based on what I've read so far, that JW folks during that time were both particularly discouraged from and reluctant to have children (and obviously, why wouldn't this be the case, if the End was believed to be imminent?)
Dear Writer, no thanks, you do not need to acknowledge me.
I lived during this time, I was newly married in the early 70's, loved kids, wanted kids, but there was this "let's wait as the end is so near." "Let's do more before the end" "The kids could die in the tribulation, the authorities (who are ruled by Satan-which is all governments) could torture your kids, and it would make it harder for you to survive the tribulation with faith in tact." "Le'ts pioneer where the need is greater before we decide about kids."
Fortunately, right before we went to 'where the need was greater'... my birth control 'failed' me.... and I got a child. We did not go away to another state. I was very happy, as -at that time- there was this strong belief that if you did not have children "in this system of things", and you died before Armageddon, you would not be able to have kids "in the new order." (the term used at that time)
I used to cry thinking about my husband dying before Armageddon, me waiting for him to get resurrected afterwards, and not being able to marry him again, because people (who died/ got resurrected) would be "like the angels in heaven" who 'neither marry nor are given in marriage.'
I was not going to let Armageddon, the Tribulation, or God stop me from having children. I didn't think it was right that God would stop people from marrying in Paradise, just because they had once been dead. Paradise? not!
During the 70's (maybe more after 75) there were tons of babies born, tons of baby showers, and people were happy to welcome them.
During the 60's, I was one of the children that would go to a house to be 'babysat' whilest mom's went in Field Service. Mom's would take turns babysitting every Wednesday, and there were many kids.
From what I remember, it did not seem as tho there were many 'husbands' in the 'truth' at that time. A lot of women brought their kids with them to the 3 long meetings each week, and left their "worldly" husbands at home to watch TV.
Not many men were there to fill positions for anything. Only one "congregation overseer" was needed per congregation, and a literature servant, to sell the literature.
In those days, things were more 'permissive' or less 'checkie uppie', they didn't check up on everyone like they do in these days with their 'hospital liaison committees' that check to make sure you don't get blood, or products that you have marked on your blood card as 'undesirable.'
There just weren't enough people to do it, and everyone kind of had their own life. (haha, that's from the view of a 5-10 year old, late 60's early 70's I was a teenager)
I have seen rules/guidelines get more structured over the years... Kind of like an army, with rule books. Everyone marching to the same step.
I knew people from the 60's who sold their houses before 75 to pioneer before the end came. Others were more kick back... I myself did not understand why people were upset about 75 not being Armageddon, as the scripture clearly says, "nobody knows the day or the hour."
However, at the same time, I also thought 'it could be soon'.... tho keeping it far off in my head. I thought there would be a time when there would have to be exponential amount of growth..... Just from the way numbers work... I also thought something would have to happen with the gay/lesbian movement, which 'started' in the 70's, and "men would have to be sleeping with men', I thought that this would have to be an accepted way of life before the end....
Now? So sad to have been lied to, and kept in bondage for all of those years... So many things were kept secret from us for all of those years. Like someone said, "there was no internet".... it was all books, and those 'books' were not always available. It took hours for me to look things up in WT's and AW's to write a talk. I had to use the index in the back of each volume, and the subject/word index was limited. Now, you can type in a phrase, type in a word, whoala!
