Moshe raises an excellent point vis a vis the Mormons' "dogma" - about the lost tribes of Israel ending up here in the good old USA. Science is, indeed, catching up with these 19th century prophets who never, in their wildest dreams, thought their "prophecies" would come back to bite them in their butts.
I read about this just a few days ago in my local newspaper, they had a special spread laying out the varying theories on how the so-called "New World" was populated (for myself, I won't rule out that people were here all along) - anyway, as best I can paraphrase it, it seems that 4 of 5 mitochondrial DNA (traces the mother's DNA???) show conclusive Asian ancestry for Native Americans - but the 5th "strand" points to a European ancestry...Yes - after frantically digging through my paper recycle bin, I have found the article, from the Monday, October 16, 2006 edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Pulse" section under "Earth - Diary of a planet":
"Scientists are also considering much more complex and diverse migration patterns, based on mitochondrial DNA research on living American Indians.
"Studies found that 95% of American Indians fell into four lineages, all of which were also found in Asia. They also found out, however, that a small number of American Indians belong to a fifth lineage, which doesn't appear in Asia but in Europe. Researchers also found this lineage among some ancient DNA samples, which suggested they were not the outcome of any post-Columbus contact with Europeans."
This information was published in a widely-circulated local newspaper, in a popular section, and written in language that a "regular" person can understand (i.e., not in scientific jargon).
Current knowledge - if it becomes widely known among the general populace through such similar articles - will Kill The Watchtower because, eventually, it will filter its way down even to the most stubborn r&f person who tries to maintain an aura of ignorance.
The WTBTS does not, of course, rely upon "migration theory" to support their religious dogma; but they HAVE relied upon 1914 CE for the last 125 plus years as a keystone year in their supposedly God-given chronology. The year 607 BCE according to the Watchtower, is THE key date upon which they calculate their entire "end times" eschatology. That is the supposed date upon which Jerusalem was finally decimated and the final part of the population remaining there, who weren't otherwise killed, were carried off to Babylon for "70 years" captivity.
The problem is that, as archaeological knowledge and discoveries (including continual translations being added into the public realm of the gigantic cuniform clay tablet libraries recovered from Babylon and environs) have gone forward from Russell's time, historical records and archaeological evidence have conclusively shown that Jerusalem was finally overtaken by the Babylonians in 586BCE - not 607 BCE. While 586 BCE is not a date of which the "average person" on the street may be aware, it IS a date that often comes up in chronologies concering ancient history (no doubt one of the reasons the Society is so terrified of the r&f pursuing a higher education, because THAT greatly increases one's chances of coming across this date in course work, for instance). And one doesn't need to be in college to learn about this date. I have pinned up on my computer hutch a mini-"timeline" that I clipped out of an old issue of "Biblical Archaeology Review" some time ago, and it states: "Babylonian Period 586-539 B.C.".
The topic of the significance of 1914 and 607 has been much discussed elsewhere at this forum, and it's not my intent to resurrect those discussions here. I only add my two cents worth - it's been over 10 years since I read "Crisis of Conscience" (I think I need to re-read it with "new" eyes), and I seem to recall that the author mentioned that at one point, because of their awareness of certain chronology problems, the GB had discussed possibly moving up the date from 1914 to 1934 or 1935??? That would put secular history into the early years of Hitler's rise in Germany, pre-WWII.
I also recall reading in "C of C" the GB discussing a date the Russians launched the first "Sputnik" - was that 1957 or 1958 - and somehow linking that date to some of the "signs of the end times."
In either case, I could certainly see the Society putting forth some future "new light," enough to convince the r&f of the need to "readjust their thinking forward" to circa 2034-2035 - or even later...
