: Youre on the right trak Farkel. If you really want to understand the early founding of the org you must look into Russell's involvement with Freemasonry.
IF I really want to understand the early founding of the org? How much do you know about me and what I know about the "early founding of the org?" I've read bunches of stuff about Russell and Freemasonry, the Illuminati, The Knights Templar, the New World Order, Trilateralism, and other nonsense. As for what I know about Russell, I doubt that most WTS officials know half of what I know about him, so with all due respect to you, please don't impugn ignorance on my part.
I said sk's quest was baloney. I still say it's baloney. Russell merely wanted to get a few Freemasons in his cult. There is not one shred of evidence that he was a Freemason, despite the fact that he used several of their symbols on his rag and on his headstone and despite the fact that he hinted that he was "one" of them.
Mozart was a Freemason fer crying out loud! I guess his music is demonized then, huh? You folks are barking up the wrong tree. Russell was most certainly a mystic, but I've seen no solid evidence he was a Freemason. If you really want to know about Russell then read all you can about his various lawsuits, particularly against the Brooklyn Eagle. Read his divorce transcript and find out that he was a very evil man who was every bit as greedy as his successor. Mental illness ran in his family. His father married his wife Maria's younger sister. Did you know that? Read the Zion's Watchtowers from 1904 through his death and you'll get a clear picture of the man. He was involved in so many lawsuits that even serious biographers are not sure they've tracked them all down. His helm was full of scandel and he was a lying scoundrel. Up until several years ago, I had always thought of Russell as a kind, benign fool. He was instead an arrogant self-centered, greedy narcisissitic bastard.
As I said to sk, "baloney." There are infinitely better leads to follow that this Freemasonry one.
Oh, I extend my hand to welcome you to this board! I mean that! I'm a jerk, but I'm no dummy!
Farkel