"This spuing out, or casting off, of the nominal church as an organization in 1878, we then understood, and still proclaim, to be the date of the commencement of Babylon's fall..."—"The Consummation of Our Hope"Archived 2006-10-04 at the Wayback Machine in Zion's Watch Tower, April 1883. Reprints pp. 474–5.
Rutherford, Joseph Franklin (1921). The Harp of God. International Bible students association. pp. 231–236. affirms that "the Lord's second presence dates from 1874." Watchtower. Watchtower. March 1, 1922. p. 71. and Prophecy. 1930. pp. 65–66. reiterated this position. The eschatological changes during this period are documented in Thomas Daniels. Historical Idealism and Jehovah's Witnesses(PDF). pp. 3–37. Retrieved 2006-02-01.
Rutherford, Joseph Franklin (1921). The Harp of God. International Bible students association. pp. 231–236. affirms that "the Lord's second presence dates from 1874." Watchtower. Watchtower. March 1, 1922. p. 71. and Prophecy. 1930. pp. 65–66. reiterated this position. The eschatological changes during this period are documented in Thomas Daniels. Historical Idealism and Jehovah's Witnesses(PDF). pp. 3–37. Retrieved 2006-02-01.
See 1975: 'THE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR GOD TO ACT'Archived 2008-12-11 at the Wayback Machine. Page 14 of the October 8, 1968 Awake! demonstrates the disclaimer that was made at the time: "Does this mean that the above evidence positively points to 1975 as the complete end of this system of things? Since the Bible does not specifically state this, no man can say...If the 1970s should see intervention by Jehovah God to bring an end to a corrupt world drifting toward ultimate disintegration, that should surely not surprise us."
This drop in membership has been variously analyzed. Richard Singelenberg ("The '1975'-prophecy and its impact among Dutch Jehovah's Witnesses"Archived 2015-10-01 at the Wayback Machine) in Sociological Analysis 50(1)1989, pp 23–40 notes a nine per cent drop in total publishers (door-to-door preachers) and a 38 per cent drop in pioneers (full-time preachers) in the Netherlands. Stark and Iannoccone have analyzed the impact on US Witnesses. "Why the Jehovah's Witnesses Grow So Rapidly: A Theoretical Application"(PDF). The Journal of Contemporary Religion: 142–143. 1997. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2004-12-05. The January 30, 1982 Los Angeles Times ("Defectors Feel 'Witness' Wrath: Critics say Baptism Rise Gives False Picture of Growth" by John Dart, p. B4) cited statistics showing a net increase of publishers worldwide from 1971–1981 of 737,241, while baptisms totaled 1.71 million for the same period.
Rutherford, J.F. (1 August 1917). Harvest Siftings(PDF). Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
When Pastor Russell Died(PDF). Dawn Bible Students Association. 1946. pp. 6–16. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2006-12-10. Retrieved 2008-10-29. Attendance at the annual Memorial (statistics were published each year in the Watch Tower) shows the growth in the period before 1925. 1919: 17,961, 1922: 32,661, 1923: 42,000, 1924: 62,696, 1925: 90,434. 1926 marked the first decrease: 89,278. There are no published statistics from 1929–1934. In 1935, Memorial attendance was 63,146.Watchtower. August 15, 1996. p. 31.
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Russell directed that an unrepentant person be judged by the entire ecclesia, rather than the elders. He directed that the ecclesia not make the wrongdoer's faults public. See The New CreationArchived 2009-09-14 at the Wayback Machine Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1904, pages 289–290
Vindication, Vol. 1Archived 2007-07-31 at the Wayback Machine, by J.F. Rutherford, (1931), p.338–339, "There was a measure of disappointment on the part of Jehovah’s faithful ones on earth concerning the years 1914, 1918, and 1925, which disappointment lasted for a time. Later the faithful learned that these dates were definitely fixed in the Scriptures; and they also learned to quit fixing dates for the future and predicting what would come to pass on a certain date, but to rely (and they do rely) upon the Word of God as to the events that must come to pass."
