THE LINGERING SHADOW OF '75

by Terry 66 Replies latest jw experiences

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  Half banana

  Thanks for your story Terry and a sad one it is. The Jehovah's Witness religion destroys lives, breaks up families and emotionally and intellectually stunts the rest of them. How much longer will it be before the world wakes up to this reality? Fortunately the internet is infinitely better than God at revealing secrets.

  I remember 1975 and the let-down that followed. I also remember the Watchtower "apology" a few years later (about 1979?) which as I recall claimed that some were reading more in to it than they should have, followed up by a pathetic consolation; "But we still have our friends don't we?"

  The WTBTS never man-up to mistakes because they are acting the role of God's appointees and God would never make mistakes would he?

  In retrospect Fred Franz was a Bible thumping hound from hell. He was behind 1975, he held the JW doctrinal reins. As the chief Bible interpreter he was in the position to push and publish his private beliefs...(ooh, the power and the glory) which malady he had inherited from the religious certainties of Russell. Such is the bread and butter of doomsday cults!
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  JRK

  This year is the 41st anniversary of the invisible Armageddon.

  Ye of little faith!

  JK
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  Happeanna

  I do anti witnessing every day now and always mention how as a child and a teenager I was going to be destroyed at Armageddon in 1975 , if I was disobedient

  scared yes but I was resigned to my fate

  We never had an education We were robbed
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  Terry

  Rebel- Terry would have been a watchtower star had you remained inside so I hope you appreciate what an articulate and meaningful voice for thousands you are on the outside.

  ________________

  Sort of off-topic but in response to the above:

  _________________

  I developed a reputation for quick preparation of talks and sermons and it backfired on me in a hurry.

  On at least 2 occasions, I had to prepare an hour sermon in less than 24 hours and deliver it after driving 30 miles.

  I was known as an "artist" so this backfired too.
  The Elders (they weren't called that back then; they were "Servants") piled on and piled on the "privileges" until I was a human pack mule.
  Brother Mackey, Circuit Servant, assigned me the job of being in charge of making signs FOR THE UPCOMING ASSEMBLY. Over 500 hand-painted signs I would have to create AT MY OWN EXPENSE.
  Brother Lonnie Payne, in my Kingdom Hall, actually earned his living as a sign painter. He was upset and I'm guessing, jealous. He expected to take on the responsibility since he'd always been their guy before I was paroled.

  What happened was this. I bought a load of materials and stayed up all night working on parking signs and direction signs for the local coliseum where the assembly would be held. AHHH BUT NOTICE THIS . . .

  Brother Payne (in the ass) offered no help at all--even though he was assigned as my assistant. (Blow to his self-esteem.) He waited until my signs were completed and then informed me of something I had not known (he withheld the information.)
  There was an information guideline sheet with specific instructions about sizes of signs and colors for lettering.
  My signs, of course, varied (my ignorance.)

  Payne (in the ass) went behind my back and told Bro. Mackey I wasn't following guidelines. Next thing I knew, my signs were in the trash and Bro Payne was in charge of it all.

  I immediately realized the New World Society's idea of privileges and service were punitive and the people were no different than so-called worldly folks.

  It is definitely an EGO TRIP for young Brothers at first, but ends up being burdensome and a real time-waster.
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  Heaven

  I was 12. My maternal grandmother was dying of bone cancer. Armageddon was not really something we thought of during that time because all of us were deeply grieving. She knew she was gravely ill too. This was the first of many significant family illnesses and deaths for me. All of my family born on or before 1914 have passed away. Not one of them saw 'the end of this system of things and paradise Earth'.
  

  But fast forward 7 years and Mom is trying to convince me and my younger bro that we shouldn't be planning to go to College because we won't be needing careers due to Armageddon's imminence.

  That period of time, from age 10 to 19 was pivotal for me. I began doubting the existence of God or at least, the claims religion made about God. I had also figured out I could not be a JW due to the misogyny, disagreement with the Watchtower's interpretation of scripture, their constant extension beyond scripture, and the blood policy just to name a few.

  One of the biggest issues I have with the whole 1975 debacle is that Watchtower actually had the gall to blame the R&F JWs for 'running ahead of the organization' at expecting Armageddon to arrive in 1975. WTF?!

  Watchtower's legacy isn't a very stellar one, is it?
  
