Posts by vienne

83

True or False did the Watchtower Corporation create false doctrines intentionally to enhance the proliferation of their own publications ?

by Finkelstein in

much as been revealed over the years to the date setting doctrines made by the wts.

such as ( 1874, 1914, 1925 , 1975 this generation, the last days, the end times etc.... which were not created by other christian based faiths.. as to critically examine why might reveal a hidden agenda to all these date setting proclamations.. the point in question is did the wts and its leaders intentionally manipulate or exploit the preaching of the gospel to enhance the proliferation of their own printed publications ?.

i would say convincingly yes, no question.

vienne

Russell did not say the end would occur in 1914. He believed 1914 was the end of Gentile Times. He did not hold an 'end of the world' belief.

83

True or False did the Watchtower Corporation create false doctrines intentionally to enhance the proliferation of their own publications ?

by Finkelstein in

much as been revealed over the years to the date setting doctrines made by the wts.

such as ( 1874, 1914, 1925 , 1975 this generation, the last days, the end times etc.... which were not created by other christian based faiths.. as to critically examine why might reveal a hidden agenda to all these date setting proclamations.. the point in question is did the wts and its leaders intentionally manipulate or exploit the preaching of the gospel to enhance the proliferation of their own printed publications ?.

i would say convincingly yes, no question.

vienne

The 1914 date did not come from Russell. Barbour borrowed the date from earlier writers, all of whom were British Millenarians, often Anglicans. The same is true of 1874 which was looked to by others since the 1830s. 1914 was 'shared' by some Advent Christians.

I see Russell as a "True" believer, even if he was truly wrong. 1925 seems to be unique to the Watch Tower. Rutherford's reaction to the failure seems to mark him as fully convinced. F. W. Franz played with a date in the mid 1970s from the 1940s on. He was a fruit cake, but he appears to have believed his own propaganda.

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Is There Any Thing That Would Make A JW SERIOUSLY Question Their Religion?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i realize that jehovah’s witnesses have been dumbed down for long time now.

.

still, i think there must be something that would make them really question their beliefs, even their life.. i think that if witnesses were told they could take blood or that disfellowshipping was unloving, they might stop and take a hard look at everything they have sacrificed their lives for.. i know the organization has muddled these subjects before but the i think even die hard witnesses might start to second guess the governing body..

vienne

IN 1924 Rutherford suggested in a Watch Tower article that the behavior other Witnesses was the biggest stumbling block. I think that remains true. Some offenses appear unforgivable. Elders and others prominent in the Witness organization are the 'face' of the religion. If they are insulting, as they often are, or domineering or self-entitled, they will drive others away. I have no reliable statistical data, but from incidental interviews with lapsed Witnesses this and a desire to live a life style different that that expected of adherents seems to be the most significant cause of disaffection.

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Important Question about Bible Examiner Vol. XXI No. 1 (whole No. 313), October 1876, pages 27, 28

by Saename in

so i was just comparing several quotes from different watchtower publications related to 1914. in my experience, pre–1914 publications point to this year as the end, and post–1914 publications point to this year as the start of the last days.

so i was reading awake!

from 1973 january 22 p. 8 where it claims that jehovah's witnesses have always pointed to year 1914 as the beginning of the last days.

vienne

Smid, that's not Russell's teaching on 1914. He believed a time of anarchy would follow the end of gentile times and that eventually nations would submit to God's kingdom as represented by a reestablished Jewish kingdom. Russell did not believe in a world ending event either. Nor did he believe in an Armageddon similar to what Witnesses believe. Current Witness doctrine developed in 1929.

The vignette on the front of the Golden Age from the mid to late 1920s shows the Russell view. In the illustration capital and labour face of while God's earthly kingdom prospers. See page 90 in Time is at Hand. [1915 edition].

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Important Question about Bible Examiner Vol. XXI No. 1 (whole No. 313), October 1876, pages 27, 28

by Saename in

so i was just comparing several quotes from different watchtower publications related to 1914. in my experience, pre–1914 publications point to this year as the end, and post–1914 publications point to this year as the start of the last days.

so i was reading awake!

from 1973 january 22 p. 8 where it claims that jehovah's witnesses have always pointed to year 1914 as the beginning of the last days.

vienne

I would like to see the actual quotation. First in Studies in Plan of the Ages, later called The Divine Plan of the Ages.

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Important Question about Bible Examiner Vol. XXI No. 1 (whole No. 313), October 1876, pages 27, 28

by Saename in

so i was just comparing several quotes from different watchtower publications related to 1914. in my experience, pre–1914 publications point to this year as the end, and post–1914 publications point to this year as the start of the last days.

so i was reading awake!

from 1973 january 22 p. 8 where it claims that jehovah's witnesses have always pointed to year 1914 as the beginning of the last days.

vienne

Russell's first book was the 160 page [aprox] Food for Thinking Christians, 1881. It's a small paper back book. The second was Tabernacle teachings. Then he published Millennial Dawn: Plan of the Ages. Time is at Hand is volume 2 in the Millennial Dawn, later Studies in the Scriptures, series. Russell did not teach about Armageddon as do Jehovah's Witnesses. He expected different things.He never taught end of the world doctrine. He was an age to come believer, which meant he did not believe in Adventist world-burning doctrine.

The text of all his books is online.

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Important Question about Bible Examiner Vol. XXI No. 1 (whole No. 313), October 1876, pages 27, 28

by Saename in

so i was just comparing several quotes from different watchtower publications related to 1914. in my experience, pre–1914 publications point to this year as the end, and post–1914 publications point to this year as the start of the last days.

so i was reading awake!

from 1973 january 22 p. 8 where it claims that jehovah's witnesses have always pointed to year 1914 as the beginning of the last days.

vienne

A partial rough draft of the introductory essay to volume 2 of Separate Identity is up on our blog. https://truthhistory.blogspot.com/

In it Dr. Schulz, my coauthor, discusses the manipulation of Watch Tower history, including this issue. It's about ten pages long but worth a read I think.

People always ask about publication date. To forestall that: We don't know yet. Still work to do.

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