What would happen IF ...? If the New Light Crowd and the Old Light crowd ...?

Terry

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN?

(A thought experiment)

What if it were possible to gather Bible Students from Pastor Russell's day in a large auditorium with the Rutherford Era followers, and then bring in the Brother Knorr (my era) crowd along with Present Day JW's and get them chatting with each other?

All that New Light with all that Old Light (which thought it had New Light) would be in for a shock.

Would they humble themselves and decide Present Day Governing Body doctrine changes and TV style begging for money was acceptable?

WHAT DO YOU think?

I think it would be chaos and denunciation. I could be wrong, but
I don't think so.

stillin

I think that the new-lighters would cave to whatever sounded the most convincing, and it wouldn't take long. It is a pattern of change for them. The old-lighters KNEW that they had truth on their side and nothing was going to sway them?

blondie

Many Bible Students over the years left the WTS because of so-called new light. My grandparents were 2. Just saying.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_Student_movement

A number of schisms developed within the congregations of Bible Students associated with the Watch Tower Society between 1909 and 1932.[2][3] The most significant split began in 1917 following the election of Joseph Franklin Rutherford as president of the Watch Tower Society two months after Russell's death. The schism began with Rutherford's controversial replacement of four of the Society's board of directors and publication of The Finished Mystery.

Thousands of members left congregations of Bible Students associated with the Watch Tower Society throughout the 1920s prompted in part by Rutherford's failed predictions for the year 1925, increasing disillusionment with his on-going doctrinal and organizational changes, and his campaign for centralized control of the movement.[2] William Schnell, author and former Jehovah's Witness, claims that three-quarters of the original Bible Students who had been associating with the Watch Tower Society in 1921 had left by 1931.[4][a][b][6] In 1930 Rutherford stated that "the total number of those who have withdrawn from the Society... is comparatively large."[7]

Between 1918 and 1929, several factions formed their own independent fellowships, including the Stand Fast Movement, the Pastoral Bible Institute, the Laymen's Home Missionary Movement founded by PSL Johnson, and the Dawn Bible Students Association. These groups range from conservative, claiming to be Russell's true followers, to more liberal, claiming that Russell's role is not as important as once believed.[8] Rutherford's faction of the movement retained control of the Watch Tower Society[8] and adopted the name Jehovah's Witnesses in July 1931.[c] By the end of the 20th century, Jehovah's Witnesses claimed a membership of 6 million,[9] while other independent Bible Student groups were estimated to total less than 75,000.[10][11]

tiki

Chaos absolutely! But it could be pretty entertaining to watch!

Xanthippe

Conversations over lunch something like, oh you can have all medical treatment we're not Christian Scientists!

No you can't have blood transfusion or IVF.

You're wrong you can have blood fractions and IVF is a conscience matter if using the parents eggs and sperm.

What you're an apostate, get behind me Satan!

sir82

Somewhere on this forum is the story of Romanian JWs who were cut off from contact with NY Bethel for a number of decades, due to the Iron Curtain, from the 50's thru the late 80s.

The cut-off JWs studied whatever old literature they still had, over & over & over & over...

When they finally got in contact with NY Bethel after 40-some years, the group determined that NY Bethel were all a bunch of apostates!

Finally, some of them joined the modern-day JWs (there is a recent JW Broadcast segment about this), but not all of them did. I believe there is still a sizable number of the 50's group - or at least their children & grandchildren - in Romania. That old thread has a lot more detail.