“The years from 1914 to 1918 did, indeed, prove to be a ‘testing season’ for the Bible Students. Some of the tests came from within; others came from outside. All of them, though, tested the Bible Students in ways that revealed whether they really had âthe love of God in their hearts.â Would they hold on to ‘the Lord and His Truth’ or let go?” – Jehovahâs WitnessesâProclaimers of Godâs Kingdom, Chapter 6 p.61
According to the Watchtower, Jesus Christ returned invisibly in 1914 (as examined in the first installment of this series) and in 1918, Invisible Jesus performed an invisible “temple inspection” wherein the Watchtower was tested to see if they would “hold on to ‘the Lord and His Truth'” as stated in the above quote. Furthermore at this time, the Watchtower teaches that Invisible Jesus completely rejected “corrupt Christendom” in favor of the Watchtower organization which underwent a “brief period of refinement followed by a swift spiritual restoration in 1919”. Note the following quote…
“In the modern-day fulfillment of these prophecies, there was an important spiritual development in 1918 in connection with Jehovahâs worship. Jehovah and Jesus evidently made an inspection of all of those claiming to represent pure worship. That inspection led to the final casting off of corrupt Christendom. For Christâs anointed followers, the inspection meant a brief period of refinement followed by a swift spiritual restoration in 1919.” – Isaiahâs Prophecy II (2001), p.397 par. 14
So, by 1919 everything was set in order and the Watchtower organization was “evidently” God’s one and only true organization. Obviously there must have been something drastically different about the Watchtower organization and the rest of “corrupt Christendom” that was “evidently” set aside. Of course, not everything was different in the Watchtower. After all, the churches of “corrupt Christendom” claim to adhere to the doctrines of the Bible and worship Jehovah God too. So why don’t we perform this “inspection” ourselves and see what was so remarkably different, shall we?
Things in Common
- Worship of Jesus Christ. Both C.T. Russell and J. F. Rutherford felt it was completely proper to worship Jesus. They felt this was completely acceptable, even though they both simultaneously taught that Jesus Christ is none other than Michael the Archangel (thus permitting and/or encouraging creature worship). This doctrine wasn’t changed until 1954[1]. Up until 1999, the Watchtower charter[2], decreed that the organization is founded in part âfor public Christian worship of Almighty God and Christ Jesus;â (Article VII, p. 172). On that point, it’s an interesting fact to note that the Watchtower was thus in violation of its own charter for decades from 1944 to 1999.
- Christmas Celebrations. As the photo on the right illustrates, Christmas was still celebrated[3] at Watchtower headquarters until at least 1926. That’s 10 years after Russell died (Rutherford himself is in the photo at the end of the center table), 12 years after 1914, and 7 years after Christ’s supposed âtemple inspectionâ completed in 1919[4].
- Blood Transfusions. Blood transfusions weren’t banned until 1945[5]. In fact, Russell specifically stated[6] that blood, even as solely a dietary restriction as it is commonly interpreted, is no longer binding on Christians.
- âHeavenly Hopeâ. The concept of a subclass of people that don’t enjoy Christian salvation, but instead are supposed to be content with languishing on Earth forever, wasn’t invented until 1935[7]. Until then, the 144,000 was thought to refer to faithful âBible Studentsâ who would be raptured at some very near point in the future.
- God’s Name. While most Jews and Christians alike agree that God’s name is Jehovah (or, more accurately, Yahweh[8]), the Watchtower is fond of pointing out that âJehovah’s Witnessesâ are the only ones loudly proclaiming this fact as though it were a secret otherwise. Ironically enough, however, the Watchtower’s own usage[9] of Jehovah was roughly the same if not less than the typical frequency found throughout Christendom at the time. In fact, it could be argued that the only reason its usage has diminished in modern times (especially in favor of the more accurate transliteration Yahweh, for instance) is that many would rather not be associated with the âJehovah’s Witnessesâ sect.
- Tobacco. Although tobacco usage was discouraged throughout the organization’s history (as it is in many churches), it was not considered an offense incompatible with membership until 1973[10]. In fact the entire practice of disfellowshipping, as it is understood by âJehovah’s Witnessesâ, was not practiced until 1944.
- The Cross. It wasn’t until 1936[11] that Rutherford introduced the âtorture stakeâ theory. Until then it was commonly understood, as it is by secular historians, that Jesus was crucified. The cross itself was commonly depicted in scenes of the crucifixion throughout the Watchtower, and the cross was found on the cover of Zion’s Watchtower for years after Russell’s death. The particular cross featured was inside of a crown, but we’ll get to that later.
