WT Society holds EXTREME Responsibility for 1975 and False Expectations

by flipper 140 Replies latest jw friends

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  Joepublisher1

  In 1973/1974 timeframe, there was this young guy at work who became a JW. And, boy, this guy couldn’t contain his preaching of 1975 as the end! It’s what he was being taught and he felt compelled to share this with everyone! To one of his work-mate skeptics, this JW decided to bet him that 1975 would bring the end, only to withdraw his bet when he learned that JWs aren’t allowed to “bet”. The bottom line is that MOST JWs believed what the WTS was saying about 1975 – that the end would come in 1975!

  Although I didn’t get involved during that time frame, I thought that this religion was the closest thing to teaching the truths in the Bible. When I got involved in the early 80s, I figured that the WTS now got things right. That is, the generation of 1914 wouldn’t pass off the earth before the end comes – although no one knows the day or hour. I believed that because the Awake masthead said it was the “Creator’s promise”! I was also told that the 1975 fiasco was the fault of the rank-and-file and that the WTS NEVER said the end would come in 1975. (I now know that that is far from the actual truth!)

  Well, when the 1914 generation teaching was changed in 1995, I started to realize that the WTS is not who they say they are (“God’s earthly organization”, “the Truth”, etc.) I also started to realize that although the WTS claims to have “the Truth”, that none of their teachings are off limits to “changes” – what the WTS deviously calls “New Light”.

  Long story short, I realized that the leaders of this man-made organization are not accountable to anyone and for anything that they teach [and thus the long-reaching negative effects of some of their teachings]! That was a RED flag to me and woke me up to the facts. This religion is a hoax that masquerades under the guise that it follows the Bible and is the only religion that God is using. It’s not the only religion that does this btw. Nonetheless, once you realize the fraudulent nature of it, it’s impossible to continue to support it! (Having access to the internet, there’s very little reason why every JW shouldn’t be having a crisis of conscience!)
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  Joepublisher1

  I also need to remind everyone (including current JWs) what the book “Captives of a Concept” stresses. It’s important to look at the history – a history lesson if you will – of the WTS. Why? Well, the WTS presents a concise white-washed history of their religious movement. However, a detailed review of their history reveals many disturbing realities and facts. Although the WTS has convinced its members that the “old light” is not where you should concentrate your study efforts, common-sense tells you that you need to look at the history of any organization in order to formulate an accurate assessment of that organization. As so many of you on this forum have acknowledged, it’s not uncommon for ex-JWs to know more about the history of JWs, then hen they were practicing members! (Hint: That’s why previous members are now ex-JWs. Of course, what actually happened in 1975 in WTS history is essential for all JWs to learn about!)

  This is an interesting topic for the reasons the initial poster stated, ‘most people who became a JW after 1985 have no clue about the 1975 frenzy/fiasco’. They look at this through the WTS brain conditioning prism – ‘at least we were awake to the end, although we had wrong expectations’ and that this happened so long ago! In other words, the WTS plays it down BIG TIME and then attack any who would accuse them of being false prophets. I say, let the “facts” speak for themselves and then decide for yourself, as opposed to letting emotional attachments to the WTS society effect your thinking faculties. An honest and reasonable person can only reach one conclusion about the WTS – they are NOT who they say they are! They are frauds and the religion is a hoax designed to suck your entire life [and all of its resources] right out of you! Goodness JWs, you need to wake up.
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  flipper

  JOLIETTE- I agree with you- WT Society leaders ARE a bunch of douche bags and bastards AND LIARS as they decline to even recognize their responsibility in promoting false expectations inside their own organization. And you are right by burying this atrocity under the carpet- they are able to keep newer JW's since the mid 1980's under mind control even more. It's criminal.

  LIFE IS TOO SHORT- Yeah, you are about the same age I was as we were both raised in the JW cult as young people. And we both can attest to the FACTS that WT representatives from District Overseers to Circuit Overseers blatantly claimed that Armageddon was coming for sure in 1975. The loaded language that was used , the innuendos, and the pressure and guilt put upon JW's we knew, including myself was very real. I'm like you my friend- I hate the fact that many of those people deny there was ever a problem. It's really surreal and mind control at it's worst. All we can do is try to let people know NOW that the WT Society WAS hiding things so current people will see and understand and avoid joining this organization- or get out of it as well.

  JHINE- You are welcome ! It's good to tell everybody you know about the deceitfulness and lies of this WT organization. It's a scam and a rip-off organization designed to suck the life out of all it's members. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

  NEWDAWNFADES- So, yes indeed you know what I'm talking about in this thread since you knew an elder who bought a house thinking he wouldn't have to pay it off. Just think of really HOW LIABLE the WT Society is for wrecking JW's finances by all of these false promises designed to suck the livelihood and time away from making a living and funneling those resources into a pipedream promised by the WT Society ! It's ridiculous how accountable the WT leaders are, yet they'll never admit to any accountability. Pisses me off
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  Joepublisher1

  I don't know about anyone else, but I sure have appreciated the members on this forum who have commented about their personal experiences while a JW (or associate if you were too young to be baptized) during the 1975 frenzy/fiasco. It helps all of us to see a couple of things. First of all, these WTS leaders (all of who are dead now!) were NEVER held accountable for their terribly misleading claims that lead people to make many foolish decisions in life (esp. around their finances). It also helps everyone to see that this religion - particulary it's leaders - is a farce... a hoax... a scam!
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  jhine

  yes thanks everyone from me
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  Heartofaboy

  Grrrrrrrr I remember all too well.

  You are all so spot on. Even though we all lived in different parts of the world it seems our experiences of what happened are all very similar.

