"Crisis of Conscience" pointed out a lot of the following:
Jehovah's Witnesses simply can't abandon the 1914 teaching because it is too much of a pivotal date on which a major portion of their doctrinal and authority structure rests. Their belief system is tied with 1914 in the following ways:
That in 1914 Jesus became "present" or invisible to human eyes, but now beginning a judgement period for all his professed followers and for the world.
That in 1914 Jesus now began active rulership toward all the world, his kingdom officially taking power.
That 1914 marks the start of the "last days" or the "time of the end" foretold in Bible prophecy.
That three and a half years after 1914 (in 1918) the resurrection of Christians sleeping in death, from the Apostles onward, began.
That about that same time (in 1918) Christ's true followers then living went into spiritual captivity to Babylon the Great, being released the following year, 1919, at which time Jesus
acknowledged them collectively as his "faithful and discreet slave," his approved agency for directing his work and caring for his interests on earth, his sole channel for communicating
guidance and illumination to his servants earthwide.
That from that time forward the final "harvest" work has been in progress, with salvation or destruction as ultimate destinies.
So you see, to weaken belief in the significance of the foundation date of 1914 would weaken the whole doctrinal superstructure that rests on it. But more important to Brooklyn that that, it would also weaken the claim of special authority for those acting as the official spokesman group for the "faithful and discreet slave" class. To remove that date as having significance would collapse their doctrinal and authority structure. That is how crucial it is. I think they want to change it. The GB probably cringes when the topic of 1914 comes up. I see it almost like the blood doctrine. They keep inching further and further away from what they've held on to. If they could get away with it, they would totally reverse that policy I think, acknowledging that the Scriptures weren't talking about "blood" in that sense. But too many lives have been lost and too many families have been destroyed over that one teaching alone. So, just like the saying goes, "When you lie, you have to keep telling more lies to cover up the old ones."