by dins 39 Replies latest jw friends
I have a vivid memory of 1975 even though I was only 6 years old. I remember the whispers and the fervor surrounding the year. I even had an uncle who marked his calendar every day with big red Xs proclaiming that he couldn't wait for "this evil system of things to end."
Funny now how the Borg disclaims anything to do with that event.
Where were you?
Diana
diana,
in 1975, i was, for the first 3.5 months, in my mothers womb, hehe. so i have no memory of 1975 and never realized it's importance or signifigance to jws until i started surfing the internet three or so years ago. and WOW! i was shocked. so how could a born-a-dub with parents who converted in 1974 (prolly the height of the push to baptize as many interested ones or studies as possible...) have grown up hearing nothing, and i mean NOTHING about 1975 until after i had been out of the dubs for sometime? easy, the WTS are liars and like any good propaganda machine, will cover their asses.
damn the wts....
love
harmony
"If God has spoken, why is the world not convinced?"
..........Percy Bysshe Shelley, English poet (1792-1822)
In 1975 I was a free man. I drove around in one of these:
Englishman.
..... fanaticism masquerading beneath a cloak of reasoned logic.
And in 1976 he was booked on Grand Theft Auto.
Love ya,
Lisa
First post, please be gentle.
In 1975 I was a sophomore in high school, diligently letting those classmates who would still listen to me that their time on this earth was shortly to be ended (unless they did the right thing and became loyal jw's, of course).
Even now, all these years later, these memories make me sick at my stomach. What a piece of work I must have been. The few school (non-jw) friends I had at the time were indulgent with me and let me have my say; to the rest I was just a looney.
It took another 12 years to leave, but the bad feelings linger on.
I remember we were getting some kind of special tracts released in the couple of years prior to 1975 and a pioneer sister in our congregation opined that if the tracts in the series were to be released every three months we would get our last one in the autumn of '75! Amazing!!!
The sad thing is, I really, really believed. There was no doubt in my closed little mind. I used to read and re-read that red book (Life Everlasting something, something??) with the chart which ended in 1975. Surely the mind that could come up with that foolproof chronology could not be wrong. Arghhhhhh.
Thanks for nothing. I haven't thought about some of these things in years. :)
For the first 41 days of 1975, I was in the womb (I guess this makes me a little older than you, PLH! ) My parents converted in 1977, so I managed to squeeze in two birthdays before my life was cast in the grim shadow of Jehover's Organization.
I did, from time to time, hear about the 1975 mess, but it was always said that certain unfaithful ones started false rumors and eventually left because of teachings that did not originate from the Faithful Slave (tm).
So, I was under the impression that a small sect or cult of crazy people broke off from the larger sect or cult to which I belonged. They were rebellious, independent-minded, and most of all, really really stupid for believing the end would come in '75, especially when the Organization never said it would!
Imagine my surprise last summer when I finally researched the stuff for myself.
Dedalus
I was baptized in the fall of 1973, the year I graduated from college. I had started an informal study the year before with a friend who had become a witness. That spring and summer I did the usual routine; formal study, commenting a meetings, going out in service etc. I was living in Pullman, a small, isolated college community in Eastern Washington. The congregation there was a very close knit group, and I thought I was hooking up with a group of real Christians. (In the spring of 1972 I had become a Christian, but had little actual knowledge of the Bible.)