Some Differences
- The Pyramid of Giza. Until the day that he died, Russell taught that the pyramid of Giza was âGod’s stone witnessâ corroborating biblical prophecy. The pyramid was an essential part of his entire eschatology, and he outlined detailed measurements of its interior shafts and general dimensions. This detailed study is known as pyramidology and is one of the finest examples of quack science in which Russell was involved (other examples
include phrenology[12], astrology[13], and numerology[14]). The âProclaimersâ book on page 201 gives a brief nod to this extensive obsession of Russell’s, but downplays it completely. The truth of the matter is that Russell had a whole fold-out chart called the âChart of the Agesâ printed within the The Divine Plan of the Ages (republished as Studies in the Scriptures (Volume 1)). - Freemasonry. While it is difficult to absolutely prove whether or not C. T. Russell was a Freemason himself (considering that it’s a secret society, that’s to be expected), his extensive association with them is a matter of public record. For instance, he used Masonic âsignalsâ in the form of symbols such as the âCross and Crownâ. While your average JW may have a faint recollection of Zion’s Watch Tower usage of a cross on its cover, many are completely ignorant of its true significance. It was not merely a cross, but the âCross and Crownâ, a symbol of the Knights Templar[15]. Additionally Russell held sermons and other gatherings in Masonic temples[16], a practice that has continued decades[17] after his death. As illustrated on the right, the âWatchtower Bible and Tract Societyâ erected a memorial for Russell several feet from his grave. It is a large stone pyramid with a âCross and Crownâ symbol inscribed above a plaque which reads âWATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETYâ.
- Fraud. Through the pages of Zion’s Watch Tower[18], C. T. Russell advertised wheat seed for sale at $1.00 a pound (quite expensive for the day). He called it âMiracle Wheatâ and it was claimed, among other things, that the wheat would grow five times as much as any other wheat on the market. The proceeds were to go to the âWatch Towerâ and be used for publishing Russell’s sermons. When the Brooklyn Daily Eagle[19] published a cartoon mocking the venture, Russell sued for libel, asking $100,000 damages. When Government tests determined that there was, in fact, nothing special about the wheat at all, the Eagle won the suit.
- False Prophecies. Throughout the entire history of the Watchtower organization, it has published explicit dates for Armageddon, the Lord’s Return, etc. All of them have inevitably failed[20]. Since 1975, the Watchtower has generally refrained from making explicit statements. However, before 1925 the Watchtower, Russell, and his associates continually set dates that were since proved false. Some dates include 1873, 1874, 1875 (mostly from Barbour), 1914, 1915, 1918, and 1925.
One could argue that the Watchtower organization was chosen based on its Arian[21] theology, but then, plenty of other organizations assert the same heresy to this day. Examples include the Unitarian Universalists or the Arian Catholics (not to mention all of Islam, New Age, or any other movement that denies the Deity of Christ while affirming the Deity of âJehovahâ).
In summary, the only real distinguishing characteristics peculiar to the âBible Studentsâ in 1919 is their numerous false prophecies, lies, and involvement in Freemasonry and other occult practices (a.k.a Satanism). How’s that for an inspection…?
Notes
Click any of the [highlight] links to see a scan of the referenced page with applicable text highlighted in yellow. To see the image in a new tab at full resolution, right-click and select “open in new tab” (or middle-click if supported) or “open in new window”.
1. ^ Compare Watchtower, 01/01/1954, p. 31 with Ibid., 07/15/1898 (r2337) or Ibid., 08/15/1941 (w1941 PDF)
2. ^ The charter in question is for the âWatchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvaniaâ and is on the public record in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Additionally it’s interesting to note that up until 1999, Article IX stated âA member may be suspended for a period or expelled for cause upon wilfully violating any of the by-laws, reasonable rules, or ordinances of the Society, or upon becoming out of harmony with any of the Society’s purposes…â Considering that Article VII clearly states it is one of âthe Society’s purposesâ to engage in âpublic Christian worship of… Christ Jesusâ it would seem that a good number of members, including the Governing Body itself, should have been âsuspended for a period or expelledâ as the entire organization was definitely âout of harmonyâ with this stated âpurposeâ for decades between 1954 and 1999 at which time the charter was finally amended quietly to simply read “arrange for and hold assemblies for religious worship” instead.
3. ^ In the Watchtower 12/01/1904 p.364 there is a most interesting statement regarding Christmas: âEven though Christmas is not the real anniversary of our Lord’s birth, but more properly the annunciation day or the date of his human begetting (Luke 1:28), nevertheless, since the celebration of our Lord’s birth is not a matter of divine appointment or injunction, but merely a tribute of respect to him, it is not necessary for us to quibble particularly about the date. We may as well join with the civilized world in celebrating the grand event on the day which the majority celebrate – ‘Christmas day.’â
4. ^ Compare Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy! (1999) p. 300 to Revelation: Its Grand Climax At Hand! (1988) p. 184. The Watchtower claims through these two books that the 1,290 days of Daniel 12:11 refers to the exact same period as the 1,260 days of Revelation 12:6. Or January to September for Daniel and Spring to Autumn for Revelation. In regards to Daniel the League of Nations was actually proposed by the Paris Peace Conference on January 25, 1919. If we add 1,290 days to this date we come to August 7, 1919. That’s several weeks shy of âSeptemberâ to be sure. Furthermore, the Autumnal Equinox occurs on September 22 in the Northern Hemisphere which is yet more weeks off from August 7th.
