What strand of Christianity gave birth to WTBTS?

by Band on the Run 65 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Perry

  I can only speak for the "Mormons," of course, but as stated above you claim that we teach that there is no salvation outside of our organization, or church. This is not true.

  Coldsteel,

  Mormonism teaches there is no salvation outside the Mormon Church and no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith.

  Apostle Bruce R. McConkie makes this statement:

  "If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation. There is no salvation outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." (Mormon Doctrine, p. 670)

  “The priesthood is the power and authority of God delegated to man on earth to act in all things pertaining to the salvation of men. It is the means whereby the Lord acts through men to save souls. Without this priesthood power, men are lost.”—The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 494.

  The Bible, on the other hand, teaches salvation is in Jesus alone:
  "Neither is there salvation in any other [Jesus]: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12
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  Phizzy

  The Looney-tunes strand ?
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  Aussie Oz

  And all that preceeds my post only reinforces my belief that the bible is not the inspired word of any god, and is certainly the concoction of men who sought to enslave the world one brain at a time.

  They did a damn good job of it too...The beginners of the work would be suitably impressed i imagine...

  Oz
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  Vidiot

  Cold Steel - "But by making historical questions doctrinal, you risk the chance that archeologists and historians will prove you wrong."

  Not a consideration when you're convinced the End of the World is coming any day now.
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  kurtbethel

  While this discussion of religious history is fascinating and has many threads, it still doesn't uncover the origins of the Watchtower practice of channeling, which it holds in common with UFO sects and spiritist groups and individuals. This is also common with Theosophical groups such as that which Helena Blavatsky was associated with. I would like to know more about those connections.

  
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  NoStonecutters

  kurthbethel, the common denominator is Cabala. The founder of Theosophy was Helena Blavatsky, a Jewish mystic. We have every reason to believe the Russell family were Kabbalist Jews. And then there is CT Russell's pyramidology and Enochian magic, among other things.
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  Chariklo

  Was Russell into Enochian magic, Stonecutters? Wow, big stuff!

  Are you absolutely certain?

  As to channelling, it is common parlance among New Age practitioners of all kinds, Reiki healers, psychics, and many many more. It is not confined to Theosophy nor its offshoots.
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  Satanus

  Did russel do kaballah? Any evidence?

  S
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  Satanus

  Did blavatsky do kaballah? It wouldn't surprise me, but i would still like to see the evidence.

  S
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  NoStonecutters

  Chariklo, I'll let you answer that question for yourself. Check out the bit about Enochian Magic here:

  http://jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/8093/5/The-Watchtower-and-the-Masons

  Chariklo, Satanus, I would argue that the Cabala is the foundation of all occult and New Age systems. So, yes, Blavatsky was a Kabbalist, without a doubt. As for Charles Taze Russell using Kabbalah, I would say most likely. He surrounded himself with the charms and incantations associated with white magic, including the tetragrammaton, pyramidology, Enochian Magic, as well as his strange predictions, which he likely received from Kabbalah angels. All Christian Kabbalists were date setters and prognosticators. John Dee got his "knowledge" from the same cast of so-called angels. In the end, Dee's angels advised him to wife swap with his running mate in Prague while running intelligence missions for Queen Elizabeth. Sound angelic? Regardless, the Church has always taught that calling on angelic beings will only invoke fallen angels. Therefore, White Magic is really only black magic in disguise...a Hegelian dialectic of sorts.

  Kurtbethel, Blavatsky used the hexagram with the tetragrammaton while Russell used the tetragrammaton without the hexagram, although Russell made use of pyramids, which make up the hexagram (one pyramid fixed over an inverted pyramid).

  Considering the Kabbalist fixation on communicating with "angels", one wonders whether there is an occult root to the Watchtower's Jesus-is-Michael doctrine.