I decided to read for myself the articles my father and mother were reading during this interesting time in Witness history. I stumbled upon the following paragraph that scared the bejeezus out of me:
"One thing is absolutely certain, Bible chronology reinforced with fulfilled Bible prophecy shows that six thousand years of man’s existence will soon be up, yes, within this generation! (Matt. 24:34) This is, therefore, no time to be indifferent and complacent. This is not the time to be toying with the words of Jesus that “concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matt. 24:36) To the contrary, it is a time when one should be keenly aware that the end of this system of things is rapidly coming to its violent end. Make no mistake, it is sufficient that the Father himself knows both the “day and hour”!" - The Watchtower, "Why Are You Looking Forward to 1975?", August 15, 1968
So basically, the society in not-so-many-words is saying "ignore what Jesus said and listen to us." I am shocked at how blatant this decree is against the Bible itself.
Something I noticed in the famous "1975" Watchtower article...
by B_Deserter 38 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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B_Deserter
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Kudra
Holy crap!
Nice find, bdeserter.
How's it going with your parents now?
-good luck!!
-K -
nvrgnbk
Fred Franz, the dude who wrote that, had serious mental problems.
It's sad that so many, our parents and ourselves, were taken in by the likes of him.
But now we know better, we can move on and support those just becoming free.
Best wishes to you B_Deserter.
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AWAKE&WATCHING
Good lookin' out, I'd call that hidden treasure.
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sosad
Re: Fred Franz and mental problems - did her have a diagnosed condition? or was he just a general cult leading nut?
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zeroday
If you think that was good:
w76 7/15p.441A Solid Basis for Confidence******
15
But it is not advisable for us to set our sights on a certain date, neglecting everyday things we would ordinarily care for as Christians, such as things that we and our families really need. We may be forgetting that, when the "day" comes, it will not change the principle that Christians must at all times take care of all their responsibilities. If anyone has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his own understanding was based on wrong premises. -
greendawn
Ignoring that verse has been a flaw in the adventist approach since the days of Miller who was pinpointing the day and the hour and the JWs carry on with that same flaw. I believe their argument is, we can't know the day and the hour but the approximate time within weeks or months at most. What ever the case they always got it wrong and for them the whole end issue is a means to manipulate and exploit their members.
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Mum
I was there. I remember that issue of the mag. Everyone was talking excitedly. Hangers on were becoming full-fledged witnesses. It's one of the premier bait-and-switch scams in the history of the world.
Since 1979, looking forward to the rest of my life,
SandraC
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38 Years
As a teenager, I lived through this and believed every word of what was taught. I truly believed I would never be 18 years old in this system. They are such liars. I remember how angry I was when they started backpaddling out of all the literature and talks, giving us mathematical proof too. Even Saint Bro. Knorr told us this stuff. We were hopeful and scared. We went from door to door like crazy with that "Truth" book trying to save lives. We were to get Bible studies and get them baptized before it's too late. Then it never came. I couldn't believe they actually told us that the GB never mentioned 1975 as the date, and it was all our fault for speculating. It's amazing how I didn't hear anyone complain about the lie, they just zipped their mouths and took it. It was never mentioned again.
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undercover
If anyone has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his own understanding was based on wrong premises.
Is this the quote that many of the rank and file called their bluff on? And then the WT ended up making a half-ass apology a couple of years later?
But they were right about one thing...my understanding was based on wrong premises...their premises. I believed what they taught and therefore I was wrong. Just as wrong as they were for teaching it to me.