August 10, 1941. The event was the national convention of Jehovah's Witnesses in St. Louis, Missouri. A special new book had been written by then Watch Tower president, Joseph Rutherford and published by the Society. It was titled "Children" and was distributed to thousands of youth at the convention; a book of hope and promise; for witness and instruction for the remaining time left until Armageddon. The September 15, 1941 Watchtower gave the following credence to the book.
"Receiving the gift the marching children clasped it to them, not a toy or plaything for idle pleasure, but the Lord's instrument for most effective work in the remaining months before Armageddon."
Two main characters are introduced, namely John and Eunice; and after completing four years of extended education are presented as Jehovah's Witnesses of wisdom and impeccable character at the tender ages of 20 and 18 years respectively.
As John and Eunice in conversation intermittently throughout the book, plan their marriage and family life, where do they receive wisdom and counsel? Page 214 tells us.
"John dear, don't you think we should have the Watchtower and study it regularly, that we might be informed of the unfolding of Jehovah's prophecies?" "It is published twice each month. We shall have it Eunice."
And what wise counsel is given from the Lord's provided instrument? One example is found on page 151.
"All the facts show that the woes beginning have continued to increase upon the earth, and at the present time the distress and woes are greater than ever before known and this indicates that Armageddon is very near."
And the most important question. What consequential life altering decision do John and Eunice make as a result? The following advice is given on page 312.
"Should men and women both of whom are Jonadabs or 'other sheep' of the Lord, now marry before Armageddon and bring forth children? They may choose to do so, but the admonition or advice of the Scriptures appears to be against it."
Their decision is made on page 366.
"Our hope is that within a few years our marriage may be consummated, and by the Lord's grace we shall have sweet children that will be an honor to the Lord. We can well defer our marriage until lasting peace comes to the earth. Now we must add nothing to our burdens, but be free and equipped to serve the Lord. When the Theocracy is in full sway it will not be burdensome to have a family."
Now, let's think about this for a minute. If John and Eunice are to be seen as representative of how young people should think and act, and were 20 and 18 years of age in 1941, then in 2015 they would be approaching their mid 90's, assuming that they were still alive of course.
Clearly, Armageddon did not come! They would still be waiting. It is staggering to think what a debilitating influence this could have upon so many. Does this sound like wise counsel to you? Does it sound like God's plan or man's? (Proverbs 24: 3-4)
It is seen from Scripture that marriage and the true church are to be parallels of intrinsic faithfulness, holiness, hope, and joy, in devotion to God, one giving meaning to the other, and are to be entered into, encouraged, and edified, even to this day. (Ephesians 5: 22-33) And may I say that Jesus still loves the little children with all His heart and is emphatic that they should be brought to Him, as long as this age of grace is allowed to continue. (Matthew 19: 14-15)
Far be it for any person or organization to falsely determine the will and timing that is in the hands of God alone and lead many astray, and many who were so young!
Adapted from the folk song, 'Where Have All The Flowers Gone?' by Pete Seeger
chillyD
20.02.2016 00:47
I really liked the music on this page, good work! The question still remains, will the Watchtower ever learn to accept their mistakes and change for truth?
Latest comments
14.09 | 00:17
Is it your intent to share your faith with me? I'm a devout Latter-day Saint.
30.06 | 17:21
Let's add, the keys to Death and Hades (Revelation 1:18) the key of David (Rev. 3:7) the key of knowledge (Luke 11:52) and the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matt.16:19) only given to Simon/Peter.
24.05 | 06:04
Intuitive
10.02 | 23:31
Checked out the great video. 👍 Thumbs up!
The Mormon Religion was officially founded by Joseph Smith Jr. on April 6. 1830 after the Book of Mormon (BOM) was published in that same year.
Joseph Smith Jr. was born in Vermont on December 23, 1805. He claimed that when he was 14, he received a vision from God the Father and Jesus Christ in a grove of trees near his home where he received instructions not to join any of the Christian churches because they were all wrong.
Three years later, Smith claimed that an angel named Moroni (a character found in the BOM) appeared to him in his bedroom whom he said revealed to him that he was selected to translate "Reformed Egyptian" (a language that does not exist) from gold plates into old English. These plates were supposedly hidden near Palmyra, New York and are said to be written around the 4th century. The BOM was named after Moroni’s father, Mormon. Mormons view the BOM as sacred. No one is able to study the original plates because Joseph Smith claimed the angel took them back on May 2, 1838 (History of the Church 1:60).
Smith had a scribe named Cowdery. Smith did not actually translate directly from any plates. Rather, in his writings, he said he placed a "seer stone" in a hat and covered any light from entering it as he placed his face in the hat. According to Martin Harris, “By aid of the seer stone, sentences would appear and were read by the Prophet . . . , and when finished he would say, ‘Written,’ and if correctly written, that sentence would disappear and another appear in its place, but if not written correctly it remained until corrected,” Smith said, “By the power of God I translated the Book of Mormon from hieroglyphics".
Despite such methods of translation, there have been at least 3,913 changes made in the BOM from the time it was first published. Joseph Smith stated, “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” Smith also claimed that John the Baptist appeared to him on May 15, 1829 while he was translating the BOM, and instructed him to restore the church by preaching the only true gospel.
Mormons regard the BOM as sacred writings, and view it in higher standing than that of the Holy Bible. Mormon Missionaries will ask you to pray that it is true. (See our page Pray to Know)