Had a little read about Armstrong after reading your post. What an extraordinary time it must have been. I have read that companies were founded to make ascension robes for people to don, so they could rise up into the clouds with Jesus. I think today we are unaware of just how significant this time was and how greatly effected the American churches were and they were not alone of course. This period had a global effect, but its epicentre was in the US.
Interesting to note that each of the religions/cults/sects born from this tumultuous time, make the same claim to have restored Christianity, corrected the Biblical errors, or written their own scripture such as the Book of Mormon. The other thing they all have in common is that no matter how many errors they made, no matter how many prophecies they proclaimed that came to nothing, they survived by changing their marketing, rescinding their own teachings and making up a story of why they got so much wrong. The JW claimed this as a strength in that Jehovah loved them so much that he gave them new insight to correct their errors. In this way errors become proof of divine association. All this and still these religions because of their aggressive prothletising had no trouble replacing followers who abandoned them in droves. That is, I believe, the real story of religion, the shear lack of discrimination from those who believe their very eternal life depends on making a right decision willing to cast their lot with such groups with long histories of error and highly questionable leaders.
