My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
PG Jan. 2014
My 60 year old TBM [true believing Mormon] in laws are starting to freak out because they should be retiring but didn't plan for it, and I'm certain it's because they thought they would be sitting in the Celestial Kingdom surrounded by their six kids (that they couldn't afford) by now.
A TBM retiring woman in my office mentioned today that she and her husband just didn't think they would ever have to worry about retirement because the world would have ended by then.
Whoopsies!
This lack of planning and common sense baffles me.
Guess I better get the guest room ready...
lostinutah
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
Not unusual, even in non-TBMS, though the reasons may differ.
And yeah, a common religious excuse for not taking care of the environment - it's all gonna end soon anyway.
CA girl
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
That was my mom when I was growing up. My dad is big on saving and investing but my mom would splurge on us with the comment "Well, by the time we are ready to retire, the banks will have probably failed anyway so we might as well enjoy it now as lose it later." I believe she thought bank failure would proceed the second coming - she always focused more on the horrors that would fill the earth in the last days than the actual Coming of the Lord.
BTW, they are in their mid-70s now and very comfortable, thanks to my dad having common sense and not buying into the Mormon hysteria.
nickname
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
That reminds me of all those people who bought into Harold Camping's end of the world hysteria, and wasted all of their savings buying advertising space to warn people, since they clearly weren't going to ever get to use that money...
PG
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
It's also great that my father in law is a bishop and is technically qualified to give people financial advice (and I'm sure he does).
Turns out paying tithing and buying into various pyramid schemes (pitched by wealthy smoke-and-mirrors Mormons) isn't the smartest retirement plan even if it's what the Spirit prompted you to do.
Maybe this is common everywhere, but I certainly see a lot off baby boomer TBMs in SE Idaho crapping their pants.
The Holy Spearmint
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
My parents gave me zero retirement advice. In fact, they gave me zero practical financial advise at all. Pay your tithing and the Lord will provide...
NormaRae
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
Ya know, maybe that's why my parents thought retiring early to serve a mission, and giving any assets they had to depend on for retirement to the church was a good idea. In 1990 they may have never thought they'd see 2014. Many Mormons honestly believed the year 2000 was going to be the end of the world.
I know that when I was a teen, I was so worried about the fact that we were the chosen generation and all the end of days tribulation was going to occur during my lifetime, that I would cry thinking any children I had would have to endur all those wars and famines. I was never worried about myself, I was worried about having to watch children or grandchildren be hurt or starving.
Stupid cult.
Chloe
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
That's because such an attitude was fostered by many church leaders at the time.
The church would deny it now but I remember it well.
karin
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
My dad says his kids are all doing well because he paid his tithing. My husband and I busted our butts trying to make ends meet. he even went back to school on his RRSP (and some of mine). I ended up with a bad case of OCD where I've thrown out thousands of dollars worth of 'contaminated' shoes, clothes, toys etc. I couldn't pack our stuff fast enuf during a move to our current house because I had to wash everything first and so didn't get to the kitchen things. We left lots behind. I threw out a working washer because it had mold in the rim (the front loader kind, before the put the drain holes in the front of it). I could go on. I worked damn hard in my therapy to become functional again.
But nope, it's not our hard work that got us where we are, it's my dad paying all his tithing, building funds etc. etc. etc.
Thanks, dad.
karin
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
fortunately my parents have retirement funds etc. and they live on their own and are quite healthy. Because I am not having my abusive mother live with me. Their church can provide for them, as they have provided for the church.
jpt
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
A bit off topic... but the big "Oh Sh*t, Nothing Happened, What Will We Do Now?" Award goes to the 1975 Jehovah's Witnesses.
Many left. The Society blamed the remaining members for being too zealous, and they bounced back. Funny how that worked. An example of obvious failure where many members refused to consider the Society's validity, and stayed with it regardless.
baura
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
The second coming will not be in this generation.
This will always be the case.
gannosu
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
Oh yes, the JWs I remember that well in 1975, most of them that I knew were sure the end was coming in that year. Nothing happened, their excuse, "well there were some that believed the end was coming but it was not official." No big deal.
utahmonomore
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
Why do you have to get YOUR guest room ready. They failed to plan and their failing to plan does not mean you have to rescue them. They have their SSI so let them live off of that. I wouldn't let them live with me. If you do that they will hound you to adjust to their lifestyle, and have their cult friends over, and it will never stop. Put your foot down now before its too late.
donbagley
I got the same awful treatment from my father
His finances were all secret, and he had nothing to advise me other than to pay tithing. I'm sure glad I didn't listen to him.
cl2
It isn't just tithing that causes this or being mormon
I have no retirement. I went through a horrible "divorce"--some pretty devastating years financially. We were the "wealthiest" in both families when he left. I'm sure he has plenty put away and I'm sure he'll "take care" of me with it. He has a pension, too.
But I'll probably work until the day I die because of him leaving me and I don't like being taken care of.
I'd bet if you asked many people on this board what divorce did to them financially, they'd say the same thing. My boyfriend will also be working until he dies because of his divorce. And he earns 2 to 3 times what my ex earns.
madalice
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
There were 3 TBM families in my last ward that spent all of their home equity and retirement funds on an MLM. They're in their 60's now.Their houses went back to the bank, and they all moved away to go live with their children in Utah. IMO, that's a very bad retirement plan. I can see how it could prevent their children from having a sufficient retirement plan.
Chicken N. Backpacks
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
It was, however, the year that Disco hit big. So maybe....
Meanwhile, back on topic, does anyone have any written church material or recall speeches that talk Second Coming in the era from the '60's thru 2000? I still have some JW(?) lit' from 1977 that goes into great detail about Armageddon happening in about '78 or so.
raiku
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
Good for him :)
glad they are ok despite it all
raiku
Re: My in-laws have no retirement and the Second Coming hasn't happened
Just like Jehovah's witnesses leaders kept prophecying the end of the world every few years, although they started to taper off later.
This is quite a list:
http://carm.org/jehovahs-witnesses-and-their-many-false-prophecies
For the 1941 one, some JW were mad they were told the end of the world was coming, and so never had children before going off to war, and thus ended up never having children at all.
Cults wreak lives.
TDWMB
but the Church got 10%
"Recovery from Mormonism - www.exmormon.org"