Did anything significant happen in 1934?

Paralipomenon

Looking at the 607/587 BCE issue, I was wondering if the Bethel could spin some new light to avoid embarassment and buy themselves an extra 25 years or so.

If it was 1935, they could claim that the call to close the doors to heaven was actually the real date of Jesus' invisible reign and tie up two embarassments with one flash of light.

Best I could find though, nothing really important happended then. Anyone else with better JW historical records think of an "out" for them?

Once 2014 comes, they are in for a major explanation. Witnesses are starting to get anxious since it represents 100 year reign. If there is nothing to replace it with, they may face an exodus worse than 1975 as they no longer have a date or marker for current witnesses to look forward too.

"Soon" only lasts so long, and with a good old century marker in the "soon" teaching, Witnesses are going to start getting tired and start getting educations and planning for retirement, which is exactly what HQ doesn't want them to do.

TheOldHippie

The rather well-known German guy with the moustache and strange hand movement started his actions ...........................

designs

RICHES came out in 1935, Rutherford's opus on the Other Sheep, as they say The Rest Is History.

diamondiiz

Generation is overlapping

1914 is mentioned less and less

JW aren't as wts educated to argue as they use to

simplified watchtower might be a sign of what kind of thinking people are being recruited

2014 will come and go, with maybe more jw waking up, by more I mean more than on average but there won't be a mass exodus, many that are in are drones who will follow blindly, while those who wake up are few enough that wts can put pressure to blackball and bully around. Their day will come but I really doubt it will be in 2014, nor do I think they will change a date to 1934. If anything, they should have changed it to 1975 just because according to them they were off by 100 years in counting the 6000th year which originally was the start of Jesus return according to Russell - 1874. 1975 as the return of Jesus would have at least bought them 100 more years of not worrying about dates and the meaning of generation.

They aren't proactive so they will sit and wait and react if there is more murmouring about 2014 and why no end is in sight.

Paralipomenon

The overlapping generation is a stopgap.

They can't claim that the end is "just around the corner" without giving any markers. The religion is an extremely selfish one. The membership won't have the patience to settle in for the long haul and give up a good career and retirement without something they can track.

Apathy would kill the Witnesses faster than anything Apostates could do.

They must realise that. The next markers are 2012 based off of the Aztec calander. (for the kooky witnesses) then 2014 for the Centenial of Christ's Reign. After that, I don't think there's any markers left. Witnesses will need to resign themselves that they have no clue when the end is coming and the Watchtower will either need to set a new marker, or face an apathetic membership that really won't bother with the urgency to preach.

The lack of preaching leads to decline in growth, which only fuels more apathetic setiment.

diamondiiz

120 years of Noah's preaching, hows that for a next marker :)

Or we don't live for a date but serving Jehovah regardless if the end comes or not in our lifetime

A totally indoctrinated cult member will always make an excuse for the end being close. By 2014 US will be close to 18 trillion in debt which is something like 120% of debt to GDP so the last king is about to die any day now...

If peak oil occurs, the end is almost here because we can't live without oil

and on and on... Any newsworthy event is a possible market to a witness, it doesn't need to be a date.

Why look critically at the world when all you have to do is trust in GB and be active dub to make it into the new system of things.

Apathy? I don't know, IMO many are already going through motions but because they are trapped in a Borg only few wake up to escape while the guilt and fear of losing loved hangs over the others that would like to leave but can't. So how many brave JWs do we know that are willing to take the first step away from the mother? I don't see exodus just yet, we'll have to wait for wts to do something stupid soon or the exodus may not happen for another couple decades or it might be just a gradual decline - you know the bible did say the love of the greater number would cool off, and Jesus was talking about Christians so that's why more are leaving God's organization, we have to stay close to GB more than ever because we know they're the anointed...... oh ya, that's another sign the end is close

truth_b_known

One might compare Jehovah's Witnesses with other christian religions. Most christian religions teach there will be an "end of days" and teach of the rapture. This teaching has been taught for centuries, if not from the dawn of christianity. There doesn't seem to be a mass exodus from other christian religions.

Accord to the Watch Tower Society, Jesus began to rule in heaven in 1914. In the year 2014 his 1,000 year reign will be 1/10 over. Not very significant. So, the overlapping generations doctrine is a drum they can beat for decades.

The truth is, millions now living (who are Witnesses) will die. Even worse, look at the number of Witness who are alive now, lived through the whole 1975 debacle, are in their sixties, seventies, or eighties, and are completely unprepared for retirement. I truly believe the reason why such ones keep a death grip on the religion is that it would be too emotionally devistating for them to come to terms with the truth: the wasted their entire life for a lie.

I was born in the seventies. I remember as a child in the eighties be told by people in my congregation telling me I'd never attend high school because this system would end before then. Now, those kids like myself have children graduating from high school.

When I was in my late teens I would paint members of my congregation into a corner. They might complain of something they are dealing with due to their age. They would turn to me and say,"Just wait until you're old." I would reply,"I'm never going to get old." I could see in their face they wanted to say,"Keep telling that to yourself, kid," but wouldn't. They would clinche their teeth and say,"That's right." To do otherwise would imply that they do not believe the end is just right around the corner.

breakfast of champions

The vibe I get from friends is something to the effect that "the end better get here soon" like before/at/around 2014. Their patience is wearing thin, and 'overlapping generations' is not a satisfying answer. Perhaps no mass exodus on Jan 1st 2015, but expect to see the numbers tip negative shortly thereafter.

DesirousOfChange

"Soon" only lasts so long.

Para, it's nearer than "soon". In fact, it's nearer than "very soon".

*** w97 1/1 p. 11 par. 18 Let All Glorify Jehovah! ***
Both the increasing light on Bible prophecy and the anarchy of this dying world cry out that the end of Satan’s system is very, very near!

Or, from Sunday's WT Study: I'ts imminent.

DOC

Phizzy

1934 is vey like 607, two things happened, not much and sod-all.

Did anything significant happen in 1934?

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