The Great Disappointment was a major event in the history of the Millerite movement, a 19th century American Christian sect that formed out of the Second Great Awakening. William Miller, a Baptist preacher, proposed based on his interpretations of the prophecies in the book of Daniel (Chapters 8 and 9, especially Dan. 8:14 "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed"), that Jesus Christ would return to the earth during the year 1844. A more specific date, that of October 22, 1844, was preached by Samuel S. Snow. Although thousands of followers, some of whom had given away all of their possessions, waited expectantly, Jesus did not appear as expected on the appointed day and as a result October 22, 1844, became known as the Great Disappointment.
Samuel Sheffield Snow (1806–1870) was a skeptic turned Millerite preacher who calculated that the return of Christ was to take place on October 22, 1844. His teaching sparked what became known as the "Seventh-month movement," which led to the Great Disappointment when Jesus did not return as expected.
The dauntings that followed:
'Have you not gone up?'
'Have you a ticket to go up?'
Some Millerite churches were burned. Some congregations attacked.
In Toronto a few were tarred and feathered while others were shot at.
The Great Disappointment is viewed by some scholars as an example of the psychological phenomenon of cognitive dissonance, the formation of new beliefs and increased proselytizing in order to reduce the tension, or dissonance, that results from failed prophecies. According to the theory, believers experienced tension following the failure of Jesus' reappearance in 1844 which led to a variety of new explanations. The various solutions form a part of the teachings of the different groups that outlived the disappointment.
The Great Disappointment of 1844 is an example of cognitive dissonance in a religious context.
Samuel Sheffield Snow (1806–1870) was a skeptic turned Millerite preacher who calculated that the return of Christ was to take place on October 22, 1844. His teaching sparked what became known as the "Seventh-month movement," which led to the Great Disappointment when Jesus did not return as expected.
The dauntings that followed:
'Have you not gone up?'
'Have you a ticket to go up?'
Some Millerite churches were burned. Some congregations attacked.
In Toronto a few were tarred and feathered while others were shot at.
The Great Disappointment is viewed by some scholars as an example of the psychological phenomenon of cognitive dissonance, the formation of new beliefs and increased proselytizing in order to reduce the tension, or dissonance, that results from failed prophecies. According to the theory, believers experienced tension following the failure of Jesus' reappearance in 1844 which led to a variety of new explanations. The various solutions form a part of the teachings of the different groups that outlived the disappointment.
The Great Disappointment of 1844 is an example of cognitive dissonance in a religious context.
Millerite prophetic time chart from 1843.
Unfulfilled Religious Prophecies
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Unfulfilled_religious_prophecies
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