If the Watchtower dropped 1914 as a significant year, then it would be a blow to their Authority. If Christ did not return in 1914, he did not appoint the Governing Body to be the Slave in 1919. If he did not appoint a Slave in 1919, what would be the basis for the Watchtower’s absolute Authority?
However, the numbers give me pause. Maybe they want to distance themselves from 1914 as 2014 approaches, but they are caught in a theological conundrum.
These doctrines are designed by committee, which is most likely why this “new light” makes so little sense and seems a hodgepodge.