This drop in membership has been variously analyzed. Richard Singelenberg ("The '1975'-prophecy and its impact among Dutch Jehovah's Witnesses"Archived 2015-10-01 at the Wayback Machine) in Sociological Analysis 50(1)1989, pp 23–40 notes a nine per cent drop in total publishers (door-to-door preachers) and a 38 per cent drop in pioneers (full-time preachers) in the Netherlands. Stark and Iannoccone have analyzed the impact on US Witnesses. "Why the Jehovah's Witnesses Grow So Rapidly: A Theoretical Application"(PDF). The Journal of Contemporary Religion: 142–143. 1997. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2004-12-05. The January 30, 1982 Los Angeles Times ("Defectors Feel 'Witness' Wrath: Critics say Baptism Rise Gives False Picture of Growth" by John Dart, p. B4) cited statistics showing a net increase of publishers worldwide from 1971–1981 of 737,241, while baptisms totaled 1.71 million for the same period.
Russell directed that an unrepentant person be judged by the entire ecclesia, rather than the elders. He directed that the ecclesia not make the wrongdoer's faults public. See The New CreationArchived 2009-09-14 at the Wayback Machine Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1904, pages 289–290
"This spuing out, or casting off, of the nominal church as an organization in 1878, we then understood, and still proclaim, to be the date of the commencement of Babylon's fall..."—"The Consummation of Our Hope"Archived 2006-10-04 at the Wayback Machine in Zion's Watch Tower, April 1883. Reprints pp. 474–5.
Rutherford, J.F. (1 August 1917). Harvest Siftings(PDF). Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
When Pastor Russell Died(PDF). Dawn Bible Students Association. 1946. pp. 6–16. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2006-12-10. Retrieved 2008-10-29. Attendance at the annual Memorial (statistics were published each year in the Watch Tower) shows the growth in the period before 1925. 1919: 17,961, 1922: 32,661, 1923: 42,000, 1924: 62,696, 1925: 90,434. 1926 marked the first decrease: 89,278. There are no published statistics from 1929–1934. In 1935, Memorial attendance was 63,146.Watchtower. August 15, 1996. p. 31.
Vindication, Vol. 1Archived 2007-07-31 at the Wayback Machine, by J.F. Rutherford, (1931), p.338–339, "There was a measure of disappointment on the part of Jehovah’s faithful ones on earth concerning the years 1914, 1918, and 1925, which disappointment lasted for a time. Later the faithful learned that these dates were definitely fixed in the Scriptures; and they also learned to quit fixing dates for the future and predicting what would come to pass on a certain date, but to rely (and they do rely) upon the Word of God as to the events that must come to pass."
See 1975: 'THE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR GOD TO ACT'Archived 2008-12-11 at the Wayback Machine. Page 14 of the October 8, 1968 Awake! demonstrates the disclaimer that was made at the time: "Does this mean that the above evidence positively points to 1975 as the complete end of this system of things? Since the Bible does not specifically state this, no man can say...If the 1970s should see intervention by Jehovah God to bring an end to a corrupt world drifting toward ultimate disintegration, that should surely not surprise us."
Raymond Franz. "1975—The Appropriate Time for God to Act". Crisis of Conscience(PDF). pp. 237–253. Archived from the original on 2003-12-09. Retrieved 2006-07-27.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
This drop in membership has been variously analyzed. Richard Singelenberg ("The '1975'-prophecy and its impact among Dutch Jehovah's Witnesses"Archived 2015-10-01 at the Wayback Machine) in Sociological Analysis 50(1)1989, pp 23–40 notes a nine per cent drop in total publishers (door-to-door preachers) and a 38 per cent drop in pioneers (full-time preachers) in the Netherlands. Stark and Iannoccone have analyzed the impact on US Witnesses. "Why the Jehovah's Witnesses Grow So Rapidly: A Theoretical Application"(PDF). The Journal of Contemporary Religion: 142–143. 1997. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2004-12-05. The January 30, 1982 Los Angeles Times ("Defectors Feel 'Witness' Wrath: Critics say Baptism Rise Gives False Picture of Growth" by John Dart, p. B4) cited statistics showing a net increase of publishers worldwide from 1971–1981 of 737,241, while baptisms totaled 1.71 million for the same period.
