Rutherford Era Anti-Catholicism

by cabasilas 9 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  cabasilas

  First Installment:

  In July 1940 the Watchtower Society published answers to a series of questions put to them by a reporter from the New York Post. These were put into a booklet entitled Judge Rutherford Uncovers the Fifth Column. A PDF of scans of the booklet (about 4.8 MB) can be downloaded from this filesharing site:

  http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=f3bf750e63c9cc0067f0f8e121ea41bc

  An HTML version of the booklet (formatted) can be found on this JW site:

  http://www.strictlygenteel.co.uk/booklets/fifthcolumn.html

  The virulent anti-Catholicism of the Judge's rants is startling to read. His answer to the first question sets the tone.

  (pp.5-6)

  (1) Why, in your opinion, has there been a sudden recent outburst of violence against Jehovah's witnesses in widely separated parts of the country?
  
  ANSWER: Because the Roman Catholic Hierarchy, operating what they call "Catholic Action", are carrying out a well-laid scheme to destroy everything in this world that publishes the truth, and this the Hierarchy are doing in order to camouflage their own wicked action in attempting to grab control of the nations of the earth.

  The "Fifth Column" is this ploy by the Catholic Hierarchy to take control of all the nations of the earth, including the USA. Another example later on pp. 15-16:

  The Roman Catholic Hierarchy have planted their men in every big newspaper office in America, and their men in every department of the government of the United States. Their purpose is to seize the government of the United States, as Holland and other countries have been seized....You may expect totalitarian dictators, acting with the Roman Catholic Hierarchy, to overrun the earth, seize control of almost all the nations, if not all, and rule them for a short season, and then will follow the worst trouble that this earth has ever known. Based upon divine prophecy, briefly, this will be the result: The big religious institution, the Roman Catholic Hierarchy, acting with dictators, will say: "We have accomplished our purpose. We are now at peace, and we are safe." Then the Lord will take a hand. Christ Jesus will lead the forces invisible to human eyes, and there shall result the battle of Armageddon, "the battle of that great day of God Almighty," which will completely clean up the earth of wickedness and destroy everybody that willfully practices wickedness.

  Towards the end of this booklet, Rutherford claims that rifles are being hidden in the basements of Catholic church buildings in preparation for this takeover of the USA! He suggests the Dies Commission (a congressional commission at that time which investigated "un-American activities" ---see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Dies,_Jr. ) instigate a search and investigate this.

  Here's Rutherford's challenge that Congress investigate the crypts in Catholic churches for rifles and ammunition (pp. 21-23):

  The Hierarchy have builded tremendous and expensive structures throughout the United States. They are a military organization. In their cellars or crypts are stored a great number of guns and ammunition ready to act against all opponents in due season, their opponents being classed as those who publish the truth about them, and also all who stand for freedom in America.
  
  Why not let the public press demand of Congress an investigation of the cellars and crypts of the Catholic cathedrals in the United States and prove to the public whether or not they have stored away a great amount of arms and ammunition to use against the government?
  
  Why not the Dies Committee go after the Hierarchy and the Nazis? If the Hierarchy deny that they have a large amount of guns and ammunition stored, then they should not object to being investigated. If they do vigorously deny it, that is the best reason why an investigation should be had. There are many persons in the United States who have worked in building these crypts or cellars, and others who have helped unload what appeared to be piano boxes, which were filled with rifles and are stored in these crypts. I am not interested in carrying out such an investigation, because my time and energy must be used to advertising God's Kingdom, the only means of blessing of humankind.

  If the public press is so interested in getting at the facts, then INSTITUTE A SEARCH AND INVESTIGATION DISCLOSING WHO ARE THE REAL ENEMIES OF AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS. The time will come in the very near future when the Lord himself will pull the shroud completely off those hiding behind the "refuge of lies" and disclose a great and hypocritical religious institution that has defamed His name and devoted its power to unrighteousness.

  Mind you, this was not some speculations from some internal document. This was what Rutherford sent to the press!
• 

  Kenneson

  I would say that his thesis is Ratherflawed.
• 

  VM44

  Thanks Cabasilas for making this booklet available.

  As you indicated, it was published in 1940, war was raging in Europe, and Americans were uneasy about the thought of spies being present on US soil.

  More than one copy of "Judge Rutherford Uncovers the Fifth Column" ended up in the files of the FBI. Some people, who probably never even read the booklet, became concerned when they saw "Fifth Column" in the title and so sent the booklet off to the FBI for investigation!

  --VM44
• 

  VM44

  "In their cellars or crypts are stored a great number of guns and ammunition ready to act against all opponents in due season,..."

