Best old books for exposing the 1874/1914 fraud?

by Essan 7 Replies latest watchtower scandals

• 

  Essan

  Hi,

  I'm looking for a couple of the Society's old books, one just prior to 1914 the other in the 1920's (as late as possible), which would show what the Society was actually saying about 1914 in the run up to that year and that they were still promoting 1874 as the year of Christ's presence for many years after 1914.

  Basically I'm looking for recommendations for two of their old books which would do the most damage to the modern JW claims about their past and show they could not have fulfilled prophesy or "qualified" for anything back then, as they claim.

  There must be a couple of books which are really dynamite, choc full of nonsense and failed predictions. I have limited cash so I can't go buying all the old books, but I have a feeling just a couple would do, if they were the right ones. And I'm aware that they changed what was said between editions, so which edition specifically is most useful?

  Any ideas? What would you recommend?

  Thanks.

  Essan.
• 

  transhuman68

  The finished mystery book is good for a few laughs. You can download it from here:

  http://www.a2z.org/wtarchive/archive.htm#magazines
• 

  bennyk

  Use the 1912 edition of The Time is at Hand [Studies in the Scriptures, volume II] to prove that nothing predicted for 1914 occurred. (This edition also changes some of the dates from 1914 to 1915, thereby also further counteracting the famous The World article from August 1914...)

  The book Prophecy (1929) states that Jesus' Second Presence in 1874. Although it is later than The Harp of God (1921), I would give the nod to the latter because it discusses not only 1874, but also 1799 (as "beginning of the time of the end"), and in editions earlier than 1928 also declared C T Russell as "Faithful and Wise Servant"... Furthermore, boldly emblazoned on the cover are the words "proof conclusive that millions now living will never die" (pre-1928 editions).
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  Witness My Fury

  Yep, I can confirm volume 2 of studies in the scriptures helped convince me it was a crock of shit.
• 

  sizemik

  bookmarked
• 

  Essan

  Thanks all for your suggestions. Very useful.

  Bennyk, I have located a printing of The Time s At Hand which is a bit earlier than 1912 but I imagine it is still going to prove useful, even if it doesn't show the changes of some predictions to 1915. All of the 1912 printings I have found were very expensive, for some reason - a bit too much for me - but I found an earlier printing a bit cheaper. Or is the 1912 printing important? Does it make more explicit predictions than earlier printings? I wish there was somewhere I could see what the differences were between the various editions before I chose which one to buy. The Society has always been rather sly in it's editing.

  I also wanted to ask you about 'The World' article you referred to from 1914 as I have never heard of this. Was this something the Society printed?

  I have also taken your advice and bought a 1925 copy of the Harp of God and I made sure to get one with the wording you mentioned regarding "proof conclusive" And I'm trying to get a hold of a copy of Prophesy too.

  Thanks again.
• 

  bennyk

  Any of the pre-1914 editions of The Time is at Hand will prove useful.

  As for the World article... The Society has often referred to this article to establish their claim that the Society's message about 1914 had been correct. An example in the official history:

  *** Jehovah’sWitnesses—ProclaimersofGod’sKingdom p.60***

  “Look Outfor1914!”

  When World War I broke out in 1914, “The World,” then a leading newspaper in New York City, stated in its magazine section: “The terrific war outbreak in Europe has fulfilled an extraordinary prophecy. . . . ‘Look out for 1914!’ has been the cry of the hundreds of travelling evangelists, who, representing this strange creed [associated with Russell], have gone up and down the country enunciating the doctrine that ‘the Kingdom of God is at hand.’”—“The World Magazine,” August 30, 1914.

  The WT CD-ROM will include a dozen others. The following indicates that the Society's claim was based on The Time is at Hand:

  *** The Watchtower 19553/15pp.173-174***

  A typical public-press reaction to the situation was published August 30, 1914, by a leading New York city newspaper, TheWorld. “End of All Kingdoms in 1914” was the arresting headline of a long feature article in that journal’s Sunday magazine section (pages 4 and 17), from which we quote:

  “According to the Calculations of Rev. Russell’s ‘International Bible Students,’ This Is the ‘Time of Trouble’ Spoken of by the Prophet Daniel, the Year 1914 Predicted in the Book ‘The Time Is at Hand,’of which Four Million Copies Have Been Sold, as the Date of the Downfall of the Kingdoms of Earth.

  When using The Time is at Hand, be certain to look at pages 76-7; 98,99; 101; 140; 170; 245... Have fun!

  You might also like to read the original World article:

  http://wtarchiv.bplaced.net/en/other/1914_End_of_all_Kingdoms.pdf

  (Thanks, Cabasilas and processor!)
• 

  Essan

  Thanks so much for your help Bennyk. It's been invaluable.

  It's great to have people like you around who have really done their research and are prepared to share it. These books may make all the difference to some JW friends of mine who appear to be willing to look at the evidence.