Posts by trebor

however- many jw's who have come into the jw organization from like 1985 forward virtually may have no knowledge of the wt society's 1975 debacle and false predictions of the end times or armageddon predictions.

just like in in the book 1984 by george orwell the wt society has a way of not only erasing it's history so no newer witnesses will be aware of their false predictions, but also they are re-writing their history as if those false predictions never happened.. so for those of you here who may have never read or heard of how whipped up into an emotional frenzy witnesses were in the years just before 1975 by the wt society claiming the end was any day now- this threads for you.

to see the pressure that was put on jw's by the wt society to get rid of everything before " armageddon " .

trebor

EXTREME Responsibility for 1975 would be an understatement. Here are some of my 'favorites', some quoted previously but still worth another mention:

Awake! October 18, 1966, page 19:

"In what year, then, would the first 6,000 years of man's existence and also the first 6,000 years of God's rest day come to an end? The year 1975."

Our Kingdom Ministry March 1968,page 4:

"Just think, brothers, there are only about ninety months left before 6,000 years of man’s existence on earth is completed. Do you remember what we learned at the assemblies last summer? The majority of people living today will probably be alive when Armageddon breaks out..."

Watchtower August 15, 1968, page 499 (bound volume):

"Are we to assume from this study that the battle of Armageddon will be all over by the autumn of 1975, and the long-looked-for thousand-year reign of Christ will begin by then? Possibly…It may involve only a difference of weeks or months, not years."

Our Kingdom MinistryJune 1969 page 3:

"…in view of the short time left, a decision to pursue a career in this system of things is not only unwise but extremely dangerous....Many young brothers and sisters were offered scholarship or employment that promised fine pay. However, they turned them down and put spiritual interests first."

Watchtower, October 15, 1969,page 623 (bound volume):

"More recently earnest researchers of the Holy Bible have made a recheck of its chronology. According to their calculations the six millenniums of mankind’s life on earth would end in the mid seventies. Thus the seventh millennium from man’s creation by Jehovah God would begin within less than ten years...Would not, then, the end of six millenniums of mankind’s enslavement under Satan the Devil be the fitting time for Jehovah God to usher in a Sabbath millennium for his human creatures? Yes, Indeed!"

Our Kingdom Ministry,page 3, May 1974:

"Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world's end."

The Truth Book, primary study aid for Jehovah’s Witnesses to use with Bible Students, the version published prior to the year 1975 (they changed the wording in a later revision after 1975) reads as follows on page 9 under ‘Grand Blessings from God Near at Hand!’:

“Also, as reported back in 1960, a former United States Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, declared that our time is "a period of unequaled instability, unequaled violence." And he warned: "I know enough of what is going on to assure you that, in fifteen years from today, this world is going to be too dangerous to live in." [Note: 15 years from 1960=1975]

14

Remember, remember a poster called V...just spoke with him

by besty in

jw
friends

all is well in v world - a lot less wwwwwatchtower,.

thought some of you may like to know he is still alive and thriving!.

good health v - you helped a lot of people...and still do.... http://www.youtube.com/user/wtcomments.

trebor

"V'"s videos are second to none. I *really* wish he would produce more, but of course it is understandable if he never does another.

Really, forget the page/number hit. I downloaded his videos quite a few years ago and do not exaggerate when I state anywhere between a half to a dozen people I personally know have benefit from watching them.

I'm sure others have done something similar, and who knows how many may actually be watching during each 'page view'. The number can very well be closer to or even over a half million.

It truly has helped them and made things very clear, succinct and easy to comprehend. Plus they are very well edited and produced to keep the viewer interested. Sometimes videos can just bore people to death. V's are outstanding in content and production value.

The videos can truly be life-saving and changing for some. Others it helps and assists greatly.

Thank you, V!!!

22

I spoke up today

by hoser in

jw
friends

the fire was burning within me to say something so i mustered up the courage and did it.. .

we were for lunch after the meeting sitting at the same table as a pioneer sister, her unbaptized publisher bible study, and the bible study's teenage son.

the pioneer was telling the unbaptised publisher about how no one from sodom and gomorrah would get a resurrection because they were killed directly by god's judgment.. this is where i had heard enough.

trebor

Resurrection of the Men of Sodom...ALWAYS a good one to bring up...

-1879 = Yes.[Watchtower July 1879, page 8]

-1952 = No.[Watchtower June 1, 1952, page 338]

-1965 = Yes.
[Watchtower August 1, 1965, page 479]

-1982 = Yes.[Live Forever Paradise Earth 1982 edition, page 179]

-1988 = No.[Watchtower June 1, 1988 page 31]

-1988 = Yes.
[Insight on the Scriptures Volume 2, page 985]

-1989 = No.[Our Kingdom Ministry, December 1989, page 7]

-1989 = No.[Live Forever Paradise Earth 1989 edition, page 179]

The number of times the Watchtower Society's teaching changes concerning the resurrection of the Men of Sodom is staggering. Does the above read as divine direction, "brighter light" coming from Jehovah, or just an organization haphazardly guessing and arbitrarily deciding what to teach?

