" you will never grow old..."

mrquik

" you will never grow old..." A more grievous lie is hard to imagine. I heard this one first in 1957. I was 6. My mother had just converted. I heard it many times after that. My first ministry school conductor, John Caister, also added I wouldn't finish high school before " the end". John & his wife Marceil went into the circuit work. They never, of course, had children. When Marceil died, John was beyond consolation. It was heartbreaking to watch. Now, they're all gone. Mom, John & old friends in the congregation. Yet, the GB continues to spread this terrible lie & gullible people fall for it. I did. It shaped my entire life. The stress I endured all through high school. The scholarship I turned down. The pension I never had. The woman I married. Sacrifices made because I would never grow old. Today, I am old. Today I am 65.

skin

Its sad that WT don't learn from their own lies, its even sadder when they continue to proclaim this sort of nonsense as truth. But the biggest worry I have now is that my JW family and friends are blind to any life changing unscriptal teaching that jw.org tell us. In their minds jw.org has done no wrong and will do not wrong and we must not listen to anyone that says they have. Listen, obey and be blessed. If only!

burnedout

I am in the next generation (non overlapping) that heard the same thing and had similar experiences.

Landy

Happy birthday!

WingCommander

I grew up in the 1980's, and heard the exact same thing. I'll never grow old. I'll never get thru high school, much less graduate from it. I'll never have to worry about a job, a mortgage, or kids in this "System of Things."

I did all of that. I am 37 next month. I have white hairs. It's been really hard for me coming to terms with the prospect of growing older. My grandparents and parents have all passed away. All of the "older ones" in the Congregations I grew up in passed away. So did one of the congregations!

The WT is like Satan in the Garden of Eden, claiming, "If you just peddle our crap and keep giving us your time, money, and life, you'll NEVER die!" Sick, twisted, liars.......all of them.

Nathan Natas

My condolences; we're all in that same sinking boat, hence the "sinking feeling."

Slidin Fast

First heard this lie in 1951 I think. I was three. You still hear dubs talking ruefully about how they were never meant to go to school, many of them decades younger than me. This is occasionally from the platform. There is always a knowing chuckle from the audience. It seems as though having a smile about it makes it OK.

Mrquik you are right, it is a shameful lie, told continuously for decades. Shame on them .

Wasanelder Once

I heard that trope when I was young but it stopped being a common saying in the 90's. People could sense the culling of the herd by death after death of supposed "undying" brothers and sisters. It was something unmentionable by the time the 2000's came about. No one had the guts to even venture it forth. Its good to be 65 considering the alternative. Happy birthday if that is the fact.

fleshyheadedmutant

Yes, I remember during the 70's when I first stupidly joined the JWs. I fell for this lie hook, line, and sinker. I just knew that I would never have to die.

Then, when I wanted a child, I actually felt guilty. During my pregnancy, in the summer of 1987, I was at the summer convention, and one of the main talks was "Responsible Childbearing in This Time of the End." I was thinking everyone was looking at me and thinking I was disobedient for getting pregnant. I wish I'd been smart enough to just walk out the door then.

I am 64 now. When I finally did leave, it took a while to sink in that I, too, would die just like everyone else. It was tough to deal with for awhile. That thousands could collectively believe it is hard for me now to fathom.

Gulf Coaster

My JW mother is quite bitter about that trope. She'll be 88 and her health isn't the best. When she talks about her many aches and pains, she'll often petulantly add "I wasn't supposed to grow old!".

She had swallowed that one hook, line and sinker. So much so that when I walked away years ago, she screamed at me that I was going to die and she'd live forever, with a smug look on her face. We don't discuss her cult anymore since it's a guaranteed way to make the conversation descend into vitriol but I can tell there's a lot of disappointment in it for her. There's certainly no joy. Going to meetings and conventions seems like a chore for her now. I guess she wasn't expecting to have to endure that soul-crushing boredom for so long (46 years).

" you will never grow old..."

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