There was also more freedom in the local congregations during that brief era. Some of us called it Watch Tower Vatican II. There was local autonomy as the CO's lost control of patronage which was then given to the local elders. Disfellowshipping rules were no longer harsh. Many of us enjoyed Bible Studies using translations other than the NWT. Unfortuately Watch Tower Vatican II was gone by 1981. The COs took control of patronage, private study and using Bibles other than the NWT was discouraged, DFd individuals were treated harshly, and an era of oppression began.
Athanasius
JoinedPosts by Athanasius
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10
Bethel and the Change from Presidental Dictatorship to GB Rulership
by frankiespeakin inat first it was a breath of fresh air with more freedom and less restrictions.
i sugest one read ray franz book on the subject i think it is in the crisis book but not sure.
when i went to bethel there was a 4 year requirement,,and if you left prematurely before your agreed mandatory duty was fulfilled you were put on some type of reproof or restrictions.
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747
Rutherford Exposed: The Story of Berta and Bonnie
by Farkel init was made by a women who in later years wore crotchless panties and bras which had holes in the nipple areas.
he not only knew the woman in question (she's now deceased), he has met her numerous times.
up until recently this secret of her year's long sexual affair with rutherford was kept by the family.
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Athanasius
Hi TMS,
Thank you for your comments about my field notes. However, as I had mentioned earlier I am writing a political biography of Joseph F. Rutherford and so not all the documents and interviews that I have gathered will be included. Since many powerful men of his era kept mistresses, FDR, Joe Kennedy, William Randolph Hearst, just to name a few, it shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with history that JFR may have done the same. If I wrote about JFR's sexual activities, the audience I am seeking would just say "so what, everybody does it," and not read my book. Therefore, this part of his life, though it may have appeal to some on this site, will only get a footnote in my work.
The sad lesson we learn from JFR is not that he may have had a mistress, but that he took a religious movement with democratic traditions and turned it into a dictatorship that has harmed millions of people.
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747
Rutherford Exposed: The Story of Berta and Bonnie
by Farkel init was made by a women who in later years wore crotchless panties and bras which had holes in the nipple areas.
he not only knew the woman in question (she's now deceased), he has met her numerous times.
up until recently this secret of her year's long sexual affair with rutherford was kept by the family.
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Athanasius
Perhaps we are being too judgemental of Rutherford regarding his sexual activities. Remember we are looking at Rutherford's conduct through the eyes of modern JWs and Ex-JWS rather than his contemporaries. For example if we were to view Abraham Lincoln by today's standards, the great liberator would come across as a white supremacist.
In looking over some of my field notes I found an entry regarding a conversation that I had back in 1960 with an elderly JW by the name of Arthur Mingo. Arthur was in his eighties at the time and had joined the Bible Students in 1906. He was, therefore, an eyewitness to the many changes forced upon those who stayed in the Watch Tower movement. Surprisingly this didn't cause him to be bitter. Instead he was a very kind and humble person. Anyway Arthur was our Book Study conductor and after one meeting he and I and another JW were talking about all the weddings taking place in our congregation. I thought it was nice, the wedding ceremonies and especially the receptions. Arthur also felt joy for those getting married, but then he told us how simple things were back in the 1930s when Judge Rutherford ran the organization. Basically Arthur said that the JWs of that era didn't need government or religious approval to get married. Arthur said: "If a brother and sister wanted to get married, all they had to do was to inform the Company Servant of their intentions and then they would live together as husband and wife." It was that simple. Apparently Rutherford did the same with Berta and Bonnie.
By the way in those days the congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses were called Companies and the Company Servant was like today's Presiding Overseer only he had more power than present day elders.
Since some of my family had been in the Watch Tower since the 1920s I was aware that things were run differently during the Rutherford regime so Arthur's comments didn't shock me. Unfortunately I didn't think to ask him about divorce. Did that mean that all a JW couple had to do back then was to inform the Company Servant that they were no longer married? Arthur died in the 1960s so I can't ask him. Does anyone on this board know? Blondie can you help?
Dr. James Penton also mentions the consensual JW unions of the 1930s in his book Apocalypse Delayed, page 266.
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747
Rutherford Exposed: The Story of Berta and Bonnie
by Farkel init was made by a women who in later years wore crotchless panties and bras which had holes in the nipple areas.
he not only knew the woman in question (she's now deceased), he has met her numerous times.
up until recently this secret of her year's long sexual affair with rutherford was kept by the family.
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Athanasius
Good advice Fark. So I will add another bit of information to the Rutherford saga. Back in August 1987 I met an old JW friend and we got to talking about the organization. Since my friend is still a JW I will refer to her as CW.
When CW was a little girl she and her family went to the same congregation that Mrs. Rutherford attended. They became friends and often visited with JFR's widow. CW said that when JFR would come out to California he never visited his wife, but spent his time at Beth Sarim with his mistress. I gathered that Rutherford's extracuricular activity was common knowledge at CW's former congregation. I don't know how these JWs were able to justify this. Perhaps like the Clinton partisans they felt that the president's strong leadership ability outweighed his sexual excesses. Anyway her revelation didn't bother me since I had been out of the Watch Tower for almost three years at the time.
