This is the standard accusation placed on those that were stumbled by the countless failed date settings of the Society. It happened right after 1914, after 1925, after 1975 and is gradually happening since 1995 after the 1914 Generation failed. Since 1995, every year now on average, there are close to 200,000 that are leaving the Society. Multiply 200,000 by 6 years (since 1995) and we have approximately 1,200,000 that have abandoned “true worship” in the past six years alone. Admittedly, not all those that leave are victims of stumbling, but they do represent a large percentage.
After every failed date setting, the Society consistently laid blame not on itself for having brought forth such speculations, but rather on the ‘rank and file’ for placing too much expectations on these dates.
It’s like a parent who promises to take his children to the park on the weekend. Every day of the week before, he keeps talking about the weekend and the park and all the fun they are going to have. Then the weekend comes and the parent for some reason reneges on his promise. Instead of apologizing and providing some reasonable excuse, the parent chastises his children and tells them that they had expected way too much, that he never promised to take them to the park, rather he hinted he might, and that they better adjust their thinking.
Imagine this parent continues to replicate the above scenario time and again, and you get the idea why a number of the “rank and file” abandons “true worship”.
What is really more serious though is the way the Society expects those that had left to actually come back.
The other day, I had a casual conversation with an elder from my hall and I presented to him what the Society wrote about 1914, 1925, 1975 and the Generation and what the Society wrote after the failure of these dates. I also talked about the adverse results for those that had stumbled and gone away. He replied and I know that this is how the Society thinks by saying: “Well! Where are they now? Why did they not come back? They have gone because they did not have true love for Jehovah and the truth” and so on.
I really do not know how after having disappointed its followers’ time after time, the Society, expects those that have gone to actually come back. Now, this is surely an undue expectation on part of the Society and it better adjust its thinking on this matter.
That elder further mentioned that Jesus had said that there is going to be stumbling.
I agreed wholeheartedly, and mentioned that Jesus, at the same time, gave a stark warning to those that are responsible for causing such stumbling.
There is a contradiction here. How can the Society be the only faithful and discreet slave giving out spiritual food at the due time and thus receive the praise of the Master and at the same time, be responsible in stumbling hundreds of thousands, if not millions, and thus be worthy of having a millstone tied to its head and thrown into the water?