Another generation.... (page 4)

RichardHaley

My mom died in 1994. I remember her thinking that she would not be dead for long because we were 80 years past 1914.

this just cracked me up... thanks for the laugh.

stuckinarut2

Yes!!

Further to everyone's great comments, I feel personally GUILTY and even BETRAYED that the very things I was taught to preach to our neighbors in our territory was wrong!

I can remember saying with absolute confidence (and almost arrogance) to householders "mark my words, the end of this system will be here before the 21st century starts".

We were supremely confident that the "FAITHFUL AND DISCREET slave" had it all figured out! After all, they are god's mouthpiece right!!??

Yet, another generation has passed....and the very youth that shouldn't even be here (because the end is SO CLOSE and it is not time for having a family) are the next wave of pioneers!

I came in to the org. around 1990, we had a big influx then where I lived, we were all fired up with the generation will not pass away teaching. Firmly believed that the end was imminent and would come before the year 2000. I remember my study conductor telling me at 17, that she would be surprised if I reached 25, in fact she would be surprised if I reached 20 before Armageddon came. The gulf war came and we all thought it was a prelude to the end....

what astounds me now is the power of the mind control, just a few short years later they were changing this teaching and we lapped it up, content to be guided by the chosen ones into leaving our precious doctrines behind. Why did so few question? Honestly now I'm over the f.o.g it's mind control element of this religion which amazes me, it's fascinating and scary.

Half banana

Never ever trust anything the JW organization says, its just a failed doomsday cult.

Vanderhoven7

“A Brilliant Flash of Understanding

The understanding of Revelation 7:9-17 was about to shine forth in sparkling brilliance. (Psalm 97:11) The Watchtower had expressed the hope that a convention scheduled for May 30 to June 3, 1935, in Washington, D.C., U.S.A., would be “a real comfort and benefit” to those pictured by Jehonadab. And that it proved to be!

In a stirring talk on “The Great Multitude,” delivered to about 20,000 conventioners, J. F. Rutherford presented Scriptural proof that the modern-day “other sheep” are identical with that “great crowd” of Revelation 7:9. (John 10:16) At the climax of this talk, the speaker asked: “Will all those who have the hope of living forever on the earth please stand?” As a large part of the audience stood up, Rutherford declared: “Behold! The great multitude!” There was a hush, followed by loud cheering. On the following day, 840 new Witnesses of Jehovah were baptized, most of these professing to be of the great crowd. “The Watchtower May 1, 2001 pp.14-15 “Behold! The Great Crowd”

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Great Crowd Misidentification

According to the WTS the Great Crowd of Revelation 7 began forming early in the 20th century. They are scripturally identified as individuals who come out of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:14). However, as WT teaching dictates that the Tribulation is still future, none of the existing GC members have experienced the Tribulation. That means that those 20 years old at the Washington convention in 1935 when bro. Rutherford made his famous identification, are over 100 years old today.

sir82

So I would say that unless and until the great crowd teaching is discarded or seriously modified, the "single generation" is (implicitly) still very much alive and well inasmuch as a core doctrine of the JW faith was conceived and formulated under that rubric.

There has been no change to the official teaching.

However, 1935 is virtually never mentioned anymore.

The "great crowd began to be selected in 1935" doctrine is dying a quiet death, very similar to how the "each creative day was exactly 7000 years long" doctrine died a quiet death. It just stopped being mentioned at all in the late 80's, and now virtually no one under the age of 50 remembers it.

TD

The "great crowd began to be selected in 1935" doctrine is dying a quiet death, very similar to how the "each creative day was exactly 7000 years long" doctrine died a quiet death. It just stopped being mentioned at all in the late 80's, and now virtually no one under the age of 50 remembers it.

I think you're absolutely right on that. At last year's Memorial, the Patterson speaker actually misquoted a Watchtower to avoid using the term, "great crowd." There was absolutely no mention of the term by the local yokel this year either.

It still boggles my mind that JW's seem willing to accept the idea of an entire class of Christians who do not attain some form of salvation. What would be the point of being Christian in the first place?

WingCommander

@ Fedup:

"After congratulating me, all he could say is, "don't worry, we're really close now."

^^ That right there, really shows how controlled and misled they are. Sure, we're closer now than ever before to the end. The end of this week, this month, this year, our lives, the Sun becoming a Red Giant and consuming the entire planet. Closer than ever before!

These people are delusional and totally brainwashed. It's like, instead of time passing them by and proving to them that they were conned, it instead somehow proves it all RIGHT! It's incredibly mentally frustrating and sad.

I really feel for you. But congratulations on your "soon" being a Grandparent! Any day now, like August! :)

OnTheWayOut

Nice opening post. WOW, even though so many were never supposed to graduate high school or grow old, they went on to become grandparents and now, even since their abandoning of the 1914 generation, babies have been born into this religion who have already had babies of their own.

Darryl

I was in high school in the mid 80's and I remember vividly the teaching about this generation the one which were alive in 1914 would by no means pass away. I don't know if it's been mentioned here but does anyone remember the added kicker to that teaching? Not only the ones who were alive but you actually had to be old enough to know what was going on in the world. There was a lot of speculation as to exactly how old that would be but many people thought anywhere from 7-10 and the society certainly didn't discourage that thinking. So the generation born between 1904 and 1907 or 112 years ago apparently is still going strong. Oh wait they never said that that's right

Another generation....