Yes, there are many who, by use of their imagination and assumptions, have assumed that Charles Taze Russell was a member of the freemasons. Actually, the tens of thousands of pages that have been produced from his works attest that he was not a member of that organization.
FREEMASONS and Pastor Russell
by satinka 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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satinka
Medina wrote:
There is, indeed no real proof of Russel being a Freemason. ... But thats not strange for a Mason in anyway, they mostly dont proclaim themselves as being one, and the symbolics he used and whe're he is burried indicate different then the mainstream opinion of the JW. I think he was a freemason. There is no proof he was, but also no proof that he wasnt .
Thanks Medina. Freemasons are a secret organization, just like the jws. That is the whole point of this thread. If any of you bothered to watch the videos, it states the belief that Jehovah is actually Satan. Pastor Russell's books are full of diagrams about astrology and pyramids and blood sacrifices and naked bodies hanging to die and pictures of bodies writhing in pain.
Pastor Russell certainly worshipped Jehovah and the JWs have a punishing belief system. Jehovah is no God of Love like he pretends to be. Ask anyone who is shunned who is not allowed to see their children.
Speaking of credibility...are the JWs credible??? Really??? Are so many of you here still JWs --- or JW-wannabe's??? Go be that, then! Contrary to popular belief, you do have free will!
satinka
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satinka
Just to add, I liked the first part of the video that Mouthy posted at http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/208420/1/FREEMASONS-and-Pastor-Russell which prominently features FREEMASON Pastor Russell's tomb stone.
satinka
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satinka
Thanks for the link, Blondie. I note that VM44 responded on that link by quoting:
"In an address delivered in a San Francisco masonic hall in 1913, Russell made positive use of masonic imagery by saying, "Now, I am a free and accepted mason. I trust we all are. But not just after the style of our masonic brethren." He further develops this idea: "true Bible believers may or may not belong to the masonic fraternity, but they are all masons of the highest order, since they are being fashioned, chiselled and polished by the Almighty to be used as living stones in the Temple Built Without Hands. They are free from sin, and therefore accepted by the God of Heaven as fit stones for the heavenly Temple." Later in this address, Russell stated quite clearly that "I have never been a mason." Those who claim Russell was a freemason quote this address out of context without noting the rhetorical imagery.
Although Russell wrote about the pyramids and the Knights Templar, the pyramids are not a part of Freemasonry and Russell's understanding of the relationship between the modern Knights Templar and Freemasonry displays an outsider's ignorance of both organizations."
Thanks again Blondie and VM44...So, I concur...if Pastor Russell was not a FREEMASON, he was a FREEMASON-WANNA-BE!
satinka
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finallysomepride
coming back to this
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thetrueone
If C Russel was not a bonifide Freemason he certainly was a plagiarizer of whatever he came across to place on his books and magazines.
It is not surprising at all that he would use a cross and crown symbol on the Watchtower, for he really wanted to attract the attention
of the already recognized Christians out in the general public.
C Russell was the father of the commercially viable doctrines that the WTS. still uses to this day.
Him being a Freemason doesn't really hold any relevance if he was or wasn't.
Him being a turn of the century religious charlatan does have relevance for it gives a evaluative insight
to how and why this organization got started and how and why it still exists today.
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satinka
the trueone wrote:
Him being a turn of the century religious charlatan does have relevance for it gives a evaluative insight to how and why this organization got started and how and why it still exists today.
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So, tell me again why this organization exists...? Lobbying dollars perhaps...?
satinka
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still thinking
Hi Satinka,
Thanks again for posting this thread. I have had a chance to watch the links you took the time to share.
I found it very interesting as over the last few months I had been reading about the masons and this gave me a visualisation of what I have been reading.
I agree with you, If Russell wasn't a Mason then he certainly took a lot of what they have and used it. So you have to ask yourself why? Symbols on early books, ideas, the light getting brighter, the brotherood, the pyramid by the his grave, the locality of his grave. Some might argue that the pyramid was put ther long after his death. But still the question remains why and by who? The watchtower put their name on it so who in there is a Freemason? I know he had some beliefs based on pyramidology, but did that have to include the masonic symbols ie cross and crown?
I really struggle with people thinking all it takes is to call them up or write to them and they are going to disclose to anyone and everyone who all their members are. This is a secret society that from all accounts wants to control the powers in the world, so far they seem to have achieved a lot of what they set out to do.
Strangely the JWs have also taken on board the idea of keepin things secret. Now no one knows who writes anything or who has the final say. Exactly the same way the masons are ruled. Most ground level Masons also havent got a clue. They are mislead into beleaving it is a society that helps people, and really most are just there for what they get out of it. Membership with like minded people, benefits not unlike an insurance policy that others in the society will help them with work or advancing their careers. A lot of this seems so similar to the way the witnessess work its not funny. In a disaster, the witnessess look out for each other (insurance policy), as they grow older they know the congregatation will look out for them, this leaves the families to induldge in their own pursuits (preaching) without having to take responsiblity for their aging parents. Not very christian to me. But a kind of insurance policy none the less.
If it was released the Freemasonry was involved in the development of the JW's how many JW's would stay there? It does not benefit them to admit to this. Conspiracy theory some say. Well maybe so. But I would say, look at what is happening in the world around us and tell me something isn't going on.
How trusting is that? We asked them and they said no. So end of subject. That's all the proof we need, even though there are a lot of things that point to there being some connection. Do we really trust that blindly?
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thetrueone
There has always been a connection with the IBSA and the Freemasons, Pyramidology being another close connecting ideology.
Its quite possible that even some of Russell's followers were also Freemasons who Russell attracted by having special talks in Freemason Halls which
is known that he did after advertising the talks in public news papers.
Freemasons will accept people of all faiths, with emphasis of course with Christians.
At least we today can evaluate the foundation of most of the WTS historical doctrines that created the WTS.
to what it is today, no matter how superficially ignorant they were .
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still thinking
thetrueone Hi there, when you say "they were superficially ignorant", does this mean that you think they unknowingly did all these things? And everything was fluke and chance? Maybe I'm getting the wrong end of the stick.
I think that to suggest that, would be to undermine the intellegece of Russell. He was a very clever man. Just look at what he started and where it is today. Of course you cannot attribute the whole "success story" to him, but he wrote the plot and started this multi million dollar industry.
He was a shrewd businessman. Do you think he was that naive?