My prediction?
They will dump 1914 at some point. And they'll replace it with a new eschatology.
But to keep the masses happy, they'll place birthdays into a conscience area.
Anticipating future changes in the organisation - crystal ball gazing
by yadda yadda 2 35 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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EndofMysteries
If history teaches us anything, after Rutherfords failed 1925 prediction and the MASS exodus of like 75 to 90% by the early 90's, there will still be suckers who stay around thinking the GB is their mediator.
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Phizzy
I know what you mean Agno, it seems unblelievable that they would have the gall, the barefaced cheek,to do that sort of thing.
But I firmly believe that they hold the Rank and File JW's in such contempt that they believe they can shovel any kind of s**t the average JW's way, and those JW's will eat it uplike it is Beluga Caviar.
And, with what they have got away with in recent years, they are more than likely right.
A few may wake up, or at least leave in disgust, if they don't fully wake up at first, but most will say "Oh Gee ! the GB are showering us with s**t again, how wonderful !! "
I think that the guys actually running the show, who may well be not the GB, but others pulling the GB's strings, are now so arrogant that they willl do anything they think will keep the whole thing running, no matter how preposterous, simply to bring in the $$$
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slimboyfat
Now, the Society is well over a hundred years old and it's a different story. How could they possibly justify dropping, say, the teaching of the 144,000 after saying it was correct for most of a century?
How could they justify keeping the 144,000 literal if the number of anointed keeps going up each year? Just like the generation teaching, and the 1935 cut off for the anointed, the passage of time may force their hand on this issue.
Who would have thought they would claim there was no faithful slave until 1919, thereby writing Russell out of theocratic history and undermining the very basis for their own authority as it has been taught for decades?
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Apognophos
That last point is a good one. But I would suggest that the easiest solution to the rise in partakers is to stop publishing the number :-) Of course, some JWs will notice its absence and wonder about it, but especially with the recent revelation that some anointed will still be on earth when the end comes, the rank and file are already primed to not care whether the number is going up, down or sideways. So I predict (ah, here's my contribution to the thread) that they are shortly going to stop putting the number of partakers in writing.
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slimboyfat
Whether there will be glacial change to little overall effect, or abrupt and radical changes, could all turn on just one thing: the future growth rate.
If there is modest but continued growth in the coming decades the GB will probably not want to change very much apart from necessary tweaks to procedures and doctrines here and there.
But if the numbers start to go into sustained decline, like minus 1% or more for a few years running: that might be enough to cause them to panic and shake things up in expected and unpredictable ways.
Here's hoping.
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Vidiot
The move to Warwick is the first solid confirmation (to me, anyway) that the WTS is steadily going off the rails.
My prediction? The Org will steadily become more marginilized and extremist and the exodus trickle will become a steady hemmorage.
The WTS is approaching its twilight; I came to that conclusion years ago.
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DATA-DOG
Spiritual heritage?! I know the term, and what it is said to mean, but isn't the real heritage being part of a progressive organization? That's one of the main selling points, and a huge dividing line between "true" christianity and Christendom. Christendom is hesitant to make changes, but not so with WTBTS. That celestial chariot zig-zags all over the place, tacking in the ethereal winds.
I don't think it's a question of can they change a long held doctrine, but just a question of when will they do it. They are masters of gradualism. They slowly turn up the heat until the dubbies are boiled before they can escape. Most don't even realize that they are in the pot.
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ablebodiedman
I am convinced the future of the Watchtower Society is prophetic.
The Governing Body is The man of lawlessness.
Which means that they have access to and have violated THE temple of God.
God's spirit directed Organization is the Wild Beast.
All Jehovah's Witnesses in good standing have the mark of the beast.
There really are bonafide "anointed Christians" being gathered by the Watchtower Society.
They are the "fornicating kings" mentioned in both Revelation and Ezekiel.
They are also the "kings of the earth" being gathered to Armageddon.
The same "kings of the earth" who will weep and beat themselves in greif when Babylon The Great is desolated.
Babylon The Great is the last iteration of Christianity. It is a city which now contains around 7 million Jehovah's Witnesses.
Having these convictions it is therefore not very difficult to anticpate the future of the Watchtower Society.
"Get out of her my people"
abe
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cofty
Ablebodiedman - It's an insignificant little cult that was nothing more than a sect of 19th century Protestant Millennialism.