Village Idiot. LOL re: Armageddon. Want to hear something funny/odd though? The name of the fictional town (and the title of the book) is, get this, Zion--chosen a full year ago, when I began work on the book, and a solid 8 months before I knew that there would be any former-JW characters in it.
Novelist With Questions
by Researcher With Questions 16 Replies latest jw friends
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Ruby456
when those who become witnesses belonged to another faith before they became witnessess then I think leaving can be easier. If the witness grew up as a witness then it is very likely that they will want to return. If they have witness family they have left behind then they may want to return. But there is huge diversity in how a witness may respond after they have left. It isn't all about doctrine and faith - it is also about family and the routines that they were immersed in before they left -
Giordano
Please, if you will, let me know, those of you who have responded, whether or not you wish to be included in the Acknowledgements page of the book.
I don't mind being included: You may use Giordano Bruno. Who was a distant relative who was burned at the stake by the Roman Catholic Church in 1600 or my real name Gordon Bruno.
I believe your question about have children during this time frame of 67 to 75 has been well covered.
However the WT Society would often quote Paul on not marrying and always emphasized the importance of pioneering, putting field service first. No higher learning and so forth.
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Researcher With Questions
Will do, Giordano. -
Ruby456
researcher, i prefer to remain anonymous
best wishes to you - looking forward to reading about Jehovah's witnesses who have complex characters. the problems after leaving the religion can be huge particulary if one has lost a child - the hope and comfort of seeing them in the new system vanishes if one leaves. Self medication with alcohol or drugs can happen, huge ambivalences can develop between a couple, a desire to experiment with sex by one or the other can become an issue, loneliness, depression. There may be an awful sense of guilt and betrayal over the failed prophecy, desire for revenge and to warn others in some sort of activism. Mind you when there are children parents who have left generally focus on working hard to help them enjoy life outside, on making enough money to ensure they all have a good life.
other than that Ian MacKewan's Jehovah's witness in the Children Act was fairly complex but there were some inaccuracies regarding Jehovah's witnesses. no one seemed to notice except us. he had mixed reviews.
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LisaRose
one else who might have some insight here):
I have a follow-up question, if I can bother you one more time. I have done a bit of research now into the matter of the 1975 prophecy, and it seems, based on what I've read so far, that JW folks during that time were both particularly discouraged from and reluctant to have children (and obviously, why wouldn't this be the case, if the End was believed to be imminent?) Yet, as I've structured my plot, my fictional couple would have had at least three children during those years (between 1966 and 1975--in 1969, 1972, and 1974).
This seems as though it might be a problem when it comes to authenticity of my couple as JW folks, especially if quite devout. So, here's my question:I can speak from experience here, as I was a fully believing JW at the time and my first child was born in 1975. Some people did put off having children due to fears of Armageddon, but other people did not, and of course children have a way of coming even when you don't actually plan them, so it was not considered scandalous to have children, although there might have been a few people who judged you and made comments (of course in a religion like this people judged and made comments about everything anyway). It's not like you could be disfellowshipped for getting pregnant (unless you weren't married of course).
As it got closer to 1975 with no major world events I think even some people who had put off having children decided to just go ahead and have them, as there was a mini baby boom in my congregation, five children born in 1975 in a group of about 100. Even in a doomsday cult I think people just get tired of living in limbo and start wanting to get on with normal life.
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cha ching
based on what I've read so far, that JW folks during that time were both particularly discouraged from and reluctant to have children (and obviously, why wouldn't this be the case, if the End was believed to be imminent?)
Dear Writer, no thanks, you do not need to acknowledge me.
I lived during this time, I was newly married in the early 70's, loved kids, wanted kids, but there was this "let's wait as the end is so near." "Let's do more before the end" "The kids could die in the tribulation, the authorities (who are ruled by Satan-which is all governments) could torture your kids, and it would make it harder for you to survive the tribulation with faith in tact." "Le'ts pioneer where the need is greater before we decide about kids."
Fortunately, right before we went to 'where the need was greater'... my birth control 'failed' me.... and I got a child. We did not go away to another state. I was very happy, as -at that time- there was this strong belief that if you did not have children "in this system of things", and you died before Armageddon, you would not be able to have kids "in the new order." (the term used at that time)
I used to cry thinking about my husband dying before Armageddon, me waiting for him to get resurrected afterwards, and not being able to marry him again, because people (who died/ got resurrected) would be "like the angels in heaven" who 'neither marry nor are given in marriage.'
I was not going to let Armageddon, the Tribulation, or God stop me from having children. I didn't think it was right that God would stop people from marrying in Paradise, just because they had once been dead. Paradise? not!
During the 70's (maybe more after 75) there were tons of babies born, tons of baby showers, and people were happy to welcome them.
During the 60's, I was one of the children that would go to a house to be 'babysat' whilest mom's went in Field Service. Mom's would take turns babysitting every Wednesday, and there were many kids.
From what I remember, it did not seem as tho there were many 'husbands' in the 'truth' at that time. A lot of women brought their kids with them to the 3 long meetings each week, and left their "worldly" husbands at home to watch TV.
Not many men were there to fill positions for anything. Only one "congregation overseer" was needed per congregation, and a literature servant, to sell the literature.
In those days, things were more 'permissive' or less 'checkie uppie', they didn't check up on everyone like they do in these days with their 'hospital liaison committees' that check to make sure you don't get blood, or products that you have marked on your blood card as 'undesirable.'
There just weren't enough people to do it, and everyone kind of had their own life. (haha, that's from the view of a 5-10 year old, late 60's early 70's I was a teenager)
I have seen rules/guidelines get more structured over the years... Kind of like an army, with rule books. Everyone marching to the same step.
I knew people from the 60's who sold their houses before 75 to pioneer before the end came. Others were more kick back... I myself did not understand why people were upset about 75 not being Armageddon, as the scripture clearly says, "nobody knows the day or the hour."
However, at the same time, I also thought 'it could be soon'.... tho keeping it far off in my head. I thought there would be a time when there would have to be exponential amount of growth..... Just from the way numbers work... I also thought something would have to happen with the gay/lesbian movement, which 'started' in the 70's, and "men would have to be sleeping with men', I thought that this would have to be an accepted way of life before the end....
Now? So sad to have been lied to, and kept in bondage for all of those years... So many things were kept secret from us for all of those years. Like someone said, "there was no internet".... it was all books, and those 'books' were not always available. It took hours for me to look things up in WT's and AW's to write a talk. I had to use the index in the back of each volume, and the subject/word index was limited. Now, you can type in a phrase, type in a word, whoala!