Describe your first thoughts upon hearing the 1914 generation 'new light'

by kid-A 26 Replies latest jw friends

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  claytoncapeletti

  I was 18 at the time and already starting to have doubts as to whether this could be the only "true religion". It wasnt so much the initial annoucement that struck me as odd ( I dont even remember when I first hear it) but the follow up articles and discussions that followed it. I couldnt understand how one second I was suppose to believe that the end would be as soon as the 144,000 had died off and then the next minute I was suppose to believe that I might actually live a long life and still die during "this wicked system of things". I put off college and rushed into marriage at 18 so that I would be in good standing at the kingdom hall. It's what I felt I had to do, since the end was guaranteed to happened any day now. That "new light" enabled me to see the way out of the BORG and the truth about the Watchtower.

  Clayton

  "Brothers dont shake hands, brothers got to hug"
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  TD

  Carla

  Trying to understand the 'third class' you mentioned. Wouldn't that put any jw's who died now in the same boat as those who died previous to 1995? Don't they get to 'come back' at the big A and help out in restoring earth and accepting all the 'new light'? a bit confused and can't afford to not have this right, thanks much, carla

  JW's teach that there was one hope, the heavenly calling, from Pentecost clear up until 1935 AD.

  In 1935, a second group manifest itself --The "great multitude" These, as a group, would survive Armageddon and never have to die. This was the generation that would see the end.

  JW's allow for exceptions due to untimely death, etc. but as a rule, there are only two hopes and two classes of Christians in JW theology.

  The generation change (and the sheer passage of time) creates a third group of Christians. These have the "Earthly hope" but they don't survive Armageddon because they don't live to see it. They're basically in the same boat as those that lived before Christ.

  As you point out, these have "the hope of resurrection" according to JW's, but so does everybody. The JW's believe that everyone, JW and non JW alike who dies prior to Armageddon will be resurrected (With rare exceptions)
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  blondie

  I did not fit into these categories. I was already expecting the WTS to find a way to back off the the 1914 generation. I was not disappointed.

  1. 1/2 of the people won't realize there was a change thinking that it was what the WTS has always said.

  2. 3/8 of the people will realize the WTS/other JWs say there was a change but won't understand it.

  3. 1/8 of the people realize there was a change, say they understand it, but keep referring to the 1914 generation.

  The WTS even has "old light" on their own website.

  How long a time period would these last days prove to be? Jesus said regarding the era that would experience the "beginning of pangs of distress" from 1914 onward: "This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur." ( Matthew 24:8 , 34-36 ) Thus, all the features of the last days must take place within the lifetime of one generation, the generation of 1914. So some people who were alive in 1914 will still be alive when this system comes to its end. That generation of people is now very advanced in years, indicating that there is not much time left before God brings this present system of things to an end.

  http://www.watchtower.org/library/pr/article_07.htm
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  DanTheMan

  I didn't get it until I read CoC. Ray gives a splendid explanation that brought it home how huge of a change it really was. The WT articles in 1995, I'm embarrassed to say, went right over my head. I was still kind of a newbie JW at the time though. The GB and the top Bethel dogs must have been amazed at how unaware the rank and file were that one of the org's most essential teachings, one that had provided urgency™ for so many years, had been scrapped. But it's all how they word things, i.e. 'Some Christians in times past have believed that the generation Jesus spoke of must indicate a literal generation of people. But let's take a closer look at the Greek word for generation...' etc. So patently deceptive.
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  Big Dog

  I had been out over 20 years when I heard about it via some anti-jw website, so I did the research to see if it was really true and got all excited becasue I thought, at last, I can get my family out now they will have to see what a crock of shit this is at last. And of course when I brought it up with my family I got all of the responses mentioned above and it was then I realized that nothing was ever going to get them out.
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  Jourles

  I was in the Silverthorne, CO congregation in 1995, and I remember thinking WTF?? "How could the Society just all of a sudden flip a switch and blow away the generation doctrine?" It wasn't long after that when I found H2O. It took around a year for my mind to open up after that.

  Does anyone from the H2O days remember a "Liberal Ex-MS" guy? I used to tangle with him quite a bit in the chat portion of H2O when I was defending the Society. I've always wondered if he frequents this board under a different name.
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  littlerockguy

  I just thought how deceptive and manipulative the WTS was and how foolish I felt for going along with their teachings for as long as I did; how they actually came up with the change from the very same reference books they have used for years. I just thought to myself "Im just sure they had to have read this before but just didn't print it because it would take away the sense of urgency", but then they had to print it since their old teaching was about to prove false.
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  luna2

  I was usually so spaced out at the DCs that I don't think it sunk in when I first heard the "new light". All I remember thinking is that I didn't really understand what they were getting at, but I guessed I should be happy that there'd be more time for the poor worldly folks to see the troof and come streaming into the borg before the end.

  I fell back into my normal JW rut and didn't think about it too much more until we had a Watchtower study on it. I think the double speak must have been worse than usual in the article because I recall being more troubled and confused after studying the matierial than I was before we went into it. I felt like I was either very stupid or something was very wrong.

  I mark the 1914 change as the beginning of my waking up from the JW stupor.
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  Quentin

  Another one bits the dust...and it didn't make one iota of difference. The WTS takes a lickin and keeps on tickin...I suspect that is what drew my father back in, so called new light. dad was a sucker for that kind of stuff...
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  willyloman

  I had been wondering for some time what they were going to do with this withering doctrine. When I read that WT article the first time, my first thought was that I has called it correctly and I was glad to see it abandoned. Upon reflection, I realized my being right wasn't the important thing. And then I got mad. It only took me eight more years to walk away