The Real Reason why the WT predicted Armageddon in 1975

by OrphanCrow 53 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Thisismein1972

  Any thought on this being purely "divine inspiration" needs to be knocked out the park. My spidy senses go with OrphanCrow here.

  For those who toured the many branches around the world, there was one thing we were told on the tour. The Watchtower are in the know 3 years before it is printed, or something to that affect. We are talking about a multi billion dollar organisation here, this, in my opinion will give the watchtower the power to be in the know way before it is within the KH. Unfortunately, we thought this was a divine inspiration, when in fact money talks!

  We can see history about to repeat itself, why? Because of the threat that the UK branch may lose it its tax exempt status, and the many lawsuits that are currently baring down on the org. Hence this year's assembly programme on the great trib and shunning. The org knows that there is trouble on the way, so needs to shore up and have those "voluntary contributions" rolling in.

  In the words of the great late Goerge Carlin:

  “Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!

  But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money!”
• 

  TTWSYF

  Membership drive that never ends. My thoughts are that the reason to "stay alive til 75" is the same reason that there were all those failed dates from the early 20th century. The same reason that they claimed the 20th century would be the last before Armageddon. The same reason that they speak of generations from 1914 and etc, etc.

  It's a membership drive. Everything they do is for a membership drive. Join now or you won't be saved.

  My elder brother goes to a local prison every week to gain membership only. No visiting for anyone who has no interest in the WTS, potential members only.

  JWs who do not believe the end is near still promote it as a way of theocratic warfare [aka-lying for the Truth]
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  Nathan Natas

  No discussion of 1975 is complete without mention of the 1943 Watchtower publication "The Truth Shall Make You Free," which provided step-by-step "Bible-based" evidence on page 152 that 6,000 years of human history would be marked in 1972.

  Certainly in 1943 when this book was published no one had any inkling that the tax-exempt status of the WTB&TS would be challenged in 1971.
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  rebel8

  Page 958 of the Fordham article explains where Orphan Crow is getting her contention. Their victory is totally based upon the "house-to-house preaching method" being their primary activity, not publishing. The entire case hinged upon this, and them being the governing body of a religious denomination.*
  

  The fact that 1975 was mentioned in their literature decades earlier is a fair point.

  I am left wondering, though, if the escalation of 1975 as a significant doctrine that required much more door-to-door activity was fueled by the need to prove tax exemption. It is very plausible this could have occurred.

  Think about it. Now they are slowing down this activity, amidst an extreme pro-religion conservatism movement in this country--at a time when loss of tax exemption for publishing Bibles would not be considered.

  *Was there also an escalation of them calling themselves the governing body at this time, or extra assertions of their religious authority over jws? Of late, they have definitely de-emphasized this role--again, a time when their tax exempt status is not at risk.
  
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  rebel8

  http://law.justia.com/cases/new-york/court-of-appeals/1974/35-n-y-2d-92-0.html

  Thus, in our view, to succeed in establishing the taxable status of real property owned by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., under these provisions the taxing authority must prove not only that the corporate owner is organized exclusively for bible and tract purposes, but as well that it is not organized or conducted exclusively for religious purposes. It is on the latter branch of this requirement of proof that we conclude the taxing authorities have failed in this instance...The religious activity of Jehovah's Witnesses consists in major part of house-to-house preaching, an integral part of which is the attendant distribution of religious literature, the bible and religious books, magazines and booklets, all produced and published by the society. The great weight of judicial authority has uniformly held that the preaching activity of Jehovah's Witnesses from house to house is done as ministers of the gospel and it is held that it is religious preaching...We accordingly conclude that the respondent society is organized and conducted exclusively for religious purposes within the meaning of the statute and therefore is not subject to taxation...

  There is an interesting bit after that about the fact that wts had rent-paying tenants. The court seems to be saying they weren't asked to rule on partial exemption, so they cannot.
  
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  Finkelstein

  I think Franz and Knorr built up 1975 out various compelling reasons one being this generation from 1914 was getting on in time, so 1914 was very in their mindset.

  The Watchtower Publishing house has always operated as a pretentious commercialized fraud in the vein of freewheeling religious charlatanism.
  

  Franz reiterated the previously used dating of 6000 years of mankind's existence that was used by C Russell in the early 1900's and by himself in early 1940's, in spite of the fact that Jesus admonished to his followers the setting of specific dates upon God's own sacred time.
  

  Oops well I guess when your trying to market literature to the public you overlook what the bible says or what your personal god says how to preach his Gospel.
  
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  slimboyfat

  Is it right, that the tax involved was property tax in the state of New York? It's not the same as JWs losing tax exemption in general. Any idea about the amount of money involved? If they paid the tax from 1971 to 1974 is there public record?

  Yes I read the part of the article that says preaching was key to their argument for being considered a religious community. What is absent however is any evidence that 1975 was promoted with the aim of proving that they are a proselytising community when they were already regarded as such. Instead what we have is a lot of evidence that JWs were pointing to 1975 for decades (at least since the 1940s) and that Fred Franz heavily promoted the idea and was idelogically committed to it.

  As dozy says, many recent developments were clearly financially motivated, such as dropping charges for the literature. The evidence for the financial and legal motives behind that change is clear.
• 

  freddo

  @Orphan Crow

  Sorry. As other posters pointed out - when I posted "Mad Freddy" I did mean Fred Franz.

  As in he was the chief architect of 1975 and all it's life-wrecking ripples.
• 

  StarTrekAngel

  It is a little bit of everything in my view. Sure JWs were already on the streets by then but lets not forget that publications were offered at a price then. Tickling the Armageddon scare sensors back then was more profitable that it is now. Every publication distributed amounted to some income where today you can distribute probably hundreds of publications before you ever find a stranger willing to contribute to your cause.

  This could have helped them shore up their accounts with ease. Every witness took the message to heart as we know, selling properties and making ever increasing donations, plus whatever interest you could get from non believers meant another magazine or book sold for a price. Today, sounding the Armageddon bell only reaches the hardcore and those who can spare some change.
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  sir82

  My suspicion:

  It was Freddy's idea all the way. He thought it up all on his own and pushed for its acceptance.

  The WTS board of directors eventually got on board with it. Probably different people had different reasons for doing so. Perhaps some wanted to accept it for the enthusiasm it would generate, while others were more pragmatic and saw the tax (and/or other financial) advantages if they went along for the ride.