The sense of the approaching end of the world permeated witness culture at the time. There was also an emphasis on how successfully the WTS had interpreted Bible prophecy. Here are a few representative quotes:
“When the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him.” Deuteronomy 18:22
“Consider too, the fact that Jehovah’s organization alone, in all the Earth, is directed by God’s Holy Spirit or active force. Only God by His Holy Spirit could have revealed this to those early Bible Students so far in advance.” WT 7/1/73
“Jehovah’s Witnesses today make their declaration of the good news under angelic direction and support; and since no word or work of Jehovah can fail, for He is God Almighty, the nations will see the fulfillment of what these witnesses say as directed from Heaven.” WT 4/1/72
“So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come? These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet? This prophet was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as ‘International Bible Students.’ Today they are known as ‘Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses.’ Of course it is easy to say that this group acts as a Prophet of God; it is another thing to prove it. The only way this can be done is to review the record. What does it show?” “They Will Know That a Prophet Was Among Them.” WT 4/1/72
Books, Magazines, talks: all emphasized the nearness of the end. It was the dominant conversation topic around the hall. Again, a few representative quotes:
“According to this trustworthy Bible chronology six thousand years from man’s creation will end in 1975, and the seventh period of a thousand years of human history will begin in the fall of 1975 CE” (Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. 1966 p 28)
“So in not many years within our own generation we are reaching what Jehovah God could view as the seventh day of man’s existence.” (Ibid.)
“How appropriate it would be for Jehovah God to make of this coming seventh period of a thousand years a sabbath period of rest and release, a great Jubilee sabbath for the proclaiming of liberty throughout the earth to all its inhabitants! This would be most timely for mankind. It would also be most fitting on God’s part, for, remember mankind has yet ahead of it what the last book of the Holy Bible speaks of as the reign of Jesus Christ over the earth for a thousand years, the millennial reign of Christ. Prophetically Jesus Christ, when on earth nineteen centuries ago, said concerning himself: ‘For Lord of the Sabbath is what the Son of Man is.’ (Matthew 12:8) It would not be by mere chance or accident but would be according to the loving purpose of Jehovah God for the reign of Jesus Christ, the ‘Lord of the Sabbath’ to run parallel with the seventh millennium of man’s existence. (Ibid. p 30)
“Hence, the fact that we are nearing the end of the first 6,000 years of man’s existence is of great significance.
“Does God’s rest day parallel the time man has been on earth since his creation? Apparently so. From the most reliable investigations of Bible chronology, harmonizing with many accepted dates of secular history, we find that Adam was created in the autumn of the year 4026 B.C.E. Some time in that same year Eve could well have been created, directly after which God’s rest day commences. In what year, then would the first 6,000 years of man’s existence and also the first 6,000 of God’s rest day come to an end? The year 1975. This is worthy of notice, particularly in view of the fact that the ‘last days’ began in 1914, and that the physical facts of our day in fulfillment of prophecy mark this as the last generation of this wicked world. So we can expect the immediate future to be filled with thrilling events for those who rest their faith in God and his promises. It means that within relatively few years we will witness the fulfillment of the remaining prophecies that have to do with the ‘time of the end’” (Awake 10/8/66 p 19,20)
“The immediate future is certain to be filled with climactic events, for this old system is nearing its complete end. Within a few years at most the final parts of Bible prophecy relative to these ‘last days’ will undergo fulfillment, resulting in the liberation of surviving mankind into Christ’s glorious 1,000 year reign.” (WT 5/1/68)
“The fact that fifty-four years of the period called the ‘last days’ have already gone by is highly significant. It means that only a few years at most remain before the corrupt system of things dominating the earth is destroyed by God.” (Awake! 10/8/68 p 13)
“There is another way that helps us confirm that we are living in the final few years of this ‘time of the end.’ (Dan. 12:9) The Bible shows that we area nearing the end of a full 6,000 years of human history.” (Ibid. p 14)
“More recently earnest researchers of the Holy Bible have made a recheck of its chronology. According to their calculations the six millenniums of mankind’s life on earth would end in the mid-seventies. Thus the seventh millennium from man’s creation by Jehovah God would begin within less than ten years.
“In order for the Lord Jesus Christ to be ‘Lord of the Sabbath day’ his thousand year reign would have to be the seventh in a series of thousand year periods or millenniums. (Matt 12:8 AV) Thus it would be a sabbatic reign.” The Approaching Peace of a Thousand Years. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1969)
“So, as we draw close to the completion of six thousand years of human existence during this decade, there is a the thrilling hope that a grand Sabbath of rest and relief is in sight.” (Awake 10/8/71)
This last quote was accompanied by a chart showing seven one thousand year periods beginning with man’s creation. The date 1914 is marked near the end of the sixth period. The seventh period is labeled “Millennial reign of Jesus Christ?” If the question mark was meant to convey the idea that this was speculation it was not clear from the context.
