True or False did the Watchtower Corporation create false doctrines intentionally to enhance the proliferation of their own publications ?

by Finkelstein 83 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Finkelstein

  Much as been revealed over the years to the date setting doctrines made by the WTS. such as ( 1874, 1914, 1925 , 1975 This Generation, The Last Days, The End Times etc.... which were not created by other Christian based faiths.

  As to critically examine why might reveal a hidden agenda to all these date setting proclamations.

  The point in question is did the WTS and its leaders intentionally manipulate or exploit the preaching of the Gospel to enhance the proliferation of their own printed publications ?

  I would say convincingly yes, no question.
  

  Whats your viewpoint ?
  
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  Finkelstein

  To bring out one particular instance of lying and deceiving of the doctrines the WTS used was the 6000 years of mankind's existence for a total of 3 times.

  Once by C Russell at the beginning of the 1900's , again by F Franz and J Rutherford in 1941 and again in the late1960's to create the big important year of 1975.
  

  It would be assumed that the editorial leaders of the WTS. exploited human ignorance of this supposed dating in itself but also how many times it was used by the WTS. ???
  
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  Crazyguy

  I think your over thinking it. Russell stated the end was going to come in 1914 . Rutherford pickup the religion but then said the end was going to happen just a few years after 1914. . When that didn’t happen he had to reinvent the cult so they ditched pyramidology and many of the things Russell taught. Many of the things Rutherford said never happen same as the ideas of Knorr and Franz. Bottom line is when you think a book that’s based on mythology is real and everything in it really happen then your going to fail time and time again on your beliefs about things to come.
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  Finkelstein

  Yes Crazyguy totally agree
  

  The WTS built itself upon its own lies and proclamations. one being that Jehovah and Jesus chose them in 1919 for their accurate and truthful bible interpretations.
  

  Well I guess if your going to sell yourself, you might as well make it strong, advantageous and purposeful.

  Probably biggest misinterpretation the WTS pulled is that the ancient mythological writings within the bible are real and not fictional, they dont tell the real truth toward what was the original intent of those ancient bible writers and what were they trying to accomplish.
  
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  EverApostate

  Anything based on a fraud can only be a fraud. Whoever interprets the Bible, in whatever manner.
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  vienne

  The 1914 date did not come from Russell. Barbour borrowed the date from earlier writers, all of whom were British Millenarians, often Anglicans. The same is true of 1874 which was looked to by others since the 1830s. 1914 was 'shared' by some Advent Christians.

  I see Russell as a "True" believer, even if he was truly wrong. 1925 seems to be unique to the Watch Tower. Rutherford's reaction to the failure seems to mark him as fully convinced. F. W. Franz played with a date in the mid 1970s from the 1940s on. He was a fruit cake, but he appears to have believed his own propaganda.
  
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  vienne

  Russell did not say the end would occur in 1914. He believed 1914 was the end of Gentile Times. He did not hold an 'end of the world' belief.
  
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  DATA-DOG

  It's hard to say if CTR was just subconsciously trying to justify his belief system, or just lying.

  Boozerford seems like the beginning of the outright lies, legalism and authoritarian hierarchy.

  I'm not aware of CTR ever using the plethora of deceptive tactics that became commonplace after his demise. Sure, there was the "Miracle Wheat" scandal, but he could have really believed it.

  DD
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  DesirousOfChange

  Maybe I'm just gullible, but I'd like to think that those old guys back in the 50s, 60s, even 70s were sincere in the message they were peddling. Rutherford seems to have been a "used car salesman", but not so with Freddie F. I think he really believe the bullshit that he dreamed up. (Bi-polar?) When all those predictions finally failed, I think the new leaders (GOD) had to get imaginative/creative. I think they see that their "house of cards" is about to crash and they are putting Bandaids on their doctrines that are hemorrhaging and attempting to shore things up financially and praying Jehovah and Armageddon bails them out soon.......very, very soon.
  
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  Finkelstein

  C Russell was more of guy who absorbed other people's theological ideas and re-branded them further toward commercializing literature. ie 1914 etc

  Jesus's return , now that was something to sell.