Russell Not a Mason!

by johnnyc 71 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Homerovah the Almighty

  Here is some more info about Russell and the Freemasons

  http://www.pastor-russell.com/life/mason2.html

  I'll try and look up where and who said that his father Joesph was a high level Freemason

  The information that I've read was that he was somewhat cool to the Masons although it gets confusing because some info states in his own words

  he didn't like the ritual aspects of the Masons and thought they were away from true worship of what a follower of Christ should be involved in.

  In one of his speeches he stated that he had no grievances or anything bad to say against that brotherhood.

  Maybe he was thinking on going light on them since he was giving talks and using their halls on occasion.
• 

  Homerovah the Almighty

  This criticism has lingered into the modern day, and has been manipulated into the most frequent accusation against Pastor Russell. In reality, Russell believed and taught that all man-made organizations were nothing but a waste of a Christian's time. He admitted that Masons would often approach him with their secret handshake, but he would refuse to return it. He believed he was to preach the truth of the Gospel, and nothing more. The Freemasons are, in fact, a militant anti-catholic Protestant brotherhood often falsely represented as "devil worshipping". Because so few know the truth about Freemasonry, casting Russell in a Masonic light is really an attempt to make him appear to be insincere and dishonest. It is claimed that his use of a "winged sun disk" symbol on the front cover of "Studies in the Scriptures" is proof of his Masonic connections. However, the symbol was chosen (after having used an oil lamp symbol for over 20 years) because Malachi 4:2 illustrates a winged sun as a symbol of the gradual emergence (like a sunrise) of God's Kingdom, which Pastor Russell taught was beginning. The winged solar disk symbol has been used on many things, including the Chevrolet automobile, but hardly ever by Freemasons.