I have had several studies with several J.W.s as I am very interested in theology and most of my in-laws are J.W. On many occasions I asked to see the very complicated way that the year 1914 was obtained. Everyone of my studies told me not to worry about it, that it involves much complicated math and it has been checked over and over and is right. Do J.W.s know where this date actually comes from? It comes from the internal measurements of the Great Pyramid's passage ways, done by Charles Russell and published in his research. Check out http://neirr.org/pyramidscheme.htm. Why do J.W.'s not mention this? Are they not aware of their own history, their pyramid obsessed founder? His tombstone is even a pyramid. I realise that The Watchtower seem to be trying to distance themselves from this date now, as it is not mention very often anymore, but tell me why it has been used all these years? 6 million Jehovah Witness didn't bother to check this date out for themselves or were discouraged to do so. How many people would join this religion if they knew this, so called complicated date, only involved a tape measure, a crazy man and a trip to Egypt.
Pyramids and 1914
by smudge 19 Replies latest jw friends
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dozy
Most witnesses are vaguelly aware that Russell used the pyramid to calculate dates , but that he used it to reinforce what he felt was bible based chronology. It is mentioned (although not elaborated upon) in the official histories of Jehovah's witnesses eg on page 201, the Proclaimers book acknowledges that "For some 35 years, Pastor Russell thought that the Great Pyramid of Gizeh was God's stone witness, corroborating Biblical time periods." In 1877 Barbour and Russell coauthored a book called Three Worlds and the Harvest of this World, in which they started their chronology with "a date well authenticated and generally accepted by scholars" for the first year of Cyrus, namely, 536 B.C. Then they interpreted verses in Jeremiah and Daniel to mean that seventy years of desolation of Judah ended in 536 B.C., so that the start of the desolation must have been seventy years earlier, in 606 B.C. Finally they counted forward 2520 years from 606 B.C.E. and arrived at 1914 C.E I've never known a witness to be too concerned about the pyramid angle as the argument is that Russell was searching the scriptures and other philosophies trying to establish the truth and made mistakes along the way. The calculations are primarily based on an interpretation of Daniel's "7 times" prophecy.
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Van Gogh
Interesting link, smudge.
The calculations leading to the date of 1914 did not involve only a tape measure, a crazy man and a trip to Egypt. C. T. Russell – with an unhealthy dose of otherwise common religious arrogance and fanaticism - got carried away in arguing his case for 1914/1915 building on the case that others made for such an end-time date. This case was for a large part based on the prophesies of Daniel and the year 607BCE (refuted extensively by Carl Olof Jonsson in The Gentile Times Reconsidered). Russell actually focused more on the date of 1874.
Why the cognitive dissonance?
The Watchtower (Fred Franz and Rutherford) did away with the pyramids and put all their bets on Daniel and the fact that WW 1 broke out in 1914, while actively suppressing their own history; this is what many people/politicians/revolutionaries/historians/dictators/religious fanatics tend to do; JWs are thus, just like many other people, not aware of their own history.
This exposes the WTS’s motives for promoting 1914. While the Bible or Daniel may appear to be more authoritative than a pyramid, the bible-based exegesis is of course just as flawed as pyramid-based measurements.
The WTS is able to sell this version of the ‘Da Vinci Code’ because of the myth of increasing new spiritual light in understanding the scriptures and because of the myth or concept of spiritual cleansing by Christ in 1919 on which act they base their spiritual authority. This date in turn is derived from the faulty premise of 1914 (while in fact the WTS discarded pyramid schemes many years after 1919…). From the top down, their special status and position is the bonus that this religious leadership pays itself for the spiritual arrogance with which it keeps the R&F JW shareholders happy.
From the bottom up it is a common human trait that the investing followers to some extent want to have their ears tickled (I did); it feels great to be part of a chosen people and the benefits of a paradise are a tempting spiritual investment opportunity (IMHO like in any religion such as Mormons, Muslims etc).
In the end, refuting JW/WT teaching like 1914 is not simply a process of rational thought. People first get sold on benefits such as the mental picture of a paradise. Afterwards they ‘rationalize’ this ‘sale’ by the ‘features’ such as the ‘overwhelming evidence’ of prophecy ‘supporting’ these promises.
These are some reasons why six million JWs did not bother to check out the odds for 1914 for themselves or were discouraged to do so. And even if they do, many will try to justify their investment and for some reason will want to hold on to their stake in the pension jackpot ‘pyramid’ scheme of the ‘Paradise Company Inc’ (spiritual ENRON more likely). Besides, if six million other JWs bank on it, it can’t be all that wrong, one might argue.
