by outbutnotdown 27 Replies latest jw friends
Because of what is happening in my own family, I have just recently come to the conclusion that most of them KNOW, at the very least subconsciously, it is all lies.
My parents, for instance, who are TRUE BELIEVERS, are very concerned about who will inherit the family farm. What difference should it make to them, if they really believe the end is near?
It makes me sick. I wish that I was never born into this disgusting, family-wrecking cult!!!
talesin
Actually, I had apostate leanings back then even because I not only did not preach the 1975 line, I would try to head people off that put too much credence in it so my personal disappointment level was nil. I was not surprised when 1975 came and went without anything happening.
Interestingly, I have been reading info about cults. Leon Festinger has an interesting book "When Prohecy Fails."
Leon Festinger was a social psychologist A psychologist is a practitioner of psychology. who became famous for his Theory of Cognitive Dissonance Cognitive dissonance is a theory proposed by the psychologist Leon Festinger in 1957 . After completing his undergraduate studies, he attended the University of Iowa where he received his Ph.D. in 1942.
Festinger's theory arose from his observations of a Wisconsin -based flying saucer cult of the 1950s whose prophecy of universal destruction failed to come true. The cult prophesied a vast flood would soon kill everyone on Earth except for the members of the cult, who would be carried away by flying saucers . Before the predicted flood, the cult was very secretive and very reluctant to speak to the media or make converts. After the predicted flood, they stopped being secretive and spoke very eagerly to the media.
Leon Festinger, who studied the cult, explained this precisely by the fact that their prediction failed: there was no global flood and no flying saucers arrived to carry the cult to salvation. The cult was ridiculed, and though they had an explanation for the failure of their prophecy -- on the night in question their prayers "had spread so much light that God saved the world from destruction" -- nobody took it seriously. This is why Festinger suggested that the cult became fervently evangelistic. The only way for them to reverse their humiliation was to convert other people to their beliefs. If everyone believed, no one would laugh. However, this did not work: after such a spectacular failure, the cult predictably failed to convert anyone. For further information on the cult and its behavior, see Festinger's When Prophecy Fails: A Social and Psychological Study and "When Prophecies Fail".
This is what a 1966 Watchtower said after the big assemblies were continually mentioning 1975:
To give aid today in this critical time to prospective sons of God," announced President Knorr, "a new book in English, entitled ?Life Everlasting?in Freedom of the Sons of God,? has been published." At all assembly points where it was released, the book was received enthusiastically. Crowds gathered around stands and soon supplies of the book were depleted. Immediately its contents were examined. It did not take the brothers very long to find the chart beginning on page 31, showing that 6,000 years of man?s existence end in 1975. Discussion of 1975 overshadowed about everything else. "The new book compels us to realize that Armageddon is, in fact, very close indeed," said a conventioner. Surely it was one of the outstanding blessings to be carried home!
Now, y'all 'scuse me if I'm a jumpin' the gun here, but somethin' tells me that Brooklyn had some thoughts back then on 1975.
Englishman.
From what my father told me about 1975 it was really more of a pipe dream. There were people that preached it but Realy most of it was code speak, buzzwords, and hype that amounted to no tangible proclaimation.
"If I didn't know better I'd swear 1975 was a big budget summer action movie."
After reading reams of quotes I can't find one that actualy tells you what is going to happen. They keep annoucing they are telling you, they keep saying be prepared for what they are telling you, but they never tell you anything.
Audio clips re 1975
Discussion of 1975 overshadowed about everything else.
Next to the name, Jehovah, the date 1975 ruled JW lives ... it was all-consuming, and controlled every aspect of the organization ... this was it ... the time was at hand ... the preaching work was urgent ... time so short ... 1975 was the hallmark of successful marketing, for it forced someone to abandon their normal lives to engage in promoting this prophecy ... it was likewise among the most successful growth periods of the JW religion. And frankly, world events were much more stressful, such as the civil rights movement, college riots, Viet Nam, gas shortages, economic trouble, the churches in disarray, and so on ... the Watchtower capitalized on this to the limit.
I was somehow able to put 1975 behind me at the time as a mistake, or as a misunderstanding of the exact year ... but, what started to get to me was how world events changed and no longer fit with the prophecy ... eventually the King of the North, the Soviet Union was showing signs of dissolving ... and by 1992, it was all-too obvious that the last generation of 1914 was at its end. Also, I could see from the persepctive as an Elder the wrongs tolerated by the religion, such as not properly dealing with child abuse. It became embarassing ... we would have had to be psychotic to remain Jehovah's Witnesses.
To me 1975 is a distant 29 year old memory ... an event that ruined the lives and faith of many ...
I am not denying the audio I'll listen to it. But I should have said 1975 was all audio. If you missed the meetings for those years you could have missed it.
edit
LOL I am listening to this audio. It is insane about 1975. It gives terrible threats about bad things that will happen but never tells you what is going to happen. It even tells you hey this 1975 thing is to make you slackers start serving the watchtower aint it great the watchtower invented it.
"New Goal" carrot on a stick. http://www.freeminds.org/wav/sun1.wav
If you want to know read the "very explict" watchtower http://www.freeminds.org/wav/sun2.wav
If you are a "skeptic" do your math and eat your "possibly" "meat in due season". Because I love this sound like he is talking about p* "it is not wrong to think about it" http://www.freeminds.org/wav/sun3.wav
I am not knock people but listen to these threats. They are spouting irational jibberish. 1975 is special because -4026+6000-1=1975
That is a great site I am so glad that people recorded this death of superman/new coke extravaganza.
you missed the meetings for those years you could have missed it.
I respectfully disagree. All JWs at that time were talking about it constantly. One most emphatically did NOT have to attend meetings to be aware of it.
Let's not rewrite history.
talesin
Sorry I forget how sensitive people are. I but listen to the WTs most damning evidence. Those empty contentless speeches. When the overseer is condemning the skeptics the best he can say after saying "meat" several times, the number 6000 means something, and oh yeah "possibly" the destruction of the wicked and the beginning of the new millennium. Why didn't he just say it sans possibly eh? Oh wait that would mean he would be telling you the world was ending in 1975.
I'm not sensitive, but thanks for the apology.
I just did not want to let that fallacy, about a belief that robbed me of my education, and set me back many years, stand without challenge. I realize that you probably weren't around then, and wanted to let you know how it really was.
tal
