My sister is starting to question....

by Nickey 9 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  Nickey

  As we read the daily text (for the sake of my family), my sister stopped after reading and sat quietly. I could tell something was on her mind. She finally said that she could never keep up and she didn't understand why "the truth" kept changing and that she didn't really know what it was anymore.

  Apparently, me throwing in the 1914 generation change a while ago stayed in the back of her mind. She asked me to show her the article where they stated the change. Except I forgot which article. I'd like to get a copy somewhere, but don't know where to look.

  She's been making alot of comments lately and it just seems she's looking to me for support or answers. Looking for me to reassure her that being a JW is the truth. Yet I haven't told her yes or no since I haven't announced my own standing with them. I don't want to seem like a coward, but my whole family are heavy JW's.

  Anyway, I'd like to help my sister. I see her becoming more depressed and unsure. Feeling as if something is wrong with her for questioning. My mother is pushing us to study and work towards getting baptized. Of course, I'm not doing it. My sister on the other hand agreed to study and "learn what she doesn't understand".

  I'm getting ready to read Crisis of Conscience for myself. But I want to bring up other key points to my sister to get her thinking. Nothing too major... at first. I'm debating on whether to share the book.

  I don't know where to begin. Or what articles to get. But if anyone can tell me which article talked about the 1914 generation change. That would help.
• 

  outnfree

  Hi, Nickey!

  I believe the article was a study article in a November 1995 Watchtower, but I can't remember if the 1st or the 15 (though I'm leaning with 1st, here).

  I suggest you do a search for "generation" on this site and some interesting threads will show up.

  Good luck on gently reassuring your sister that the cognitive dissonance she is experiencing doesn't mean she's wrong or crazy, quite the contrary.

  Maybe the next "bomb" to drop is that 586/7 BCE is the REAL date of the fall of Jerusalem?

  Regards,

  outnfree
• 

  shamus

  Good for you! You're thinking for yourself and finding out the truth from both sides. Very commendable for you to do.

  COC really changed the way that I look at the org. I used to think that 1914 was concrete proof that the end was near. They have had so many dates that it's not even funny. You'll find out... it's just garbage. What ever happened to that scripture that said, "as to the day and hour nobody knows... not even the son of man..". That means that nobody knows, DUH. Why the hell does the WTBTS know? Just another reason why they are pharisees and hypocrites.

  My advice to you?

  Never ever consider baptism..... tell your sister that, too.
• 

  Billygoat

  Nickey,

  Just be as loving and kind to her as possible. GETTING the doubt is the hardest step. But once it's there it's easy to snowball. If she's looking to you for support that this is the truth, just look at her in the eye and tell her you can't. But let her know that you love her and will be there for her, whatever that means. I hope someday to be posting this same topic - I would love to see my brothers out.

  Andi
• 

  RunningMan

  Try the Watchtower, November 1, 1995, page 19. Here is a brief outline of the changes to the generation doctrine that you might find useful:

  “Or, since the master said, ‘When ye shall see all these things’, and since, ‘the sign of the son of man in heaven,’ and the budding fig tree, and the gathering of ‘the elect’ are counted among the signs, it would not be inconsistent to reckon the ‘generation’ from 1878 to 1914 - 36 ½ years - about the average human life today.” - Studies in the Scriptures 4, p605

  “Even if we presume that youngsters 15 years of age would be perceptive enough to realize the import of what happened in 1914, it would still make the youngest of ‘this generation’ nearly 70 years old today. So the great majority of the generation to which Jesus was referring has already passed away in death. The remaining ones are approaching old age. And remember, Jesus said that the end of this wicked world would come before the generation passed away in death. This of itself, tells us that the years left before the foretold end comes cannot be many.” - AW 10/8/68 p13-14

  “If you assume that 10 is the age at which an event creates a lasting impression on a person's memory, then there are today more than 13 million Americans who have a recollection of World War I. And if the wicked system of this world survived until the turn of the century,which is highly improbable in view of world trends and the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, there will still be survivors of the World War I generation. However, the fact that their number is dwindling is one more indication that ‘the conclusion of the system of things’ is moving fast towards its end.” - WT 10/15/80 p31

  “If Jesus used ‘generation’ in the sense and we apply it to 1914, then the babies of that generation are now 70 years old or older. And others alive in 1914 are in their 80's or 90's., a few having reached a hundred. There are still many millions of that generation alive. Some of them ‘will by no means pass away until all things occur.’ - Luke 21:32.” - WT 5/15/84

  “Therefore, in the final fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy today, ‘this generation’ apparently refers to the peoples of the earth who see the sign of Christ's presence but fail to mend their ways.” - WT 11/1/95 p19
• 

  Mulan

  Don't tell her too much. A very slow, gradual undoing of the mind control is essential. If you say too much, you sound like a lunatic to them, and it turns them off.

  Great news!
• 

  Tyler

  What is interesting is that they had stopped teaching the Generation thing a good five years before announcing the change. This made it easier for the rationalising faithfull to say "we didn't put much emphasis in it anyway". This is what one JW said to me when I was questioning this change. It was then that I realised that they hadn't mentioned it for a while before the article came out. A bit or research confirmed this- they even replaced the Study publication in preparation, from Live forever book to Knowledge book- so it would not be so much a shock. This told me how deceptive they were. It they knew a doctrine was wrong, they should announce it immeadiatly rather than let millions of young pioneers wast their careers expecting the end any minuite.

  It implied a bad motive behind theri doctrinal change. Then of course, like an avalanch, I started noticing a lot more 'wrong'. Hope it goes ok!
• 

  archangel01

  Check the daily text for 2001 or 2002, can't remember the day/date but it's in there. They talk about that script "Newlight". Thats when I first started to Q the org, I was going out in service one day when they went over this text for the day, it BLEW ME AWAY but everyone else there just agreed with it,......NOT ME. Then I started to go on-line and from there I got both of RAYMOND FRANZ's BOOK'S and I make up my mind to follow GOD/JESUS not man! So I just stopped going right out of thin air and never looked back/went back. I'm born again an feel great for the REAL first time in my life, AMEN! Take care an hope this helps, God Bless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• 

  Introspection

  One thing that doesn't seem to get talked about much, atleast not directly is being accepting and accepted. We basically want to speed it up when they start questioning, tell them this and that. All that has it's own time, but if you stop and think about it, when you have a situation like this with believing family members, what separates them from you is the lack of acceptance isn't it? People tend to need support when this happens, and so I say remember to accept her with open arms every step of the way. In terms of developing a bond, this is more important than hitting her with a lot of information. Although you need to play it by ear in terms of what you tell her and when, in the long run she will be more open to hearing what you have to say too, because she can trust you to accept her where she's at - and that in turns means you can share more with her without her freaking out.
• 

  Hamas

  Excellent news.

  Keep working on her, it looks like that old JW mentality is beginning to crack and she is becoming more independant minded.

  I hope she see's the truth for what it is, my firend.

  www.escapethewatchtower.com