I'll be sitting in the corner and laughing.
Is the Tower of fear and deception really starting to crumble ?
by Homerovah the Almighty 38 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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moshe
I wonder what will happen when they run short of elders again- cancel another meeting night? Some JW's are beginning to see the truth about the WT.
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Homerovah the Almighty
NEWS FLASH - Hot off the press it has been announced this Sunday morning that all meetings are now canceled as of next week ,
all correspondence will be done by e-mail to all baptized JWS, in this new change of operations, payments , contributions and donations will be
done via paypal , charge card and money orders and when your loved ones croaks send wills and estates by certified cheaqes only please.
Assurances of passing through Armageddon will be only be given when payments have been cleared by the banks of issuers.
Agape love from all the GB members and affiliates,
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DaCheech
talks have been cut down to 1/2 hour
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bud2114
Some of you have been paying attention. It’s a fact that the problems facing the WT organization have escalated
exponentially lately and on numerous fronts. For most devout JW’s, however, the recent increase in negative information about the WT organization mean little. Negative "outside" reports about the growing pedophile crisis, or the ongoing legal battle(s) over the blood issue, the possible loss of tax-exempt charitable status, or even the UN scandal - this stuff does little to weaken the faith of most JW’s. Instead, as they have been conditioned to respond, this is viewed as "persecution" and media driven propaganda - proof that Satan and his henchmen are working hard against Jehovah's "spirit-directed" people.
On the other hand, there is an undeniable rising tide of apprehension even among the most devout JW’s that involves a much different thing altogether and for a far different reason. For those still "in" the Borg and witness to the rapid "adjustments" now being implemented, you know what I am saying. There is absolutely no outside issue confronting the WT organization greater than the huge dilemma it faces internally because the "end" has not yet come as they surely thought it would have by now. Suddenly, it seems, it is donning on everyone that it's 2008 and all the scriptural "proofs" the WT men have been relentlessly repeating to convince everyone that the "end" is just around the corner, these are either no longer believable or they just plain don't add up - even to the most devout JW.
As for the rapid changes, so far, the WT brass have reworked the "generation" thing (a couple of times), and the "sealing" thing (to respond to the rising number of anointed partakers.) They have printed a reworking (again) of the "dragnet" and other end-time parables of Jesus (July WT 2008), and they have made a few other changes operationally (2 WT editions, 30 min. public talks, recent bookstudy announcement, ect.) and there is more to come. But the biggie and the one becoming harder to ignore every passing day, is the year 1914. Make no mistake, the WT brass are working furiously to spin things the way the want them ahead of the bomb they drop when it is decided to announce that 1914, while a significant year historically, meant nothing prophetically. Seeing that everything about the WT organization hinges on this date, all care is being undertaken to do this with the least amount of collateral damage.
This is not the first time the organization has faced a dilemma about the year 1914. Let’s review, shall we. For years leading up to 1914, C. T. Russell believed and taught that 1914 would be a significant year. Of course, his view of this year was far different than the current WT view, but that is another discussion entirely (don’t get me started on this!) To Russell, 1914 was the calculated end of the "Gentile Times" and God’s end-all date to accomplish all the things prophesied regarding the kingdom. According to Russell, by then, (not to say he predicted all things would happen in the year 1914 - there is a difference) but again, by then, all things would have been accomplished including: the GT, Armageddon, the abyssing of Satan, the resurrection of the saints, etc. Of course, the year 1914 came and went and shortly thereafter (Oct. 1916) Russell died - disappointed and perplexed, but still clinging (curiously) to the 1914 date.
Russell’s death was certainly a blow to the WT followers, but the WT organization and its new President J.F. Rutherford faced a much bigger issue - they had a huge credibility problem because the end had not come as it had been preached & predicted for over 40 years prior. Rutherford held on to the 1914 date for a while, but he knew he needed a new "end-all" date and this he quickly accomplished with his famous "Millions Now Living Will Never Die" lecture of 1918 and his follow-up booklet with the same title (released 1920) where he re-worked Russell’s prophecies and timelines and came up with the "new" end-all date - 1925.
Viola! It worked! Statistics show that the growth of the organization during the early 1920's was tremendous as everyone was abuzz with renewed excitement about this "new" date. So sure was Rutherford about this new date that he made increasingly bold statements: "The year 1925 is a date definitely and clearly marked in Scriptures, even more clearly than that of 1914." (WT Jul 1 1924 p. 211)
Interestingly, during this time, the year 1914 seems to have been basically abandoned - forgotten altogether as all the focus was now on the "new" end-all date of 1925. Of course, the end failed to come in the year 1925 and the subsequent disappointment was even greater among the masses than that of 1914. The WT statistics show a particularly sharp decline as a general mass exodus followed during the 1926-28 period. Again, something had to be done. So, in a series of WT articles and books released during the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, Rutherford systematically began to dismantle almost all of Russell's teachings as he came up with new theories. One of which is a cornerstone to all that modern-day JW’s base their beliefs - a re-worked 1914.
