From: news@illusn.enet.dec.com (Mark Sornson)
Subject: Re: [This is what Corey and Tim says] This is what the Jehovah's Witnesses do.
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: 24 JUL 92 17:20:53 EST


        This posting interleaves my response to postings by Tim O'Neil and
    Laura Falk (who replied to Tim O'Neil):

>In article <1992Jul24.022711.12904@newsroom.utas.edu.au> Tim.ONeill@english.utas.edu.au (Tim O'Neill) writes:
> 
>Yes, well Laura IF your weird apocalyptic ravings turn out to be true, you can
>say 'I told you so.' to the evil people like Corey, myself and just about
>everyone else on the planet (but I do seem to remember that you people have
>predicted the end of the world a few times and have been absolutely wrong every
>time, so excuse me if I remain  completely unimpressed)

        That's like saying that weathermen and major broadcasting systems
    broadcast major storm warnings for the satisfaction of saying "I told
    you so" once the storm hits.  If the storms don't pan out according
    to expectation, or if they miss their predicted target [for weather
    predicting isn't exactly an *exact* science, at least not yet], are the
    weathermen and broadcasters guilty of 'ravings' because they were
    wrong?  Of course not ... it's just that their sincere attempts to
    interpret the facts to the best of their abilities weren't able to
    guarantee that they *wouldn't* be wrong.  And of course, no one faults
    them for good intentions.

        On the other hand, if a storm erupts that was UNPREDICTABLE, either
    because the weathermen were asleep or simply unable to interpret the
    weather patterns in time to figure out what was about to happen,
    more people will probably get hurt, and it's small consolation to
    wonder, after the fact, why no one was able to sound a warning.

        As Witnesses read the Bible, it also predicts a 'major storm' --
    but of judgment -- which God will rain upon this world one day.  It is,
    in fact, a scheduled storm; but on a schedule that Jehovah has kept to
    himself.  As we see it, there ARE a few prophetic clues to help people 
    get some idea that the storm is coming, and to appreciate that it isn't 
    so very far off in the future; but as a parallel to real weather
    science, we realize that we simply don't have a enough information [in
    the Bible] to be able to conclude exactly *when* that 'storm' will hit.
    This notwithstanding, it IS a storm that can be prepared for, and that
    can be survived by those who don't ignore the warnings.

        Now yes, if the Bible's prophetic content is NOT true, but
    fictious, of course it's only a fantasy to conclude that those
    prophecies have any real meaning; but on the other hand, if it IS true,
    then surely it would be immoral for people who understand the truth to
    keep it hidden from others, just as it would be immoral, or at least
    very irresponsible for a weather station to fail to pass on a storm
    warning that it knew was needed.

In article <LAURAF.92Jul24082753@wolf.eecs.umich.edu>, lauraf@eecs.umich.edu (Laura Falk) writes...
>Jehovah's Witnesses have never predicted the end of this system of things to be
>a certain date.  We have warned others of the last days and the end of Satan's
>system to be very near, but the hour or day no one knows.  We are doing the same
>preaching work as Jesus did.
> 
>I a curious; who (JW) absolutely told you that the "end of the world" was coming
>at a specific date?

        Before anyone jumps on Laura's case, I think it should be said
    (since I am a Witness too) that over the years the Watchtower Society
    HAS attempted to figure out how the prophetic language of the Bible
    applies to the 'real world' in 'real time'; and that it HAS published
    speculative conclusions which have included the specification of
    specific year dates.  BUT, those figures [despite what some people say]
    WEREN'T proferred as prophetic predictions as though Jehovah told
    Witnesses directly that these dates were true in the same fashion that
    [the Bible says] Jehovah sent word to the prophets of old (like Noah, 
    Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and etc.).  They were only
    CONCLUSIONS based on certain lines of reasoning (which was also
    supplied).  Furthermore, those conclusions have never been touted as
    infallible predictions.

        Despite the fact that Witnesses have drawn wrong conclusions in the
    past, it's still an undisputable truth that the Bible predicts
    "Jehovah's Day" of judgment; it's just an open question as to when it
    will occur [or whether it will occur at all, as obviously many feel the
    Bible's predictions have no real world application].

>   > Tim, that is what Mark was trying to do.
> 
>   Really? That's not what Mark says. Read his reply to my post.
> 
>I apologize if I misinterpretted it but I still say that was Mark's intent.  It
>was not a plee to Corey himself.  However, one can get the jist of Mark's 
>concern.

        Laura, I've been flamed pretty strongly by someone via e-mail about
    my posting -- so I think it's not unrealistic to figure that my
    intentions may NOT be at all clear to people other than OTHER
    Witnesses.  You can appreciate my position since we're 'on the same
    side,' as it were -- but I have no doubt that a good many people [for a
    good many reasons] will conclude that I don't care at all about Corey,
    regardless of what I've said or might yet say.  That's life.

        Nevertheless, thanks for your support.

                                                                    -mark.