Its almost not worth the effort to expose Russell and Rutherford. They have lost their place among WT greats. Russell is now a footnote, Rutherford merely a gate keeper. Nothing they taught except 1914 holds water for the modern GB. All the rest were merely two overzealous men making mistakes. They were not the governing body.
JW Refutations of Criticism of Russell and Rutherford
by Duvduv 43 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Wasanelder Once
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sparrowdown
You're right was.
JWs don't care about The two R's. Russell and Rutherford are old news to them and they don't give a toss what they did or believed. When I was in very few, if any, people were interested in WT ancient history. They only care about what the GB are doing now and any criticisms of the old dudes would just bounce off their indoctrinated brains, dismissed with a wave of the hand.
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Duvduv
Can we try it another way. What are the clearest refutations of the JW to criticism of their movement from its inception until today, involving Russell, Rutherford, Knorr, Franz, Henschel, etc. regarding beliefs, false predictions, allegations of cultism, etc.??
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sir82
What are the clearest refutations of the JW to criticism of their movement from its inception
until today, involving Russell, Rutherford, Knorr, Franz, Henschel, etc. regarding beliefs,
false predictions, allegations of cultism, etc.??
"The light gets brighter"
Seriously - that is the most you'll hear from any JW. It's the best they can do.
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Diogenesister
It's a very fair question. For me it wAs the character and behaviour of these two men that proved Watchtower could never have been chosen by God to begin his Organization on Earth.
1919 was the most important year for Watchtower as an organization, since it was then it claims Jesus chose them out of all Christendom. Rutherford's presidency at that time makes the idea preposterous.
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Duvduv
What do you mean "the light gets brighter"? That all the changes and failed prophecies were some kind of progressive revelation? How did Rutherford react to the failure of ,1914? How did Franz react to the failure of 1975?? That God was playing tricks? Why can't they become more liberal about blood transfusion?!
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Duvduv
Why are Jehovah's Witnesses considered to have a more authoritarian misleading religion and face more hostility in the media and some governments than does the authoritarian Catholic Church or the Amish who practice shunning of backsliders?
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TD
t's hard to know where to start with your questions because the Bible Student / Jehovah's Witnesses movement has changed so much over the years.
How did Rutherford react to the failure of ,1914?
Rutherford did not come to power until the death of Russell in 1916. The tangible events that were supposed to happen in 1914 were "spiritualized" into heavenly, invisible events, and the whole chronological framework was moved forty years forward.
How did Franz react to the failure of 1975??
Only those who were there with him at the time know for sure, but the 1975 prediction was worded in such tentative terms that it was easy for them to shrug it off and label anyone who took it seriously as "running ahead."
Why can't they become more liberal about blood transfusion?!
Good question. Nobody knows for sure, because there are probably a number of reasons. Personally, I don't think they want to admit they were wrong on an issue of this magnitude. It would call their authority into question.
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Whynot
I think your questions are better answered in the book Crisis of Conscience. In summary, the GB want to protect the organization and it's reputation.
When I was a strict JW I always felt embarrassed when anyone mentioned these shameful details but like I said, I always explained that they weren't perfect and the disciples weren't either.
My stance is different now but that is what JWs willn say. Although some who are ignorant may deny or just not care.
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Duvduv
How did the separation of the governing body from the board of the Watchtower affect anything in their movement? I noticed that there are no email contacts for the jw.org website and that all pages dealing with anything JW, including any Kingdom Hall and the Watchtower Society connects to the JW.org website.