i'm thinking back to all the "signs" that were cited - officially and unofficially - as reasons we knew that armageddon would be coming any day now.
there was a fellow in my book study 30 years ago who used to bring time magazine to every meeting.
to him, whatever was in the news that week was evidence that the system couldn't hold out much longer.
A perennial favorite was the age of the 1914 generation. I've read Watchtower after Watchtower with statements like,
"This generation is now _______ years old. Remember Jesus told us that some of these ones would live right on through the great tribulation! Surely now is not the time for us to be asleep spiritually!"
here's an interesting idea my brother and i have been discussing when we do parking lot duty during the service meetings.
we've come to the conclusion that this is essentially the last generation of jehovah's witnesses.
i thought you'd have to be young to notice this, but its pretty apparent anywhere we go.
They really dont care and/or dont believe any of this. I'll go out of my way that 80% of the witness kids i grew up with have left the organization. So now at 19, out of what was a congregation full of young ones (12-15)) who were examples for other kids (or acted like they were like me),the only ones left are about 3 or 4.
I can remember hearing an attrition rate of 8 out of 10 being lamented from the platform clear back in the early 70's, so I would hazard a guess that what you describe has been the case with the Witnesses for decades now.
The JW faith appeals primarily to unhappy adults who are deeply dissatisfied with their lot in life. Normal people, especially young people who are enthusiastic and optimistic about life's prospects are not easy converts. And when they are born into the faith and grow up taking it for granted there is no spark to kindle in the first place.
a hypothetical question... it is easy to make decisions for oneself, or for children who come under your jurisdiction, but suppose that your consent were to be requested for emergency treatment involving blood, to a person that is a diehard witness?.
i am talking of a person that has spent her entire life in the borg and believes that blood transfusions are a sure pathway to contract aids or something else nasty.
if she were conscious i am not convinced that she would accept even the treatments with blood fractions, that they do allow.
My 'dub wife and I had this very conversation recently. (It was time to renew the AMD apparently)
I told her I would respect her wishes, but I needed to know in no uncertain terms that those wishes were hers.
"What do you mean?" She said.
"Well, would you accept blood fractions?" I said
"Yes."
"Would you accept Hempure?"
"What's that?"
"It's one of the new oxygen carrying blood substitutes. It's made by extracting the hemoglobin from the blood of cattle and then stabilizing it through polymerization."
"I'm not sure about that one."
"Why not?"
"I mean I'll have to look that one up."
"Well here, I have a Scientific American from a couple of years ago that discussed these new blood substitutes in detail. Let me go get it for you." (I get up and head for the stairs.)
"That's not what I meant."
"I'm sorry?"
"I mean I'll have to look it up in the publications."
"JW publications?"
"Of course."
"What will JW publications tell you that the Scientific American won't? Whether the preparation is a matter of conscience or not?"
....Silence......
"You see the problem here don't you?"
....Silence.....
"Well let's forget about Hemopure for now. Take some time and think about it....."
i am looking for the july 15, 1922 watchtower article which contained this .
"this chronology is not of man, but of god.
being of divine origin and divinely corroborated, present-truth chronology stands in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct...." .
Hi VM44,
I agree completely. I wonder if the "spark" was the writer's actual belief in what he wrote? Sometimes I think that the current writers really don't believe the things they are assigned to write.
i am looking for the july 15, 1922 watchtower article which contained this .
"this chronology is not of man, but of god.
being of divine origin and divinely corroborated, present-truth chronology stands in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct...." .
Hi Jeff,
I base the conclusion on the period literature, most particularly the early 1920's Watch Towers and the publication, "Millions Now Living Will Never Die." "Present truth chronology" was the chronology "fixed" in scripture and "revealed" to the Bible Students at the time.
As the May 15, 1922 issue of The Watchtower had stated, the expectations regarding 1925 were derived from "The same measuring line" that gave the dates 1874, 1878, 1914, etc. (i.e. An adaptation of the Jubilee cycle using the exact same starting points and methods.)
The same issue (May 15, 1922) of The Watch Tower said:
"There can be no more question about 1925 than there was about 1914. The fact that all the things that some looked for in 1914 did not materialize does not alter the chronology one whit. Noting the date marked so prominently, it is very easy for the finite mind to conclude that all the work to be done must center about it, and thus many are inclined to anticipate more than has been really foretold. Thus it was in 1844, in 1874, in 1878 as well as in 1914 and 1918. Looking back we can now easily see that those dates were clearly indicated in Scripture and doubtless intended by the Lord to encourage his people, as they did, as well as to be a means of testing and sifting when all that some expected did not come to pass."
Just in the year 1922 alone, articles on chronology were featured in The Watch Tower during May, June, July and September.
Tom
i am looking for the july 15, 1922 watchtower article which contained this .
"this chronology is not of man, but of god.
being of divine origin and divinely corroborated, present-truth chronology stands in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct...." .
This was only a 2 3/4 page article. Page 219 was the last page:
i am looking for the july 15, 1922 watchtower article which contained this .
"this chronology is not of man, but of god.
being of divine origin and divinely corroborated, present-truth chronology stands in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct...." .
Jeff,
1925 is not specifically mentioned in this particular article. However it was an integral part of what the article refers to as "present truth" chronology.
i am looking for the july 15, 1922 watchtower article which contained this .
"this chronology is not of man, but of god.
being of divine origin and divinely corroborated, present-truth chronology stands in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct...." .
i am looking for the july 15, 1922 watchtower article which contained this .
"this chronology is not of man, but of god.
being of divine origin and divinely corroborated, present-truth chronology stands in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct...." .
Jeff, You don't want page 216. That's the last page of the previous article. I'll scan page 218 if you want
i took my blood pressure last week for the heck of it and it was running high.
i started to check it everytime i went to the store and it was running high each time.
i bought home b/p monitor and it is still running a bit high.
Hi LE,
I was diagnosed with stage 1 hypertension about four years ago. My BP had always been what they call "high normal" but like you, I didn't know anything was wrong until I went in for a physical one year. It was 152/77
I didn't want to go on medication and the doctor said he understood, but if I couldn't control it through diet and exercise, than I would have no choice. (I bet your doctor will say something similar)
Everybody's different of course, but these are some things that helped me:
Diet:
Absolutely no caffeine in any form (Which sucked, because I was a die-hard coffee addict)
Absolutely no alcohol in any form. (This sucks even worse than no coffee)
Decrease sodium intake (Avoid foods high in salt)
Increase potassium intake (Orange juice, banannas, etc.)
Exercise:
It's hard to make the time for it, but regular aerobic exercise (Running, walking, cycling etc. for 30 minutes at least three times a week) will make the biggest difference of all. (It causes your major arteries to dialate and the effect lasts for hours)
However it's very important for people with high BP to take it SLOW and increase the level of exertion VERY GRADUALLY (Your heart is already working harder than it should)
Weight
This probably doesn't apply to you, but extra weight can drive up your BP. (I had to lose 50 lbs.)
Monitoring
Another thing that can help a little is to buy a decent quality BP monitor (Get one that has the upper arm cuff) and check your BP regularly. (You can even take it with you when you go to the doctor and check it for accuracy.) This gives you a "feel" for what things are helping and what things aren't.
For example, I found out that eating a big meal in the evening was driving my BP way up (10 points or so)
Take care of yourself!
Tom
