When the book Life Everlasting came out. To those JW’s that understood, the WT was attempting to draw parallels to man’s existence, the 7 millennium. But just like everything else, those JW’s that were new or didn’t understand the premise took 1975 to mean the fulfillment of Christ presence and overstepped their expectations, by overshadowing what had been published earlier.
But if you consider the Watchtower of 1976, it was made clear about the disappointment which the WT never shied away from. I guess you would have to have been there to fully appreciate the meaning of 1975 rather than what you read in jwfacts.
snugglebunny
JoinedPosts by snugglebunny
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84
1975 failed prediction?
by Garrett inheyo,.
your favorite garrett here.
so, i'm about to have an elder tell me allll about the failed 1975 doctrine.
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snugglebunny
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How a Gay Jewish Boy from New England Came to Be and Leave the JWs (and what he did next)
by CalebInFloroda inborn in cambridge, ma to a liberal couple that escaped the conservative south, my parents raised me better than to become a jehovahs witness.
funny thing was they got mixed up in it first.. while that is a story for another time, i myself had to go along as the third of five children in my family.
dads job transferred him to texas and my mom worked fulltime herself, but eventually we found ourselves drinking the kool-aid of ambiguity intolerance and full-fledge belief that the bible was literal fact and that salvation was found only by those who were smart enough to enter the confines of the watchtower.. its weird how many people claim they fear children raised by two gay parents will grow up to be gay.
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snugglebunny
FUKITOL - Why do gay people have to put so much emphasis on their gayness for their identity as a human being? Do heterosexual people use the word 'heterosexual' as the first and foremost descriptor of themselves to others?
I asked the self-same question of a long-time gay friend of mine. He explained it thus: He said that when a group of guys were together - especially if they'd had a few beers - the conversation would invariably turn to women, what sort of woman they fancied etc and the talk would soon turn into a dick-waving bravado contest. He said that if he didn't state his preferences right from the start he'd just feel like a social reject because he simply was unable to participate in the general sexual bonhomie. Now he's stated his position he feels much more comfortable amongst his hetero friends, and can even appreciate the general ribaldry that takes place amongst straight guys.
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84
1975 failed prediction?
by Garrett inheyo,.
your favorite garrett here.
so, i'm about to have an elder tell me allll about the failed 1975 doctrine.
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snugglebunny
Jehovah‟s Witnesses insist that they did not produce a single clear statement predicting with 100% certainty that Armageddon would come in 1975, the truth is that they directly stated in their publications that it will take place in the twentieth century! Take a look at these statements:
But then it also speaks of a group of people preaching about the righteous kingdom of God, a war of God against all wickedness, followed by a paradise earth without death - all to be realized in the twentieth century. (Awake! February 22, 1961, p. 5, article The 20th Century In Bible Prophecy);
That now-operating kingdom in heaven will, within the twentieth century, cleanse the entire earth of wickedness. (Awake! February 22, 1961, p. 7);
What day was Jesus speaking of? The beginning of World War III? No, Zephaniah 2:3 identifies it as "the day of Jehovah's anger." Revelation 16:16 calls it the "war of the great day of God the Almighty," Armageddon. This war will come in the twentieth century. It will come right on schedule, as have the wars, food shortages, earthquakes and other events' fore told. This generation will see its fulfillment. (Awake! February 22, 1961, p. 8);
Shortly, within our twentieth century, the “battle in the day of Jehovah” will begin against the modern antitype of Jerusalem, Christendom. (...) Jehovah‟s “sword” of warfare will cut off from this position that Christendom‟s clergy claim for her all religionists who depend upon her having an acceptable standing with God. However, Jehovah‟s “sword” will not be applied merely to those adhering to Christendom. It will also be brandished against “all flesh from south [Christendom] to north.” Religionists belonging to all the rest of the world empire of false religion will feel the cutting edge of Jehovah‟s “sword.” Their being non-Christians will not cause them to be spared. (“The Nations Shall Know That I Am Jehovah‖ - How? 1971, pp. 216-217).
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A Titanic Thread
by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in14 april 1912: rms titanic struck an iceberg during her maiden voyage in the north atlantic.. 15 april 1912: after two hours and forty minutes, rms titanic sank, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people.. according to watchtower, when armageddon strikes, it will be the equivalent deathtoll of 4,000,000 titanics sinking.. praise jah?.
b the x.
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snugglebunny
truthseeker,
The Titanic was fitted with 2 steam piston engines that powered the 2 outer propellors. The central propellor was rotated by a steam turbine engine that was powered by used steam from the 2 outer engines. Steam turbine engines can only run in one direction, so the engine is always in stop mode when reverse is selected.
Pretty cool, eh?
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A Titanic Thread
by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in14 april 1912: rms titanic struck an iceberg during her maiden voyage in the north atlantic.. 15 april 1912: after two hours and forty minutes, rms titanic sank, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people.. according to watchtower, when armageddon strikes, it will be the equivalent deathtoll of 4,000,000 titanics sinking.. praise jah?.
b the x.
