I took the "1914 Generation" prophecy seriously. Did you?

by nicolaou 48 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  itsallgoodnow

  The thing that makes me the most angry is because of it I didn't plan for my future and was never taught properly about money and work, no education, no IRA (which would be worth close to $85K now, but loses me over $350,000 when I'm 65). My ex's parents don't own a thing and they are in their mid 60's, totally dependent on their kids and own nothing. Everyone will go in debt just to put them in the ground...oh, but the end will come before that, right?

  It's like a big chunk of the normal social development the rest of the world got is missing. We have to play catch up constantly, but fortunately for us we were taught to learn so well, it's easy to "fake it".

  I think that is the thing that cost me the most, not losing contacts, blah blah blah, but my future I could have had.

  Yeah, I hear you. It makes me so depressed and angry to even think about this, I can't even think about it any more. Now I'm trying to tell myself things will get better (trading self pity for delusion maybe?)Other people I open up to about it don't seem to get it so it's not even something I can use to explain my underacheiver status to them.

  I just had to face it that I had screwed it all up (with help from the parents) and I couldn't worry about that too much, but focus on what's ahead and what's possible for me now. The game's not over yet.
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  melmac

  I took it as coming straight from God's mouthpiece!

  Edited to add:

  UncleBruce, you seem to be a nice fella to listen to!
• 

  RunningMan

  Yep, every New Year's eve, I would mentally compute the age of the 1914 generation, adding another year to the countdown. It had to be that much closer. I know there are many others who did the same thing.
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  Mastodon

  20 years I spent in that god-forsaken organization, and not one thing I took seriously about it, never, ever, never...
• 

  Balsam

  Uncle Bruce,

  LOL that was outstanding. You certainly were zealous. I came into the JW in 1971 at age 20. My then JW husband and I moved across the USA to the south to preach, pioneer. Boy what experiences we had. Couldn't support ourselves so had to give up on pioneering dream. But spent 29 years preaching and teaching the JW way. I got a gun stuck in my face, bit by dogs, fell through porches, but had moments of laughter and good times with other JW as we swapped stories in the door to door. I absolutely believed 1975 would bring the end, but it didn't. Then I just was in the habit and kept at it another 26 years while I was raising our children as good little j-dubs. Crazy years, mixed with sad time and happy times. Can't say it was all bad, but the pressure was horrific after having children, caring for my aging parents, and here the end hadn't come. Whew I am so glad I woke up to the fact it was all baloney.

  Balsam
• 

  upside/down

  Reasoning Book p.234 "Last Days"- says, "...The present wicked system of things, which extends worldwide, entered its last days in 1914, and some of the generation alive then will also be on hand to witness its complete end in the "great tribulation." (italics mine)

  We all bought it!

  I think what happens is they convince us of "Rule 1" and the "Big 3". Jehovah is GOD! and there is no " trinity, no "hellfire" and no "immortality of the soul." Then they throw in "the Paradise". And there you have the "cherry on the sunday."

  At this point most of us "sheeplike" ones are CONVINCED and no longer require the "proof" we had needed originally. I mean after all "God's" people would never lie to us- right? So we just accept it on "faith", and even if someone is to point out errors, we cling to "well at least they are right on "Rule#1" and "The Big 3"."

  This was all fine and good till TIME RAN OUT. Now we have dilemma- Continue to trudge ahead blindly against all reason or re-examine our belief structure and the Bible to see what was really meant and ADJUST our thinking. WE WERE WRONG!!

  I don't understand why the WTS can't just admit it (Well now I do understand). If need be start from scratch. Now that I could respect!

  u/d
• 

  unclebruce

  Wow Balsam - you fell through porchs eh! LOL ..damn poor home maintence I say! lol

  It's great to pull something funny out of the insanity of it all.

  Having children 'raised in the truth' must have made a huge difference to the amount of pain you've dealt with on leaving - (I'm lucky - I escaped when my daughters were just 3 and 5 - so was able to fairly quickly deprogram them - for want of a better term)

  best wishes,

  unclebruce

  Let's watch how we walk and watch how we talk, that thus we may be alert and not fall through the porch! buuuying out the oporchtune time...sorry..

  ***

  Melmac said: "I took it as coming straight from God's mouthpiece!"

  Close but no prize Melmac (try another orofice)

  unclebruce of the no class class
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  William Penwell

  unclebruce,

  I can relate to what you are saying.

  In the early 70's the push was on from the WT to not to get a higher education but to go into the full time preaching work. In 1974 I quit school in grade 12 and went preaching because we were convinced that the new system would be here by the end of 1975. I can't say it completely ruined my life because as an adult I have taken responsiblity for my own actions but it did set me back a few years. I went on to take part time studies and upgrade my skills. I may not have the "dream job" but I do OK financailly.

  Will
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  unclebruce

  G'day Will,

  Yes it's more healthy to look back on our zombie time with laughter rather than anger if we can. I am currently struggling through UNI (I have good grades but it's slow going - that damn academic writing is very different to the way what we normally write ;)

  In the 80's the society was fond of saying that a few years reading AWAKE! magazine equals a university education (yeah right - University of Moronia Azabeyjan)

  cheers, unc
• 

  what_Truth?

  It was 1994 when a ministerial servent turned apostate showed me how innacurate the 1914 date was. I remember he was shaking with fear when he told me "watch, sometime in the next 6 months the society is going to find a way to get rid of 1914." Sure enough, a few months later my mom, who was still a practicing JW at the time, calls me up and said "There's been some new light. Turns out 1914 was only a figurative generation". It was at that time I realised once and for all the the org was a pile of shit.