The few who did bother to check 1914/607BCE out (such as Jonsson) were swiftly excommunicated/disfellowshipped and branded as apostates. Consequently, their books are forbidden to read… in the end it is a self perpetuating cycle (mechanisms occurring in any setting of society or culture). Former Governing Body member Ray Franz describes in his Crisis of Conscience how he researched 1914/607BCE in the late sixties. He describes the process of how he proceeded to ignore the evidence because of his own cognitive dissonance. The reality is that JW/WT will have their own religious niche for many years to come like any other church, cult or sect. Hasn’t the overwhelming evidence against the special status of the Watchtower Society/Faithful and Discreet Slave Class/Governing Body been around for over ninety years, ever since 1914 turned out to be a hoax?
However, the fact that JW/WT for various reasons continues to attract more criticism on the internet than any other religion is a hopeful development that I myself consider to be a worthy investment.
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Lapuce
I bet thats not the only obsession Russel had.....
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Hellrider
Dozy of course doesn`t mention that 1914 was set to be the date Armageddon was going to come (after 1874 and a lot of other dates failed), not that it was the time of the beginning of Christs "invisible presence" (which in itself is an unBiblical doctrine). He also doesn`t mention that the WTS in it`s later litterature falsifies its own history by claiming that "for decades preceding 1914, Jehovahs people pointed to the significance of this date", trying to make it look as if they had said that Christs "invisible presence" began this year, while 1914, in fact, was just another failed date for Armageddon. So the WTS are lying, and so are Jehovahs Witnesses when they uphold the WTS claims that "for years preceding 1914...etc". Liars.
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blondie
To get a truer picture of 1874 and the pyramind chronology, check out Russell's words yourself.
http://www.ctrussell.us/ctrussell/ctrussell.nsf/All?OpenView
Blondie
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jwfacts
Van Gogh the phrase 'ears tickled' is very apt.
So is the use of pyramid. Look at the recruitment methods of any pyramid scheme. They dont approach saying we are Amway, and you will get rich. They spend most of the time at the beginning painting the picture. What do you want, a boat, a sports car, a holiday, a house. What are your dreams. Once the person is so hooked on the idea they will do anything to achieve it, including believing in and joining one pyramid scheme or another, not really caring about the details. -
Honesty
1914 is a very important year for the WATCHTOWER BIBLE and TRACT SOCIETY because they claim that 3 1/2 years after Jesus "invisibly" returned in "Kingdom Power", He inspected all professing Christian groups and decided the INTERNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION, forerunners of the WATCHTOWER SOCIETY were axactly what HE was looking for because they were celebrating Christmas, had followers in the military, used the Cross in worship and a few other observances and customs J.F. Rutherford later decided were of "pagan" origin. Without 1914, the WATCHTOWER's claims of being the ONLY channel God is communicating with and using fails. Without 607 B.C. as the date for Jerusalem's fall to Nebuchanezzar II and the destruction of the Jewish temple erected during King Solomon's reign, 1914 is invalid because through a complex formula of interpreting the Holy Scriptures a period of 2,520 years is promoted as being an exact interval between the destruction of the temple and Christ's "invisible" return.
Here are few tidbits regarding 1914 and 607 B.C.:
The WTBTS stated in 1877 and also in 1889 that 606 B.C. E. was when Jerusalem was destroyed.
When they figured out that they had forgot that there is no 'zero' year they changed the date to 607 B.C.E.
It is all in the "Revelation IT's GRAND CLIMAX AT HAND" book on page 105 in the box "1914 Foreseen"
They try to pass this off in the footnote at the bottom of the box as "later, when research made it necessary to adjust B.C. 606 to 607 B.C.E.".
Can any JW explain what that research entailed and who did the research?
The Babylonian Cylinder in the British Museum of History correlates perfectly with Assyrian Astronomical Charts from the same time period and they all say 586/587 B.C.
The WACKTOWER BABBLE and TRICK SYCOPATHS have managed to do what no politician or government has ever achieved in human history:
Deceive their followers with a line of ever changing dates, predictions and promises for over 100 years.
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drew sagan
My biggest problem with the 1914 date is this:
After sitting down and simply READING the Daniel 4 account I was amazed to see that there is NOTHING in the chapter that says the dream will mean anything other than Nebuchadnezzer. Many other Bible scholars DO NOT see this dream as meaning anything other that this application. But for people who want to "look deeper" into the Bible and find their own hidden secrects, this is the perfect place to do so. The interpretation is so obviously the product of men who where trying to find hidden meanings that simply wern't there. Not to mention that as time has progressed, many of the previously held historical "facts" have been updated making the interpretation even more less believeable.
I suggest you simply read the chapter. Does it seem like this dream has any other meaning? Or is the WTS trying to pull something out that isn't there. You decide. -
Atlantis
Scan of page 105 Revelation book mentioned above.
http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=4/9408271196.jpg&s=x10
