How many JWs really believe the end will come "soon"?

by BU2B 36 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  BU2B

  This topic has been on my mind lately. I have been looking around at JWs and wondering how many truly believe the end is as near as they are told.

  From my personal experience, I know that my parents fully believe the end is imminent and may come any time now. My dad still scours the news for signs of religious upheval, signalling the end of 'Babylon the Great' any story of violence between "so called" Christians and Moslems is a sure sign that the UN will turn on religion and usher in the GT. My wife on the other hand, although a dedicated JW speaks of growing old, retirement etc. even though she is only 31. The end is not real to her. She speaks often of our kids growing up in this system.

  In conversations anyone here has had with active JWs lately, what sense do you get of them truly believing the end is near? When a doomsday cult loses the doom, they grow weak I would think. They lose much of the fear that drives people to do their bidding.
  
• 

  donny

  The few I interact with do not seem really concerned about it anymore. Yeah they still say "we're in the last days" and all of that tripe, but there does seem to be the urgency that once used to infect the organization. A man who works for me who is an active JW told me a while back, "well the end will come when it
• 

  antes8080

  old timers they all believe the end is cooming

  My parents feel the same way allways talking about the end and how great the new world will be.

  The younger generation dosent talk about the end, for them is just a social club.
• 

  steve2

  The older you become, the greater the awareness of your own mortality and the greater the " personal pressure" to believe and hope the end will come before your own personal end.

  The converse is also likely: The younger you are, the less likely you are to have such a heightened awareness of the imminence of the end, especially if you're born-in.

  Little wonder, younger Witnesses have their own relatively less uptight take on the imminence of the end, and a very practical take on securing a good paying job and/or retirement savings plan.
• 

  Island Man

  I would guess that at least a third of them don't really believe the end will come in their lifetime - including even some who are openly saying that the end is so close.

  Saying that the end is close is part of the JW doctrine line that all JWs must toe or risk being labeled as a spiritually weak ridiculer. So many JWs just give perfunctory voice to this position because it's the right thing to say as a JW.
• 

  Vidiot

  antes8080 - "...for them is just a social club."

  That's another one I have a hard time wrapping my head around.

  As social clubs go, the WTS leaves a lot to be desired.
• 

  jhine

  I think that as stated it probably is the older JWs who really believe this .A JW acquaintance of mine who is in her 70s does really seem to buy into it .Maybe the older people who have probably given the org.the best years of their lives so want to believe that the GB are infallible because otherwise it means that their time serving and giving up so much , sometimes even family , has been wasted . This lady's marriage broke up because of her loyalty to the WT .How do.you face the fact that it could be wrong ?.

  Jan
• 

  bemused

  I don't know that many JWs but if you go back a couple of decades then I think they thought the end was just around the corner. Nowadays they talk about plans for many years into the future so I assume they've pretty much given up on Armageddon arriving soon.
• 

  galaxie

  I have just read a ' thinking of you ' card sent by older jw friends to my mum at her care home. They impart to her sentiments about temporary nature of her failing health which will return to youthfulNess in the New system which they state as " we know will be very soon ". My mum found obvious comfort from these words. I could not say anything other than...isn't that lovely mum...she smiled back happy to hear me say that. Perhaps the senders of the card do believe the end is soon or just know those sentiments would comfort my mum.
• 

  Clambake

  My wife tried that “ Well if you just look at the news the end of the system is coming soon with me “. I then reminded her that according to the WTS and the new understanding of Mog and Magog the end of the system of things will happen when there is a huge migration of Jehovah witnesses to the middle east in the mountains of Israel and they will be attacked by a collation of nations from Central Asia to Northern Africa.

  Now I don’t see some 8 million moving any time soon so no need to worry I guess.

  Now if you want to play the bible prophecy game maybe replace the modern day state of Israel with what the society teaches about itself what really makes more sense? In a strictly doomsday scernio.

  I find this is an easy way to end a convo with a JW real quick about “ the end times