NEW GENERATION DEFINED -- April 15, 2010 Watchtower

by Ultimate Reality 385 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  joelingeorgia

  Several thoughts

  1. the Greek scriptures become more and more specifically about "the annointed" and not the rest of humanity

  2. their definition of the word generation is different from any dictionary definition or typical understanding of the word.

  By their definition if i overlap even briefly with another human I am of the same generation, so I am part of the same generation

  as babies being born today and those who were in the late 90's when I was born. This basically means a generation is made of up people who live

  within a 160 to 180 year timeframe. Most definitions of generation are people who are born within a 10 or 20 year time frame.

  3. the "new light" argument will be seen more and more frequently in the years to come

  4. the change in witnesses growth mirrors the uptick in religious growth in general. when times are tough people turn to religion

  because it makes them feel better after their current suffering. it as always been thus.
• 

  MidwichCuckoo

  Ok....this is making my head hurt. I have 'overlapped' with people born before 1900 (so I/we share a generation?!). They, in turn, would have 'overlapped' with people born in early 1800s, so they are of the same generation (?), and so on backwards to 'Year Dot'...so, are we of the same 'generation' that Jesus was originally speaking to..? If we are, then THIS generation will never 'pass away/die..(?)
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  Gayle

  Wow, this has been viewed over 10,000 times. I wonder what thread has the record and what was the amount?
• 

  AllTimeJeff

  Gayle, Barb Anderson had one when Jaracz had a stroke that smoked this one.

  Paul, when your faith is shattered like a pane of glass, one has two options, to try to fix the original pane of glass like a puzzle, or simply, to get a new piece of glass, a new window to which you can look at life out of.

  I don't know how old you are, but I think anyone in their 20's, a young adult, has to go through some sifting of beliefs at some point. We all wish the world was what we thought it to be in those heady days when we could do no wrong, and the institutions we put our trust in was 100% reliable.

  Preparing yourself for this is part of maturing and growing up. Some people start this in their 40's or 50's.

  One of the biggest permissions we all as former JW's must give ourselves is the permission to find our own truth. I understand that goes against GB doctrine. I understand we were taught that was pride, the sin of the devil. As if God gave us a brain and a heart, and wants us to turn off our brain.

  I am not saying that your answers will be my answers, or that one permanent truth exists. But your truth about God and how that informs you about the world and how to treat people only need to be good enough for you.

  I would say the first thing God wants you to do is to get to know and love yourself. It's hard to be useful to anyone else if you don't know yourself and aren't honest with yourself. And I am not talking about those occasional bouts of irrational, emotional thoughts we are all prone to. I am talking about that side of you that is well reasoned, just waiting for you to discover him.
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  besty

  I explained that if you took the GB as a representative group of annointed, you have J Barr born in 1913, and Geoff Jackson born in 1955. They represent the two groups of annointed discussed in the article. Because Geoff knows Jack who was alive in 1914, Geoff is now part of the generation. If Geoff lives to 95, that means the New System could be another 40 years away.

  Good job cantleave :-)

  G Jackson is the youngest member of the current GB. The elder could also bear in mind that F Franz died in 1992. Someone born in 1991 would also overlap. That 1991'r could go on to become a member of the GB, pushing Armageddon out to the late part of the 21st century. I would say to continue his priceticket analogy that $5-$80 is a more appropriate range according to present truth. You priceage may vary :-)

  BTW - be wary of revealing insider knowledge like the birthyear of the GB's - that is TMI and may set alarm bells ringing.....
• 

  moshe

  JW's might secretely admit that the new generation teaching is nutso, but they will likely go with the crowd- like how often does a JW have the defend any crazy 1914-based doctrine to the public? It's not something JW's talk about at the door- I don't think it's not even discussed in the home indoctrination studies, either. I never understood they types-antitypes teachings, but I was afraid to look dumb by questioning them.
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  MidwichCuckoo

  A 'generation' has to have a consitent meaning, it cannot mean something different when just referring to the 1914 generation (ie., 'overlapping') - by the same token, everyone who has ever lived on Earth (and who will ever live) are of one generation. I can see (sadly) how the WT could bluff the JWs into thinking that too.

  I thought they were trying to phase out the 1914 thing - but I suspect this is just a temporary 'fix' until someone comes up with some really impressive 'New Light' that'll boost numbers and morale.
• 

  oompa

  i am kinda surprised that so many keep thinking this is a link to a second generation when the actual wt does not mention a link to a second generation....just other anointed that are alive that allows for the overlap....technical but true....of course people alive at anytime are part of a generation so the point may be moot....oompa
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  Simon Morley

  Me, my dad, my son and grandaughter make up FOUR Generations not one, yet every one of us overlap - but we are not a single generation - never will be. Even if the gb stretched a symbolic familial generation that would only be from my sons' birth to my grandaughters birth, which normally is no more than 20 - 40 years (my case 28). No where in contempory or exant (1st cent) etymolgy is a generation defined as having more than one component.

  It is of interest that the writers of this drivel have opted not to use their fondness for quoting definitions or secular authorities - they provide a defination without any backup reference ti support where they got sucha defintion from. Generation comes from the latin word generare meaning to beget. I have yet to find a definition that covers anything but - animate or inanimate.
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  SouthCentral

  With this new logic and reasoning, it appears that there will truly NOT be any intelligent J-Dubs in the org. This teaching will be ignored and 5 years before it reverts back to a previous understanding, the majority of dubs will examine it.