When did the WTB&TS "Jump the Shark?"

El Kabong

Inspired by the website of the same name, when do you think the society "jumped the shark". For those who don't know what that phrase means, Jumping the Shark is the moment something (such as a TV show) begins it's downward spiral. The name comes from when "Fonzie" actually jumped the shark while water skiing on the TV show ~~Crappy~~ Happy Days, complete with leather jacket.

Did the WTB&TS jump the shark....

Day 1
When CT Russell Died
When Rutherford took over
When they Adapted the Name Jehovah's Witnesses
Advertise Advertise Advertise.
1925
Beth Sariem
N.H. Knorr
Freddie Franz
1966 (Beginning of the 1975 Prophesy)
1975 (When nothing happened)
Cleaning House at Bethel
Blood Transfusion Ban
Smoking Ban
MEPS (WT goes multi-color)
UN Scandal

I'm sure I missed a few. Anybody think of any others???

My vote has to be when Rutherford took over. In a drunken stooper, he managed to take a little religion, brainwash the followers into doing what he said, not what he did, and gain success by writing silly little books and have his slaves market them for free.

No Apologies

My vote would be for the redefining of "generation" in 1995. Ever since then they have lost momentum, since they have no clear goal to hold out to the r&f. This and the advent of the Internet about the same time, seem to be having quite an effect.

Nathan Natas

Hi El Kabong,

I'd just like to offer a couple of thoughts on the list you offered:

1966 (Beginning of the 1975 Prophesy)

Actually, the WTS began pointing to the mid 1970s as early as 1943 in the book with the ironic title, "The Truth Shall Make You Free," which said:

From Adam's creation to the end of B .C. 1 was 4,028 years
From beginning of A .D. 1 to the end of 1943 is 1,943 years
From Adam's creation to the end of 1943 A.D. is 5,971 years
We are therefore near the end of six thousand years of human history, with conditions upon us and tremendous events at hand foreshadowed by those of Noah's day .-Luke 17:26-30.

When you do the obvious math, you arrive at 1972.

The second thing is that Knorr and Franz were, from the beginning of their WTS careers, a part of the Rutherford coterie. It is a mistake to treat WT doctrinal developments as though Knorr and Franz were a different era - they were both selected for their positions by old Joe before he died, and Franz had A LOT to do with cobbling together the whole "1925 resurrection" nonsense.

I kknow these are minor points, but I think they are important.

DFWnonJW

I think the Bible prophecy clearly showed 1975 to be when the WT would "Jump The Shark".
Can it be mere coincidence that Armageddon failed to appear on schedule but JAWS reared it's ugly head instead?

Swan

I think it was when they disfellowshipped Ray Franz. They were actually on a downward spiral before this, but by DFing Ray they cut off any remaining loyalty he may have had to them. They went out of their way to alienate him to the point where he wrote an expose of their hypocrisy that has been read by thousands. They may have jumped the shark, but Ray's books are like razor sharp sharks teeth ripping their dogma to shreds.

I just love it!

Tammy

riz

I love the Jump the Shark website. Classic!!

I think the wts jumped the shark on Day 1. It was an ill-conceived idea that has been on a downward spiral since its inception.