Watchtower Prediction Success Rate

by zgborn 8 Replies latest jw friends

  • zgborn
    zgborn

    We are all aware of the incorrect predictions of the Watchtower Society concerning future events which failed to occur. I personally have a clear memory of telling householders that because six thousand years of human history was due to conclude in the fall of 1975, we could reasonably expect dramatic changes to take place in the government of the earth in that year or shortly thereafter. My question to all of you is, can anyone point me to a case in Watchtower literature where they predicted something that actually happened?

  • KW13
    KW13

    Apart from older books (AAAAAGES ago) where they point to 1914.

    There is a 1989 Watchtower, thats interesting.

    http://www.watchman.org/jw/watchtower2000.htm

  • fullofdoubtnow
    fullofdoubtnow

    They aren't known for the accuracy of their prophecies, are they? Dates come and go, and we are still here, no armageddon, no new system, no sign of either. This quote sums their attitude up for me:

    If the Watchtower's Governing Body honestly believed that the "20th Century" statement was in error, the honorable and responsible action would be to have clearly said so.

    Words like honestly and honourable seem out of place in the same sentence as "governing body".

    btw, welcome to the board zgborn

  • serendipity
    serendipity

    I think the WT is slowly learning to be more vague. They're backing off the UN as the beast, instead claiming it's the governments.

  • VM44
    VM44

    They say that The Watchtower "Predicted" World War I!

    This is not true, but they say it anyway.

    --VM44

  • Navigator
    Navigator

    Incorrect predictions by the WTBTS? Oh No! Surely you must be mistaken! It is only that some of the brothers "went a bit too far", but the GB never said the end would come in 1975. At least, that is what they keep telling me. They don't seem to realize that I was there and lived through all that crap. I am sure that by now they have edited out all references to 1975 in their collected literature. It is too bad that some of those apostate brothers still have the original issues. Must be a vicious plot to discredit the GB. Of course 1975 is merely the latest screw-up. There were several before that. Some sold their houses or took out big mortgages so they could pioneer full time in the expectation that they would never have to pay them off.

  • sass_my_frass
    sass_my_frass

    Somewhere on this site are some elders trying to think some examples up: I think the best they can do is 'predict' that they would have some excellent field service statistics. http://www.disfellowshipped.org/Judicial%20jc_page_7.htm http://www.disfellowshipped.org/WTfalseprophecy.htm

  • luna2
    luna2

    A big goose egg on that.

    They fiddled around with both the actual year and what it meant back in the late 1800's/early 1900's and FINALLY something momentus happened (WWI) in one of their bogus prediction-years and they gleefully took hold of that and wrapped their whole religion around it.

    Since 1914 they haven't even had a sorta/kinda fulfillment of anything.

  • jwfacts
    jwfacts

    Nothing has ever been predicted correctly, including 1914.
    They said something was going to happen Oct 2 1914. Nothing happened then, world war 1 had already started in August.
    In 1914 they claim that Jesus had already started ruling in 1974, so it was not a prediction that Jesus started ruling in 1914, that was not made part of Watchtower doctrine until the 1940's.

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