Do young JWs care about the dates 1914 or 1919 anymore? (page 2)

still-fading

As more and more time passes, the dates are getting more and more irrelevant. What I'm waiting for is more "new light" that will further extend the "last days" past 1914.

civicsi00

As more and more time passes, the dates are getting more and more irrelevant. What I'm waiting for is more "new light" that will further extend the "last days" past 1914.

What did you mean by "extend the last days past 1914"? That they should set an actual new date for the start of the "last days"? Because IMO, when they wrote off the Sheep/Goats teaching AND the Generation teaching back in '95, they extended the "last days" to go on for an undefined period.

Back on topic, I don't think the younger R/F even care about the dates, and I can tell you why: It's not part of their week-after-week indoctrination. Nowadays it's about "conduct" and going out to field service to convert more people into parroting drones. Gone are the days when the Watchtower used to expound and prophecy that each day was just one day closer to "the end". Gone are the days when they would set a new date for all the R/F to work towards... only to see it fail.

NewYork44M

Twenty years ago you could get maybe 10% of the r&f to explain 1914. Less could explain 1919.

I am sure that the number has dropped substantially of who can explain the calculation of 1914 and 1919 using jw logic.

They don't know and they don't care.

still_in74

The WT mags are using the word "1914" and "1919" less often because JW teenagers today could not care less about the hard core teachings of the past. The JW religion today is not the same religion it was even 10 years ago

i agree and disagree.

the WTS refers to 1914 and 607 as often as they ever have. 1919 not so much(although just doing the Revelation book we heard the 1919 bullshit every other paragraph!)

I get the impression that they arereinforcing the dates themselves but not necessarily the traditional teaching/meaning behind them. I say this beause the study edition of the WT does often drop both 1914 and 607 but doesnt elaborate. It will just say "ever since 1914..." or "when Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 BCE..."
it doesnt explain or even elude to the calculation of these date or even their signifigance - it just states them.

To me this is all about reinforcing the accepted belief amongst the R&F that these are "pivitol dates" that are so universally true that we dont even need to substantiate them anymore because EVERYONE knows all about these dates!

When was the last time anyone ran through the whole 1914 calculation? Not since the live forever book that I recall. By just "throwing" the dates out there the newbies will just accept whatever they are told cause they never understood it to begin with but have always "thought" they knew cuase they have herd them a thousand times....

still-fading

Ya, but really, how long can that explanation last, being a undefined period of time? From what I've seen, the R+F are looking for anything, any possible sign because we are so far past 1914. What I mean is it would not surprise one bit that some "new light" will come out saying that the "last days" really didn't start in 1914 but started at a later point in time. Meaning Christ did return in 1914 but that is not necessarily when the last days begun.

still_in74

Ya, but really, how long can that explanation last, being a undefined period of time? From what I've seen, the R+F are looking for anything, any possible sign because we are so far past 1914. What I mean is it would not surprise one bit that some "new light" will come out saying that the "last days" really didn't start in 1914 but started at a later point in time. Meaning Christ did return in 1914 but that is not necessarily when the last days begun.

there are a lot of details the WTS can shift around and play with. As Ray Franz pointed out the old "take it from your left shoulder and put it on your right shoulder" techinque. However, Christs presence and the beginning of the last days are intrinsically connected. Christs return means his kingship, his kingship means the end of the Gentile Times. This means the last days. what the org has done is just eliminate any means to try and calculate a time frame as to when the last days will end. They did this for so many years that it caught up to them and they had to ditch the generation and the closing of the call in 1935. This effectively extended the last days indefinitely. After all, a day to Jehovah is as a thousand years right?? Noah preached for a 120 years, thus the last days could be a 120,000 years long???? Its just just rediculous. they cant let go of 1914 as a "special" year. they cant let go of 1919 and they cant drop 607. All of these dates are interconnected. The problem is 607 is wrong and this has been factually proven, 1914 is too far gone to have any special signifigance to anyone and 1919 was never calculated but merely stated by Rutherford as fact to never be questioned. Rutherford was lunatic! (dont get me started on how much I hate that asshole) The last days will always have started in 1914 - its just a matter of keeping the R&F sheltered enough and busy enough to not ask why...

RubaDub

Maybe 1914 and 1919 are not that much in vogue anymore.

But 1922, when they began to blow the trumpets, is still a winner.

Rub a Dub

james_woods

And of course 2022, when the last echoes of the mighty trumpet blast have died down.

2014 will be very problematical, given man's propensity to link max human life with 100 years, if 1914 is kept on the front burner.

Pahpa

still-fading

Good point. Three members of the GB proposed that "this generation" date could be moved from 1914 to 1957 to give the Society more time. (Apocalypse Delayed, Pg. 218) It was rejected by the other members. But it shows that even important dates and their explanations can be shifted to suit Watchtower purposes.

We also know that Rutherford dropped Russell's date of 1874 and added 1914 as the beginning of the end to explain away the failures of Russell's predictions. So, the GB is not above adjusting dates. 1914 is more difficult because of its pivotal significance to the 1919 date. But it can always come up with "new light" which the r/f will accept.

However, I don't think the younger ones care much. 1914 and World War I are just part of history for them. They have no living memory of those who lived during that period of time. Even the generation of WW II is fading from the scene.

wha happened?

Does anyone have a recent CD? Mine is from 2005. I wonder if someone could do a search on 1914 and see the amount of references to it in say 1997 & 2007.

There's been some hints in the last decade about it going for 120 years from 1914 as compared to Noah's preaching work

Do young JWs care about the dates 1914 or 1919 anymore?

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