JWs took off from work in 1975?

by skeeter1 31 Replies latest jw friends

  • skeeter1
    skeeter1

    A friend of mine is an electrician supervisor. Back in 1975, one of his employees was a JW. The JW was so convinced that 1975 would bring the End of the World, that the JW took off from work (like, the first week in January) and sat on the top of a North Carolina mountain waiting for Armegheddon. When the JW returned to work, my buddy had to keep the others in the shop from making fun of him. Anyway, did this happen alot?

  • EndofMysteries
    EndofMysteries

    not only that, the kingdom ministry reported how many were selling their homes and things and using that money to finish off the year just doing service and what a fine way to spend the remaining months.

  • ShirleyW
    ShirleyW

    Skeeter- Do you know what the story is now with that Brother, is he still waiting for Jah ?

  • blondie
    blondie

    No, I never head of that. I did hear of people selling all their stuff and regular pioneering until 1975.

  • skeeter1
    skeeter1

    No, my buddy didn't know what happened to the guy.

  • prologos
    prologos

    In one very northern community were two brothers from the heartlans, One working for IBM that had finagled the company to do his work over the wire, and another a wealthy gardening entrepreneur who had shuttered his business and

    both had build lakeside homes, serving in the "foreign" language field to have MAXIMUM points to qualify for passage through the Great Tribulation. not isolated cases.

    Even wealthy customers of witness tradesmen were taken in and gave some serious thought to the end of the world wonder.

    That is why new panicking effortd by the GB/FADS ring hollow.

  • Band on the Run
    Band on the Run

    My mom told me about an earlier date in the 1920s or 1930s, some die hard Witnesses sold their property and went up a mountain in NJ. They were family friends. The JWs had to come back down and face the music. They faced tough times. She felt bad for them. The point of the story was to be prudent. Now I wonder if she always thought I was a go up the mountain type. This was an oft-repeated warning about excess.

    I was young so I did not ask for details. It could have been only a few over zealous Witnesses in New Jersey. There were always some zealots in the background. If the WT said do five push ups, they would do 100. Every KH must have a few or perhaps the Society is stronger now than then.

  • factfinder
    factfinder

    Their warning work was so effective and life saving. I never heard of jws til 1976 and knew nothing about 1975-if armageddon had come then my family and I would have been destroyed.

    I asked those who told me about 1975 when I began studying, they said Jehovah would not have destroyed me because he would have seen my heart was right and I just needed a little more time.

    The sister at whose house we had the bible study said she knew of brothers selling homes and quiting jobs, she took a wait and see attitude. She was probably the most moderate and sensible witness I ever knew, yet I felt she should have been more zealous and wondered at times how faithful she was.

    She died of a brain hemmorage unfortunatly. I wonder what she would have thought of all the changes in teachings we have been seeing the past few years?

  • HB
    HB

    My parents were not religious, but in the early 1970s, they employed a young JW man called John to work on the family plant nursery.

    John explained at his job interview that he wanted to learn about plants because he would need to know how to grow things in the 'new world' that was to come. My father had many discussions about religion with John, but they always ended in stalemate. John was strange, a loner and very shy, but he was a conscientious and trustworthy employee.

    During the last few months of 1974, we learnt that John's parents had sold their large house, donated most of the money to the Watch Tower Org and moved into a caravan awaiting Armageddon. We all thought it was very stupid but also extremely sad.

    John gave in his notice at the begining of December and left employment on New Year's Eve 1974. He came into the house to say goodbye to us all, and I remember he was close to tears because he believed he would never see us again and we would soon be killed.

    I don't know what happened to him or his family during 1975, but on the 2nd January 1976, John came to see my Dad and asked for his job back. We did find it quite funny but he was re-employed and continued to work on the nursery for a few more years. He avoided getting into religious discussions after that and was even more quiet and withdrawn than before.

    We lost touch, but I believe John now runs his own nursery. Not sure if he is still a JW.

  • AudeSapere
    AudeSapere

    My parents sold property. There was a monthly 'count-down' from the platform in our KH.

    We had a pretty large pantry in our basement in anticipation of the GreatTribulation.

    But I have never heard of anyone sitting on a mountain waiting. ... That sounds like someone waiting for rapture - Not a JW thing.

    -Aude.

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