Who was Charles T.Russell really?

Let me know what you really think and who he was...and i will inform you.

blondie

You asked first, you go first. And no shouting.

ok I'll bite. He was a 19th century adventist caught up in the revival of apocalyptic hysteria that backlashed against the industrial revolution and the exesses it produced. In time with the growing adoration of the uneducated that looked to him he became delusional and self important.

undercover

Don't forget that he was a little loopy. He believed that the Great Pyramid was a modern day prophet.

Quotes

Welcome anonymouslyyours!

I've got $5.00 that says that you are trying to "minister" to JWs to help them, and are somehow of the belief that most of the people here are JWs.

If my hunch is correct, let me advise you that most here are "EX-JWs" and already know plenty about how nutty Chuck Russell was.

Of course, all are welcome here, even JWs; they just don't seem to stick around for very long. ;)

If my hunch is wrong, and you have some new insights into the self-deluded mind of Russell, then by all means, share them.

~Quotes, of the "habidasher" class

prophecor

and is this Job resurected from the grave already?

Raphael

Reading and studying his writings, I get the impression that he was actually a decent fellow...I sense that he was deeply sincere in his search for truth , but that he was also very naive and easily influenced by others, hence his involvement with pyramidology and to some degree the occult and spiritism i.e the book "Women and Angels" as an example.

Unlike his successor J.F Rutherford , there is no evidence to suggest that he deliberately set out to deceive others.To the contrary his writings (STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES - VOLUME 1) clearly indicate that he did not believe in the wholesale conversion of the world, but that God was only calling his church and that eventually the vast majority of humankind would eventually gain salvation ,during the 1000 year reign of Christ. A very liberal view and a far cry from the fire and brimstone, that was being preached from the pulpits of most Protestant and Catholic churches.

From many of those associated with him - who ceased association with the society after his death in 1916 , there seems to be consensus that he was a very compassionate and caring man , that if he could see the organisation now - he would turn in his grave and condemn the society in the strongest possible terms. Russell was not and never would be a Jehovah's Witness - they are the very antithesis of what he believed in.

Forscher

I am examining his writings as well. I think that he and his study group were blessed by stumbling on to some truths. However, when he tried to go beyond that, CTR got caught up in some of the speculation of his time. He appears to have been a humble man and was humble enough in the last edition of the second study in the scriptures to admit that he was wrong in his prediction that the big A would come by 1914. That and the fact that he blew his fortune putting his money where his mouth was is really impressive to me. After all, how many famous religious figures have done that? They usually make their fortunes promoting their views!

As for Rutherford, my take on him was that he was an unscrupulous man with a lot of ambition. It was most unfortunate that he found a vehicule to realise those ambitions through the WTBTS Corp.. The damage done because of that man and HIS legacy is incalculable!

whyamihere

Wasn't this him...and the 1st WT ever?

Brooke

lilybird

Just stumbled onto this post. Thanks Brooke for an early morning Saturday chuckle.. I needed that....umm ... expect I think that cover is a little too sophisticated.....lol