All this as we enter the 91st year from the Kingdom's birth! I wonder what sort of Kingdom Centenary celebration they're planning for 2014, likely at the Stanley Theater. Maybe the ``Ancient Worthies" will finally show up! They sure look hellbent on going down with the ship.......
The Feb1st WT article minimus was talking about - scans
by dmouse 26 Replies latest watchtower bible
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dmouse
Paragraphs 12 & 13 do seem to suggest that the fulfilment of the cry of 'peace and security' may not necessarily be one event. Like the signs that a woman is pregnant, the signs may be many and varied over a period of time.
In other words they are suggesting that the time left could be VERY short since the cry of p&s may have already happened.
As usual though they leave themselves in a position of plausable deniability. Dare suggest that the end may be years away and the elders will jump on you with articles like this, but years down the line when the end still hasn't come they can still peddle exactly the same 'end is nigh' crap for a whole new generation of JWs. It's worked before for them and it will work again.
Notice what the conclusion is to this article: DO MORE!
I also found it interesting that they come out strongly in defense of 1914. This must be the old guard talking since the younger generation MUST know that the 1914 dogma is a ticking timebomb, just like the 'generation' teaching was.
1914 is well past it's sell-by date and is starting to smell increasingly rank. By 2014 it will be indigestable even to the die-hards.
Just like Comical Ally in the Iraq war, who became increasingly ridiculous in defense of his beliefs the nearer the allies got, so too the GB will more vociferously defend the 1914 dogma just before it collapses.
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metatron
No King of the North in existence means NO ARMAGEDDON, period.
They are getting desperate to stir up any speculative deception they can - maybe a hundred years after 1914,
maybe Peace and Security started in 1986, maybe this, maybe that .... remember we didn't say for sure!
After 120 years of being wrong, why should anyone believe them?
metatron
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peacefulpete
They made this statement many years ago. They suggested that the "cry for peace and security" was possibly being fullfilled since the 80's. And that no one event should be expected.
Below is a comment I made last year. The JWs and others are waiting for some outstanding declaration from the world that it has accomplished peace and security on their own. and see this as the final trigger for God's anger. (tho now some suggestion is made that it has already been fullfilled) The U>N is expected to play a role in creating this peace. It was said in print that this declaraion of P&S may be already being announced, as it embodies the last two decades tward gobalization. This allows a vague fullfillment that essentially makes it valueless as a sign. As efforts tward peace have been perenial since the dawn of civilization.
In the past (back 60-70 years or so) it was explained that P&S would be delared by Christendom when it had squelched the voices of the JWs. This was changed when much of the time table order of "prophecy" was ammended.
This illustrates how a passage can be pulled like taffy to any shape that "harmonizes" with a preconceived doctrine.
The verses simply expressed a generic surprise on the part of nonbeleivers when the Christian Apocolypse befalls them. Many expected the end to have come long before the author(ostensibly Paul) wrote this text. Some were puzzeled by the peace unbelievers seemed to have. It was neessary to create a renewed sense of imminence to offset the appearance of delay. So worded another way, " Ya sure everything is normal life is in fact good, but don't be deceived this is exactly what clear sighted Christians in the know should expect life would be like just before the sudden destruction of nonbelievers." The phrase is translated various ways in Bibles for example: 1 Thess 5:2 You know the Lord's day will come just like a thief in the night. 3 When people say, "Alls well and safe!" then sudden destruction will come on them suddenly like pains on a woman who is going to have a baby, and they will not escape. 4 But you, my fellow Christians are not in the dark that you should let that day take you by surprise like a thief.
No prophecy is expresed or implied. "Paul" was simply attempting to keep the flock in the corral by down playing the prosperity around them. Not much has changed in 2000 years, Fundementalist theologians have used similar logic today. Whenever things seem to be moving tward greater peace and human rights it is seen only as a test of your faith that Jesus is comming to destroy the wicked so as to bring real peace. To have pulled this one phrase out of context and given it a life of it's own as a vital sign of the last days is typical of Bible literalism.
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Room 215
Check out the material under the subhead ``The Best is Yet to Come (comic book ! here)-- it comes across as a pathetic bid to rally the bone-weary troops for one last charge up the hill.....
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BluesBrother
My thoughts.
Pa7, Rather than shy away from the dodgy calculations leading to 1914, they seem hell bent on pushing it again , even though people are more educated today and can check things up.. They are still adamant that 607 was the starting point
Pa 13, they say that prophecy may be understood after it is fulfilled. Ahem, I thought the idea was to fortell in advance and recognize the fulfillment. Anyone could say after the event... And I thought the cry of Peace and security was to be clear and unmistakeable.. That is what they told us in 1986 when many of us were conducting Group Studies in this book
*** tp chap. 7 p. 85 When Will the Foretold World Destruction Come? ***(True Peace and Security)
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A Final SignalYet one more event will come as an unmistakable signal that world destruction is imminent. Of this the apostle Paul wrote: "Jehovah?s day is coming exactly as a thief in the night. Whenever it is that they are saying: ?Peace and security!? then sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them . . . and they will by no means escape."?1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3; Luke 21:34, 35.
Reading this article makes me angry..Angry that I was stupid enough to base my life choices on this load of rubbish
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BeelzeDub
Par 6 - "They also came to realize that 1914 was the beginning of the end for this system of things."
This is a fine example of how careful wording is used to give JWs a false impresion that the predictions of 1914 came true.
The fact is, they didn't come to realize this until years after the failure of the predicted events of 1914. The year 1914 was supposed to be the very end of the end, not the beginning of the end. In the context of this paragraph the reader gets an entire different impression by the careful wording and placement of this sentence.
The average JW would not pick up on the "came to realize" but would instead get the impression that all that was predicted before 1914 came true.
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wannaexit
I have noticed that whenever such supposed "new light" appears the rank and file wholehearthly accept it.
The society creates a "faddish" atmosphere around their teachings. Acceptance of something new is looked upon as being progressive.
So for the regular dub who wants to be in the spiritual "in" class accepting so called "new light" is a sign of progressiveness and maturity.
wannaexit
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aunthill
All of you are wa-a-a-y better than I am. I tried to read the article, but by para 2 I was ready to tear my hair out. I have always enjoyed reading, but even when I was a dub the WT would either put me to sleep, or leave me totally frustrated (now I know why I was frustrated - cognitive dissonance!) So, I will just read your comments and marvel that people can swallow this garbage.
Thanks!
Aunthill
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aunthill
Badboy,
There was no year zero, but there was 1 BC and 1 AD - 2 years, not just one. That may be where you lost a year.
Aunthill