5. ^ Watchtower 07/01/1945 p. 201 (w1945 PDF)
6. ^ Watchtower 04/15/1909 p. 116 (w1909 PDF)
7. ^ According to the Watchtower, these are Jehovah’s Grandkids – Watchtower 11/1/1989 p. 20
8. ^ “Jehovah” itself is derived from âIehovahâ which evolved from âIehouahâ which was the first English transcription of the Divine Name made in William Tyndale’s translation of the Pentateuch (1530). âIehouahâ was created by ignorantly transposing the vowel markers of âadonaiâ (Heb. for âLordâ) over the four consonants YHWH. Most scholars agree that the vowel markers in the Hebrew texts used were not pronunciation guides but simply a visual reminder to the reader to simply say Adonai rather than attempt to pronounce the Name. For a comprehensive overview on the subject, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahweh
9. ^ Let the honest-hearted reader (*wink*) compare the frequency of âJehovahâ throughout the Watchtower’s assorted literature before 1931 with other religious literature of that time period. Of course, if you’re a faithful JW you are basically prohibited from doing either, aren’t you?
10. ^ Watchtower 05/15/1995 p.23
11. ^ Compare Riches (1936) p.27 with Reconciliation (1928) p.168
12. ^ Watchtower 01/15/1915 p.19 (r5611)
13. ^ Watchtower 05/01/1903 p.131 (r3184)
14. ^ If you’ve ever gotten a headache trying to figure out how âseven timesâ comes to 2,520 years, it becomes pretty obvious that the Watchtower is obsessed with numerological supposition to this day.
15. ^ The Knights Templar is the highest Order of the âYork Riteâ. It is roughly equivalent to the 33rd Degree of the âScottish Riteâ within Freemasonry.
16. ^ In the 1913 Convention Report of the International Bible Students page 120 âTemple of Godâ sermon, Pastor Russell states âI am very glad to have this particular opportunity of saying a word about some of the things in which we agree with our Masonic friends, because we are speaking in a building dedicated to Masonry, and we also are Masons. I am a Freemason.”
17. ^ If you use your Watchtower Library CD to search for âMasonicâ, within the search results you’ll notice scheduled assemblies and other gatherings throughout the years held at Masonic Lodges and Temples.
18. ^ Watchtower 03/15/1908 p.86 (r4152), Ibid. 09/01/1910 p. 279 (r4674), Ibid. 06/15/1911 p.178 (r4844)
19. ^ The Brooklyn Daily Eagle 01/01/1913 pp.1-2 âMiracle Wheat Scandalâ, Ibid. 01/22/1913 p.2 âRussellite Beliefsâ, Ibid. 01/23/1913 p.3 âTestimony on Wheatâ, Ibid. 01/25/1913 p.16 âFinancial Statements Proving Russell’s Absolute Controlâ by Secretary-Treasurer Van Amberg, Ibid. 01/27/1913 p.3 âGovernment Experts Testify on ‘Miracle Wheat’ and Ascertain Its Ordinarinessâ, Ibid. 01/28/1913 p.2 âProsecution and Defense Closing Argumentsâ, Ibid. 01/29/1913 p.16 âRussell Loses Libel Suitâ
20. ^ For a comprehensive overview of quotes illustrating the Watchtower’s great plethora of false prophecies over the years, here’s one URLâhttp://www.geocities.com/paulblizard/dates.html or just google for âWatchtower False Propheciesâ
21. ^ Arius of Alexandria was a fourth century heretic who first proposed the christology employed by the Watchtower to this day. Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arius for more information.
I must say this is a very up to date, summary of the false prophecy’s of the WTBTS. It is an easy read with just a touch of humor. :) I enjoyed this article immensely. Keep up the good work!!
I am not with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The JWs retrospectively claim Russell was with the JWs, although Russell did not believe in such an authoritarian organization, and the JWs preach an alleged “Good News” that is almost the opposite of the glad tidings of great joy for all people that Russell preached. Since I am associated with the Bible Students (as was Russell) I am responding concerning Russell.
Russell never wrote anything as representing an organization such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses. See category “Church Organization” on the Focus on Charles Taze Russell website.
Russell did believe in that the Great Pyramid corroborates the Bible; so do I. Nothing wrong with that. See the cateogry “pyramidology” on the Focus on Charles Taze Russell website.
Russell did not believe in astrology; that statement is false. See the category “astrology” on the Focus on Charles Taze Russell website.
