Some thoughts on the message of doom

by JeffT 49 Replies latest jw friends

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  JeffT

  One of the recent threads on the talk about the Hailstone message got me to thinking. The problem with putting out a message like that is what to do when nothing happens. I have to think that somebody will be asking that question. If they don’t, the whole thing will turn into one more busted prophecy from the Watchtower, and a corresponding decrease in membership.

  That led me to thinking about the Jonah video. If they put out the message of doom and nothing happens can they then say “It’s just like Jonah, Jehovah changed his mind about destroying the world.” It would be very disruptive, or maybe not, it seems that the average JW will put up with a lot of nonsense from his religion.

  I think it’s possible that the recent contractions (KH sales and the like) are in anticipation of a dry spell after they hit the reset button. Such a turn might give them the opportunity to revise their timelines and perhaps even mainstream the whole religion.

  Just my two cents, but it is a possibility.
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  Bad_Wolf

  Since they are doing away with print, people will need to keep digital copies. They can just change anything and pretend it never existed. W/ the digital, they'll prob eventually say the old digital stuff are edited with apostate lies, etc.
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  Finkelstein

  The WTS has always exploited people's innate belief in the bible when it comes to attracting attention to its literature and to further activate distribution of that literature.
  

  It is essentially a fear mongering religious publishing house who exploits people's inherent ignorance to what the bible says in support of its publishing operations by means of free labor and money.

  The people who run the WTS. now have no other knowledge of how to sustain the essential incoming money to keep the WTS afloat in finances so they just regurgitate what has been done before,... lie and propagate fear.
  
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  Sour Grapes

  The Borg said the same thing back in the early 70's. The JDubs have the most depressing religion on the earth. The Borg scares both the shit and the money out of the JDubs who are now grasping for straws hoping and praying that something terrible happens so they can say, "See, we told you so."

  It is just like one big broken record. They have the memory of an ant. They forget that originally 1914 was supposed to be the end and then when nothing happened 1914 was changed to the beginning of the time of the end.
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  jonahstourguide

  I was thinking along similar lines when I heard of this "hailstone" message.

  If suddenly the 'end' comes and they haven't 'officially' given the "hailstone" message they could always claim they have because, in my view, their message is "join us or you are carrion food"....

  And yes JeffT, I agree regarding the 'mainstreaming' aspect. The International conventions for 2019 will have the singing and dancing and gift giving to international delegates as per the last one... all very mainstream.

  jtg

  p.s. and anyhow, if no man knows the hour, how are the fallible eight gonna know ??
  
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  eyeuse2badub

  jehober loves a good 'stoning'.

  just saying!
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  Listener

  They are masters of spin. If they say it's time for the hailstone message and nothing happens they'll just say that there's a 'pause'. They did this with the Great Tribulation when they were teaching that it had begun in 1914.
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  skin

  The problem with putting out a message like that is what to do when nothing happens

  If nothing happens, it just means it is still to happen and you don't want to be caught thinking it wont happen.

  It has now been 140 years of them telling their followers that the end is just around the corner, and their followers are still putting faith in the end being just around the corner. So if WT say something will happen, means it will happen, just not in our lifetime, and the next generation will just continue believing these messages. That is unless new light overwrites these messages.
  
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  smiddy3

  The Governing Body will not actually instruct the "Witnesses" to preach a message of doom ,it is one of those things that is going to happen in the "near future" keeping the flock in expectation of what`s going to occur .

  However it will never happen for the very reason doing so puts an end time line on their religion .

  But then again having said that they did publish in the 1970`s ? "Babylon The Great has Fallen Gods Kingdom Rules " and saying that false religion, Christendom and non Christian religions , has had its day and was being abandoned by the masses since 1919 ?

  Yet their is no evidence of that today in 2018 is there.

  Muslims have over 1 Billion members and still growing

  Catholics are over 1 Billion members

  Protestants are over 1 Billion members

  Non Christian religions would have to be in the Billions ? surely

  So even if they did start preaching a message of doom it would go the same way of all of their other many failed predictions they have made in their 100+ history
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  sir82

  That led me to thinking about the Jonah video. If they put out the message of doom and nothing

  happens can they then say “It’s just like Jonah, Jehovah changed his mind about destroying the world.”

  If they had done that in 1914, 1925, or 1975, they wouldn't be in the pickle they are in now.