on 'the generation'.
I was a convert who first learned about the religion when I was twelve years old. A world run by goodness and justice under the auspices of God Almighty sounded good to me then—and still does. I studied with the Witnesses when I left home for college where I studied metallurgy. So I was hardly uneducated or emotionally deprived when I embraced the religion.
This was back in the 1970s when the Cold War was very real and the dangers of universal annihilation in a nuclear exchange were nothing to laugh about. I also liked the apparent of lack of racism I saw among the Witnesses I associated with in the American South, particularly since the churches had made little or no progress with this problem in their ranks.
I kept up with the “new light” adjustments and saw them as evidence of divine guidance and support—just as the Governing Body intended. I was disappointed by the failure of the 1975 expectations to bear fruit, but I stayed in the religion because I thought I had made a dedication to God and not to an organization. Furthermore, I was not socially isolated but had cultivated deep friendships with the Witnesses I knew first in Alabama and later in Colorado and California. I liked participating in the door-to-door canvassing work, attending the meetings, as well as having a share in other congregation activities. In short, I was content and had implicit faith in the Governing Body and their appointed officers.
It was the November 1, 1995 issue of The Watchtower and its study article about the generation that planted the first seeds of doubt in my mind. Even then it took years before those seeds sprouted and I seriously questioned my beliefs. I subsequently was disfellowshipped and it was during my efforts to be reinstated that I saw the organization as a counterfeit which was in the hands of vicious hypocrites whose knowledge of the Bible was “inadequate, incomplete and insufficient” as I told my judicial committee.
I have no intention of ever setting foot in a kingdom hall or attending any gathering of Witnesses again. I’m finished with the organization. Yes, there are some of its beliefs I have kept because I believe there is scriptural support for them. But that, give thanks, is all I will share with the WTS and its followers.
Quendi