Russell did not believe in “numerology”, “the study of numbers… to determine their supposed influence on one’s life, future.” See the category “numerology” on the Focus on Charles Taze Russell website.
Russell did believe that there is some truth in phrenology; nothing wrong with that. See the category “phrenology” on the Focus on Charles Taze Russell website.
I am not sure what is thought to be wrong with Russell’s chart illustration of God’s plan.
We have tens of thousands of pages that have been produced from Russell’s works that give overwhelming proof that Russell was not a Freemason. He plainly stated: “I have never been a Mason.” See the category “Freemasons” on the Focus on Charles Taze Russell website.
Russell and the Bible Students rent rooms from all kinds of organizations, not just the Masons.
Russell used no Masonic symbols. Although some of the Masons may use similar symbols, this does not mean that the symbols themselves are Masonic symbols.
The Miracle Wheat was discovered by Kent Stoner, who was not associated with Russell or the Bible Students. Russell did not name the wheat, it was so named by Stoner or one of Stoner’s associates. The wheat seeds was sold by some of the Bible Students associated with Russell who had purchased some of the seeds from Stoner at $1.25 a pound. The Bible Students offered it for 25 cents less a pound than Stoner had been selling the wheat. Many farmers testified in court of receiving extraordinary return on the wheat seeds; the Miracle Wheat was not a fraud. While there were many witnesses who testified of the validity of miracle wheat, The Eagle produced only one witness to was claimed to represent many unnamed others who had allegedly tested the wheat and found it to be inferior. Russell’s lawyer was not permitted to present the evidence against the Eagle that would have proved libel. At any rate, had Russell sued for slander rather than libel, he probably would have won the case. Over the years, Stoner’s wheat faded out as farmers failed to implement the measures needed to keept the strain pure. A new, more stable, miracle wheat now exists, however, and has become the standard in wheat production. See the cateogry “Miracle Wheat” on the Focus on Charles Taze Russell website.
Russell never made any prophecies; Russell plainly stated: “I am not a prophet.”. Russell himself never set any future date for Christ’s return. In 1876, two years after 1874, Russell accepted 1874 as the date that Christ had already returned, and thus did not ever speak of any future date as Christ’s return. I and thousands of other Christians believe that Christ did return in 1874. I do not believe it has ever been proven to be false. See the categories “prophet” and “expectations” on the Focus on Charles Taze Russell website.
From 1904 up to 1914, Russell was expecting that 1914 would see the end of the times of the Gentiles, and that the time of trouble was begin. I believe both of these did happen in 1914, and that we are still in the time of trouble to this day. Russell did not believe the JW-style of “Armageddon” that is alleged to eternally destroy millions of men, women and children who never receive benefit from the ransom for all. See the category “1914” on the Focus on Charles Taze Russell website.
Most of the above is discussed in more detail on my website:
http://ctr.reslight.net
Focus on Charles Taze Russell
Regarding God’s Holy Name, see:
http://name.reslight.net
I dont give a flip about what happened in the organization back in the 1930s or 1940s. It is evident that Jehovah’s Witnesses are the true religion since the light has been getting brighter for them and not for false religions. While they are still smoking, openly committing fornication and homosexuality with out consequence, celebrating holidays soaked in paganism, believing in hell fire and the trinity, etc…Jehovah’s true organization is refining the truth with a 2 edge sword.
Hi Mrs. Stotler. I was wondering where you stand on the issue of shunning disassociated ones. These are persons not convicted of any Biblical crime and yet they are instructed to be shunned by congreagational friends and believing relatives.
FV
I too wonder why they think it is okay to not allow any disagreeing, (read, thinking). As for the shunning, I have 2 wonderful children they kicked out. Sun.s Wat. is all about respecting the disfellowshiped releatives.
It has been years that they have been out & they are not crimanials. They are well educated, one has her Masters Degree & is a college prof.(assit).
Let’s see, if I want to start a religeous movement, 1st I would condem all holidays, & other fun things. Then I would say, “I am God’s personal rep. so you do what I say or your outta here.”
That’s basically what ‘they’ say isn’t it?
Hi Kathy. Thanks for your imput. Can you tell me what WT and page reference?
The Watchtower Charter was ammended in 1999. Exhibit A, Second now reads …arrange for and hold assemblies for religious worship;…… So they were infact in breach of their own charter between 1944 and 1999, So Things in Common 1 and Note 2 in your document need revising. For WT Charter and ammendments see http://www.watchtowerdocuments.com/documents/1950-1979.html
Thanks for the heads up! I’m always looking to be accurate, so I will indeed revise the article.
Revisions complete :)
That’s a mold-breaker. Great thikning!
The forum is a brgither place thanks to your posts. Thanks!
I went to tons of links before this, what was I thniikng?
Very, very nice page! :)