Overlapping Generation

by pandorasbox1914 104 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • slimboyfat
    slimboyfat

    Not forgetting, between the generation changes in 1995 and 2010, wasn’t there a brief period in between when the “anointed”, whatever age, were said to be the “generation” with no regard for 1914 as a starting point? That didn’t last long.

    They could have just stuck with the 1995 definition of “wicked generation”—at least that made some sort of sense.

  • Ultimate Axiom
    Ultimate Axiom

    It's been said before (even earlier in this thread) but it seems to need saying again - the WTS does NOT teach "overlapping generations". It teaches ONE generation composed of overlapping groups within that generation.

  • TD
    TD
    They could have just stuck with the 1995 definition of “wicked generation”—at least that made some sort of sense.

    It struck me as a nonsensical tautology:

    "The wicked generation who takes no note of the sign will not be destroyed at the end until the entire sign of the end (of which they take no note) has occurred."



  • slimboyfat
    slimboyfat
    The 1995 reasoning was that “this generation” is commonly used in the gospels to refer to Jesus’ faithless contemporaries. So when Jesus said, “this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur” he was effectively saying, “these faithless people who see the signs and ignore them, will continue being faithless right up to the very end”. It didn’t need to be one particular group of people, but a characterisation of faithless people in general who live in the time of the end and take no notice of the gospel message.

    It also let the GB off the hook of trying to stretch the length of a generation from 1914. But having extracted themselves from that thorny problem in 1995, for some reason they decided to land themselves in it all over again in 2010; a pretty bizarre move, accompanied by an incredibly weak rationale of an “overlapping” generation.

    It's been said before (even earlier in this thread) but it seems to need saying again - the WTS does NOT teach "overlapping generations". It teaches ONE generation composed of overlapping groups within that generation.

    Usually it’s a good idea to articulate someone else’s position as accurately as possible in terms they would use. In this instance it does the GB no favours, because the whole idea gets more ridiculous the more faithfully it is related. It’s completely understandable that people slip and call it the “overlapping generations” doctrine, because the idea of one composite overlapping generation is pure mental nonsense. Maybe the idea is not even meant to be understood, it’s a paradoxical kōan-type test of JW ability for mental gymnastics while attempting to remain sane.

  • TD
    TD

    Yes..

    The temporal preposition, "until" demands posteriority of the condition(s) it introduces. When that logic is broken, the only way to salvage the thought is to ditch the proposition entirely, switch from a near to a far demonstrative pronoun, redefine one or more of the other terms, or just rewrite the sentence from scratch.

    Or all of the above.

    It this case however it was the Bible itself they were talking about and that degree of paraphrase would have amounted to an implicit admission that the passage really isn't translated properly in the NWT and that the literal approach to translation, which the JW's are all about, doesn't even necessarily work.

  • RubaDub
    RubaDub

    That whole "Splane" thing when he tries to "splain" the overlapping generation made as much sense as having MisterRodgers explaining to children of how clowns have sex with circus animals.

  • waton
    waton

    sbf, TD, right so:

    since the anointed in question and the general population lives through the same rime, the people in general during that stretched out time have ro be in overlapping groups too.

    2) the scripture speaks of the generation passing away. (but not until). so, it could not be the Other Sgeep, because they will "never pass away" but

    The anointed will pass away before "all these things occur", so

    assuming that the bible prophecy would ll have a second fulfillment, wt is already proven wrong.

  • JoenB75
    JoenB75

    Slimboyfat, I remember years ago "wondering with great wonder" how JWs and the vast majority of other dispy movements can ignore that Jesus by "this generation" spoke of his generation. I do remember very faintly how they talked of 1914 and this generation at the meetings. My mother refered to this as "all the speculation" and to my father such JW speculation was part of the divine mysteries that you only got insights on if you stayed close to the Light turned on by Russell😁😁

  • Finkelstein
    Finkelstein
    " This Generation " spoken about by Jesus actually refers to the people who he was speaking to at the time, as he also said many of you will not experience death.

    The WTS. had arranged doctrines to support one another conceptually such as the year 1914 and this generation, to the final day of judgment Armageddon.

    Well nothing happen of course so the WTS heads (GB) had to created another false doctrine to cover over their previous false doctrine, this was the overlapping generation .

    The WTS supported itself upon bullshit theology it created as to create an acknowledged identity for themselves (FDSL) and help to proliferate the literature the organization published.

    .......they are still bullshitting to this day..... why ?

    Becasue that's how the organization was built and structured on.

    Why are there so many JWS not wanting to accept that they have been conned is very much to do with this organization's highly controlled cult aspect ?

    If one were to opening criticized the doctrines you could find yourself demonized, shunned, experience a total loss of friendship by other JWS members , including your own active family.

  • Finkelstein
    Finkelstein

    It teaches ONE generation composed of overlapping groups within that generation.

    Which either way it still makes no logical sense since the people who lived and witnessed the events of 1914 including C Russell and J Rutherford died and anyone who was born around 1914 have also died, so how can a dead person be included and grouped into a collocation of a greater generation ?

    If one were to accept that a single generation is one single human life span of no more than 100 years, once you past a date time such as starting from 1914, that generation can not be included to any following generations.

    If you were to do that that would also mean any generations that lived prior to 1914 would also have to be included from an ideological concept.

    The WTS came up with a theological spin that has no relevance to intellectual honesty or either scriptural support from the bible.

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