What prompted the whopper of all Flip Flops? (Sodom & G. resurrection)

by Open mind 52 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Open mind

  In pre-studying my Watchtower for this Sunday, (with Mary's assistance on V's thread of course), I was reminded of something I've wondered about re: the whole "Will the residents of Sodom & Gomorrah be resurrected?" question.

  To my knowledge, this one holds the Watchtower record for most number of flip-flops. Please correct me if I'm wrong. A quick recap.

  1879 - Will be resurrected
  1955 - Will not be resurrected
  1965 - Will be resurrected
  1967 - Will not be resurrected
  1974 - Will be resurrected
  1988 - Will not be resurrected
  1988 - Will be resurrected
  1989 - Will not be resurrected

  Why, oh why, would you do this?

  Could you look any less "spirit directed" if you tried?

  So my question is, could anyone direct me to a thread that gives any kind of "insider" ideas as to what prompted such a series of stupidity? Was there a power struggle between Knorr and someone else? I've read C of C, but can't remember now if Ray Franz discussed the REASONS behind these flip-flops.

  Anybody?

  OM
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  BFD

  Brother Om,

  Sometimes there is a bad connection with the Holy Spirit and this causes the New Light to have a strobe effect. I am sure that the FDS is working on the connection problems as we speak. Can't you just wait on Jehovah for crying out loud!

  BFD
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  neverendingjourney

  I was made aware of this flip-flop as a 13 or 14 year-old when I was studying the Live Forever book. I had an earlier print of the book and my book study conductor had a revised edition. When we got to the section on whether the people of Sodom and Gomorrah would receive a resurrection, my book said one thing and his book said another thing. He was quite embarrased and said that the Society had received a new understanding on the matter, and we moved on to the next paragraph. In fact, I think it caught him by surprise too. Many of us were quite ignorant to the numerous flip-flops that had taken place. I know I was. Often, it wasn't until after baptism that this information came to light after it was already too late.
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  potentialJWconvertswife

  I don't know what the official stance is, but the JW's hubby's been studying with informed me that everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected. I said I didn't think it was possible for all the millions of people now living and the millions who have lived in the past to all inhabit the earth at the same time- not enough room- certainly not enough room for each person to have the reported two acres of land.
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  AudeSapere

  Why, oh why, would you do this?

  LOL!! Too true! A non-committal response like "We'll just have to wait on Jehovah" would be much better...!!"

  Potential wrote: I said I didn't think it was possible for all the millions of people now living and the millions who have lived in the past to all inhabit the earth at the same time- not enough room- certainly not enough room for each person to have the reported two acres of land.

  At one time I had heard speculation that the resurrection would probably take place over the course of several hundred years and reasonably could be on a last-to-die, first-to-resurrect basis. This would allow the deceased witnesses with the more current 'truth' to assist in the teaching of the other resurrected ones.

  Additionally, the brighter light that we would receive in the new system would teach us how to care for the earth more correctly and Jehovah's spirit would not only bless our efforts but the currently unhabitable areas would become habitable by miracle from Jehovah. The witness stance is that there is indeed sufficient land space - but much of it is just not usable in this system.

  Of course, that's what I heard back in the mid-70's (30 years ago!) and the current population has grown considerably since then.

  -Aude.
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  AudeSapere

  Why, oh why, would you do this?

  Actually, now that I really think about it, it was probably to battle some complacency on the part of the r&f. OK if I die now doing what I want, I'll have a second chance when I'm resurrected in the New System.

  -Aude.
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  blondie

  I think it depended on who was "interpreting" and "in power" at the moment. There were quite a few flips about who would be resurrected or not. It was once thought that people who were not jws and died before Armageddon would not be resurrected because it was a judgment period. Now they believe that the judgment does not start until the GT starts so people who die before than will be resurrected.
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  Body

  Hi potentialJWconvertswife

  This is the point of view of Jehovah's witnesses. Look what the "insight boek" says.

  ***

  it-2pp.792-793Resurrection***

  Resurrection

  During1,000Years. A very liberal estimate of the number of persons that have ever lived on earth is 20 billion (20,000,000,000). Many students of the subject calculate that not nearly so many have lived. Not all of these, as it has been shown in the foregoing discussion, will receive a resurrection, but even assuming that they did, there would be no problem as to living space and food for them. The land surface of the earth at present is about 148,000,000 sq km (57,000,000 sq mi), or about 14,800,000,000 ha (36,500,000,000 acres). Even allowing half of that to be set aside for other uses, there would be more than a third of a hectare (almost 1 acre) for each person. As to earth’s potential food production, a third of a hectare will actually provide much more than enough food for one person, especially when, as God has demonstrated in the case of the nation of Israel, there is abundance of food as a result of God’s blessing.—1Ki 4:20; Eze 34:27.

  On the question of the earth’s food-producing power, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization maintains that, with only moderate improvements in agricultural methods, in even the developing areas the earth could easily feed up to nine times the population that scientists have estimated for the year 2000.—Land,FoodandPeople, Rome, 1984, pp. 16, 17.

  How, though, could the thousands of millions be adequately cared for, in view of the fact that most of them did not in the past know God and must learn to conform to his laws for them? First, the Bible states that the kingdom of the world becomes "the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he [rules] as king forever and ever." (Re 11:15) And the Bible principle is that "when there are judgments from you [Jehovah] for the earth, righteousness is what the inhabitants of the productive land will certainly learn." (Isa 26:9) In his due time, when it is necessary to make it known to his servants, God will reveal how he purposes to take care of this work.—Am 3:7.
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  JeffT

  I looked into this when I was leaving and concluded that the writers of the articles in question were simply making it up as they went along. They said what they needed to say without regard to what had been said in previous articles. I don't know enough about how the writing dept works, but that is what it looks like.
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  sir82

  I suspect the latter ones were just sloppy editing / fact-checking. Some junior writer forgot what the "present truth" was, and the editor wasn't paying attention.