1975—Were You Affected By What 1975 Was Supposed to Bring?

by minimus 73 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Gorbatchov

  Born in 1970, 4th generation jw, remember some family discussions about the "excuse" watchtower article in 1979. It was a family debate. Later I heard we missed a summer holiday in 1975 because of the predictions.

  In 1985 I asked my father about the big boxes with rice at the upper floor level. Hé told me because of 1975, but only a mouse had advantage of it.

  It is still strange that dad says hé never believed in 1975 but sold his house, and went pioneer that year.

  Later hé changed and became a jw with a succesfull public life.

  G.
• 

  Finkelstein

  The WTS has always taken a advantage of the theological uneducated as well as the secular uneducated.
  

  There was a reason why there was no other Christian based faiths which there are hundreds that came out and said something special about 1874, 1914 or 1975.

  But it sold well nevertheless.
  
• 

  smiddy3

  And lets not forget that the J.W.`s were predicting the end in 1914 then stretched it out to 1918-19 and when the end didn`t come then many fell away from the religion ,and they excused that away as a sifting work also.

  1975 was just a replay of what happened previously.

  J.W.`s still didn`t learn from their past mistakes because they indicated that the big "A" would occur before the end of the 20th Century and that "Witnesses " would be enjoying paradise in the 21st Century .

  Like the donkey that`s trying to reach the carrot that is dangling before him ,Jehovah`s Witnesses are striving to reach the carrots that`s dangling before them .

  The carrots : The great tribulation , Armageddon , and the New World / Paradise

  And like the donkey that never gets the carrot , Jehovah`s Witnesses will never get to Paradise .

  We were so gullible.

  How many on this board are aware that C.T.Russell stated that the 6000 years of human existence ended in the late 1880`s ?
• 

  Perry

  I was 12 years old in 1975. Starting around age 7 or 8, I started keeping track of how many years I had left to live. For some reason, I (and other kids as well) identified with the destroyed, and not the survivors.
  
  The older I get, the more I realize the effects that this false prophecy had on me as a young man. I entered my teenage years in 1976 when it became apparent that we were lied to. I trusted no one after this, and became very jaded. When I saw the elder's lips moving, I assumed they were telling more lies. 13 years of age is a rough age to "wake up" since there is no place to go.
  
  In general, I think my particular age group was hit pretty hard. We saw the hype, lived with the "sure expectation" of an early death, and then saw the utter hypocrisy when everyone swept it all under the rug.
  
  We all tried to make peace with our loved ones, to no avail if we didn't go along in worshiping their WT idol. The adults couldn't figure out "what was wrong" with us kids. Why weren't we more spiritual? A great percentage of us became pretty hard core dope smokers just to numb to pain of 1. Having our faith in God stolen; 2. Having our trust in authority figures robbed; & 3. living under the condemnation of our loved ones for not jumping on the band wagon with them.
  
  My friend, who was one of the elders kids, held deep resentment toward his parents until their death over this. He has continued his drug use until this very day as far as I'm aware of. He informed me a few years ago that he is officially Wiccan in his belief system... which he describes as "non-belief" just an appreciation of sex and nature.
  
  We were in the same class in the 4th grade. He and I were made to stand in the hall every single day for not saluting the flag. The teacher would yell out his name and mine every morning and would gesture with her thumb for us to go stand in the Hall while the rest of the class recited the pledge of alliegence. She utterly hated us. Someone once told me that she lost a son in the Vietnam War.
  
  Andy laughingly once told me what he did to his mother when she died. He said that when she was on her death bed that she told him that she only had one final wish before she died. He asked her what it was. He probably hoped for some sort of apology or expression of love for him.
  
  Rather, she told him that her final wish was for him to get baptized as a JW. His mother professed to be of the "anointed".

  I remember her being very abrasive as a parent. I did not like visiting their house, which was only a few streets over.
  
  Anyway, He told me that he waited until the very moment that she was slipping off into death to whisper into her ear, "I don't believe a word of it".
  
  He wanted that to be the last words that she heard in this life.
  
  Sorry to ramble on.... 1975 just triggers so many unpleasant memories for me. Fred Franz and the whole Hee Haw gang has Hell to pay for what they did to us kids.
  
• 

  Giordano

  When my wife and I first got out in 1965 or a little earlier....... we learned later on about 1975. By the time 1975 arrived and went........ we had totally forgotten about it. It was like the first day in 1976 and everything was just fine. We called all of our Uber JW relatives and welcomed them to 1976.

  Come on ........You really had to be a total idiot to think the end was coming because little Freddy Franz said so. That guy was a total joke and how many lives did he ruin with his bullshit? Sell the house, quit my job......... the end was coming.

  Your Jehovah's Witnesses.
• 

  sir82

  For some reason, I (and other kids as well) identified with the destroyed, and not the survivors.

  And I thought it was just me.
  

  Actually, I didn't talk too much to other kids about it, I was still in elementary school when 1975 came & went.

  But I do remember the horror stories printed in the WT & Awake about the persecution of JWs in Malawi in the early 70's. That, combined with the promise of persecution on all JWs during the "great tribulation" (due to start in 1975, or sooner) terrified me - I was sure I would crack under torture. I would fail, and then not be "counted worthy".
  

  Imagine that - an 8 year old kid contemplating how he would react when burned with a poker, or having his fingernails ripped out, or whatnot.

  Eventually the fear faded. I don't recall if it was due to the persecution of Malawians letting up, or fewer graphic stories of persecution, or maybe even just a subtle, gradual realization that my worst fears were not going to happen.
  
• 

  eyeuse2badub

  1975 although it wasn't the end of the world, it was the end of my believing that jw's had the true religion. It took me decades to finally completely reject the wt and even speak against it but nevertheless, it was 1975 that got the ball rolling so to speak and I dare day that it got others on the same path to leaving and doubting!

  just saying!
• 

  minimus

  One of my good friends decided to not take a free scholarship because 1975 was around the corner and he decided to Pioneer and make sure that people knew the end was at hand. Everyone that I knew of that knew him would plead with him to please take advantage of his football skills and get out of the religion and and live a prosperous life. He would laugh at them until about 1980. Definitely didn’t look like the end was that imminent after all. Last I heard he was a milkman and suffers from major illnesses and he doesn’t have a pot to pee in.
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  Finkelstein

  I saw the 1975 scam effect people in a very egregious way, to suicides, to people selling their homes, to people not having children, to people dropping out of school.
  
• 

  Finkelstein

  .......but we can see how the WTS created the power in which they had then and still has mental control over people today.