Thankfully, we know the answer ;) "God" must have been really unsure during the 80's.

13

Salon article on how the internet is killing religion (references Jwfacts!)

by JonathanH in

jw
friends

http://www.salon.com/2013/01/16/religion_may_not_survive_the_internet/.

congrats to our very on jwfacts for getting a shout out from salon.

the part where the mention jehovah's witnesses links to jwfacts.com.. .

trebor

Great article, thanks for sharing it.

30

Has the GB ever explained how they receive "new light" from Jehovah?

by cobaltcupcake in

i remember a long time ago the explanation was that various anointed ones would write to the gb with the same new understanding of a teaching, the gb would investigate it, and if it was acceptable, they'd pass it on to the r&f.

of course, now we have the new light that new light occurs only to the gb, not the anointed at large.

so, if any anointed ones get new ideas, they're just apostates, right?.

trebor

We were told at an elders school that they just discuss the ideas of the G B members. They kick it around, pick it to pieces, pray about it, then put it on ice for a while to avoid a hasty decision. After a bit they pull it out, discuss it and pray again.
At my work, I am part of a Joint Leadership Team made up of heads from different disciplines. That's basically the way we come to decisions, minus the prayer part.

Exactly...The Watchtower is just another business. It's seasoned with some so-called 'religious' notions, but at the end of the day, it is a business. A business concerned about its reputation, staying in business, and continuing to thrive. It makes decisions and executes them like many other businesses would, just with some Kool-Aid dispensers instead of water ones sprinkled throughout the company's properties.

42

Interesting District Convention News.....

by Pyramid Scheme in

jw
friends

i wanted to share some news from a family friend (he is my wt mole - still an elder, hates the shenanigans, but is still hanging on for all the reasons often discussed on this site) i know the various rumors have been discussed on here, and unfortunately the rumor about the conventions being eliminated weren't true!

(what a burden on the jw community - financial hardship for a good portion of them, guilting people into actually quitting their job to attend, physically exhausting for many, etc...etc......).

anyway, he told me that the district convention is being moved to 11 weekends at the jw-owned circuit assembly hall, and they are no longer planning on renting stadiums/large facilities in our area (northern ohio/southern michigan).

trebor

This game-plan has been in effect for a while. My last conventions in mid 2000's ended having all assemblies, including the District Convention at the Newburgh Assembly Hall (Off I-84) in New York.

Congregations went to Yankee Stadium for decades, moved to Nassau Coliseum for a few years, only to have what was supposed to be just a Circuit Assembly meeting place (Which use to be in Monroe, NY), all falling into a relatively newly built (7 or so years ago) Assembly Hall in Newburgh, NY.

Again, last I was at one was mid 2000s, around 2007 that was the official arrangement for many congregations. No more Nassau, everything at Newburgh.

40

Black JWs voting

by turtleturtle in

jw
friends

i heard from a fellow jw that there was scandal in the dc area because black jws were voting the 2012 election (or maybe its was the 2008 election).

is this true?.

trebor

Did someone mention voting?

http://savedfromthewatchtower.blogspot.com/2009/05/voting-what-jehovahs-witnesses-are.html

1950 - Conscience choice - November 15, 1950, Watchtower, pgs 445,446 ‘Subjection to the Higher Powers’1973 - Do not vote - Watchtower, October 15, 1973, pg 627 ‘Why People of All Kinds Are Becoming Jehovah's Witnesses’ & Watchtower, December 15, 1973, pg 741 ‘Earth’s Rulers for a Thousand Years’
1986 - Do not vote - Watchtower, September 1, 1986, page 21
1999 - Conscience choice - Watchtower, November 1, 1999, ‘Questions for Readers’, pages 28,29

The Watchtower, November 1, 1999, ‘Questions for Readers’, on pages 28 and 29:

"How do Jehovah's Witnesses view voting?...there appears to be no principle against the practice of voting itself...As to whether they will personally vote for someone running in an election, each one of Jehovah’s Witnesses makes a decision based on his Bible-trained conscience and an understanding of his responsibility to God and to State...If someone decides to go to the polling booth that is his decision. What he does in the polling booth is between him and his Creator...There may be people who are stumbled when they observe that during an election in their country, some Witnesses of Jehovah go to the polling booth and others do not...in matters of individual conscience such as this, each Christian has to make his own decision before Jehovah God."

42

Looking Back, Did You Notice Many JWs Had Drinking, Drug or Mental Issues?

by minimus in

jw
friends

as an elder, i saw many people that were affected by booze, drugs and mental health issues.

a lot of witnesses fought depression and turned to other things when they realized they couldn't keep up the pace and find inner happiness with what they did do..

trebor

Looking back and now absolutely. J.W.'s know it too:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151287849104044&set=a.304058154043.148673.741784043&type=1

Quote: " One thing about the Witnesses is they love to drink. I got tore up on more than one occasion with 'the brothers'. Tore up in moderation of course."