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From a Christian point
of view, where does the pyramid belong? in Egypt where the nation
of Israel was enslaved. If the Watchtower were a Christian organization,
would they use a pagan symbol such as the pyramid in their teachings?
We don't think so. In Pagan religion the pyramid is a universal
symbol of immortality. It also represents unity which forms at
its point in the top. Three triangles on a base of one triangle,
which culminate at the top. According to Albert Pike, 33rd degree
Freemason, the triangle is the emblem of God and also represents
man bearing within himself a Divine principle. Pyramids (tombs)
are consecrated to the Sun. (Morals
& Dogma, Freemasonry, Albert Pike, Washington
D.C. 1964)
The biggest change
in doctrine in decades (no more "1914 generation")
is having an effect on many Witnesses, though the
Watchtower would not tell you that. The L.A. Times
(S.F.Valley edition) ran an article on the change recently,
and the Newsweek of November 18,1995 featured an article
entitled, "Apocalypse Later." Newsweek
magazine - December 18, 1995, p.59, Religion section. Article
by Kenneth L. Woodard, with Joel P. Engardio.. Title:
Apocalypse Later. Subtitle: Jehovah's Witnesses decide the end,
"THE THIRD MILLENNIUM, is just four years away, and you'd
think that Jehovah's Witnesses would be ecstatic. Ever since
the movement's inception in the 1870s, the
Witnesses have insisted that the world, as we know it, is about
to end. According to their unique "Biblical" calculations,
the countdown to Armageddon commenced in 1914 - the first
world war was a major sign - and Christ would establish his millennial
kingdom on earth "before the generation who saw the
events of 1914, passes away." For countless
Witnesses, this prediction was good reason not to
save money, start a career or make burial plans. As one
of their leaders famously preached in 1918: "Millions
now living will never die."
"Now, it seems, all millennial bets are off. In last month's
issue of The Watchtower, the sect's leaders quietly acknowledged
that Jesus was right in the first place, when he said that
"noone knows the day or the hour." All previous
references to timetables for Armageddon, the magazine
now suggests, were speculation rather than settled doctrine.
The year 1914 still marks the beginning of the last days.
But those who hoped to witness the battle of Armageddon and the
establishment of God's kingdom on earth will have to wait. Henceforth,
any generation that experiences such calamities as war and plagues
like AIDS could be the one to witness the end times. In short,
the increasingly middleclass Witnesses would do well to
buy life insurance."
If this serious revision of expectations takes the edge off the
Witnesses' apocalyptic profile, it also buys them time. The
generation that was alive in 1914 is rapidly disappearing, and
the sect's current leadership shows every sign of digging in
for the long haul. In recent years the Witnesses have been
on a building spree: they just completed a 670-acre
educational center in rural New York state that includes 624
apartments, garages for up to 800 cars and a dining facility
that accommodates 1,600 people at one sitting. Officials
of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society
(the Witnesses' official title) deny that
the leadership felt a generational pressure to change.
"The end is still close," says Witness
spokesman Bob Pevy. "We just can't put numbers on Jesus'
words."
So far, the new interpretation has caused no
noticeable decline in membership among the 5.1 million Witnesses
worldwide. But then, they rarely air
their differences with outsiders. "Believing
the end was imminent gave a special urgency to being a Jehovah's
Witness," says Ray Franz, a former member of the society's
governing board in Brooklyn, N.Y., who left the church
in 1981. Older members, especially, heroically risked
their lives and reputations by refusing blood transfusions,
military service, allegiance to the flag and other acts prohibited
by their faith - all with the expectation that they would soon
live forever in the paradise of God's new kingdom
on earth. Charles Kris, 73, a retired autoworker
from Saginaw, Mich., served three years in prison
with 400 other Witnesses for refusing to fight in
World War II. "It was prison life, but I took advantage
of the time to study the Bible and witness to other prisoners,"
he recalls. But for Kris, and especially for those younger
Witnesses who have no memory of the rough early days (the
Nazis interred many Witnesses in concentration camps),
preaching God's message is more important than witnessing
the end of the world. "I'd like to see it happen,"
says Kris, who still hands out tracts door to door. "But
if it doesn't happen in my lifetime, I won't be disappointed."
The following graphics will
be about Freemasonry and what it represents since it is the root
of the Watchtower... |
