1974 Watchtower Prophecies verses Dad’s Prophecies. Who was correct? An old guy reflects on calamity howling.

by Balaamsass2 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Balaamsass2

  Calamity howling is always in style with some folks, every year.

  1974 was 50 years ago this year! I was fresh out of high school bright eyed and earnest about all things JW and Watchtower. I was earning $10 an hour working full time manufacturing tiny parts for those new-fangled computers. Every talk from the platforms at my Kingdom Hall, and Conventions warned of the END OF THE WORLD as we know it!!! WOW!! 1975 was the END OF 6,000 years of man’s existence on the planet-according to JWs!! (My non-JW dad rolled his eyes about Watchtower’s teachings and prodded me to go to college, save 10%+ of every paycheck, and buy a house. He said: if you don’t go to college, at least do the same work for Hewitt Packard Corp., buy a house, save, get a decent pension and benefits, and you will be set in your old age!)

  BUT… At the time all the calamity howlers, preppers, and Watchtower seemed right! The US had just lost the Vietnam War to China’s and the USSR’s proxy North Vietnam. The Soviets seemed unstoppable. Nixon had just resigned in disgrace. The inflation rate was 11.1%! 1974 was a Bear market, and stocks tumbled 43%! The Dow was down to 570 on Dec 9, 1974 (42,124. 9/24/24). Watchtower predicted that people would soon be “throwing their worthless money in the streets!”. Mom and many JW relatives ran up credit card balances, or sold homes, or quit jobs expecting to “never have to pay back debts in this system”!! (Meanwhile, Dad rolled his eyes and invested in more real estate and stocks).

  Who did I listen to in 1974? Calamity howling JWs, “EXPERTS” and WATCHTOWER!! After much prodding from the magazines, books, the platform and local elders, I quit my full-time job and started to pioneer!! A year later I went to Bethel!! After returning from Bethel, I pioneered and went to where the need was great! I didn’t save a penny! Always out in Serve-us. Poverty ensued, while THE END did not arrive in 1975,76,77,78,79,80,81, or 1982 and on and on. The 1914 Generation DID pass away by the 90s! (Meanwhile Dad had just kept his corporate job, and kept investing, while politely rolling his eyes at me).

  Had I ignored Watchtower, AND popular press Calamity Howlers of 1974, and simply listened to my “Worldly” Dad, how much money would I have now by simply investing $166 per month ($8 work day) in a retirement account with an average S&P stock return of 11% for 50 years??? $3,354,829.90. Yes, folks, THREE MILLION DOLLARS. Lesson? Simple 6th grade math, compound interest, and common sense would have beat Watchtower and all the calamity howlers of 1974….and 2024.

  https://www.investor.gov/financial-tools-calculators/calculators/compound-interest-calculator
• 

  DisgruntledFool

  My best financial advice came when I was a Bethelite in 1976. I was assigned to take an older gentleman and his wife and teenage daughter on tour. He had been a Bethelite in the late 30's and 40's during World War 2. He said the calamity howling was in high gear at Bethel at that time (Any day now!) He asked me if I was a true believer and I told him I had my doubts. He said NOT to listen to the Governing Body as far as my own financial future was concerned. If Armageddon comes it comes...if not you should plan for your future. I semi retired in 2003 and currently have a net worth in the top 10% according to Kiplinger. I'm sure he is long dead but I owe part of my success in life to his wise counsel! If I had listened to the Governing Jokers I probably would still be working full time and just barely getting by. Your worldly dad was correct.
• 

  LongHairGal

  BALAAMSASS2 & DISGRUNTLED FOOL:

  It would seem all the worldly dads were correct in their financial advice about how to plan for the future.

  I would have liked to shake that elderly man’s hand who said not to listen to the GB with regard to your job/future.. There were so few honest Witnesses and I would have appreciated more honesty like this. I made sure I told younger JWs there to plan for their future.

  Back when I was a young working woman in the congregation, I didn’t even know who the governing body were. Why would I listen to some stranger telling me to quit my job and pursue poverty?.. What about the older retired people in the congregation? Were THEY singled out and told to clean toilets???

  I am SO glad I followed my gut and Dad’s wisdom ... I kept my job til the end.. Didn’t care who disliked me.

  I have NO interest in anybody there who listened to the religion and pioneered for decades waiting for Armageddon to save them... Let them go ask either the religion or their spiritual friends for financial aid!
• 

  Beth Sarim

  LHG

  This is where critical thinking skills,,,come in to play !!
• 

  LV101

  Smart, good, odds, following Dads, your enemy, anyone/anything, compared to WT.

  Longy - lol 'go ask either the religion or their spiritual friends'. I think there could be some issues for those who listened for decades to false prophet WT if the economy doesn't turn around soon. I suppose they've the welfare system to fall back on but not sure how well they'll eat/live.
• 

  peacefulpete

  It seems 'calamity howling' and 'rage baiting' is everywhere.

  Clickbait headlines today said, 'Russian bombers over Alaska!' Another said US jets had "intercepted" Russian planes,

  The real news said Russian planes were well inside international waters and that such incursions by "Russian military aircraft occur regularly and are not seen as a threat". No interception was needed.
• 

  Balaamsass2

  IF you REALLY think World War Three is about to start. It is time to get off this site, get that passport updated, buy and load up a sturdy well equipped sailboat, and then find a new home in the undeveloped southern hemisphere.

  Staying home with a years worth of Prepper supplies, or expecting to book a flight at the last minute won't cut it... if real nukes start flying around. Radiation sickness and cancer are a shitty way to die slowly. Remember, the fossil record shows Sky Daddy didn't save the dinosaurs. :)
• 

  joey jojo

  Balaamsass2

  IF you REALLY think World War Three is about to start. It is time to get off this site, get that passport updated, buy and load up a sturdy well equipped sailboat, and then find a new home in the undeveloped southern hemisphere.

  As an Aussie, living in the southern hemisphere I find that mildly insulting. :)
• 

  Balaamsass2

  Joey JoJo :)

  "As an Aussie, living in the southern hemisphere I find that mildly insulting." Actually it is a plus.

  According to "prepping experts" rural Aussies are well situated should WW3 occur. Northern Hemisphere Jet Streams and Winds would kill millions as prevailing winds spread fallout from the various combative parties in USA, NATO, RUSSIA, CHINA and the Eastern Bloc . (once again "Worldly Dad" worked on nuclear triggers, stealth, microwaves, and reverse engineering Soviet Tech at work, and felt "the soviets preferred Electro Magnetic Pulse weapons to avoid excess fallout contamination in hopes of subjugating/enslaving their foes". His advice: "Store 30-120 days of silver, food, and water just in case you are lucky enough to survive the initial attack"-eeek!). :(

  Personally, after LEAVING Watchtower, I now prefer to enjoy the remainder of my final years, go with the odds, and not get all worked up about possible "Armageddons" and every worst case scenario.