How long before you stopped believing armageddon was on your doorstep?

bubba flavel

I was born into "the truth" back in 1964. I made the big mistake of getting baptised when I was about 14 or so, purely to please my father as I saw how proud he was when my brothers were baptised....didn't work.

We moved to a new congregation when I was about 8, he introduced all my brothers to the congregation by name, a short bio of thier endearing qualities and how proud he was of them, when he introduced me it was "and this is our black sheep of the family, Steve".

I remember living in fear at the fast approaching 1975....actually, living in terror is probably a more apt desciption. All of you will full well know how it was instilled into us at EVERY meeting and assembly how we are living in the last days.

As a 15 year old, a brother dobbed me in for kissing a worldly girl at school. Went through the marked process, judicial committy, disfellowshipped and the shunning which continues to this day by what's left of my family. Proved dad right..

I'm now 45, two beautiful daughters I could not be more proud of and two wonderful gorgeous grand kiddies.

What bothers me is I watch a news item about some catastrophy, or some war or calamitous world changing event and still in the back of my mind I ask myself, is this it? what if they were right?

ziddina

I never really believed it was ON my doorstep [well, except for that time when Public Service had a big explosion that shook our windows...]

I'd read too much about volcanic eruptions, tidal waves, tornadoes, hurricanes and the like to believe that they could all hit at once - and kill with pinpoint accuracy. The fact that JWs were killed in natural disasters further deepened my distrust of this supposed 'god's' ability to protect his people...

Tho it was fun to think about what it would be like to observe all that stuff happening all at once around one - sort of like all the disaster movies in the world spinning around one's head.

Zid

Found Sheep

Even if they are right about a world "change" I can't believe THEY are the chosen ones.... I just try to be a good person and I'm learning to LOVE others...

restrangled

Welcome Bubba!

For me personally, born in (1959), that little tick of, (is this it? with every disaster, proclamation of world peace and security, etc. never seeming to leave my brain.)

As time has gone by, that tick has become weaker and weaker. I think the latest Generation teaching may have knocked it out for good. I now find myself snickering instead of worrying.

r.

finding my way

I'm not sure if I've completely stopped believing in the idea. My world turned upside down when I stopped believing the witness had truth. I'm not sure what to believe in these days. I try to live by good principles and I feel like a better person for it.

I stopped believing about a year ago and I feel now that if there is an armageddon it doesn't mean I will die from not being a JW. All I can do is be the best person I can be, stop living in fear, love my life and hope for the best if that day does come..

~fmw

AllTimeJeff

I know I definitely stopped caring before I stopped believing.

Thechickennest

Hi Bubba:

Sorry your Dad was such a jerk. He is the personification of many a JW men.

I was in the JW religion for about 25 years. In my opinion, I never bought in to the "stormy end to all story". A true God need not be so dramatic. An armegeddon would be too messy and ineffecient. I am surprised the JW's have hung on to that idea for so long. Yet many do. I have had many things on my doorstep that were more scarey than any armageddon!

Continue onwards and upwards with your beautiful family! Keep putting your past as far behind and out of sight as you can. The old armageddon thinking is nothing but a collection of horror stories used to control, manipulate, and extract money out of people in the name of religion!

WTWizard

Once I saw that they kept "It is close, it is getting closer" and did nothing to quantify things, I realized that it is mathematically possible for something to be close and getting closer, yet never arrive. Also, even with the old "a generation", I realized that it was possible for Jehovah to keep just one person born before 1914 alive forever and use that person to keep "the generation" alive. This happened close to the time when they did the 1995 "a generation" change.

designs

1975 - 1980. That's when it blew up. They way it was handled, and the witch hunt and purging that happened after their big plan failed was the turning point. Amazing I hung in there for another decade as an Elder, what was up with that!

bubba flavel

Thanks for the welcome!

I don't for a minute believe armageddon is just around the corner, next month, decade etc... I did back when I was a witness because the brothers told us so and as we know the brothers never lie!

Even so, I think sometimes many of us, well I know I do, carry with us and maybe for life a remnant of the affects of years of indoctrination or brainwashing.

Thechickennest, thanks, my dad was a bastard, but after reading some of the accounts here he was a mild one. In all honesty I am indebted to him as he taught me how not to be a parent. Also I don't blame him, he was a product of his JW parents and a product of the organisation.

I would pay any price to be able to get my family to see the organisation as only an ex-witness can see it, and free them.

I

How long before you stopped believing armageddon was on your doorstep?

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