Blondie, thank you for posting that link. Very interesting, thoughtful, and chilling!
I think EX-J-DUBS have a lot to say using creative means to alert the world at large how insidious this seemingly benign group of lovely people really is.
Posts by Terry
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13EXCERPT from Science Fiction novel about Watchtower religion (21 pages)
by Terry inso many of you have sent me e-mails and messages asking how in the world.
it was possible to write a science fiction novel about the watchtower religion.. i decided to share the first 21 pages to answer this question.. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1upmawzi8yyzs18rlfw41qxzfcuaus-yynhqium9r0wo/edit?usp=sharing.
i endeavored, as far as possible, to stay historically accurate.
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13
EXCERPT from Science Fiction novel about Watchtower religion (21 pages)
by Terry inso many of you have sent me e-mails and messages asking how in the world.
it was possible to write a science fiction novel about the watchtower religion.. i decided to share the first 21 pages to answer this question.. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1upmawzi8yyzs18rlfw41qxzfcuaus-yynhqium9r0wo/edit?usp=sharing.
i endeavored, as far as possible, to stay historically accurate.
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Terry
Why give JWs a future?
Ha! It is a future whereby the villains get their 'just desserts' and we
ex-J-Dubs vicariously relish every moment of their reckoning!
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Just deserts vs. just desserts
(The expression meaning that which is deserved was originally just deserts. The phrase is the last refuge of an obsolete meaning of desert—namely, something that is deserved or merited. But because most modern English speakers are unfamiliar with that old sense of desert, the phrase is often understandably written just desserts.
Using just desserts is not a serious error, and it is much more common than just deserts in 21st-century texts. Some people still consider it wrong, however. Whether to pay this any heed is for each of us to decide for ourselves.)
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EXCERPT from Science Fiction novel about Watchtower religion (21 pages)
by Terry inso many of you have sent me e-mails and messages asking how in the world.
it was possible to write a science fiction novel about the watchtower religion.. i decided to share the first 21 pages to answer this question.. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1upmawzi8yyzs18rlfw41qxzfcuaus-yynhqium9r0wo/edit?usp=sharing.
i endeavored, as far as possible, to stay historically accurate.
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Terry
I confess to having had dreams of sitting in a movie theater and seeing all this unfolding on a giant screen.
There is a scene near the end where a gigantic ape smashes through the Mars headquarters office of the GB leaders and rips the limbs off of one of the old fellas as he shrieks in terror.There is another scene when GB leaders are inaugurating the Monorail and a fearsome insurgency beheads and devours. . .oops! Don't want to give all the good stuff away :)
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EXCERPT from Science Fiction novel about Watchtower religion (21 pages)
by Terry inso many of you have sent me e-mails and messages asking how in the world.
it was possible to write a science fiction novel about the watchtower religion.. i decided to share the first 21 pages to answer this question.. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1upmawzi8yyzs18rlfw41qxzfcuaus-yynhqium9r0wo/edit?usp=sharing.
i endeavored, as far as possible, to stay historically accurate.
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Terry
I fell in love with Louise Boyd. Wow! She was the real deal. I would have loved to have known her. Secondarily, Jack Clayton is a Burroughs character now in the public domain, so . . . duh--had to do it.
Nikola Tesla, Roald Amundsen, Teddy Roosevelt are all larger-than-life real people with outsized personalities.
I also sought to parallel H.G. Wells' own War of the Worlds by dovetailing my plotting directly into events occurring inside The War of the Worlds.
I used the technique J.S. Bach used to write counterpoint, btw :) -
13
EXCERPT from Science Fiction novel about Watchtower religion (21 pages)
by Terry inso many of you have sent me e-mails and messages asking how in the world.
it was possible to write a science fiction novel about the watchtower religion.. i decided to share the first 21 pages to answer this question.. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1upmawzi8yyzs18rlfw41qxzfcuaus-yynhqium9r0wo/edit?usp=sharing.
i endeavored, as far as possible, to stay historically accurate.