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  wheelwithinwheel

  Dad was the congregation servant. Although we had no money (he painted our family car with a paint brush) he went out and purchased “Famine 1975” quoted in the Truth book and waved it from the podium every chance he got. Then he moved the family where the Society told him the need was great. In 1976 these events were quickly wiped from his hard-drive and when they were referred to, he would always say, “Never happened.”

  The same thing will happen with the generation. Once David Splane lets go of his bone, everyone will say “Never happened.” Most members I talk to have already written it off.

  But they’re staying.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0FI0BJeuKQ
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  Socrateswannabe

  Terry: JW's were defeated, dispirited, and depressed and they just gave up.
  Those people have swallowed the whole thing and shit it out and flushed it away like it never happened.
  There. That's your answer.
  Cognitive dissonance.

  Pre-1975, the brains of Brooklyn were still laboring under the notion that there were 7 creative days of 7,000 years each. They believed that Eve's creation marked the end of the 6th creative day and that the next 7,000 year period was god's rest day.
  

  They concluded that Adam had been created in 4026 BCE and that Eve was created shortly afterward. If you add 6,000 years to the year date of 4026 (no zero year), the result is 1975 CE. By 1975, 6/7ths of god's rest day would have been expended. It made such a neat package to say that the last 1,000 years of god's rest day would be the 1,000 year reign of Christ. So, 1975 must be the beginning of the 1,000 year reign, ergo armageddon is coming or will be over by 1975.

  After the big letdown that Terry described, the spin doctors had to come up with something to rally the troops. So they claimed that they missed the mark on 1975 because there is no way to tell how long the period was between the date when Adam was created in 4026 and when Eve was created. Now, they conveniently decided that it could have been a few months or it could have been a few years, which pushed out the 6,000 year anniversary of the end of creation a bit. That bought them enough time so that some of the faithful let the whole thing drop, and no longer "served Jehovah for a date". Yes, according to the Society, this whole thing was our fault. We were the ones who pushed ahead and made 1975 into such a big deal.

  Some JWs couldn't dismiss that whole mess quite as easily, some dropped out, some couldn't cope. I am very sorry to hear of what happened to your wife, Terry. What a tragedy.
  
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  MarkofCane

  Hi Terry

  Sorry about all the awful pain this ridiculous cult has weighed on you. It's good to have boots on the ground perspective of what really happen in 75, the society blames the R&F as those that ran ahead of the org. Interesting enough my mother was baptized in 1973, we had a conversation about this once and she said 'she was told, she had to get baptized in order to survive the end' which was just around the corner, now that I display a more questioning attitude she denies she ever said it.

  How this organization has any adherents is beyond me. When Harold Camping came out as a complete scam artist and false prophet, I remember all the JW saying "how can anyone with a functioning brain fall for such nonsense, some still have faith in this man, people can be so easily deceived". That's when things started popping in my brain, I remember wondering could we be in the same delusion?

  I let it go,I guess I wasn't ready to except reality yet.
  
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  Je.suis.oisif

  OMG Terry, such a sad consequence when 1975 happened. You write so eloquently. To endure so much, then brace yourself for what comes next, or what you believed to come. My oh my!

  I was married in 1975, and lived amongst jw's. My hubbie and I grew up knowing 1975 and had many debates about their prophecy. We felt under great pressure to commit; so just backed away. Fast forward to 1983/84 and I began a serious study. The regular pioneer I asked about the 1975 debacle was openley honest in her talks with me. I shelved under "leave it for Jehovah to sort out ". When I moved to another part of the UK it was verboten to speak of this. And as time went by c/o' s and elders acted like it was rogue overseers' who fomented this teaching.

  My " leave it Jehovah file" grew to fat and burst. And I had a WTF moment!
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  LongHairGal

  TERRY:

  I came in after '75 and nobody mentioned this fiasco to me when I was studying!

  Too bad back then there was no internet to even research the religion...I might have saved myself some disappointment and wasted years! Well, glad it's over now.

  PUNKofNICE:

  In later years I later read about the people who sold everything and/or went into debt because the "end" was coming in 1975.

  What did the Watchtower say to these poor duped individuals who had to start over again?...I am surprised this didn't get bigger coverage.

  One can only hope history does not repeat itself because there are a lot of gullible people still left in that religion!!