JW's ripped off the 1975 date

RunningMan

Holy crap! I was doing some reading about old Herbert W Armstrong, after hearing about his son's death, and I found something totally unexpected.

As early as 1956, he pointed to the year 1975 as being For example, in the 1956 WCG publication, 1975 In Prophecy, Armstrong wrote; "But now you're going to peek into the surprising future, exactly as it will happen! Not what men PLAN-but what GOD SAYS!...very soon-of this very present generation-of all people you know now-ONLY ONE THIRD of them will be left alive!" He went on to say that this surviving third would be "uprooted from their homes like cattle as slaves to Europe, and probably some to South America," and "Yes, millions of lukewarm, inactive professing Christians will suffer martydom-and before the anticipated push-button leisure year of 1975 draws upon us!"

I found it here: http://www.webzonecom.com/ccn/cults/armst-1.txt

Now, the JWs didn't start proclaiming their half baked 1975 scenario until around 1966, and didn't really get into it until 1968. Armstrong beat them to is by eight years.

And here, I thought that the society had invented their own brand of unique stupidity. Now it turns out, that they couldn't even come up with their own material, they had to steal it from someone even dumber.

drwtsn32

Interesting. Are the dubs the only ones that think Adam was created in 4026BC? If not I can see how more would come to the 1975 date.

William Penwell

I am not sure when the 1975 date started but my brother claims that they were talking about it when he went to the meetings. I know it would have had to be in the early 60's because he stopped attending around 62/63. Also as I was growing up I recall the 1975 date being used in the mid 60's. I will have to check but I am wondering if there was mention of it in the book "You will be done on earth" which was publish around 1958. When I get a chance I will check that out.

Will

RunningMan

The earliest reference that I can find in the Society's literature is from the book Life Everlasting in the Freedom of the Sons of God, which is dated 1966. I am not aware of any earlier references, but would like to know if there are any.

Either way, it looks like Armstrong beat them.

xjw_b12

RunningMan

I remember as a kid, there was a magazine called 'The Plain Truth" that I believe he was responsible for. I would see it, available free at newstands etc, and every once in a while I would pick up a copy, because it kinda reminded me of the Awake mags, with it's "Apocalyptic" type headlines.

I once asked my mom, why there seemed to be such similarities in material and predictions? Her response was that "they are always stealing material from the Society"

Perhaps it was the other way around !

P.S. If you take a look at his literature, you can see alot of similar themed titles.

http://www.herbertwarmstrong.org/

Loris

it looks like Armstrong beat them

Now there's something to be proud of. Dumb and Dumber of the religions of the world.

Loris

integ

From what I understand, Herb Armstrong was a Witness (bible student) at one time, and professed to be of the annointed.

Integ.

Gamaliel

I always heard that he was considered a former JW too and that the WWCG was a JW spin-off of some sort. He believed that the 6000 years was up in 1975, so obviously, as DocWatson said, he must have been a subscriber to 4026BCE.

On the site: http://www.hoselton.net/religion/hwa/booklets/1975.htm you'll find the entire original article (1975 IN PROPHECY, 1956 edition) with the following lines:

God allotted 6,000 years for HUMAN NATURE...He sent His prophets to reveal HIS ways -- He sent His Son -- He has been sending His true ministers. God has pleaded with humanity for nearly 6,000 long years -- with WORDS! But man persists in rejecting preachings and warnings.

