Posted by Cygnus [Cygnus] on November 03, 1999 at 13:05:25 {eZOTANvCI6h1hzMDt7ogL4bdfUTIaI}:
In Reply to: ***Response to AF: Part One posted by Pronger on November 03, 1999 at 03:38:33:
: Do you think that someday this may lead them to returning the "Universal Salvation" belief that Russell held?
No.
Remember, while Russell did believe that all would be brought back in the general resurrection and eventually brought to spiritual and physical perfection, he took the battle at the end of the millenium literally. That was his explanation of God's perfect justice -- the only people who would eventually be annihilated would be the incorrigibly wicked who even though fully enlightened still chose opposition to God in the end.
Russell also did not have the same pie-in-the-sky attitude towards post-Armageddon societ as JWs generally do.
JWs will always retain the belief that only they are right and only they benefit directly from God's active force, and so salvation is inherently tied to activity with them, but I do see the possibility that less emphasis will be put on who God will choose to save, specifically anyhow. Just take a look at some of the Watchtower articles of the '50s and compare them to the late '90s. Big difference already.