Fred, How do you dance around the indisputable fact that the destruction Jerusalem was in 587 b.c.e.? The entire groundwork for the witnesses falls apart on the date of 1914. It is off by 20 years. There is proof on Babylonian cuniform tablets as Raymond Franz had the unfortunate pleasure of dicovering when he researched for the aid to bible understanding. He saw the tablets with his own eyes and had them explained to him by experts.
This is also a well known fact among secular historians and can even be proven through astonomy as the Babylonians kept detailed records that coincide with the events. There is a mountain of evidence. This is a well documented event. How do you reconcile, rationalize and separate yourself from this reality?
Do you really think Raymond Franz deserved what he got for trying to teach this truth? If there was just one source that said 607 bce was a possibility which one would you likely choose to beleive, based on the evidence.
If 1914 falls apart as have many of the other failed prophecies why do you continue to put faith in such nonsense?
How can you veiw men like Russell as having holy spirit when he was involved in Pyramidology and scandals such as miracle wheat and even adultery with Rose Ball? The trial transcripts are availabe on the net.
How do you veiw the drunkeness of Rutherford and the excesses he lived in during the depression while the brothers at bethel got mere pennies, and very poor accomodations?
How do you veiw Rutherford's failed predictions for 1925 with the ancient worthies being accomodated at Beth sarim, which he actually built for himself ,while owning 5 other palatial residences.?
How do you veiw the fact that most of what Russell, Rutherford and Franz wrote is completly obsolete today? By those standards everything they taught was wrong and they would be disfellowshipped for teaching it today. Yet while Rutherford and Franz were alive they had no compunction about ruining lives for those that didn't follow there teachings.
If the organization was originally led by holy spirit, why is the original message they were teaching obsolete today?
If in Hebrew the vowels were never put in the tetragrammaton YHWH, why do you think it's ok to transpose the vowels from elohim and adonai to make up the difference? Do you not think if God wanted his name known he would have put those vowels in his Holy book? How do you think God feels about creating a name for him and using it when his name is too sacred to pronounce. Revelation says he that adds to this scroll or takes away from this scroll shall be taken away from the scroll of life.
Isn't that what the witnesses have done in putting the name of Jehovah where it simply doesn't exist in the original scrolls?
