rutherford

jurs

ever since i started questioning wether the truth is really the truth. i'm apalled at HOW MUCH information is out there that just shatters the organization. one intersesting site out of many is jesus-witnesses.com (the seven points of watchtower indoctrination) anyhow i never knew that rutherford smoked cigars and was a notorious alcoholic. he even thought the the governments prohibition was satanically inspired and wrote an article stating so. i found that intersting and wanted to share.....jurs

AlanF

As my grandpa used to say, Rutherford was 'some piece a woik' alright.

There is good evidence that Rutherford was an adulterer. Around 1928 he and his entourage were staying at some hotel, and one morning one of the Bible Student ladies who straightened up the rooms found a lady's hairpin in Rutherford's bed. His room was adjoined by that of his mistress of the moment, another Bible Student lady who doubled as Rutherford's cook. This discovery led to the resignation of a pile of Bible Students in the area of Buffalo, New York, who formed their own group.

This story was given to me by the son of one of the Bible Students who had resigned. Jim Penton has been gathering pretty solid evidence to support this.

AlanF

slipnslidemaster

There are stories that suggest that his cook was the last one to be with him when he died and that she lived with him at Beth Sarim, etc.

I'm sure there is a thread here with much more substantiated information.

Slipnslidemaster:Doin' the humpty hump...just doin' the humpty hump...

XJWBill

Having walked away from the organization in 1977, I long ago put all that JW stuff behind me. But just recently, I've been re-reading some things and looking at all the great ex-JW sites on the Internet. With the perspective that middle age brings, it seems quite clear now that Rutherford was one of the biggest con men ever!!

I don't think Russell was out to deliberately scam anyone--the tone of his writings *seems* to indicate that he was a religious crank who thought--at age 23, mind you--that he had uncovered God's big secret. But although he parlayed that inside info into a prosperous publishing company, still, he seems to have had a rather gentle personality, apart from whatever flaws were in his thinking (and there were plenty!).

But Rutherford! That charlatan saw a golden opportunity and grabbed hold of the presidency to rule with an iron fist. As far as I can tell, he was just out for all he could get from the word go, and "the brothers" be damned. Just making up doctrines out of thin air (like the "other sheep" not going to heaven) and instituting DF'ing to keep the rank and file in line, and the contributions coming in. Then had the arrogance to send JW's out to picket churches and drive around in sound cars denouncing the clergy for their misdeeds. Can you say HYPOCRITE?

I think many aspects of the organization that troubled or wounded us ex-slaves are traceable directly back to Judge Rutherford's intolerant, arrogant, and off-the-rails personality. He will have a lot to answer for when he meets the Big Judge.

My grandparents were never JW's, but they always took some literature when Witnesses came by. They had an old bookcase with stray WT and Awake mags from long ago, including some old Consolation mags from the 1930's, written by Rutherford himself. They are something else, y'all--definitely recommended reading for the ex-slave class. It is all so clearly a con job--the rantings and ravings of one man who was out for all he could get!

My dear late father tried to tell me that when I first got hooked by the Witnesses--I think he even remembered hearing about JW's selling their homes, etc., in 1925. But of course, like most teenagers, I just knew dear old Dad was clueless about things--while I, of course, knew it all. Sorry, Papa--thanks for trying.

Since then, I've come to understand a lot more about human nature. There are people who have charismatic personalities--a strange kind of magnetic attraction, even when they are spouting pure hogwash. Rutherford and Hitler are two outstanding examples of the type, able to sucker in many otherwise decent, intelligent people. The scary part is, I've also seen this same phenomenon occur on a much smaller level, in a large business office. Those charismatic types are very ugly, very dangerous--wherever they pop up.

Oh, and did the rest of you know there was ANOTHER mansion built by Rutherford in San Diego? You've heard of Beth-Sarim, but I just recently learned about Beth-Shan, on the same property. Built in 1939 by the Judge and guarded by young JW men on horseback--it had not one, but TWO bomb shelters, fully stocked with provisions to survive the world war Rutherford saw coming, I believe, and the rest of the flock be damned!

Just another little piece of history the Society doesn't want you to know about.

