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SOME QUESTIONS ASKED
Brother Russell finished his work in 1916. According to the order provided, an election was held in January, 1917, and officers of the Society elected. In October, 1917, a referendum vote was taken of the entire church for the purpose of determining who should constitute the servants or officers of the Society for the ensuing year. On January 5, 1918, the shareholders, duly constituted to cast the legal vote, convened, and in harmony with and in obedience to the referendum vote elected officers and servants of the Society. Opposition candidates were nominated and before the vote was taken three questions were asked each one thus nominated, and they were required to answer publicly before the shareholders voted. These questions were:
(1) Are you in harmony with the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society and its work, as provided by its charter and Brother Russell’s will?
(2} Have you answered the VDM questions?
(3) Do you accept "The Finished Mystery" as the seventh volume of STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES, as published by the Society?
The shareholders had a right to know whether or not the officers or servants whom they were about to elect would carry out their wishes, and therefore with propriety propounded the above questions. Almost unanimously the vote was cast for the officers elected, who answered these questions in the affirmative. The Society, in regular session, by an overwhelming majority vote, expressed its will in substance thus: Brother Russell filled the office of "that servant" and has finished his work. While here, acting under the supervision of the Lord, he organized the Society and left it as his successor to continue the work yet to be done, and that its officers, to be elected, will be its duly constituted representatives and must be in harmony with the expressed will of the Society and so state before they are placed in that responsible position.
Such action was taken, that the work might be done "decently and in order"; and was therefore entirely proper and Scriptural. In other phrase, the overwhelming majority said: We believe the Society thus constituted by Brother Russell under the supervision of the Lord has a commission from the Lord, which commission or authority the Lord has never taken away from it, and it therefore has a work to do; and the duty and obligation devolves upon it to do that work and to do it "decently and in order."
A small minority who love the Lord might hold a different view, but the majority would not feel disposed to elect its officers and servants from such, because there could not be harmonious action. If some did not care to work in harmony with the Society thus constituted, that would be their privilege; yet that would not mean that there should be any ill feeling, nor that such should be disfellowshipped. If the Lord started a work through a duly constituted organization or society, and that work increased and upon it the Lord’s blessing was made manifest, then it would seem that those who wanted to be in harmony with the Lord would wish to cooperate in his arrangement. If others see it in a different way, that is their privilege. There should be full liberty of conscience.
