Why would abandoning 1914 mean they are not chosen by God?

by InterestedOne 57 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  InterestedOne

  I've read here that if the WT admits 607 is wrong or if 1914 is wrong, the logical result is that God did not choose them as his org. Can someone explain to me how that logically follows?

  Couldn't they just say, "we have received new light on that, have learned that we cannot give a specific date (like how they abandoned 1935), but look, we adhere to the Bible more strictly than anyone else, we strive to 'keep the cong clean' more than any other group, etc., so therefore, we must be chosen by God as his only org." How does 1914 cause any problem for their authority? Can't they just say, well we have authority because we're such close Bible-followers, so righteous, holier-than-anyone-else, love Jehovah more than anyone else, etc. regardless of any date? I've heard them say, "God always had an organization. In ancient times, it was the Israelites. Likewise today, if you compare all organizations, we believe we are the ones who have the most integrity in keeping the Bible as our rule-book." Couldn't they say we don't need a specific date to support our claim of authority? Can someone explain why there would be a logical problem with this? I'm not familiar enough with the exact doctrinal mechanism that makes everything hinge on 1914 for them such that removing it would cause everything to fall apart.
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  leavingwt

  Their 'Good News' is not the good news in the NT. Their Good News is that Jesus stood up as King in 1914.

  So, if they drop 1914, they've lost their unique Gospel.
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  leavingwt

  I've heard them say, "God always had an organization.

  Ask them: In the year 1850, who was God's Organization?

  Then: In what year, did it become required that one leave his or her church and join the JWs?
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  InterestedOne

  Their 'Good News' is not the good news in the NT. Their Good News is that Jesus stood up as King in 1914.

  Couldn't they just blur it like they do with other things and say it happened some time in our day because look at the great work of JW's?
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  OnTheWayOut

  "Couldn't they just say....?"

  Yes, they could say anything. The further they get from their 1914 doctrine, the less JW's actually pay any more attention to it. So they can spin.

  There are repercussions to changing doctrine, but there are problems when old doctrine remains.

  Heck, big changes used to mean big sales of new books.
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  leavingwt

  As OTWO said above, they could say ANYTHING and 95% of the members wouldn't blink an eye. Why? Thought Reform.

  An overwhelming majority will will blindly follow whatever WT says.
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  leavingwt

  great work of JW's

  Conveniently, they define what "great work" is. They can't lose! All doctrine of all denominations is simply a unique interpretation of Scripture. Their checklist of "great work" perfectly coincides with their unique interpretation of Scripture.
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  Heaven

  Doesn't 607 BCE overlap with 586 BCE?
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  OnTheWayOut

  The thing about 1914, though: They put all their eggs in that one basket.

  They say their claims must be true because World War One happened that year, despite the fact that nothing they said would happen happened.

  So, they said that Jesus arrived invisibly, Satan was ousted from Heaven, the last days started. (Add more as I try to forget the doctrines)
  So, the problem you are discussing is disconnecting the basket from all the eggs and then saving the eggs some way in some new basket.

  But if millions did not walk out on "overlap" then they can do it.
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  TD

  How does 1914 cause any problem for their authority?

  It's the product of two different JW beliefs. First, their belief that Christ invisibly returned in 1914 and second, their interpretation of Matthew 24:45-47. Jehovah's Witnesses believe this passage is more than just a parable; they believe it to be prophetic. In other words, they believe that Jesus foretold that Christians would be on their own during all the centuries prior to his return and that once Jesus did return, he would inspect all Christian groups and organizations and appoint the "Slave" who had been faithful over "All his belongngs." in fulfillment of the "Prophecy."

  This "inspection" and subsequent appointment as the "Faithful and wise servant" is their primary claim to spiritual authority. They believe that this occurred in 1919 and that they as an organization were the only ones found faithful.

  It would be hard to list exactly how many secondary JW interpretations start with these two premises, but there are a lot of them. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that they as an organization were actively involved with and in many cases actually the target of a number prophecies and prophetic parallels that were realized early during the 20th century.

  Without 1914, all of this would come crashing down. So doctrinally, it is very important.