I was not a Jehovah’s Witness at the time, but the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society published those words eighteen days before I graduated from high school. Today I am sixty-five. I’m on Medicare and collecting Social Security. So much for never growing old.
The article went on to state “Of the generation that observed the beginning of the 'last days' in 1914, Jesus foretold: 'This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.' Therefore, as a young person, you will never fulfill any career that this system offers. If you are in high school and thinking about a college education, it means at least four, perhaps even six or eight more years to graduate into a specialized career. But where will this system of things be by that time? It will be well on the way towards its finish, if not actually gone!”
This one article published forty-seven years ago, neatly demonstrates what is wrong with the Watchtower Organization: it requires its believers to accept this nonsense, and act on it. How many people who, like me, were young then and are now approaching their “golden years,” read this and acted as if it was a solid foundation for life? How many put aside chances for education and advancement, chances for a real and rewarding life? They read this and thought that they were obeying commands from God when they accepted menial jobs so they could preach a false hope to the rest of the world.
How many now struggle to put a roof over their heads and food on the table because they did not build a foundation for life in their later years? The July 2016 study edition of The Watchtower shows how the Governing Body views the problem. “Take the case of José and Rose, who have served Jehovah full-time for over 65 years. Over the years, they have had to care for Rose’s father, who needed around-the-clock attention. Also, José had to endure cancer surgery and chemotherapy. Has Jehovah extended his right hand to this faithful couple? Yes, but how? Through Tony and Wendy, a couple in the congregation who made an apartment available to them. Tony and Wendy wanted to offer it rent-free to full-time pioneers.”
The Watchtower article calls this arrangement a provision from Jehovah. No, it is not a provision from Jehovah. It is a provision from Tony and Wendy. The Governing Body refuses to accept any responsibility for the effects of its teachings, and expects others to clean up the mess. If Jose and Rose had pursued careers that actually paid them for their work, they would be able to live much more comfortably now.
Fortunately, my wife and I broke free of the Watchtower in 1988. Although I’d turned down a chance to go to graduate school in the hype over 1975, I did return to school in the early Eighties, against the advice of the elders. Looking back, this marked the beginning of my exit from the Watchtower. Thankfully, I had reasonably good career, and I’m able to live comfortably. Many, who never managed to separate from the Watchtower Society, are not so well off.
Given the Governing Body’s refusal to accept responsibility for the lives it has hampered or destroyed, I believe I have an obligation to continue to warn those that might fall into its traps. To that end, I expect to start serializing a new novel on my blog. I know I tried this before and it didn’t work out. This time I have a draft manuscript completed. I’m editing now and expect to start publishing it here in the near future. In the meantime, I’m probably going to put up some background notes as I made up a religion for the purpose of the book(s). I concocted my own religion because I believe that the issues I raise are bigger than one organization.
I hope you’ll enjoy it, and I hope it opens some eyes to the dangers of high-control religions.
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You are a very smart man, Mr. Thomas!!
ReplyDeleteBetsy