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747
Rutherford Exposed: The Story of Berta and Bonnie
by Farkel init was made by a women who in later years wore crotchless panties and bras which had holes in the nipple areas.
he not only knew the woman in question (she's now deceased), he has met her numerous times.
up until recently this secret of her year's long sexual affair with rutherford was kept by the family.
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Athanasius
Hi VM44,
Thanks for your interest in my book. I have completed Rutherford's pre-Watch Tower years (1869-1905), and the early years of his Bible Student career (1906-1918). However, I have had to interrupt my work do to a recent change in my life. Last year I met a beautiful Russian woman and on July 10 of this year we announced our engagement. We plan to marry next June. This has put a temporary halt to my writing activity and I have had to focus on my profession, which is accounting, and my fiancee who demands more and more of my time.
Nevertheless, once things settle down I hope to continue with the Rutherford biography. However, my work will focus mostly on JFR's political career and its effect on the Constitution and the judical system. That is the real scandal.
Sincerely,
Athanasius
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21
Bogus ways of counting your Field Service Time...
by Confucious inhey guys, .
i'm sure it's been done here before, but a very funny post by blondie spurred this thought.
blondie was saying how one dub would put wt and awake magazines in the rear car window and count time driving too and fro...
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Athanasius
I always rounded up. I didn't believe in turning in fractions. So if I got 15 minutes in I would round it up to an hour. Lots of JWs did that and probably still do.
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747
Rutherford Exposed: The Story of Berta and Bonnie
by Farkel init was made by a women who in later years wore crotchless panties and bras which had holes in the nipple areas.
he not only knew the woman in question (she's now deceased), he has met her numerous times.
up until recently this secret of her year's long sexual affair with rutherford was kept by the family.
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Athanasius
Hi VM44,
Hopefully the following information will answer your question. In 1999 while researching my biography on Joseph Franklin Rutherford I had an interesting telephone conversation with Dr. Jerry Bergman regarding Rutherford's extracuricular activity. Dr. Bergman, who knew Hayden Covington, once asked the Watch Tower attorney about rumors that the Judge was a womanizer. Bergman said Covington replied: "If your wife was crippled and you were in the prime of your life, what would you have done?" I believe Dr. Bergman is also quoted in Leonard and Marjorie Chretien's book.
Judging by the posts to this thread JFR's sex life is a very hot topic. However, in my research I found that his political history is much more interesting.
Sincerely,
Athanasius
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36
What book are you reading now?
by ozziepost infrom time to time we like to share some good reads with each other on jwd, and now might be a good time to share with you what i'm reading this week.
it's "the gate" by francois bizot which tells of his experiences as the only western prisoner to survive the khmer rouge in cambodia.
in 1971, on a routine outing through the cambodian countryside, the young french ethnologist francois bizot is captured by the khmer rouge.
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Athanasius
THE THREE ROADS TO THE ALAMO--The Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie, and William Barret Travis by William C. Davis.
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Another JWD Love Story
by xenawarrior inhappy dad (bill) and gold_morning (natalie) met right here in the jwd chat room and fell in love !!!
they've been spending a great deal of time together and want to share their joy with everyone here !!
happy dad is having difficulty posting pictures so i told him i'd post this for him.
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Athanasius
Congratulations.
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12
A Giant for Jehovah, Judge Rutherford
by VM44 ine. j. melton?s history of cooper county, missouri
chapter 43
cooper county's illustrious hall of fame
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Athanasius
Rutherford may very well have been dismissed by Russell from the headquarters staff. At his 1918 trial in New York (United States VS Joseph F. Rutherford Et Al) Rutherford testified that he was living in California in 1915 and 1916, and didn't return to New York until November 1916. According to the May , 1915 Watch Tower, lack of funds forced Russell to downsize the headquarters staff. In fact he had to let 70 people go. Russell announced: "We must conclude that it is the Lord's will that our activities be greatly curtailed, in order to bring down the expenses to a parity with the income. In line with this decision, seventy of the dear helpers at the Society's headquarters have been obliged to go forth to seek other avenues of usefulness in the work. Some will become colporteurs; others will accept situations as teachers in schools and colleges; some will enter business life." (See Watch Tower reprints page 5682.)
Was Rutherford one of the 70 who got termination notices? In 1943 Isaac F. Hoskins, a former Watch Tower director, testified: "In the summer of 1915 Mr. Rutherford had withdrawn from active work and wrote a letter to Pastor Russell asking if the Society would loan him a thousand dollars, that he was about to set up a law office in Los Angeles. Pastor Russell recommended to the Board that it be loaned him, and so the motion was passed in his favor." (See the court transcript of Olin Moyle VS The Watchtower, page 1567.)