I now realize I was a member of a religion that only accepted me to serve a small elite. I was never "in".
The Dog that did not bark: Jehovah's Witnesses' greatest mystery
by Terry 52 Replies latest watchtower medical
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Ding
"Beware of organization; it is wholly unnecessary."
-- C.T. Russell
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wha happened?
Ding lol
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Terry
DON'T MISS THE MAIN PART of the opening paragraph!
Who says that Pastor Russell "privately" admitted he was the "servant"??
The very men who wrested control of the Society away from Russell's written Testament's wishes! Rutherford, VanAmbrose and McMillan.
THEY are the ONLY ones who are telling us this!
IF they are lying it means Russell NEVER said HE WAS....only that "somebody" was after identifying the church ITSELF, first.
The Bible students were INDEPENDANT congregations WITHOUT a leader!
Rutherford created the traveling District Overseer as a spy and agent to get the names of those congregations and their leaders and to gradually IMPOSE his own CENTRAL leadership by disabling the INDEPENDENCE of local control.
Having perpetuated the lie and alienating the very people he sought to appease, Rutherford simply ran off with the lie and the title of "faithful servant" and used it the way the Pope uses the doctrine of MAGESTERIUM.
Rutherford IS THE EVIL SLAVE who browbeat the faithful and constantly tormented them with fear of Armageddon if they didn't obey.
He pointed the finger (you know which finger) at the Bible Students first and later, the disfellowshipped members like ourselves.
Today's greatest enemy is the same enemy the GB has always had THE EX-MEMBERS who know the real history and truth.
That is why we are labeled APOSTATE.
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james_woods
But Terry - it was Russell & associates who built the house on the shaky sand foundation of a false prophecy.
Rutherford did do terrible things in his time, but he did them to an already rotten house of prophetic cards.
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VM44
Apostles of Denial: An Examination and Expose of the History, Doctrines and Claims of the Jehovah's Witnesses by Edmond C. Gruss.
First published in 1970. This was Gruss' first work on Jehovah's Witnesses and he has subsequently authored three additional titles on the Witnesses. Permission for non-commercial distribution on the Internet granted by the author on January 22, 2009 provided no changes are made to the text. Book was originally written as a Master's Thesis and was subsequently enlarged and updated. This PDF version includes an additional chapter entitled: "Russell's Bible Student Movement -- A Millerite Offshoot" taken from "Jehovah's Witnesses: Their Claims, Doctrinal Changes, and Prophetic Speculation. What Does the Record Show?"
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Terry
But Terry - it was Russell & associates who built the house on the shaky sand foundation of a false prophecy.
Rutherford did do terrible things in his time, but he did them to an already rotten house of prophetic cards.
I'm not arguing that Russell was god's fair-haired boy!
I'm arguing that the "faithful and wise servant" nonsense can't be pinned on Russell the way it was used by RUTHEFORD as a magesterium.
Russell was a crackpot who found favor for his teaching methods. Russell was only mildly dangerous because he HAD NO AUTHORITY over the independant groups who used his Studies in the Scriptures.
Rutherford MADE HIMSELF DANGEROUS by convincing followers he had a magic telephone hotline to Jehovah's throne.
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james_woods
But you agree that it was Russell's wife who first thought up the use of the term "servant" as applied to herself and her husband?
I first read that here on JWN...
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Terry
"If we have love for Jehovah and for the organization of his people we shall not be suspicious, but shall, as the Bible says, "believe all things," all things that the Watchtower brings out, inasmuch as it has been faithful in giving us a knowledge of God's purposes and guiding us in the way of peace, safety and truth from it's inception to this present day."
Raymond Franz: "In its efforts to deny that Jesus Christ is now dealing, or would ever deal, with individuals apart from an organization, a unique 'channel',
the teaching produces an untenable position. It claims that Christ did precisely that in dealing with Russell as an individual apart from any organization." Franz, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom. Commentary Press. pp. 130–134. ISBN 0-914675-17-6.
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Terry
But you agree that it was Russell's wife who first thought up the use of the term "servant" as applied to herself and her husband?
I first read that here on JWN...
Maria's reasoning is simple and logical: a husband and wife are ONE flesh. If Russell is the "one" then, the wife is also!
Maria did over half the writing of the early days of her marriage with Charles. Russell later impugned her writing ability and the Society has not admitted the extent of her role in the doctrines beyond a certain obvious prolific output which remains.
Ellen G.White was able to take over and lead the floundering Adventists after the false dates of William Miller created disappointment after Great Disappointment. White used "visions" directly from god as her claim to authority. This could not have escaped Maria Russell's notice! It appears she was more than willing to "share" authority with husband Charlie until he balked and turned on her.