Gamaliel

RunningMan

Well, I've done a little looking and discovered that Armstrong vehemently denied ever being a Witness or an Adventist:http://home.sprynet.com/~pabco/no_jehov.htm

Although I have stated positively and definitely on the radio program a number of times and in articles in The PLAIN TRUTH that I never belonged to the sect known as "Jehovah's Witnesses,"or the Seventh Day Adventist denomination, it seems that many, especially of "Jehovah's Witnesses" sect, continue spreading the claim that I once belonged to them. Let me once again make the truth PLAIN.
I have never been a member of these so-called "Jehovah's Witnesses," nor of the Seventh Day Adventists. I have never in any manner, shape, nor form, had any remote connection with them, or associated with either sect or denomination. I have never had any fellowship with them

I have never, however, attended any meeting of the "Jehovah's Witnesses" sect of any kind. I have never had any kind of fellowship with any of their leaders or members. I never knew, or ever saw, their late leader, Judge Ruthford - tho strange tales reach me that I spent some time with him in prison. I have never been in prison or in jail.
I have never belonged to, attended any meeting of, or had any remote semblance of fellowship with the "Jehovah Witnesses" predecessor, the "Pastor Russell" people. I did not learn any of God's TRUTH from the "Jehovah's Witnesses" sect. I have, of course, read some of their writings and their books, and I have been glad to find that they have certain truths, as all sects and denominations have (though mixed with dangerous errors), but God had already revealed these truths to me long before I read of them in their literature. I LEARNED NOTHING THAT I BELIEVE AND TEACH FROM THIS SECT. If they boast of having taught me anything, they misrepresent.

Nathan Natas

THANKS, RunningMan!

About a year ago I was doing some reading on HWA and I discovered his mention of 1975, but the information I had did not make it clear exactly WHAT HWA was expecting in 1975. I even wrote to the guy who runs the biggest Ex-Armstrong "apostate" site "The Painful Truth" (a play on Armstong's magazine, THe Plain Truth) and asked him about what I saw as parallels in the chronological expectations of Armstrong and the WTS (specifically, Franz). The fellow replied, but he did so without answering my questions - maybe he just wasn't as "into" the HWA teachings as I hoped he would be, maybe he wasn't interested in a dialog with an apostate of a different flavor.

However, just for the sake of clarity, I would like to point out that the 1949 WTS book "The Truth Shall Make You Free" contained the earliest Franz chronology and it "pointed" to 1972, if you bothered to do the math. It didn't come right out and say 1972, but it hid it in the simple arithmetic. This book is available on the Watchtower Bookshelf CD, an independant publication, available from the Quotes website.

I wonder if we'll ever know of Franz had a subscription to "The Plain Truth" - I'd bet money that he did, because the WTS wasn't shy about having commentaries from every other Tom, Dick and Herbert. I'm sure they filled the empty hours waiting for the Holy Spirit to whisper in his ear once again.

Thanks for bringing this forward.

If anyone is interested in an excursion into a parallel universe, here are some sites of interest:

THE BOOKLET "1975 In Prophecy" complete and on-line! A HOOT! http://cgca.net/pabco/1975pro.htm

Text version of the booklet (none of the cool graphics)http://www.cogneo.org/literature/hwa/booklets/1975.pdf

http://www.hoselton.net/religion/hwa/booklets/1975.htm

http://www.eternalcog.org/Pages/hwalibrary/booklets/1975inprophecy.html

A commentary written in 1978 on HWA's prophetic failure. Sound familiar?
http://www.cedarparkchurchofchrist.org/ptalk/v15/v15n4p6.htm

Basil Wolverton was a talented artist, and a follower of HWA. This stuff is great, in a twisted apocalyptic sort of way...
http://www.cedarparkchurchofchrist.org/ptalk/v15/v15n4p6.htm
and/or
http://www.postfun.com/pfp/features/98/feb/wolverton.html

Can you say "true believers"?
http://www.churchofgodfaithfulflock.com/Archive/ThisWeek(01-07-25)PF_Teachings_of_the_Apostle.html

HWA also had expecatations for 1972!
http://www.isitso.org/guide/fails.html
"...I had been a member of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) for several years. Founder Herbert Armstrong had bombastically led his supporters to accept the year 1972 as the deadline for The Church to be whisked to a "Place of Safety" prior to the Great Tribulation, which would be followed by Christ's Return in 1972. When this failed, a number of followers had become disillusioned and left the organization, but a large percentage had not..."

JW's ripped off the 1975 date

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