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snugglebunny
OK you guys..a common quiz question re the Titanic:
When the iceberg was spotted and the engines were thrown into reverse, why did only 2 of the 3 propellors begin to spin backwards while the central propellor simply stopped and remained stationary?
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What Things Did You Not Talk About as a JW?
by minimus inyou have to lead a secret life as a jw.
you're not supposed to over drink, go to night clubs, enjoy worldly concerts, etc.....sex, though is really taboo.
you could never freely talk about your sex life.
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snugglebunny
Fireworks...I loved fireworks as a kid.
But that became a no-no because of that Guy Fawkes character.
When my parents began studying I gleefully showed the JW my collection of fireworks, all ready to be lit on November 5th. He became agitated and told me that I should never touch one because they were satanic.
Great stuff to dump on a 9 year-old...
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What bad habits have you picked up since leaving the Borg.
by James Mixon ini went back to smoking and gambling but the good habits out weigh.
the bad ones, like lying to people.
is't fraud against the law, the practice.
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snugglebunny
I regret starting smoking. I lit one up on the day I decided to leave the JW's. I gave it up decades ago, but it was a dumb thing to do. I did some heavy gambling, now I just gamble occasionally, mainly on football results and the Grand National.
I tried pot, that was OK but I didn't feel inclined to stick with it. Disco dancing was fun after all the dire WT warnings about how arousing dancing could be. I enjoyed dating while unchaperoned, it felt good to be able to have female friends.
I went to a few boxing matches, it wasn't my thing though. I learned to play snooker and pool also. I quickly learned the difference between getting pleasantly drunk and smashed out of my skull. I went to pop concerts, saw Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and the like.
I enoyed partying immensely. I still do!
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Article in The Guardian - Faith no more: how the British are losing their religion. Mentions JWs
by AndersonsInfo inhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2015/apr/14/british-christianity-trouble-religion-comeback .
the british have lost faith in religion much faster and more completely than they have lost faith in god.
the most recent survey to show this comes from win/gallup, which found that britain appeared one of the most irreligious countries on earth, with only 30% calling themselves religious.
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snugglebunny
There is an upside to living in a non-religious secular society such as we have in the UK. There's much less vengeance involved when it comes to dealing with society's dissidents. We've grown out of the nasty habit of state-sponsored murder of our own citizens. You can be gay without a whole boatload of Christian fundies arriving en-masse to try and keep their outdated attitudes alive and well.
And yes...if you announce to your friends that you're a Christian they will indeed nod politely but you'll probably find yourself quietly dropped from their dinner-party list of amusing guests...
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i work with a JW and he doesnt know im an inactive
by user100 inso i started working at this place 4 years ago.. and i am usually myself a still-in inactive atheist jw at work.
after several months i came to realize the guy i work with is a devout jw... im always afraid of running into him in the conventions.. he is in a different circuit but im afraid he might show up in one of the district conventions.. i am dreading that day...
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snugglebunny
The worst part for me of bumping into a unbeknownst fellow witness worker at an assembly is after he's heard you swearing and / or looking at girlie mags.. -
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Where did the Buzz go?
by snugglebunny ini recently came across the very first kingdom song i ever heard.
twickenham, 1955. i was just a kid then of course, but i do recall the "buzz" that seemed to permeate everything, not dis-similar to that of an international rugby match.
people were smiling while singing their hearts out, the lunch-time queues for the cafeteria full of old friends getting re-aquainted, young lads and lasses eyeing one another and blushing furiously, sessions 2 untl 4 then 7 until 9.30 giving folk plenty of time to socialise.. where did it all go wrong?.
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snugglebunny
I recently came across the very first Kingdom Song I ever heard. Twickenham, 1955. I was just a kid then of course, but I do recall the "buzz" that seemed to permeate everything, not dis-similar to that of an International rugby match. People were smiling while singing their hearts out, the lunch-time queues for the cafeteria full of old friends getting re-aquainted, young lads and lasses eyeing one another and blushing furiously, sessions 2 untl 4 then 7 until 9.30 giving folk plenty of time to socialise.
Where did it all go wrong?
Leaving aside the fact that they were just plain wrong in their beliefs, I believe that the killer was the increase of fear amongst JW's as a whole. I'm talking of fear of being abandoned, fear of being disfellowshipped, fear of being destroyed at armageddon. Quite simply, the joy of being a part of something just evaporated as the control exerted over the rank and file steadily increased.
When I gave my first public talk in 1964, I was presented with a suggested outline of 12 or 15 one-line sentences to select as I pleased. The rest I researched for myself. Back then there were plenty of choices. Shortly after that, the 1975 prediction was announced and suddenly everything was a big deal. Of course, 1975 came and went and nothing happened. (Most folk only remember 1975 as being the year that Jaws had everyone in a panic). After that, nothing was the same for JW's, the zest had gone, the enthusiasm fizzled away and in it's place came didactism and fear.
Those early days were indeed heady days. Oh yes, that song, here it is, the singing starts after an intro, the eagerness is quite noticeable.