I, among hundreds of other Jehovah's Witnesses of draft age, were ripsawed by the Watchtower Society policies concerning neutrality.
I say "policies" rather than policy because there was not just one!
The issue of neutrality is an artificial and manufactured one in the first place which goes to the heart of Rutherford's illicit takeover of the Millennial Dawn/Bible Students when Pastor Russell died.
To grasp the issue of neutrality as it evolved over time and to comprehend the minset out of which it appeared one must begin this story at its inception in 1916.
With the death of Pastor Russell, Judge Rutherford grasped an opportunity to seize a bully pulpit and publishing enterprise primed to expect a cataclysm through the revelation of bible interpretation.
Through nefarious legal intricacies Rutherford over-rode Pastor Russell's last will and testament which expressly called for NO FURTHER publications to issue from the date of his death. Rutherford had a plan which would replace Russell as the central focus of religious Truth and place himself at the forefront as mouthpiece of god.
The key instrument would be an expected 7th volume of Pastor Russell's commentary STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES.
WIKIPEDIA: The Finished Mystery Following Russell's death in 1916, a seventh volume - entitled The Finished Mystery - was published in 1917 and advertised as his "posthumous work". This seventh volume was a detailed interpretation of the book of Revelation, but also included interpretations of Ezekiel and the Song of Solomon. An advertisement for the book in The Watch Tower called it: "the true interpretation." (1917, p.334) The book was allegedly: "of the Lord—prepared under his guidance." (p. 126)
Immediate controversy surrounded both its publishing and contents. In a short time it was established that it was actually written and compiled by two of Russell's associates, Clayton J. Woodworth and George H. Fisher, and edited by Joseph Franklin Rutherford.
The Finished Mystery had been prepared without the board's consultation, and in violation of Charles Taze Russell's Last Will and Testament.
Note that Rutherford's first official act as leader was to create a fabrication misrepresenting the Finished Mystery as a book written by Pastor Russell prepared under the guidance of the Lord. (^ "This book may properly be said to be a posthumous publication of Pastor Russell." The Finished Mystery, Preface, p. 5. ) This counterfeit landed Rutherford and the board of the Watchtower in prison!
Why?
This is where our story actually begins.
WIKIPEDIA: Bible Students who felt that the tone and spirit of the book was overly harsh, as well as contrary to the spirit in which Russell had wrote during his ministry. Questions were also raised regarding predictions made in the book for the years 1918, 1919, and 1925. This seventh volume (entitled The Finished Mystery) included strong criticism of the Papacy and the existing Christian religious system and hierarchy. This prompted clergy pressure for government censure and in 1918 he served an imprisonment together with seven other associates in Atlanta, Georgia, for allegedly opposing the Selective Service Act of 1917 and the Espionage Act of 1917
Correspondence between the Watchtower Society and Christians serving in the army were revealed during the course of the trial. In these letters and in direct violation of Sedition laws, Rutherford conspired to provoke treason by advising the solider to lay down his weapons.
ARREST RUSSELLITES ON SEDITION CHARGES; Rutherford, Who Succeeded Late 'Pastor,' and Five Other Leaders Barely Escape Jail. INDICTED IN FEDERAL COURT Inciting Refusal to Do Military Duty and Sending Money to Germany Alleged.
May 9, 1918, Thursday
Page 22, 1053 words
Charged with spreading doctrines calculated to promote unrest and disloyalty among the men of the army and navy, six leaders of the International Bible Students' Association, which has founded by the late "Pastor" Charles T. Russell, were arrested yesterday afternoon in Brooklyn by United States Marshal James M. Power.
Kathleen Koenig: As America prepared to enter World War I, the anti-war, anti-government message of The Finished Mystery brought the wrath of the United States judicial system down upon the Bible Students' heads. In 1918 Rutherford and seven other Watch Tower officials were convicted on charges of sedition. Though sentenced to a total of six hundred years in the Atlanta penitentiary, the Judge and his fellow inmates were released in 1919 and later acquitted of all charges. The experience made him bitter, and he emerged breathing fire against all the clergy of Christendom, whom he held responsible for his incarceration.
Rutherford realized the Bible Students were in danger of further disintegration. Many members were dismayed by Russell's death prior to Armageddon. Rutherford replaced Russell's books with a steady stream of his own, insisting that doctrinal changes were "new light" cast on Scripture by Jehovah. He consolidated power by replacing elected congregation elders with Society-appointed men. He castigated as idolaters those who revered the memory of Russell, making life intolerable within the organization for loyalists. The pages of his books and of The Watchtower soon were filled with attacks against other religions, the most vicious being reserved for the Catholic Church.
Memorandum: ...submitted at the same time by the Attorney General and also placed in the Congressional Record. Speaking of printed matter which, in the opinion of the Intent genre Service, "could only serve to stir men up to mutiny and tend to disintegrate our entire army,"
Meaning what?
Rutherford was seeking vengence against other denominations, against the U.S.army and the government for 400 year sentences. He spent the rest of his life fulminating against everybody and everything while using the membership of his Jehovah's Witness relgion to do so.
Everything about Jehovah's Witnesses was designed to anger mainstream society, christianity and government. JW's were created as contrarians. Whatever "normal" society expected of a christian; Jehovah's Witnesses did the opposite. No birthdays, no christmas, no flag salute, no singing national anthem, no military service, no cross, no hell, no blood, no pledge of allegience... this list is endless.
Judge Rutherford and his successors imprinted the JW psyche with a kind of radicalism it took them a long time to escape.
The upshot of these policies was to pit forces of young men from Kingdom Halls against any authority willy nilly to create publicity which enflamed ordinary christians because it made JW's look Holier than thou and more dedicated and righteous through the creation of martyrs.
In Malawi the members could not purchase politcal party cards. In Mexicon, the members could bribe officials to avoid problems.
The two policies were Ad Hoc: created on the spot according to the whim of the leadership at the time.
The two-fold reasoning of American draft problems was that young Witness men could not serve in the armed forces or accept ALTERNATE service unless a judge sentenced the young man to the alternate service. The young man could not explain this to the judge either!!
It is clear from all this the leadership of the Watchtower Society was not attempting to explicate their "reasoning" through the use of firm and clear bible reasoning.
Arbitrary, capricious and whimsical ad hoc policy has been behind every move the Society has ever made. How do we know? They have had to change practically every policy they suddenly came up with!!
Millions now LIVING will never die, Romans 13 (Superior Authorities), Generation of 1914, 1975 and other very public whims have backfired repeatedly on the leadership. They never learn their lesson and never will.
Why?
This religion has always been about creating turbulence, friction and animosity among regular society and manifesting a spirit of chaos which CAN THEN BE USED to demonstrate righteous persecution against JW members and point to the nearness of Armageddon!
