When and Why did they give Jesus the chop?

PopeOfEruke

I enjoyed the thread on the District conventions and how NONE of them have a theme that mentions Jesus, and it got me bloody well thinking.........

Imagine! The King of the Kingdom, can't even get a crappy district convention theme!! How lame is that? If you were a King, wouldn't that, like, p**s you off a bit??

When and why did the WT Society give the short shrift to Jesus? Russells original Watchtower announced Christs Kingdom, but now thats Jehovahs Kingdom for example....

Was Rutherford behind it, or Knorr? Is it related to some Jewish thing, assuming Rutherford and Knorr were maybe from Jewish heritage? I am not a conspiracy theorist but somehow it seems that way.......

I had a girlfriend in high school who was a born-againer, and she told me that the JW's are the Anti-Christ. I scoffed her back then for making such a comment, but now after all these years it seems she was correct.

But why?? Why kick Jesus out?? What do they gain?

Pope

Beck_Melbourne

It has all been covered in the Greatest Man book, don't ya know they study it at the book study at least ~~twice~~ thrice a year!

Everytime I wear sandals I think of Jesus - thanks to the graphic artists at Brooklyn NY.

~Beck~

Stephanus

But why?? Why kick Jesus out?? What do they gain?

It was Rutherford who did it. He couldn't stand playing second fiddle to anyone, so he had to find ways of easing Jesus out of the way and making the org (or as we all know, Rutherford himself) supreme. It took place in many ways, both blatant and subtle.

He removed:

Christmas, and the honour given to Christ on the day set aside to celebrate his first advent
The cross, and replaced it with the ridiculous looking stake
Worship of Jesus, replacing it with "obeisance"
The last supper for all Jesus' followers, and replaced it with the insulting and idiotic "Memorial"
Prayer to Jesus, and finally
Jesus as mediator of his people

Euphemism

It was pretty much a Rutherford thing... I think it was just anothe part of his attempt to distance his organization from traditional Christianity. (E.g. 'Kingdom Hall' instead of church, 'company' instead of congregation, avoiding the term 'religion', etc...)

shamus

They need to enforce the Faithful and Discreet Slave! Don't be so silly... they're a cult!

Narkissos

One obvious reason is the inner, sectarian, logic of the movement. The name "Jehovah" was seldom used, so it could (and did) become a label. The name "Jesus" was everywhere, with a rich imaginary content. It was more difficult to fashion a specific "WT Jesus" (even picturing him on a stake instead of a cross doesn't make it). The Jesus story has great emotional power and points to the common good of Christianity, instead of the WT specifics, so it is potentially threatening.

I still remember quoting 1 John 2:23 to the elders in the Judicial Committee hearing: "No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also." They had never noticed that verse.

LittleToe

Narkissos:

They had never noticed that verse.

That really says it all, doesn't it?