Nothing ever remains the same. Just think of the great changes that occurred within the Watchtower Society in the last 120 years. But there have been significant outside changes in our own generation that may influence this generation of JWs.
James Penton (Apocalypse Delayed) predicts that gradual changes will have to come in the organization if it is to survive. He suggest the abundance of information that is now available such as the Internet and instant media coverage makes it nearly impossible for even Jehovah's Witnesses to ignore. He foresees Jehovah's Witnesses possibly becoming "just another denomination among denominations."
On the other hand, Ray Franz sees no great changes in the leadership role of the organization any time soon. Most of those appointed to the G.B. are diehard JWs who are eager to please their seniors. They will try to maintain a "status quo."
So the internal forces will try to keep things the same. But the external forces will probably exert enough pressure to make changes within. Changes are inevitable. But it may take time.
50 years from now, the JWs will be living in the days of armageddon. They will all be living inside of Kingdom Halls instead of houses built by worldly people. All their money will go into the contribution boxes to pay for food, clothes, and all the KH expenses. They will have the ultimate protection from the world.
However, they will still go to school and work. They need to aquire money somehow to contribute to the society, and they will need the knowledge to get a job. Field Service will be no more. They have reached the ends of the earth.
Excellent post, OldHippie. I know how that feels. Half my life wasted, for what? My youth, energy and time spent waiting for something that isn't going to happen. Even now, sometimes I feel like I'm in limbo, I'm not a JW, but I'm not free of them either. So my time is still wasting away in this limbo hell. I may never be free of it completely and it is starting to piss me off more and more as time goes by.
Someone else posted earlier, "what's another 50 years out of 2000?". Good question, but if you think about it, 2000 years isn't such a long time when one is talking about the end of the world. The WTS has spent roughly 5% of the last 2000 years preaching that the end is coming anytime. The higher that percentage goes, the less serious anyone will take them.
I hope to God that that they have been wound up, sued out of existance , and disappeared like the lost cause that they are .
Did not Gamaliel say , about the 1st Century Christians "Let them be because if they are from men they will just be overthrown". I believe that they will.
Old Hippie, How much I understand what you are saying.. How many of us have only realised too late that God gives you the proverbial "Threescore years and ten" and expects you to make the most of it .
Rod Stewart once sang ,"Youth's a mask and it dont last , so live it long and live it fast 'cos you will never get a another chance"
I reckon they will drop 1914 if the end doesn't come by 2014, take it on the chin, and come up with some new vague nebulous chronological interpretation.
They've already got the generation thing covered with their new floating secular interpretation, making what Jesus meant an era or epoch rather than a scriptural generation.
Two, the WTS will evolve much like it has over the last 100 years so that no one will notice. The ones alive and going now, will be dead, and will forget (or not realize) to tell their grandchildren what a crock all of this is.
