For anyone who wants to be free of Watchtower thinking but still thinks that maybe they should stay with the organization.........scared that maybe they do have the truth.......this was the final straw for me and it did not have to do with anything I read on the "bad Internet" or apostate literature. It is very simple and very overlooked.
1975
Let me explain. When I decided to give the Watchtower Society another chance as an adult and at a congregation in a whole different state from the one I grew up in and where I was not related to anyone, I asked one of the local elders what ever happened with 1975? They said "what do you mean?". I said "well, when I was growing up I was always told I would never go to school or get married, have children, because Armageddon was coming in 1975. Well, it never came and I was wondering what happened in the organization after it did not come when announced?" This is what the elder told me, "Oh, that. That happened to be just a rumor started by a few over-zealous witnesses who thought it would come then. Don't be worried about that."
I actually accepted this answer even though I was born in 1970, and my great-grandmother was of the anointed and most of my family were elders and elders wives, missionaries, etc. And, I know I went to assemblies where they announced it was coming and that we all need to be prepared. I was told for five years that I would never go to school and the closer it came every time we would have a very bad thunderstorm we thought the end was coming, this was it as foretold. I knew that my family did not make it up. They never said anything or believed anything unless the "Society" said it first. And, I also know that neither did any of the other "spiritually strong" witnesses. But, yet, I still accepted this answer??!! I just said Oh, OK and moved on towards studying with the witnesses again and becoming regular again etc. I never bothered to look it up on the Watchtower CD. It was all right there. But, being brought up to be obedient, I never double-checked what an elder had told me.
How could I let someone tell me that something that big did not happen when I was there??!! I experienced it!! It was a very traumatic time for our little family in 1973-1975. My mother was early twenties and three children under 5 years old and one baby on the way. She was very frightened and anxious most of the time. This of course had a large affect on us.
But, five years later when the same doubts and questions popped up again I decided to look up 1975 on the Watchtower CD. It was all right there the whole time in black and white. Numerous times the Society had said to prepare, the end is coming. All signs point to the date of 1975. 6,000 years.
It was clear to me that they had prophesied falsely.
Did they apologize formally for giving these false hopes? What about all the families who had given up everything because of the Society's advice? The least they could do was to say sorry we were wrong. Did they?! No!!. Nothing. Instead now they tell new people who question it, that it was just some over-zealous brother or sister that started a rumor. They actually blame the same people who have been so loyal to them through this whole ordeal.
That did it for me. I reasoned: if they were a prophet at all then they were a false prophet based on the scriptures in Deut. on false prophets. And, if they were not a prophet at all, therefore exempt from the Deut. scriptures, then why should I listen to them at all anyway?
This to me seemed all too simple. No need to involve any former members or "apostate" literature. The Bible is very clear on what a false prophet is and to not be frightened by them or listen to them. It is also clear on the fact that there Will be false prophets.
I know that is not an easy thing to swallow. Finding out the organization that you love and the friends that you have could be wrong, but that is something we will just have to get over. Get sad, then get angry (perhaps), but then move on. Your spiritual life deserves more, you deserve more. And, there is a lot more. Listen, if the society could be wrong about something that big then they are probably wrong about a lot of other things and it deserves your attention.
Just in case you are unaware, 1975 was not the first prophecy foretold by someone of the organization. If you have a Proclaimers Book you might want to look up Joseph Rutherford and 1925. He foretold that Millions Now Living Would Never Die and (pg. 78) "that 1925 will mark the return (from the dead) of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old....to the condition of human perfection." The Proclaimers book goes on to say (still pg. 78) "Not only was the resurrection of faithful men of old expected in 1925 but some hoped that anointed Christians might receive their heavenly reward in that year." "The year 1925 came and went. Some abandoned their hope. But the vast majority of the Bible Students (bible students-also known as russellites) remained faithful."
The Proclaimers Book pg. 76 gives a picture of Beth-Sarim. Beth-Sarim was the house in San Diego built with money contributed by J. Rutherford's followers and was built and maintained for the resurrected Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which J. Rutherford said would be in 1925. The Proclaimers Book goes on to say (pg. 76 in caption) "This view was adjusted in 1950, when further study of the Scriptures indicated that those earthly forefathers of Jesus Christ would be resurrected after Armageddon.-See "The Watchtower," November 1, 1950, pages 414-17."
If you like wikipedia it has some great information on Beth-Sarim. I had never heard of this before and was very surprising and enlightening to me.
Also, good to note that each time a date was set for the beginning of Armageddon (1925, 1975) the society's numbers grew tremendously. But, then after the date came and went and nothing happened the numbers fell drastically. What we have to remember though is that those numbers are people. Human beings. What did they go through due to these false hopes. And, what happened to the children that were raised in this atmosphere? It has been devastating for many. But, yet the society wants to sweep it under the carpet. Lets just be quiet about it and hope it just blows over. Is that the Loving way to handle this. God is Love and I don't feel like love was the motivating factor behind the false hopes or the cover up afterwards. Do you? That is why I had to leave. I cant stand by and watch another "adjusted view" like "this generation". Just because there was not a specific date attached it was still another prophecy gone bad. It is time to wake up and be honest. Look at the numbers. The number of anointed is growing. But, we were told that the number should be going down as we approach Armageddon. It must be due to all those over-zealous ones who want to partake but are not really anointed. Just my opinion.
I hope this article has been helpful. Please keep reading, please keep researching, keep your senses and be discerning!!
