The Watchtower poistion on Earthquakes, help please!

by alexb123 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  alexb123

  I have been researching the WT's position on Earthquakes and I am a little confused. It appear that the WT is now not saying that earthquakes have become more common since 1914. For example on the WT site it is stated that “Earthquakes.” (Matthew 24:7) During the past 100 years, earthquakes have snuffed out the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. According to one source, earthquakes with the power to ruin buildings and split open the ground have averaged 18 per year since 1914. Deadlier quakes strong enough to level buildings have occurred about once a year. Despite advances in technology, the death toll remains high because many rapidly growing cities are located on earthquake fault lines. http://www.watchtower.org/e/20051001/article_02.htm I have also looked in a number of other locations and the WT is not claiming that earthquakes have got worse. However previously they did make these claims From 1914 until now, there have been many more major earthquakes than in any other like period in recorded history. [Watchtower, April 15, 1982, p. 9] The frequency of major earthquakes has increased about 20 times what it was on an average during the two thousand years before 1914. [Survival into a New Earth, 1984, p. 23] In comparison with the previous 2,000 years, the average per year has been 20 times as great since 1914. [Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 236] Please could someone tell me what the current position of the WT is in relation to Earthquakes? Many Thanks Alex
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  M.J.

  Hi Alex,
  
  The WT previously stated that earthquakes had increased in frequency since 1914, but it was exposed by those darn fact finding higher critics that it wasn't really so.
  
  So the WTS stopped publishing that assertion in the 1980s I believe.
  
  Now they simply assert that earthquakes affect more people these days than they used to. Which is true. There are billions more people living now than ever before in history. So yes, more people will be affected.
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  Hope4Others

  Here is an interesting blog with stats on earthquakes prior to & after 1914.

  As the above data show, reasonably complete studies prove beyond a doubt that the 20th century has not experienced any statistically significant change in earthquake deaths compared to earlier times. As one seismologist wrote, "For earlier centuries we do not have the same reliable statistics, but there are no indications at all of any increase in the activity in the course of time." Of course, the December 1, 1993 Watchtower mentioned none of this data.

  http://corior.blogspot.com/2006/02/watchtower-society-backpedals-on.htm

  THE GREAT LISBON EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI OF 1 NOVEMBER 1755George Pararas-Carayannis http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsunami1755Lisbon.html there are various sites to google seems there were a lot more earthquakes long ago, just alot have not been well documented.

  hope4others
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  Homerovah the Almighty

  Alex there has not been more or less earthquakes since 1914, any professional seismologist will tell you that, one thing the uneducated people at the WTS

  do not take in is that seismologists have very sensitive equipment now that can sense any tremor, the bible is bullshit, written bullshit by ignorant people that lived 2000 years. ago.

  OOPS shouldn't tell the Truth

  The phony pumped up hysteria does sell lots of magazines though $$$$$$
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  Hope4Others

  Here is another site to look at, check the recent and historic on the left.

  http://earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/historic_eq/15-19th/1663_e.php

  hope4others
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  Hope4Others

  Welcome to the board.
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  Rapunzel

  Yes, I can. The current position of the Watchtower society on earthquakes is somewhat shaky. Get it? Somewhat shaky!! In the words of Kiekegaard, it's enough to induce fear and trembling!! Ha Ha. I bet that pun is enough to send people rocking in the aisles!!! But as for those who don't believe, I wonder if the organization's arguments are enough to sway opinion.
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  joebin

  The Watchtower position on earthquakes?? hopefully epicenter
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  JH

  All these signs happening in one generation, yes the generation of 1914......Oops, they changed the generation definition....So I guess things don't add up anymore.
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  alexb123

  Thank you all for your help here. It seems my friend who has been a JW for about 12 years still thinks that the WTS says there are more earthquakes since 1914. The more I read about JW's the worse they look as an organisation.