What if World War One never happened?

outbutnotdown

Reading all these 1914 threads lately has made me think a lot more about my own feelings of the JW movement in the early years. Particularly how I feel they got kind of "lucky" that something BIG happened on whatever numbered prediction 1914 was for them.

We have all seen individuals ride out the rest of their sports, acting, etc. careers on one big break. The same can be said for organizations that promise or predict things.

My question is, how big and influential would the JW religion have become if a World War didn't start in 1914? What if that prediction slipped by and a few more slipped by, without them ever being able to say:

"See, I told you Jesus was coming back!! I know I told you he would come directly to Earth and it only happened in Heaven, when he cast Satan and his demons down to Earth, but look at what effect it had on the Earth IMMEDIATELY?!?! A World War!! Imagine how powerful a negative influence Satan is and how much we need to follow God." (later to be changed to WTBTS).

Brad

AlanF

I'm quite sure that they would have died out rather quickly, just as other sects did that actively promoted false "prophetic" dates.

AlanF

Simon

Well, they didn't invent the 1914 claims until after (around 1925) so it would not really have effected them - they would have picked something else instead possibly later.

Mind you, without the boost it gave them (from re-writing their own prophecies) they would probably not have grown as big as quickly.

outbutnotdown

Simon,

Did they really not say anything about 1914 until that much after? I know/figured that they never really used it to that extent immediately since I don't think it was considered to be a World War even, immediately. But I would have thought that their "re-writing" of prophecies would have been done a lot more subtly than that.

Like 1995, where they didn't have to change 1914, they just changed the "interpretation" they had of generation.

I would have thought they would have gradually exemplified the importance of their "rightness" in the year that they very likely wouldn't have done more than how they protected themselves with the 1975 thing. I'm sure the news, during the war, gradually as well revealed that this was the "greatest" war in history. Make sense?

Brad

vitty

Just think about it. There is a great war in heaven Satan gets kicks out, and instantly starts WW1?

I dont think so.

It took 2000 years before, Jesus became king, Its been 91 years since and armaggeddon hasnt come yet. Hey these guys take there time.

I reckon Satans still up there, arguing whoes the greatest. Give it another thousand years, then they`ll have there scrap, another thousand and Satan get angry, then woe to the earth!

ColdRedRain

There would have been some other world war to take "World War I"'s place, and in fact, we did have other world wars, it's just that the WTS doesn't mention it.

There's the Crimean war, which involved Russia, Arabia, Great Britan, France, The CSA, the USA and their colonies.

Which at that time, was over 75% of the world. Then there was the 30 years war, which involved almost all of Europe and it's colonies, which was a huge chunk of the world.

outbutnotdown

vittvin,

I'm not saying I even believe in a God vs Satan thing. I'm just using their own beliefs/fear tactics and trying to place their success failure based on how much the Great War helped to "prove" those same fear tactics.

I thought this quote was interesting, vittvin:

Give it another thousand years, then they`ll have there scrap, another thousand and Satan get angry, then woe to the earth!

This is just to crack a joke, not to offend, but you'll never succeed as a cult leader. All doomsday cults/high-control groups need to appeal to each humans innate selfishness. If it ain't gonna happen in their lifetime then they ain't joining.

IMO, even when they changed the "generation" interpretation in 1995, they had to start scrambling to make more immediate doomsday predictions. When they changed it to the generation that saw the generation of 1914 they essentially extended it for potentially another eighty years. DOH!! I think that's why, in 2004, they started using the example of Noah's day when man was given 120 years to shape up. Thirty years is easier to take than another 70, based on the 1995 change.

These doomsday thinkers are not necessarily the brightest. It's a good thing for them that FEAR and GUILT are such heavy burdens or they'd have been sunk by now.

ColdRedRain,

I still think the Great War of 1914 was considered to be bigger than all others. The simplicity of doomsday prophets is that they take regularly occuring events like wars, earthquakes, etc. and allow the media to promote them, and go along with the flow, showing how their "prediction" is coming/has come true.

Brad

Golf

Do some background check on the International Bankers and the passing of the Federal Reserve Act in 1913. With Russell's prediction and the events leading up to 1914 (the scheming Bankers) it makes one think. 1914 comes into play big time! You need to see who's behind the curtain.

Guest77

outbutnotdown

Golf,

HMMMMM!!! But wasn't Russell predicting originally that Jesus would come right down to Earth in 1914? If he thought that men were behind it, does it make sense for him to predict that?

Brad

P.S. I am not discounting that the events leading up to that time may have pointed to an outbreak in hostility, by the way, just as to how much relevance that had on Russell's mind.

ColdRedRain

I still think the Great War of 1914 was considered to be bigger than all others. The simplicity of doomsday prophets is that they take regularly occuring events like wars, earthquakes, etc. and allow the media to make promote them, and go along with the flow, showing how their "prediction" is coming/has come true.

You can make a bigger case for WW2 being bigger than WW1 because WW2 involved more continents rather than it being a battle between European-based cultures.

What if World War One never happened?

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