"If we all loved one another as much as we say we love God, I reckon there wouldn't be as much meanness in the world as there is."--from the movie Resurrection (1979)

jschwehm

Hi Bill-

If you ever have a conversation with a Bible Student today they will get very upset if you say that Russell started the Jehovah's Witnesses and make it clear to you that it was Rutherford who founded the JWs. In fact, one Bible Student group has a tract that they distribute explaining why Russell is not the founder of the JWs. The Bible Students despise Rutherford. Of course, after reading about all he did to the brethren back then, I cannot say that I blame him.

Jeff S.

P.S. Did you know that Rutherford also had a 6 cylinder cadillac that he used during the depression while JWs were out living in trailers trading his books for food? Rutherford was the stereotypical cult leader.

SanFranciscoJim

"P.S. Did you know that Rutherford also had a 6 cylinder cadillac that he used during the depression while JWs were out living in trailers trading his books for food? Rutherford was the stereotypical cult leader."

Jeff, my understanding is that in fact Rutherford had two sixTEEN cylinder Cadillacs at his disposal.

XJWBill

Jim's right about the Caddies, which were garaged at Beth-Sarim--supposedly for the convenience of Abraham, Isaac, David, et al. But guess whose big butt rode around in 'em?

And the Bible Students are right, as far as I can tell--Rutherford DID start the JW's--hell, he even named them! Just saw his opportunity when Russell died, made his move, and kicked everybody else out of Bethel on their asses.

Shrewd as a fox, he just made up his own religion to benefit himself!! That's what gets me, even all these years after leaving--that I, we, all of us, could be so TAKEN IN by an obvious one-man fraud!

I can remember going over, in minute detail, in Tuesday-night book study (what was that--the "Finished Mystery" book?), how the power struggles at Bethel in 1918/1919 were the fulfillment of Bible prophecies--what unadulterated bullshit!! And we all just lapped it up.

Of course, by the time I got snookered in, in the early 70's, Rutherford wasn't really talked about much, and besides, we were so intently focused on 1975, there wasn't much point in dwelling on history. I tossed my "Divine Purpose" book years back--wish I'd kept it, now.

BTW, in our tiny, small-town library, I recently stumbled across, of all things, the new "Proclaimers" book. And tell you what, it's a real piece of work. Slick--real slick. A really fine piece of propaganda. The DP book was slanted, of course, but nothing compared to this.

I try not to be too angry nowadays with the WTBTS--to paraphrase something Ray Franz has said, the folks running it now are "victims of victims of victims." But brother, when I think about what a monumental con job old Rutherford pulled--the source of that dirty stream I almost drowned in, and lots of others, too--it just makes my blood boil!

I knew guys who served years in prison (draft evasion). I knew a family who kidnapped their newborn from a hospital to avoid a transfusion--I attended their court trial. I myself would willingly have gone to prison or even died, like the brothers in Malawi--all for the sake of ONE MAN'S grandiose, assinine, made-up, fairy-tale religion! That gets me, buddy, that really gets me.

I wonder what the Bible Students are like? Would be interesting to see what their organizational ethos is, stemming from Russell, not the Judge. Russell was just a goof, doctrinally speaking--but Rutherford was plain nasty.

Bill

"If we all loved one another as much as we say we love God, I reckon there wouldn't be as much meanness in the world as there is."--from the movie Resurrection (1979)

Fredhall

Admit it girls, Rutherford kick asses!!!!

Farkel

: BTW, in our tiny, small-town library, I recently stumbled across, of all things, the new "Proclaimers" book. And tell you what, it's a real piece of work. Slick--real slick. A really fine piece of propaganda. The DP book was slanted, of course, but nothing compared to this.

Actually, the reverse is true. The DP book was a pack of lies and the Proclaimer's book is much more honest and admits much the society wished it didn't have to admit. However, the Proclaimer's book is not topically arranged, so those "nuggets" are buried away in paragraphs which are discussing an entirely different subject. A reader who wasn't sharp-eyed would miss them entirely, yet when confronted the WTS can say, "Hey! We admitted to that false prophecy we made about 1878 in page "xxx" in the Proclaimer's book." To which, you would say, "Oh, you mean the chapter on "Quick Builds? Or was it the one on How We Have Expanded in Africa?" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

:)
Farkel

SanFranciscoJim

"Admit it girls, Rutherford kick asses!!!!"

Then, Sister Fred, I wonder how many times he would have kicked you?
JIM
Gender Bender Defender Class

rutherford

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