  I was about 13 when 1975 was first mentioned.

  With the release of the 'Truth' book, we had only to spend 6 months studying with people as already mentioned. The 'Truth' book had a completely different format compared to previous publications by the WT, it was a special teaching aid designed to get people into the JW religion as quickly as possible. Six months & that was it you had to terminate the study & go on to study with someone else, there were even demonstrations at assemblies showing how to terminate the study that was proving 'unfruitful'.

  Then in the early 1970's there was the 'new' kind of world wide campaign where all over the world each JW was given a personal share of A4 size leaflets to leave at peoples homes. Each congregation had to blitz their territory in a matter of days handing the leaflets to all people met without stopping to talk to them as this work was so VERY URGENT. If they were not at home then the leaflet had to be pushed through the door.....

  IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT ALL IN YOUR TERRITORY HAD RECEIVED THIS INFORMATION IT WAS VITAL FOR THEIR ETERNAL SALVATION.

  Our hearts were swept up to take part in this final preaching campaign, to not take part would have made you 'bloodguilty'.

  Then gradually the nature of each succeeding blitz campaign changed & you were encouraged to try to engage people in conversation.

  The GB had us in the palm of their hand & they used us & then abused us when their predictions failed.

  A truly hubristic religion headed by the most hubristic grouped of men.

  Hoab
• 

  Finkelstein

  If one analytically looks at the professed doctrines from the WTS. to their truthful viability even from its earliest inception, one can see the

  diverse marketing agenda in place. This organization preaches these doctrines as bible truths and that too is a qualitative lie.

  Does one realistically think god would support these men and their lies, in spite of the fact they claim they are doing the lords work,

  witnessing the gospel ? Not from my perspective and many others as well.

  Nevertheless the leaders of this organization know exactly what is bringing them their acquired power and to a further extent financial support.

  Thats why there's such stringent enforcement of watching who is saying what about the organization and if they do locate these people

  to quickly pluck them out of the flock, placing a muzzle on them so they don't talk to the rest of the delusional believers who they have obtained.

  Being that this religious organization was founded on crass charlatanism focused upon distributing literature, the WTS. formulated its own

  designing and shaping people to be its own designated door to door sales representatives. Policies were established to how people were to dress

  at the Kingdom Halls (Indoctrination Centers) as well wherever they were seen in public.

  Whatever was perceived to heighten the image of the WTS. organization in a whole was applied down to the acquired devoted flock.

  Religion is a game of power and control, mostly by exploiting human ignorance, insecurity as well naivety.

  In that sense the WTS. and its leaders played it well.

  The WTS. used 1975 as just another vehicle to further expand its literature distribution, exploiting human ignorance once again

  to the detriment to those people who consumed it.
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  sammielee24

  The WTS is ultimately responsible not only for their written words pushing the end in 1975 but for the lives that became destroyed because of it.

  Nobody should feel that they were manipulated, stupid, ignorant or uneducated because those that made life decisions based on this religion and that specific prophecy, were doing so because of FAITH. Faith and trust are at the core of daily human life and experience. We are taught that police are our friends and there to uphold the law - we have faith in them - and then we see a video of them beating a man on the ground. We put our faith in teachers or politicians as leaders - and have a set back when we hear of them sleeping with young people or stealing from those they are supposed to serve. We have faith and trust in our neighbors, in the bus driver, in our parents, in our children - in our employer - if we did not have this faith and trust, we would believe in nothing and nobody and for the majority of people, that in and of itself is not the norm and not necessarily desirable when trying to live in a peaceful, secure or healthy environment.

  People put their faith and trust in the WTS and it was the WTS that destroyed their lives and abused that faith and trust. People who married because they truly believed that the big A was coming, found themselves unable to divorce a partner they found they did not want to spend a lifetime with, because the WTS shunning policy traps more people than it releases. Those that sold their homes to pioneer full time - some never regained their financial footing and in a few instances the pressure broke them causing them to take their lives. Others carry the guilt in knowing that they spent their time bringing people into the organization, only to find out later that what they preached was a lie - and once in, a person cannot get out, often with lifelong ramifications. Still others pushed some new members, family, friends and children to become baptized - and once baptized - leaving puts you in the position of becomeing a victim of shunning.

  There is nothing wrong with faith and trust. When that faith and trust has been abused but the abuser never has to pay for the crime they have committed, they go on to repeat the offence. If the WTS did not have such extreme punishment in the form of shunning, perhaps the sting wouldn't have been so bad. Perhaps if they admitted their own wrongdoing it would be different. In one way it is perverse because we expect religious organizations to pay in some way for the molestation of children but we should ask, how many people were brought into the organization at that time as a direct result of those WT teachings that might include those children who might have had a different life had they not be strapped inside the cult? About half a million people were brought into the fold in just a few short years leading up to the 1975 prophecy - if there are 10 people affected by 1 admission then 5 million people - parents, grandparents, children, spouses, friends - could easily have been affected by that decision and for many it very well could have been a negative experience.

  Never feel badly for what you believed because it was based on faith and trust..you were not the abuser. sammieswife
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  Finkelstein

  What should be clearly recognized is the WTS. use of creating this fictitious date of 1975 was indeed a decisive and deliberate fraud

  backed and inspired by commercial aspirations.

  Even the self acknowledgment by the WTS. that they are the only solemnly chosen organization by god, supplements this particular fraud of sorts.

  One day I believe this organization is going to drift off into the sunset or reform itself with a different identity altogether.

  We can only hope .
• 

  transhuman68

  

  Things you find on old threads!