Controversies Regarding JW's

OnTheWayOut

From a great Wikipedia entry about controversies regarding JW's: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_regarding_Jehovah's_Witnesses

Unfulfilled predictions

Predictions such as the following have appeared in various Watchtower publications: [56]

1907: Armageddon will culminate in the year 1914. [57]
1917: In 1918, God would begin to destroy churches "wholesale" and church members by the millions. [58]
1922-1923: The resurrection of the dead would occur in 1925. [59] In preparation for the 1925 date, the Watchtower Society acquired a property in California, and built a mansion on it. The property was to house people such as Abraham, Moses, David, and Samuel, whom they thought would be resurrected to life in 1925.
1938: In 1938, Armaggedon was too close for marriage or child bearing. [60]
1941: There were only "months" remaining until Armageddon. [61]
1942: Armageddon was "immediately before us." [62]
1969: Human existence would not last long enough for young people to grow old; the world system would end "in a few years". Young Witnesses were encouraged not to bother pursuing tertiary education for this reason. [63]
1969: Christ's thousand-year reign would begin in 1975. [64] There was a considerable amount of related speculation in Watchtower publications in the decade or so leading up to 1975. [65]
1984: There were "many indications" that "the end" was closer than the end of the 20th century. [66]

blueviceroy

Didnt Jesus say " only the Father knows the end of days?" Why do people who believe the bible make predictions? Why golly thats a contradiction surely Im mistaken?

It's the carrot at the end of the stick that refuses to go away. It's a clear case of manipulation they carry on repeating the same failed prophecy in order to entice members and exploit them, if the end is so near that creates a lot of expectation and fear at the same time. It profoundly alters the psychology of those that take it at heart.

DaCheech

The other night in the theocratic school/service meeting I heard in 2 diffrent talks of how the "brothers" were responsible for the 1975 fiasco...... not the "wtbs" $%^$@

garybuss

Dates like 1914 are simply measurements of time as time related to the planet earth. A day is a single rotation of the planet. A year is the single orbit of the Earth around the Sun.

Earth's time isn't relevant anywhere else except planet earth. There was no 1914. There was just another earth orbit around the sun. I day on Jupiter or Saturn would be very different than on earth.

So to buy into the end timer's theory of doom and gloom, I have to assume there's an invisible deity who's counting the earth's trips around the sun, who's consumed with emotion and interest about human animals on this space fleck of a planet, who wrote a secret code in a book, and who owns a book printing business in the United States.

bigdreaux

gary. man, seriously, that really puts things into perspective. that is awesome. we really are nothing in comparison to the universe.

Alligator Wisdom

Gary,

Your concepts put into words are just amazing. Painting pictures with dialogue is your gift. Thanks for contributing with your posts. I always look forward to them.

And if you don't mind, I'll gladly use your analogy about 1914 and the concept time with those whom the discussion may come up with when it comes to WTS dates.

Alligator Wisdom (aka Brother NOT Exerting Vigorously)