1975 For Deniers

by Farkel 107 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Refriedtruth
• 

  Splash

  And when October 1975 had come and gone, the Following months KM (Nov 1975) had this to say:

  *** km 11/75 pp.1-4 The Door Is Still Open! ***

  The Door Is Still Open!

  1 At our recent district assemblies one of the dramas reminded us that, in the days of Noah, Jehovah made it very clear when the opportunity for others to gain salvation in the ark had ended. It was not Noah who shut the door. After Noah and his family, along with specimens of the birds and animals, had gone into the ark at the appointed time, then, as the Bible says, “Jehovah shut the door behind him.”—Gen. 7:16.

  3 How inappropriate it would be for any of us to endeavor in effect to pull that door shut prematurely by letting up in the preaching of the good news! God’s will is that “all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.” (1 Tim. 2:3, 4) The ingathering of recent months is an indication that there is work yet to be done.

  In other words "ok so Armageddon didn't come. Quit whining and get out on the ministry"

  Splash
• 

  Christ Alone

  I've gotta say something, and it won't be popular. But you all know where I stand.

  I think the 1975 approach to JWs is...weak. Was it wrong (and false prophetic) of them? Absolutely. But technically the didn't actually say "Armageddon will come by 1975". The elluded to it. The did everything BUT say it. But the fact remains, they didn't say it WOULD happen.

  I've listened to the sound clips of Sinutko before, and I thought that was pretty damning...until...I listened to his entire talk. He too made it sound probable, but not certain.

  I then read the WTs response to 1975 that said that it was unfortunate that they made the date sound probable instead of possible, like they should've.

  I'm not saying that this wasn't another false prophecy. But ever since I learned about 1975, I wanted to find a specific quote that showed that they said Armageddon WOULD happen on this date, just like they did for 1914. But it's just not there. There are a ton of statements that make the date seem probable. But nothing that states that it without a doubt would happen.

  Just sayin...
• 

  Sauerkraut

  Christ Alone, I think it's not just about what they said or did not say. They had a responsibility to consider how their words would be picked up by Witnesses. Most likely they never said that the end would come in 1975 because they knew it was a risk, but isn't it likely that they counted on Witnesses being hyped up? It was their responsibility to use and choose words very carefully. They failed. I think they willfully insiunated the whole 1975 thing knowing that it would be beneficial for them. It was an opportunity to push Witnesses' buttons and get them to work harder.
• 

  james_woods

  The best proof that they whipped everybody up about 1975 and that the JWs felt let down afterwards are the world-wide statistics for the years 1976 through 1979.

  There was a sudden and definate downturn in the activity.
• 

  Christ Alone

  Saurkraut, I agree with everything you and James Woods said. But when a JW says, "They never said 1975 would be the end", technically they are correct. This is why I believe 1975 to be one of the weaker points to use when speaking to a JW.

  I started a thread about it here:

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/243134/1/1975-A-weak-argument
• 

  Apognophos

  Considering how the Society knows when JWs take too many muffins at hotel breakfasts and sees fit to counsel the friends about it in the KM, it's safe to say that they couldn't have missed the building fervor from the mid-'60s all the way through '75 about Armageddon, and if they had thought it appropriate, they would have issued a "don't run ahead" kind of article to calm things down. But they didn't. I think that's really all that needs to be said.

  Although I was not alive in 1975 and so I can't add a firsthand experience, I can say that I was told that a family member only came into the "truth" because he heard the '75 message from a Witness he studied with in the '60s. He eventually drifted away after '75 came and went.
• 

  Finkelstein

  1975 - A weak argument?

  Not exactly, upon making a close evaluation of them coming to this proclaiming conclusion since

  the said calculation the WTS. created ( via Fred Franz ) to come to October 1975 of mankind's existence

  of 6000 years was indeed a grandiose lie for it is imposable by using the bible as a chronological timetable

  to make that assertive calculation.

  It was an underhanded devious marketing ploy by these men plain and simple, maybe even done so to divert attention from the fact

  that nothing had happened concerning the generation who witnessed the events of 1914 . ( remember that one ? )

  1975 and the WTS. is an conclusive fact of the corruption of this religious publishing house and one of the main reasons for myself leaving

  this organization some 30 years ago.