New Light, the teaching that has morphed into Old Alibi

by FatFreek 2005 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  FatFreek 2005

  As far as I recall Watchtower's New Light doctrine was conceived from the very first issue of Zion's Watchtower and Herald of Christ's Presence, 1879. C.T. Russell used it then as an alibi for his failed 1874 and 1878 dates. 1874 was eventually replaced by 1914 and the rest is history.

  Well, they've been using the alibi ever since -- for the some 24 failed events that were supposed to happen in 1914 to the 49 failed dates over the years.

  At the heart and soul of Watchtower's "New Light" teaching is Proverbs 4:18, ". . . the path of the righteous is like the bright morning light that grows brighter and brighter until full daylight."

  Few actually give thought about the person who actually penned those words.
  

  Few think about the behavior of its author and how he completely ignored and grossly violated one of the ten commandments, "you shall not commit adultery". Yes, they had indeed been in effect for some 500 years before his day.
  

  Few admit that he had more spouses than Hollywood celebrities Mickey Rooney, Liz Taylor, Larry King, and Zsa Zsa Gabor -- all combined.

  Few mull over the fact that, by his orders, no less than 3 men were put to death.

  Even fewer think about how so-called Watchtower's New Light teaching simply does not undo flip-flop doctrinal contradictions which are like a strobe -- flickering some 10 times for certain teachings. Think resurrection of the ancient Sodomites, the Superior Authorities of Romans 13, the transplanting of human body parts, the identiy of the Al´pha and the O·me´ga, the 1,250 prophetic days -- and others.

  Most, however, are able to identify exactly who he is by his popular defining quality -- wisdom. ". . . Sol'o·mon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man, . . ." (1 Kings 4:30, 31)

  Whether or not we have a timeline for Solomon's activities, we simply don't know when he was wise and wrote all those "inspired words" vs. when he had the 1,000 wives / concubines and when he had those men put to death. That said, it is reasonable to conclude that he was certainly not as wise as some think. It's also an unwise conclusion that "the bright morning light that grows brighter and brighter until full daylight" has even the slightest bearing in our day on whether Watchtower teachings evolve in one way or the other.

  To most, "New Light" has morphed into "Old Alibi".
  
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  Sea Breeze

  It's also an unwise conclusion that "the bright morning light that grows brighter and brighter until full daylight" has even the slightest bearing in our day on whether Watchtower teachings evolve in one way or the other.

  A basic Christian teaching is that doctrine is "fixed" by the apostles. It cannot morph and certainly cannot flip-flop once presented by the apostles.
  
  Paul wrote the below words to address this very issue, after seeing how some folks were easily fooled by those that would change the gospel.
  
  Galatians 1 - I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

  7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

  8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

  9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

  
  
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  FatFreek 2005

  Good thought, Sea Breeze.

  As to those 24 failed events that were supposed to happen in 1914 (News Flash, not one of them was the single most significant event of 1914, the beginning of the "Great War" -- WWI)

  Here's the link.

  Len Miller
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  FatFreek 2005

  And those 49 failed dates.

  Here's the link.

  Len Miller
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  Smiles

  Everyone here should download the two links above. That is the hard evidence needed to make the case on Watch Tower false predictions.

  Watch Tower has dark archived much of this old original material, or has elected against digitizing the material, effectively rendering it a daunting task for the general public to access. And to complicate it more, some of the material which has been digitized electronically for public release, was also modified to 'the reflect the correct understanding'... So now, the average person using JW apps or JW software, may not be viewing the information as it appeared when originally published.

  This is a key topic for anyone inside of or outside of the Watch Tower organization that desire to know the facts about its plethora of false predictions.

  @FatFreek 2005... Thank for posting this topic and including the two above links so anyone can easily see references to the old original literature published by Watch Tower which contain the false predictions.

  Crucial too is knowing how Watch Tower, has to this day, continued to distort or omit its lengthy record of interpretational errors in an effort to rewrite its history and keep its masses ignorantly believing in its shape shifting interpretation of prophecy.

  For example, their publication "God's Kingdom Rules!", published in 2014, provides a whitewashed portrayal of the 1914 prediction which conveniently omits the 24 failed events previously attached to its 1914 prediction which FatFreek outlines in the post links above.

  "10. How did the Watch Tower point to 1914 as a marked year?

  10 As its full title suggested, the journal Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence was deeply concerned with prophecies pertaining to Christ’s presence. The faithful anointed writers who contributed to that journal saw that Daniel’s prophecy regarding the “seven times” had a bearing on the timing of the fulfillment of God’s purposes regarding the Messianic Kingdom. As early as the 1870’s, they pointed to 1914 as the year when those seven times would end. (Dan. 4:25; Luke 21:24) Although our brothers of that era did not yet grasp the full significance of that marked year, they proclaimed what they knew far and wide, with long-lasting effects."

  Omitted also are the various other dated years Watch Tower taught to be of epic significance, but which proved to be prophetically meaningless.

  In that modern one paragraph, Watch Tower history on the 1914 interpretation is over-simplified to portray it as a near perfect, cleancut, pristine prediction, which in the JW mind, permanently validates Watch Tower's "faithful anointed writers"...

  The sad reality is that this is merely Watch Tower writers whitewashing over the wrong.
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  FatFreek 2005

  Thanks, Smiles, for your well-written endorsement.

  One thing not emphasized enough in those essays is the ease of finding old documents.

  Https://archive.org is a wonderful free site, where Watchtower cannot hide their older documents. Nor can other more popular magazines and books.

  Here's a LIFE cover from wayback.

  

  Watchtower books quoted inside both essays such as The Harp of God; The New Creation, Studies in the Scriptures, etc., cannot hide from its clutches.

  Len
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  Phizzy

  An interesting comment made by Russell in the February 1881 Zion's Watchtower page 3:
  
  'As we look backward we can see that our pathway has been as "a shining light...shining more and more." It has been progressive, bringing us strength with "meat in due season." It has caused us to grow both in grace and knowledge and this growth, taken in connection with the fact that we are not obliged to look back and now call darkness what was then called by some of the brethren, "a great flood of light," is the very strongest grounds for confidence that the same Lord who then supplied us light from the word, is still providing of the same kind. We say then, "cast not away your confidence" in our Leader, "the great shepherd of the sheep."
  
  'If we were following a man undoubtedly it would be different with us; undoubtedly one human idea would contradict another and that which was light one or two or six years ago would be regarded as darkness now: But with God there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning, and so it is with truth; any knowledge or light coming from God must be like its author. A new view of truth never can contradict a former truth. "New light" never extinguishes older "light," but adds to it. If you were lighting up a building containing seven gas jets you would not extinguish one every time you lighted another, but would add one light to another and they would be in harmony and thus give increase of light: So is it with the light of truth; the true increase is by adding to, not by substituting one for another.'
  
  Do you think the present-day organization would agree with this?