generation teaching reconsidered

by inbetween 55 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  inbetween

  Was thinking about this new generation teaching, and to some extend it makes sense, let me explain.

  First of all, I personally believe, it only applied to Jesus time, it only made sense there, and when Jesus talked about it, in the year 33, this generation certainly observed the events leading to Jerusalems destruction 70 CE. ( even though the context does not really give much hint, since he talks about the sign of the son of man being seen in heaven etc, something that did not happen in the first century)

  The main question is, What is a generation ?

  People born at the same time or contemporaries ?

  In some way, the overlapping idea does make sense:

  example: lets say John was born 1910. he died 1990.

  Jack was born 1912, he died 1995.

  No doubt, John and Jack were of the same generation. So when did the generation of John and Jack die ? 1990 or 1995 ?

  You could say, his generation died 1995.So its obviuos, that the lifespan of people of one generation does overlap, and even extend the timeframe of one generation.

  How long can people be born apart, and still be of the same generation ?

  another example: lets compare John born 1910 with Sam born 1930. Are they from the same generation ? If Sam is still alive, does it mean the generation of John is still in existance ?

  How far apart can people be born and still be considered as of the same generation ? 5, 10 even 20 years ?

  This explanation could work, however it would buy the Borg just a few additional years, because at one point even those born let say 1930 would die without seeing the end. but it buys a few years, and would even revive the idea of urgency.

  The other approach, often discussed here, and explained in the WTS, is that the simple overlapping of lives. les say, with John born 1910, dying 1990, and let say Jack born 1980, dying 2060. Their life overlapped 10 years.

  If the generation would only mean contemporaries, this can work, because John and Jack were contemporaries for 10 years...

  But this would extend the possible end to a far future, and the urgency might not work as well....

  Interestingly, the 1995 change introduce the idea of contemporaries, applied to wicked poeple,now it just changed to anointed ones.

  thanks for reeading, I appreciate any input,

  inbetween
• 

  shamus100

  Sorry darling. There is absolutely no correlation to what happened with the fall of Jerusalem and modern day.

  Zero. I see nothing in your argument that makes sense.

  Kiss me!
• 

  cyberjesus

  Maybe you could become a member of the GB
• 

  transhuman68

  Anyone who is Generation X, or older realizes that this religion is a complete crock of shite. The "generation that would by no means pass away" has passed away. That's it. You can't change something as fundemental as that, and still have any credibility or integrity left. End of story.
• 

  inbetween

  just for clarification: There is no doubt, the GB or whoever is responsible, have no idea what they are talking about, new lite comes and goes, there is no "spirit-direction" whatsoever.

  However, I would like to use this new generation teaching to help others see the Truth about the truth, and start thinking for themselves.

  But, there are always those, who try to bend their brains in order to expalin everything the FDS puts out, and try to make it sound reasonable.

  For that reason, i try to anticipate those thoughts in order to refute them properly, because otherwise it just would have the opposite effect.

  and, shamus100, here is your kiss
• 

  Blue Grass

  Inbetween as you can see defending any "witness teaching" whether hypothetical or not is a big no no on this site.

  Blue Grass
• 

  Sapphy

  You could say, his generation died 1995.So its obviuos, that the lifespan of people of one generation does overlap, and even extend the timeframe of one generation.

  There are two parts to that, 1) "the lifespan of people of one generation does overlap". Yes it does, a generation lives and dies at roughly the same time. 2) "even extend the timeframe of one generation", I would argue a single outlier doesn't extend 'a generation'. Jack and Johns generation ends when the majority of people from Jack and John's generation are dead.

  I'm sure there must be an 140 year woman living in uzbeckistan who credits yaks milk and white tea for her longevity, but would anyone seriously argue that the generation of 1870 has not passed away?

  lets compare John born 1910 with Sam born 1930. Are they from the same generation ? If Sam is still alive, does it mean the generation of John is still in existance ?

  Are they from the same generation? No they are not. John lived through the first world war, the depression and probably fought in the second world war, leaving his wife and young children at home. Sam was building fix-it toy airplanes during the second world war, benefited from the post war boom and got married in the mid-1950s.

  If you think a generation can cover those born in a 20 year period, think of a generation mid-point and use yourself as an example. Think of someone 10 years older than yourself, are they of your generation? They finished high school before you started it, they may have finished college before you started high school. They listened to different music, watched different films. Different world events shaped their perspective. Now think of someone 10 years younger than you. The same things apply but you're the 'grownup'. Now ask yourself , is the person 10 years younger of the same generation as the person 10 years older than yourself? Quite frankly no.

  Whatever way you cut it, the generation of 1914 is dead.

  So now, to leave 1914 with any credibility they have to bring in the overlapping doctrine. And for the overlapping doctrine to make any sense, - and I use the word loosely - it has to refer to contemporaries, not generations. And contemporaries in the broadest sense, i.e. anointed brother Tom born in 1914 lives to see his descendant young anointed brother Tim born in 2010.

  The overlappping doctrine gives them to about 2100.

  Evidently Jesus meant this. Apparently.

  Thanks for making me think Inbetween!
• 

  Aussie Oz

  Inbetween

  IT DOES NOT MATTER how you spin it.

  It is still a bald faced attempt by the WBTS to keep people hooked. Go back a few years and the teaching was FACT that the current generation of 1914 would NOT DIE OUT before the end. No amount of self manufactured new light changes it. It is NOT coincedence that at the same time as the generation was almost totally gone that they come up with this latest attempt to stretch 'generation'.

  Its a load of horse shit and they, we and you know it.

  oz
• 

  wobble

  Good thread Inbetween !

  I am sure this is the way, as you have outlined ,that Dubs will try to explain the latest crap.

  Of course Jesus used the word Genea (Gk) or Dar (Aram.) =Generation, not some other word.

  I am sure that what he meant by that, and what his listeners understood, was them, the guys listening to him, and their fellow Jews born around the same year. That way the prophecy was fulfilled, about 37 years later according to WT chronology.

  As Sapphy points out, it is necessary to change the word that Jesus used to even stretch the time from 1914 to much beyond the last third of the 20th Century.

  But thank you for forearming us, we can prepare ourselves to answer this rubbish defense of a rubbish explanation.

  I wonder though if the best thing to do with Dubs is not talk about the generation at all, just ask them to prove 1914, using the Bible only. they cannot of course.

  If they have no start date for a"generation" then the whole thing is a shambles.

  Wobble
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  inbetween

  sapphy, aussie OZ and wobble, I completely agree, the only reasonable explanation fo the generation was the one valid til 1995.

  All the other ones are a JW-like trinity, nothing in the scriptures, just a lot of stretches, and thinking around some corners....

  but thats the problem, JW are trained to do exactly that, to "prove" any nonsense to others and most important to themselves, only because it is from "gods channel"....

  Jesus also said: "this generation, that sees all this things"

  so it has to apply to people, who see the beginning ( 1914) and the end (Armaggedon), nothing really can overlap here....

  So either Jesus only spoke about his time or the last days did not begin 1914...

  When we discuss it at the Watchtower, I`m going to mention it to my WT-conductor afterwards, at least I plan to..