1914 ,the Generation that got tossed in the Garbage Can

by OUTLAW 97 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  fullofdoubtnow

  I mentioned this to a dub who relentlessly pushed 1975, and it was as if it had been completely deleted from their mind - denied ever knowing about 1975

  I came in after 1975, and was told the wts had never preached that that was the date for the end. It was one of the things that Trev showed me on the Quotes site, when I was able to read for myself how relentleesly they preached it pre - 1975, then denied it and blamed the jws for making assumptions, that really started the alarm bells ringing for me regarding the wts. The sheer dishonesty of the wts over 1975 leapt out of the pages at me. Then, of course, I started to wonder what else they'd been dishonest about, which I soon found out was just about everything.
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  greendawn

  I had one or two discussions with the elders on this issue because my point was that the generation not passing away meant that most of it would be there, not just a tiny portion of it, as happened with the generation of the Jews who saw Jerusalem destroyed about 35 years after Christ predicted it on them. I thought they were going to stretch it out until that generation was 100 years old but never thought about the figurative generation trick.

  In the end the whole 1914 date proves to be a left over from the adventist end of the world prediction fiasco it was not even the JWs that came up with that date but they knew how to exploit it to the full.
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  Warlock

  The funniest thing is that the 1914 generation went out in 1995 with a whisper. No one actually seemed to grasp the real significance of the change. They still don't. I know I didn't until almost 10 years later. This board helped me also.

  Warlock
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  bittersweet

  for me it was the beginning of the end. I didn't have a whole lot of faith before that, but after it pretty much put the nail in the coffin. Got tired of all the lies.
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  JH

  In 1995, when they changed the definition of a generation, it was equivalent of changing 1914 with 2000 or any other date.

  Yeah, they lied !!!
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  luna2

  for me it was the beginning of the end.

  Yup. I didn't start going inactive until 5 years later, but I had never been able to reconcile that messed up Watchtower study where they tried to explain their new and improved definition of "generation" with what I knew had been drilled into our heads for years before. I couldn't get away from the feeling that they were playing us.
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  Hellrider

  Today's Apostasy is Tomorrow's New Light.

  LooooL. Good one.

  I didn`t know about 1995 either, until I joined this board. I was shocked when I heard about it. I mentioned 1995 to a couple of others that have also left, not long ago, but they didn`t see the significance of it. They were just like "oh yes, we were still in when they changed that". They remembered it, but I don`t think they really realised what it means. They left for other reasons (and probably, deep down, still believes it is "the truth", the poor fellas).
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  Jerohobobonadad

  I asked this in a post yesterday on the friends forum, but as I understand it now:

  Pre 1995 - the "generation" refers to individuals who were alive in 1914. The generation of 1914 would not pass away before the end of the system of things. This meant you would expect the end within 100 years of 1914, give or take.

  Post 1995 - the "generation " refers to individuals around at the time of christ's presence. These individuals being independant of 1914 or any other date. The end of the system of things is therefore no longer dependant on 1914.

  Is that about right?

  I was talking to my Mum (a well read and studious JW and a lovely Lady) yesterday about my plans for a pension and she laughed saying the big-A certainly will have happened, her reasoning being "there aren't enough annointed left for it (the system) to go on much longer".

  Does she understand the significance of the change (assuming my summary is correct)?

  Do any of the rank and file understand the change?

  I bet the posters on this board no more about JW doctrine than the vast majority of practicing JWs (I'm not included in those - I don't know much about doctrine as I never really paid much attention! lol).
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  MidwichCuckoo

  Welcome Jerhobobobobobobonadad (Blimey, you were first in the queue when the names were being given out)

  Does she understand the significance of the change?

  Doubt it.

  Do any of the rank and file understand the change?

  Doubt it.
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  Jerohobobonadad

  Thanks! I wanted the name "Legion" but that had already been taken. I like this one though - it rolls off the tongue nicely.