Do you think the WTS is about to change the doctrine about 1914? If so, what are the signs that is under way? (page 5)

david_10

But I think it will eventually have to be dropped because it makes no sense to say the end is imminent to an event that occurred over 100 years ago.

I tend to agree with James Woods. Sooner or later, they're going to HAVE to stop teaching it--------------------it's just going to look ridiculous.

Did you know that at one time, the WTBTS taught that the last days began in 1799? Yes, they did. They never officially abandoned that teaching, at least as far as I know. They just quit talking about it. By the early 1930s, it hadn't been mentioned for so long that everyone had forgotten what they were supposed to believe in. I think that they'll use a similar approach with 1914-----------they'll gradually stop talking about it and hope everyone forgets.

David

Sulla

Nope. Can't ever change. 1914 is the dogma -- unchangeable teaching -- of the JWs.

They could change it, and the hangers-on would hang on. But the GB and more sophisticated JWs are not pretending to believe. They really believe. And it is simply by virtue of being the one true church selected by Jesus himself that all the (admitted) doctrinal changes and associated silliness can be tolerated. It is the sine qua non of the entire concept.

karter

They may do away with it as fast as they did away with 1975.

As 100 years approchers the date 1914 will take on less and less significance and the WTS will stop mentioning it as much.

Once they have droped it all togeather anyone who mentions it will be told (like 1975) they are running ahead of the WTS and they are reading too much into it.

Lets face it they have moved the goal posts so often whats another one.

Karter.

gorgia

mP

Heres my crazy way to keep 1914 and "correct", if you pardon my honest bag of horse manure. I would say that 2013 years have not passed since Christ was born. I would say that we have lost 100 years and 1913 have passed and not 2013. That way 1914 (!) is next year and the generation that saw 1914 is actually us today.

DesirousOfChange

I would say that we have lost 100 years and 1913 have passed and not 2013.

They have already used that tactic once, so I guess it would not be unheard of to try it again.

Originally Russell's chronology had the end of the 6,000 years in 1874. Then there was a 100 year discrepancy discovered in the time period of the Judges. That brought the conclusion up to 1974 -- adjust one year for no "0" year in the calendar (Oops! How'd we miss that?) and you arrive @ 1975.

Doc

Ding

I think they will go one of two directions.

Either they will mention 1914 less and less or they will hype a new outside date based on 1914 such as 2034 (1914 + 120 years that Noah preached).

Doing the latter would kick the can far enough down the road that it will be their successors' problem to come up with new light then.

I think it's more likely that they have seen all the trouble caused by failed dates and will steer clear of it altogether.

Vidiot

I'll bet some would love to use the 120 years thing, because historically, apocalyptic millennialist groups have to date-set in order to maintain the necessary levels of enthusiasm among their memberships, but the WTS' date-setting days are long past their sell-by limit.

1914 is a quandry, and probably an "elephant in the room" at the board meetings.

DesirousOfChange

Doing the latter would kick the can far enough down the road that it will be their successors' problem to come up with new light then.

That strategy has been working for well over 100 years.

Doc

Phizzy

They have already let 1914 fade as to its prominence in teaching, to the extent that the vast majority of JW's today could not explain the doctrine without referring to a publication like the "Reasoning" book and virtually reading it from that.

Oh yes, JW's can parrot that "The Time of the End" started then, but to explain the nuts and bolts of the doctrine they could not do it in an off the cuff manner.

This trend will continue, they will refer to the doctrine as a given, much as they do with the Paradise Earth etc so that it just sinks in to new converts by osmosis, and we know how quickly the fear of looking silly, and then the fear of being branded an Apostate, takes hold of a new one, so that they simply cease to question.

First they are told to shelve their questions until the study book is complete, and by then they are too indoctrinated to question.

The nearness of the "New System" will become the clarion call that will keep the little sheeples running around in an "urgent" manner, proof for 1914 will never be done again in WT literature, and so it can fade from memory for JW's, whose memory is about as long as the proverbial goldfish anyway.

So, no change to the doctrine, but a sweeping it under the carpet, where it joins all sorts of other discarded doctrines that have never been changed or replaced, simply faded in to oblivion.

Do you think the WTS is about to change the doctrine about 1914? If so, what are the signs that is under way?

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