I thought it would be enlightening to see what JWs said 100 years ago. It's no different as we check out the Jan 1, 1918 Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence.
Gloom and Doom from 100 years ago -- Watch Tower 1918
by FatFreek 2005 21 Replies latest social current
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purrpurr
Wow they were even more badly written back then!
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FatFreek 2005
I almost forgot, it was 1917 when they launched the Millions campaign so it's not surprising to find a reference to it in the first issue of 1918. Note, however, that they only used "may" never -- not the "will" never modifier -- like the title of the infamous book / booklet.
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FatFreek 2005
Oh, yes, that Bro Russell was a very special messenger.
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Sour Grapes
The JDubs for over 100 years have been saying that the sky is falling. When this is brought to the attention of today's overlappers the failed prophesies are forgiven with nulight. It is almost like the older publications are now viewed as from apostates.
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Finkelstein
2 words = marketing propaganda.
Russell was in reality a novice bible theologian, who due his propagation of Jesus returning and New Kingdom to come, became popular and drew attention from the hearing public.
His theological teachings were wrong but he sold his ideas freely drawing in a small segment of the population.
The Watchtower Corporation's teaching are still wrong but it was able to lure and retain a following from its highly controlling cultish nature.
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TheWonderofYou
100 years: Rutherford and seven other Watch Tower executives were imprisoned in 1918 after charges were laid over the publication of The Finished Mystery, a book deemed seditious for its opposition to World War I.
A public talk titled "The World Has Ended; Millions Now Living May Never Die" was first delivered on February 24, 1918 in Los Angeles, California. Five weeks later, on March 31, 1918 the title was changed to indicate absolute certainty:
The World Has Ended; Millions Now Living Will Never Die."
The public talk continued to be delivered under that same title until 1925. The material was published as this book in 1920. This book may be of interest to students of human psychology and students of religious movements, particularly millennialist apocalyptic, "prophetic" religious movements."
Millions_Now_Living_Will_Never_Die.html?id=uFn7PQJeorwC&redir_esc=y
1918 was the begin of a new epoche of biblestudents. They were urged to preach with the focus on the "millions now living will never die" talk and the earthly resurrection of OT heroes. This teaching only stopped 1925.
About this epoche 100 years ago
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FatFreek 2005
Hey, Paul Grundy (JWFacts), that was an excellent video on 1925, Million's ...
Thanks to you, TheWonderOfYou, for sharing it with us.
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FatFreek 2005
Two quotes within that video I would like to source.
Referring to 1925:
1. "fixed date beyond doubt"
2. "he had made with god himself"
I've googled these phrases and can find nothing but paraphrased references.
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FatFreek 2005
Here's a puzzling set of numbers I found in the Jan 15 issue of WT. You will see scans of the election results for society's officers. I took the few minutes to tally the numbers of voters to the sum of 1,142,980.
Here's where my ignorance shines through. I thought WT membership was in the realm of some 25,000 to 50,000 at that time. Therefore, that sum of more than one million who voted for the officers appears strange. Any thoughts?