  Did Rutherford read this somewhere? Or did he make it up using his fertile imagination?

  One wonders if there ever were a stockpile of guns and ammunition stored at Bethel in order to protect the Organization from attack! Who knows what could have gone on during Rutherford's reign there? Anything is possible.

  --VM44
• 

  Leolaia

  There are loads of stuff on this in the "Golden Age Goodies" thread:

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/11/115448/1.ashx

  Example:

  *** g38 11/16 p. 17-19 Counsel by J. F. RUTHERFORD ***

  In opposition to the Kingdom the Devil has brought forth the corporate state or totalitarian government ruled by visible and arbitrary men with the Roman Catholic Hierarchy as its spiritual overlord working hand in glove with such men as Mussolini and Hitler. The ambition of this crowd is to rule the world. As I stated in London on September the 11th, this combine will get possession of England. Since then the facts show that it is already an almost accomplished thing.

  There is a determined effort on the part of the same crowd to grab control of America and rule it, change the Constitution or abolish it entirely, and take away all the liberties of the people. The ROMAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY, therefore, is in fact a political institution bent on taking away the liberties of the people and ruling arbitrarily. This operation they are carrying on under the cloak of religion because the people have been led to believe all these years that religion and Christianity are one and the same.... Knowing the facts which I do and failing to speak of them, I would be a traitor to the American people and an unfaithful servant of the Lord. My purpose in calling attention to the derelictions of the Catholic organization is this: that the people may get their eyes open to the fact that their liberties are at stake, and not only that, but, following in the course that the Hierarchy is leading them, they are headed for certain destruction.... I deem it my duty both to man and God to do this thing because I know every interest of the human race is at stake and the fundamental principles of the American government which have been held dear to the American citizens so long are in jeopardy and it now seems a certainty that the people are going to lose their liberties.

  Spoken like a real patriot, huh?

  They were so at home in their anti-Catholicism that they had no problem printing an endorsement by the KKK (Golden Age, 11 October 1933, p. 4). The same issue, BTW, claimed that Catholics who listen to sermons have "moron or infantile mind" (p. 26), expressed the hope that Jehovah would soon destroy the Catholic press so that one may "rejoice that they no longer cumber the earth which they have disgraced" (p. 26), and the editor Clayton Woodworth complained of being punched in the face during field service because of the bigotry that he was circulating (p. 5). Woodworth denied the magazines contained bigotry and claimed that the Catholics were the real bigots, "whole training is that of the bigot and persecutor" (p. 5).
• 

  cabasilas

  VM44:

  I'm thinking Rutherford was not the originator of the "guns in the basements of Catholic churches" rumor as I've heard it expressed in other venues also. I also don't think Rutherford was alone in saying:

  The Roman Catholic Hierarchy are the chief instrument on earth of the Devil.

  (From page 10 of Judge Rutherford Uncovers the Fifth Column.) There's been a segment of Protestantism that has held that view through the centuries. I think Rutherford was echoing some of the worst anti-Catholic literature of his era.

  Not to say that this excuses any persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses or exonerates any involvement of clerics against Witnesses at that time. But, it does help explain why some reacted the way they did. We can thank the Witnesses for the principle of free speech even if the message is outlandish and offensive.
• 

  Witness 007

  Thanks Cabalis!!! This was published July 1940 one month after an angry mob attacked the Gilead farm with the intension of destroying it...thanks for both qoutes, the puzzle fits together nicely.
• 

  cabasilas

  You're welcome. And, thanks, Leolaia, for linking the "Golden Age Goodies" thread which shows much more similar crazy statements from that period.

  Second Installment.

  The book Enemies (published in 1937) discusses Jehovah's enemies. The chief enemy is named on page 296:

  From all the evidence the conclusion is irresistible that the Roman Catholic Hierarchy organization serves the Devil and is therefore the enemy of God, the enemy of man, and the very personification of unrighteousness.

  An html version of Rutherford's book Enemies can be found at this JW site:

  http://www.strictlygenteel.co.uk/enemies/enemiestitles.html

  The book contains several quotes demonstrating Rutherford's anti-Catholicism. It's the type of stuff you'd never see in Witness' literature today.

  For example, according to Rutherford, the goal of Catholic hierarchy is to "rule the people with dictators." And taking over the US is next!

  pg 165-166

  A person would have to be mentally blind who does not now see that the purpose of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy is to gain control of the political affairs of the world and rule the people with dictators. The papacy has made an alliance with the political rulers of Japan, who make no pretense of being Christians, and she there prosecutes a campaign to silence everybody that speaks the truth against Catholicism. The Roman Catholic Hierarchy is vigorously pushing its campaign to gain control of the offices and political affairs of the British Commonwealth of Nations, but her greatest effort is now put forth to gain control of the United States of America.

