by Jeffro 27 Replies latest watchtower bible
rocketman:
The article that Jeffro mentions at the outset does in fact suggest that there was a buildup to the War, that it did not just happen by surprise.
I stated that they did gloss over the political tensions. The fact remains that they did not mention armed conflicts that were directly pertinent.
Though JW literature has covered many different topics over the years, Watch Tower Society literature (at least as far back as 1950) has never mentioned the Balkan Wars.
oh they always paint that era as morally superior to our time, and then BAM. They always forget all the other romantic things about that time. Like women were practically furniture. Racism was rampent. Medical help? Sure, get the leaches! Workers rights? You want a day off?
It's the same BS.
The article hardly seems to intend to be comprhensive. I stated that from what I read from the current article, they do at least suggest that there were events that led to the war, not that it just occured almost from nowhere. OK, they don't mention the Balkan Wars, but they do mention the 'tensions' in that region and in other areas of Europe as well. I just don't see a smoking gun in this article. I'm sorry. And at least one other post by another member, transhuman68 commented similarly.
Justitia: I was not commenting on past articles. My comment was confined to the current article cited in the original post. I'm hardly a jw apologist, but I just can't see much to attack in this instance.
I don't see a smoking gun either, but the WT does get creative when it comes to history. Especially how they romanticize that era.
My comment was confined to the current article cited in the original post. I'm hardly a jw apologist, but I just can't see much to attack in this instance.
Justitia wrote: When the WTBTS writes generally on the historical subject, it tracks closer to reality because it assumes, usually correctly, that most JWs will not make the link. When it writes about history as applied to them specifically, 1914, and whether they are God's channel, it twists the subject matter.
I agree. This article is discussing history in general and asks whether it might be repeated in the form of WW3, The purpose of the article was to create fear in the rank/file that Armageddon is nigh, not to intimate that the FDS had God-given foreknowledge of WW1 because Jehovah had annointed them. Therefore, the WTBTS had no need to re-cast history.
The article hardly seems to intend to be comprhensive. I stated that from what I read from the current article, they do at least suggest that there were events that led to the war, not that it just occured almost from nowhere. OK, they don't mention the Balkan Wars, but they do mention the 'tensions' in that region and in other areas of Europe as well. I just don't see a smoking gun in this article.
In isolation, the article certainly is not a 'smoking gun'. I specified the context of my comments in regard to this article continuing their pattern of never mentioning the specific conflicts that led to World War I. JW literature does indeed romanticise the period prior to World War I, and won't mention things that are too inconvenient to their position, so they present just as much historical information so as to make their position seem plausible.
One thing I will add is that there has been unquestionably over the decades an effort to make 1914 into a marked year, and that is something that distinguishes them doctrinally, and nothing has changed. So, while I mentioned that the article doesn't appear to say that WWI happened out-of-the-blue, there is always that attempt to cast 1914 as a special year, in line with the Watchtower's teachings concerning the End Times. In no way am I assuming that the Society is suddenly becoming more accurate their assessment of what those events indicate.
History is a continuum, events can not be studied separately, 1914 did not happen out of the blue, neither did II WW. There were political and economical problems long before everything exploded that lead to the wars. Apart from costing millions of lives both wars had a significant political effect.
Hopefully we will never have to endure a III WW and hopefully we will start demanding responsibilities from the ones that lead us to the current crisis before it is too late.
