I lived through "1975", serving where the need was greater.
Never heard the "pep rallies".
No more so than we hear at every year's assemblies.
I for one, am glad to hear the urgency in the talks. I actually think there should be MORE urgency. I have been going to assemblies since the late 1950's and look forward to the encouragement to keep the world and its attractions in focus.
My profile says it all - no less.
If you don't read it, you have no idea what I'm saying.
By the way, my second son was born on September 24th, 1975. He was a totally planned pregnancy.
If I thought that the great tribulation was starting in Sept/Oct 1975, and the scriptures talked about "woe to the pregnant woman and those with small children", wouldn't that have been kind of dumb?
Not all of us were as "taken in" as you would like to make everyone out. Most of us practiced what Peter described as "soundness of mind".
I just went to a funeral of a Witness this evening about a hundred miles from my home town. I saw HUNDREDS of Witnesses, MANY who were Witnesses in 1975, and are STILL Witnesses. Some I had not seen for 40 years. A sad occasion, but what a pleasure to see all the faithful ones.
EDIT: CHAMPION -
You need to correct "perversions" or you are the questionable one. A spelling slip or on purpose?
Then we will know. Apostate or not.
EDIT EDIT:
FOR SEEK.
I appreciate your candor. But I was far from inactive. My husband and I wrote and asked for an assignment to serve where the need was great. We were both out of work in Cincinnati in 1973, and realized that we could look for work any place. So why not move? We wanted to have a less "big city" atmosphere to raise our son. So when the WTS gave us three addresses in Kentucky, this was perfect. We went to the top one on the list and knew this was where Jehovah wanted us to be. We moved to KY in August, 1973 with our one year old child - broke but happy.
In December, 1974, we decided we wanted to have a second child, because we did not want our first son and the next child to be too far apart. Two weeks later I knew I was expecting and was thrilled about it.
I started publishing in November, 1958, and I have never lost my zeal to this day. My husband and I wanted to go to Gilead, but his health problems did not allow that.
So we save our money and visit foreign countries as we can. I've been to Mexico twice, Russia twice, Germany twice, and ten other countries. Next year we have South Africa and Dubai arranged.
I was not inactive or brain dead or anything else. I was using a sound mind. As a MATURE Christian.
Like I said - read my profile. It will explain.
EDIT EDIT EDIT
In the book, Life Everlasting in the Freedom of the Sons of God, there was a chart, a chronology chart that took up several pages listing Bible events down to the time of printing. Although the book did not emphasize the year 1975, anyone with the ability to add and subtract could figure out that going forward from the chronology in the book to 1975 would mark the end of 6000 years of mankind's existence on the earth.
I was at the District Assembly when this book was released. And I personally remember Fred Franz' comments on Sunday afternoon - he said that he knew that all of us had taken the time to look at the book with great interest, and that many of us had figured out that just a few years were left till the end of 6000 years of man's existence. BUT he said we SHOULD NOT jump to ANY conclusions that the 6000 years and Armageddon would coincide. He said that there were very many events foretold to happen in the last days and that it was UNLIKELY there was enough time for all of it to occur in that short of a time period. He did point out though that if Jehovah wanted to step in and do miracles to MAKE those things happen in such a short time that he was capable of doing so. But that we should only use the chart to emphasize to us the shortness of time, not to set in our minds or anyone else's minds a date for the great tribulation or Armageddon.
Of course, there were those who attended the same assembly as me and received the same book as me who saw and heard what they wanted to hear. (I see that when some on this site will point to a fact about the WTS and be WAY OFF in left field with it). Some Witnesses allowed their zeal to overule their soundness of mind.
But I will tell you, that the Witnesses that I knew from several states and areas that I was familiar with were NOT of that sort.
We gave up the security of family and the comfortableness of living in a "big city" to go live where the need was great, but that was a personal choice. Did we have to do without certain things? We moved to what I call the "Hatfields and McCoys" area of Kentucky. We were witnessing to people without electricity in 1973! Gravel and mud roads, "picking on the halves" for part of our income (if a person understands what that means) - I could write a book of our years there. People would laugh till they cried! Would I give that up or complain about it? NO WAY! Those were some of the MOST interesting days of my life. And my husband has another year to retire and we are thinking of going back!
People make their life! I live it to the full. Do I have as much money as the next person for retirement? No, because of the truth and the choices I made for it. BUT I am college trained. And I would NOT go back and trade a career or a bigger retirement or a bigger home for what interesting and funny and meaningful times I have had. I said on a recent question on Y/A I have never had a boring minute much less a boring day in the truth.
I will tell you what a Bible student said to me one time. Her mother lived in Michigan, and this took place in KY in the 1990's. Leann said that her mother told her that she should not study with the Witnesses because we were this group who had mass suicides in 1975. In fact, according to her, there were "hundreds" in Detroit alone, running out in front of cars and jumping out of buildings when the "world didn't end in 1975."
So when Leann mentioned this to me on the next study, I asked her to reason on the matter. I mentioned to her about the recent (at the time) suicide of a dozen or so cult members out in California that had committed suicide so Halley's Comet could take them into space for their new home. I said that those dozen deaths made front page headlines not only in the USA but also most every foreign nation with a good news media.
I said as much as her mother may believe what she said, she will find NO headlines of any such thing happening in Detroit or ANY OTHER CITY IN THE WORLD for the Witnesses in 1975. And I assured Leann that as much as people "hate" the Witnesses, if so much as ONE death happened for such a reason, that we would not hear the end of it or see the end of it in print for years to come. But THERE ARE NONE!
Did a few people make unwise choices because of reading something into what is NOT there? Sure. But it was their choice. Good people make bad choices every day. We are facing a downhill economy for that very thing. Jehovah continues to bless and care for good people who have made sacrifices for him, even those who made poor choices if the love remains. "God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name" - Hebrews 6:10
As for the tracts or brochures, I do NOT remember any weekly 7 tracts that we were delivering in the middle of the night. We do tract work at least once a year - either a Memorial tract or another timely tract. In fact, we just got finished with one from mid Oct to mid Nov.
We used a whole month to put out the same tract because we had many copies of the same one. And perhaps that is where the "memory" comes in. So we are out multiple weeks, but with the same copy.
I am as urgent about the work today as I was in 1958, 1966, 1969, 1975, 2000, or 2008. I would hope that all would be that urgent and more if they could.
These are honest words. I was not living with a paper bag over my head. Would I give up all my belongings for the advancement of the truth? Yes I would. And I will someday.