“In view of the short period of time left, we want to do this (pioneer service) as often as circumstances permit. Just think, brothers, there are only about ninety months left before the 6000 years of man’s existence on earth is completed.” (Kingdom Ministry March 1968)
“Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world’s end.” (Kingdom Ministry May 1974)
“One thing is absolutely certain, Bible chronology reinforced with fulfilled prophecy shows that six thousand years of man’s existence will soon be up, yes, within this generation! (Matt. 24:34) This is, therefore no time to be indifferent and complacent. This is not the time to be toying with the words of Jesus that ‘concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.’ (Matt 24:36) To the contrary, it is a time when one should be keenly aware that the end of this system of things is rapidly coming to its violent end. Make no mistake, it is sufficient that the Father himself knows both day and the hour.” (WT 8/15/68)
The quotes from WTS sources do not begin to demonstrate the “buzz” that was going around. Here is one personal example I remember vividly. At the big international (five days if I remember right) convention held in the summer of 1975 there was a drama about the destruction of Jericho. Special emphasis was placed on the fact that the Israelites marched around the city silently for six days. Immediately following that was a talk announcing the release of a new pamphlet. It was one of those things where everyone there knew the talk was connected to the drama. So they announced that in September we would be taking these pamphlets around and blanketing as many houses as possible, and we’d do this on every three months. No call back records or anything else would be kept.
So that night a bunch of us are sitting around talking and “sister k” says she figured out that if we did this every three months the seventh time would be in the fall of 1975. We spent the rest of the night talking about how the fact that we weren’t going to be talking was just like the Israelites being silent, and Jericho was just like the old system etc. Funny thing was fifteen years later, as we were in the process of leaving I mentioned this to “sister k.” She says “oh, nobody ever said anything like that.
In the summer of 1974 the society released the “Eternal Purpose” book. It had a longer title that escaped me at the moment. One chapter was devoted to how starting 3,000 years after Adam’s creation the light should begin to get brighter as we were half way through God’s rest day. There followed a bunch of nonsense showing how this was working. Again the clear implication pointed to 1975.
I final thought. In my opinion the WTS has never taken full responsibility for this, unless it came out after I left. If some one was speculating out of turn, as they first tried to claim, the society did nothing to counteract it. The only statements I’ve seen on the matter have been wishy-washy, and the society still insists that all witnesses follow every one of their pronouncements absolutely, all the time.
In 1975 i was 17. I remember being a little kid in 1968, 1969 when the assemblies concentrated on the coming persecution and counting up on my fingers to see how old I would be when the tribulation started.
By 1975 I was unconvinced the end was coming. I applied to attend Georgia's summer program for gifted students called the Governor's Honors Program. My mother freaked out. She was convinced Armageddon would come while I was away from home.
Well, I won and got to attend the program in Mathematics. I was nominated in Math and History and chose to try to go in Math. 6 of the best weeks of my life. But boy when I got home I was MARKED by the other young people in the congregation because they had all quit high school to pioneer.
A lot of people made a lot of stupid decisions that year.
hugs
Joel
Spent the first 9 months of 1975 in the womb; when I was young, I remember my parents always talking about the "significance of 1975..." and for the longest time, I thought it was b/c I was born that year!
=)
Reagan
I am the master of my fate/I am the captain of my soul.
I was not thought of in 1975..........
I was born in 1979. Like many of you, I did not hear anything about the 1975 date until I started to do my own research on the internet. I asked an Elder about the failed prophecy of 1975.....he said it was NOT a WT teaching. He said it was started by apostates to discredit God's chosen organization. It seems sad that so many people are lied to.........................