  Great Britain and the British Commonwealth will also be dominated by the Roman Catholic Hierarchy:

  pg 170

  From the subordinate parts of the Commonwealth pressure is being brought to bear, on England in particular, and it is only a question of time, and that a short time, until the British Commonwealth of Nations will be dominated and controlled by the Roman Catholic Hierarchy. Such a course of action is wholly inconsistent with that of true followers of Christ, and these facts are cited here to prove that the Roman Catholic organization does not represent God and Christ but represents the Devil.

  Protestantism and the "Yiddish clergy" are in league with the Roman Catholic Hierachy and are "simpletons" in following them:

  Pg 212

  Today Protestantism is dead so far as the protest against the practitioners of Catholicism is concerned, and the Protestant clergy, together with the rabbis of the Jewish religious organization, follow the lead of the Roman Catholic organization and act in harmony therewith. All such practice religion, of which the Devil is the author.

  Pg 222-223:

  Today the so-called "Protestants" and the Yiddish clergy openly co-operate with and play into the hands of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy like foolish simpletons and thereby aid the Hierarchy to carry on her commercial, religious traffic and increase her revenue. Commercial religion is the stock in trade of all such merchants. The Hierarchy takes the lead, and the simpletons follow. The Hierarchy is now taking the lead in compulsory flag-saluting, and in building images or monuments, such as what is now widely advertised to be built at Washington, D. C.; and the clergy of the so-called "Protestant" and Yiddish organizations fall in line and do what they are told, and when the "sackbut" sounds they fall down and worship. (Daniel 3:5) Poor simpletons!

  Among the Roman Catholic Hiearchy's "instruments" are "ultra-selfish men called 'Jews'":

  Pg 281

  Amongst her instruments that she uses are ultraselfish men called "Jews", who look only for personal gain, and who therefore readily yield to and join with the Hierarchy in any unrighteous schemes.

  The United States is asleep to the danger of the Roman Catholic Hiearchy's goal to "gain control of the nations":

  Pg 279

  Will the United States yield to the harlot's blandishments and fall? It so appears. The old "harlot" has her instruments everywhere in the land working overtime to get control of the United States and every branch of the government, and the politicians are falling to her enticements, and many of the people who are dupes and easily deceived are likewise yielding. Fascists and Nazis are one and the same crowd and are instruments employed with great effect by the Roman Catholic Hierarchy to gain control of the nations. Each day the strength of that organization grows in the United States. The people in general appear to be asleep to the danger.

  The Scriptures indicate that Great Britain and America will become Fascist under the control of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy:

  Pg 291

  No one on earth can tell exactly what will come to pass; but those devoted to the Lord, and according to the divine rule of applying the well-known facts to God's prophecy now in course of fulfillment, can well reach a reasonable conclusion as to what shall come to pass. The question is, Will Great Britain and America become Fascist under the dominating control of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy? The Scriptures and the facts appear to fully support that conclusion.

  Pg 301-302

  The prophecy seems clearly to indicate that the Roman Catholic Hierarchy, operating its organization of Fascism, together with other religious allies, will gain control of the leading nations of the earth, including Britain and the United States, and then that hypocritical religious organization will cry out, as prophetically written, "Peace and safety." This part of the prophecy is set forth in Isaiah 23:15-18.

  When the Hierarchy has reached her zenith of glory and is supposed to be in absolute security, then God, through Christ Jesus, completely wrecks the old-harlot organization, and that marks the beginning of Armageddon. This great "burden" or woe coming to the religionist element of Satan's organization strikes terror into every one of her supporters, and these, by the prophecy, are shown as wailing and howling, because they clearly see that they are next in line for the expression of God's wrath against them. This part of the prophecy appears in verses 1-14 of Isaiah 23, and shows that the woe comes upon the religious organizations at the end of her very short period of seeming triumph.
• 

  SirNose586

  It's a foolproof plan. Pick on a bigger, more powerful, more established foe. When he says nothing, you're free to continue your rants. When he lashes out at you, you're vindicated. There is not much the Catholics can do in that situation to look good. And it got Rutherfraud attention.
• 

  VM44

  This was published July 1940 one month after an angry mob attacked the Gilead farm with the intension of destroying it

  That is very interesting. Were was this reported? I would like to read more about it.

  --VM44