Were you 'alive in '75' and how was that year for you? (page 13)

kaik

I was small child, so I do not have any recollection of the year. I only have false memories as they were retold by my parents and syblings couple years later. I remember my biological sister was disappointed to go to school, in 1976 or so, as my aunt promised that she would not have to because the old system was passing.

Finkelstein

Here are a list of some the culpable and causative results of the WTS's. "Stay Alive til 75" !

The 1975 doctrine by the WTS. I believe came out during the 1969 International Assemblies

or before. Books specifically on this doctrine were published and distributed world wide.

.

. Teens dropped out of school

. People put off getting married

. Couples put off having children

. people sold their homes and went in distant lands to preach

. an apparent bolstering of fear and anxiety was present in congregations

. some unfortunately committed suicide from that built up fear and anxiety.

. the WTS saw a fast upward number of new followers and increased sales of all of their publications

.

A few years later on the WTS. blamed all hype and disappointment on the rank and file members

not admitting any guilt or involvement.

They blamed themselves for simply being overly zealous on this supposed date.

.

1975 was nothing more than a commercialized fraud devised to heighten the circulation

of the WTS published goods, unfortunately it did.

LoisLane looking for Superman

Band on the Run and Finkelstein:

In the late 1960's in Los Angeles, at our Circuit Assembly's at Leimert Park Theatre , there was a count down to 1975, expressed by how many months were left.

I do remember that distinctly.

I do not recall at the Inglewood Forum or at Dodger Stadium District Conventions because I was not listening deeply. I was young and rubber necking like all young JW's do and only paying a bit of attention. I was watching who was sitting with whom, what everyone was wearing, who's pregnant, where we were going to dinner after. (The usual... Pay attention to announcements and new releases everything else was basically the same. If it was "new" it would come out in a Watchtower later).

In Jan 1971 I attended a Special Talk given by Bro Knorr in Reno, Nevada. He was giving a talk there because he was requested to come to Truckee to dedicate their new KHall. I did pay attention and was very confused and shocked because he said "not to put too much into 1975". It was like WTH??? Did I just hear the President of the Watch Tower Society say NOT to put too much _______ into 1975. I do not recall the exact word he used. I was shocked. It was as though he wove one sentence between 2 different paragraphs.

Afterwards, no one in my group discussed it, and I completely forgot about it.

What I am now wondering is this. Did Fred Franz let his mouth speak what his mind had conjured up and started flapping his lips and pushed through his ideas past the writing committee, swiftly pushing it on to get printed, published and distributed, when eagle eye Knorr's mind was preoccupied somewhere else??? Those in fulltime service, (Circuit Overseers, District Overseers, I knew at the time) received their magazines weeks ahead of everyone else, so if this is what happened, it was too late for Knorr to do anything.

Is it possible, even probable, but not proveable that this is what happened???

LoisLane

Finkelstein

Is it likely that Knorr upon Franz coming up with this 6000 year scheme

just said " Yes Fred that most interesting lets put that to print right away" without any

consultation or review ?

Hardly unlikely.

That would make Knorr just a simple subservient yes man to Franz.

I think they were both in on it but later back offed a little when some close JWs

started to ask questions on this dating calculation, stopping short of where they actually got the idea originally.

designs

I got married in 1975. The previous year Fred and company made their mea culpa tour backing off on Armageddon happening. I saw Fred live in Los Angels doing his famous backward shuffle...

Why o why didn't I wake up then...

Phizzy

"backward shuffle" ? was that a bit like MJ's Moon walk ?

billythekid46

I was a teenager in 75, Hearing the grumbles of new witnesses stating in ignorance the world would end based on chronology given by the Watchtower. Even my Catholic friend advised me to prepare myself as he put it, your God would be coming for you. Some Catholics and Born again Christians had this belief back then that Jesus was God, not Yahweh. However by researching the position the Watchtower took back then was that a significant change would take place in the world as we new it back then. The Watchtower latter clarified the misunderstanding some witnesses had on the matter. The significant changes they spoke of, is what we see today. The acceleration of human society at a pace never seen before. Population, Science, Engineering. The computer explosions, the internet, so forth and so on. But as an ex-witness I too had a laugh but never removed myself from reality and the true principles of bible teaching by which are in the Mosaic laws, and moved on.

punkofnice

Billytk

The Watchtower latter clarified the misunderstanding some witnesses had on the matter.

I think if you read that article

http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/1975.php the WBT$ effectively blamed the R&F for the WBT$'s own lies. I was there, I remember the 1975 date WAS promoted as the end.

'some witnesses' did not have a 'misunderstanding'.....the watchtower(R) told them that 1975 would be the end. Yes, they were fairly cagey in print but if you listen to the talks that were given, even by Fred Franz, it is clear that 1975 was not a 'misunderstanding'....it was a false prophecy.

bigmac

i must have missed this thread 2 years ago.

of course 75 was thoroughly promoted from the late 60's onwards. i had left the cult in 71. no way did i believe the 75 nonsense. in fact--my born -in wife and i started our second baby that summer---deliberately. our son--born april 76--is now 37--recently married--and long gone from the cult. he was d/f'd a few years back--which means his mother now shuns him.

its interesting how many posters on here--2 years ago--no longer do. i wonder what happened to them.

sir82

swiftly pushing it on to get printed, published and distributed, when eagle eye Knorr's mind was preoccupied somewhere else???

I recall reading on this forum that that is how the infamous 1989 / 1990 Watchtower article about how the witnessing work would end "in the 20th century" got thru - the GB proofreaders were all out of the office, traveling, or some such.

That seems less likely with the 1975 date - it was first hyped in a book, which is a much bigger deal. It would have had a much longer lead time.

What seems more likely (in my likely ignorant opinion) is that Freddy jumped on the idea, and managed to convince Nate & any other more conservative members to reluctantly go along with him.

Then, by 1971, ol' Nate was growing increasingly uncomfortable with just how seriously JWs were taking it, and tried to soft-peddle it as best he could, without appearing "disloyal".

Were you 'alive in '75' and how was that year for you?

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