by snowbird 18 Replies latest watchtower scandals
... aka P S L Johnson was made to look the villain in the 1975 Yearbook of JW's.
I've done research and found out that he resisted Rutherford to the bitter end. He referred to Rutherford as "that usurper", and was ousted from Bethel.
He seems to have been a fanatic who idolized C. T. Russell; his impassioned eulogy at Russell's funeral borders on deification.
Is that why Rutherford hated him so much?
P S L Johnson was founder of the Laymen's Home Missionary Movement.
Sylvia
Probably that was a lot of Rutherfords attitude - he really tried to sweep out Russellism.
Remember the story about even forbidding people to have Russell-like beards?
Although you are right - this Johnson sounds like a real wingnut too.
I'm trying to find the eulogy he gave Pastor Russell.
IIRC, he went on and on about Eldad and Medad!
Sylvia
He seems to have been a fanatic who idolized C. T. Russell; his impassioned eulogy at Russell's funeral borders on deification.
I heard that P S L Johnson gave so stirring of an eulogy that Russell's corpse got a boner!
Think About It
Here it is Sylvia - http://biblestudents.net/htdb/r6006b.htm
Paul Johnson was a close confidant of Russell, and excepted EVERTHING he thought, even his shortcomings for 1914. While Russell aqdmitted he was wrong about what he expected to happen by 1914, Johnson decided he was right about it all.
Johnson believed that the door to heaven closed in 1914, and that we entered the epiphany stage of the Lord's presence. He proclaimed himself the Epiphany Messenger, and had outlined a series of 22 books titled the Epiphany Studies in the Scriptures, only 17 were published, the last few were published posthumous. When he died it was said that he stated in his will that he was the last highpriest on earth (last of the 144,000).
The Laymen's Home Missionary Movement was actually founded by C.T. Russell. It was a name he used to publish with. It can be seen on certain "Bible Students Monthly and Old Theology Quarterly tracts as well as mentioned in the Watch Towers of that time period.
Apparently it wasn't incorporated, so that Johnson could incorporate it andc use it for his own ministry.
Tee hee hee!
I'm still searching - I know it's out there!
Sylvia
Thanks, RR.
I didn't realize you'd posted, so I continued searching and found it here: http://www.agsconsulting.com/htdbv5/r6006b.htm
Sylvia
Another thing, in defense that he was not mentally unsound, some Bible Students insist that he was suffering from "brain fag."
Sylvia
When he died it was said that he stated in his will that he was the last highpriest on earth (last of the 144,000).
The more you read about Russell's little circle, the more you realize what a bunch of crazies they really were.
Hate to say it, but some of this makes Rutherford look like one of the most reasonable ones of them - (just kidding...)
Dear Sylvia,
Missed out this morning ...
This reminds me of what I read in THE FOUR PRESIDENTS [Gruss] regarding authoritarian tactics at Bethel. Charles De Wilda [don't have book at hand to check spelling] opposed Knorr over the marriage issue at headquarters. He was thrown out of Bethel, became homeless, and asked for help of Bethel passersby. NHK forbade members of the family helping him. He died of exposure while sleeping, I recall, on a park bench.
A former Bethelite, who was a friend of a local PO whom I know, confirmed this account. He was one of the brothers accosted by Charlie.
Sad, sad ...
CoCo