It was somewhere during the early 1930's that the 1914 date suddenly was "resurrected" and it begun to have new relevance. Not as an "end-all" date, but as a beginning date. That’s right, a beginning date - for the birth of the kingdom, and a beginning date of the "last days" after Satan was hurled down to earth. The countdown to the end had officially re-begun. The wicked world's march to its end was now again underway. (Of course, most JW's are thoroughly confused about the year 1914 and believe the lie now told by the WT org. that Russell & the early bible students accurately predicted and preached 1914 to be a beginning as is taught now - again, don't get me started here!)
For over 90+ years the WT brass has not only staunchly clung to Russell’s re-working of the 1914 date inspite of the mounting evidence of it’s bogusness (is that a word?), but the WT has literally printed mountains of "proofs" supported by embellished facts (eg. see the fake earthquake statistics, etc.) to convince millions of the significance of this year while touting their special insight about it as God’s "spirit-directed" channel. I would not be surprised that secretly, most of the WT brass have known for some time that the whole 1914 thing is baseless, but they have been hoping and praying that the end would come to bail them out. Unfortunately for them, time has run out.
Yes, here we are in the year 2008 and still no "end" in sight. As the relevance of the year 1914 fades further and further into the distant past, suddenly the WT Society faces an internal crisis much greater than anything it faces from the outside. And just like Russell's predictions which were proved utterly baseless and thus were systematically dismantled - to survive, so must the WT men do something about the mess they are now in. The gig is up and they know it. They are not in full panic mode yet, but as their credibility increasingly shrinks into the giant black hole their arrogance has created, look for more rapid and compelling "adjustments" forthwith.
The difference now, of course, is that a whole lot more people are involved now than were in Russell’s or Rutherford’s day. And I'm not just referring to those actively associated with the WT org. currently. Think about how many former active ones have been affected by this whole mess during the past 40-50 years that can affect the thinking of those still in. Another major difference is that we are now in the information age. No longer can the WT men just print a study article, or a "questions from readers" and everyone swallow it without question. Everything about the WT org. is being dissected, discussed, and analyzed. And all this discussion is floating all over the internet, in emails and forums of both current and former JW members. The JW internet underworld grows increasingly stronger everyday. No longer can the WT men say "…pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" and the masses just do it.
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journey-on
bud2114
This was an excellent dissection of the evolution of WT doctrine regarding 1914. As I read it, I began to think you are absolutely
right about this being the BIG ISSUE for upper management. We, who are now mostly on the outside, get wound up about the
external things like the UN scandal and the pedophile fiasco. But, if I were still a kool-aid drinkin' witness, I would probably pass
these things off as human imperfections of a handful of men. But, 1914 is a whole different ball game. Losing this doctrine is
going to take some serious pretzel-twisting, and absolutely......you can bet your bottom dollar that any tampering with this date
is going to create major discussions online among the r&f about the legitimacy of this organization as God's channel on earth.
Thank you for this well-written essay.
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BabaYaga
I agree, excellent post, Bud2114.
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sweet pea
great post Bud2114 - what about your username - any significance to 1914?
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Indo_Dude
It is human nature to see what you want to see. I think it is a case of wishing something to be true, and looking for 'evidence' to support your preconcieved desires. Nothing wrong with that, but just see it for what it is.
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justhuman
Watchtower's countdown began with the internet, and the information age. Plus there are Witnesses that put all of their eggs into one baskett-Armageddon.
Many didn't plan for the future, and as a result they are facing finnancial problems. I recall what was happening in the 80's. I was 17 in the year 1984...quit school for pioneering, and waited for the end. Most of my friends at my age left. I have seen during the last years prominent long time elders to step down, and they have been substitued, with 30ish guys, most of them having no qualifications.
I believe that the arrogance of the leadership in this cult lead them to have overwelming confidence of their possition. Now with all this changes taking place no one really can tell were they will end up. Young ones are going to college, university, they are planning for their future, and as a result they are more open minded, and critical, from the young ones of the 80's.
What will the future for the WT in 50 years from now I can tell, but for sure it ain't bright. On the net you can find more web pages of ex-jw's than the 2-3 websides that WT has on the net. Plus those who left are leaving with a bitter taste of what has happened to them. Books from former members in many languages are coming up every year, and no matter the effort to keep control over their members WT is loosing the power. My personal expierience for being an ex-jw now Christian Orthodox, shows that they are loosing members. In our Hellenic ex-jw webside (www.oodegr.com) we get emails from JW's asking for help. Plus we have helped lot of people not to get involved with the WT. Even some people they were ready to got baptized, when a friend asked us how could he helped them, not to fall in the trap of the cult. With our help he did opened their eyes.
WT is quilty for false prophesy, their flip-flpo doctrines, and some of them cause the lives of people, like organ transplans.They are psevdo-christian new age cult, and their lack of Biblical knowledge. Their beggisted enemy is their own words. It doesn't take much to show what kind of "truth"did they believe, over their 150 years of brief history. All this facts are against them, and there is nothing to do about it.
My exit from the WT cost me a lot. WT stolen my life, my best years, stolen my father, and stolen my children, because after being disfellowshiped for apostasy, my ex-wife asked me to leave. I could have a better future and life but WT ruined my life in many ways. My dad sacrificed all that he got to the altar of an agry God. So I took an oath that I will fight WT until I die...that is why I'm trying with every way to stop others entering the Tower of Fear.