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Terry
It was mad fun doing it. I got so carried away toward the end, believe it or not, I was writing 19 pages a day. Of course, after editing, I removed about 87 pages or else, I'd have ended up with WAR AND PEACE.
The climax of the book takes place on Mars (which has been converted into a kind of Disneyland/ Las Vegas for the Watchtower Society. It's their new digs :)
A climactic slaughter has been planned for the inaugural of the Monorail.I combined historic figures as well as turn of the century fictional hero, Jack Clayton (son of the Apeman wink-wink, nudge-nudge).
It is a tribute to my favorite writer in my teens, Edgar Rice Burroughs.
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13
EXCERPT from Science Fiction novel about Watchtower religion (21 pages)
by Terry inso many of you have sent me e-mails and messages asking how in the world.
it was possible to write a science fiction novel about the watchtower religion.. i decided to share the first 21 pages to answer this question.. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1upmawzi8yyzs18rlfw41qxzfcuaus-yynhqium9r0wo/edit?usp=sharing.
i endeavored, as far as possible, to stay historically accurate.
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Terry
So many of you have sent me e-mails and messages asking how in the world
it was possible to write a science fiction novel about the Watchtower religion.
I decided to share the first 21 pages to answer this question.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1upmAwZI8yYZS18rLfw41QXzfCUaUS-yyNhQIUm9r0Wo/edit?usp=sharing
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I endeavored, as far as possible, to stay historically accurate. However, obviously the book is fiction and only a numbskull would be confused as to which parts are made up. I mean--MARS--duh! :)
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The book is available on Amazon or at Lulu.com
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31
Astounding! How much do you REALLY know the history of the Jehovah's Witnesses? I bet you DID NOT know about this!
by park ave boy inquick background.
a few days ago someone brought up an old new york newspaper called the "brooklyn eagle.
" during lunch i had a little time to do some research about the whole jw.borg and what i found almost knocked me out of my seat.
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Terry
From my book, The Monorails of Mars:
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(Excerpt from Chapter THE JUDGE___________________________"Joe Rutherford had been warned no more sass would be tolerated. His father had cautioned him with a steely red glare in his eyes. But as a young man growing up in Missouri, in the Bible belt, he just couldn’t get his mind around the crazy ideas his church insisted were true.
“God loves us—so why would he throw us in a lake of fire forever and ever? It just makes no sense to me!”
He’d been born four years after the end of the Civil War at home in his parent’s bedroom and from the start, his strong inclination to debate landed him in trouble. His mother tried to take his side by saying,
“The boy’s just got a sense of justice, that’s all.”
His father took a contrary view.
“That ain’t it—he just can’t stand being wrong and won’t quit till he gets his way.”
Those who knew him as he was growing up on the farm would shrug.
“That’s why he wanted to become a lawyer and a judge—when you have the law on your side you can pretty much have your way.”
His mother would tell her friends, “Joe can be like hot peppers on your ice cream—not likely to please most people’s taste.”
Joe put himself through Law school as a door-to-door book salesman. Long hours knocking doors proved difficult, but his gift of gab won the day. He swore to himself, “No matter what—any book salesman who offers me a book can count on a sale! “ Joe was quick to find advantages in learning shorthand; taking verbatim notes of lectures as well as quick-drafting his own jury presentations for handy reference with little effort.
(p.43)
He was so fast and accurate he landed a job as court stenographer which proved to be a tremendous learning experience. Listening to court proceedings carefully, word by word, Joe absorbed the parlance of debate, law and adjudication in a way few other law students could acquire without many years of practice.
Old Judge Edwards had taken a shine to the boy. Joe would join him in his chambers and split a bottle of booze with the jurist, asking questions and getting advice five days a week. The old judge was a lonely man whose fondness for the bottle had chased all his family and loved ones away. But Joe seemed to see E. L. Edwards as a hero. Edwards fostered a strong sense of kinship for young Joe.
“Judge a man by his questions and not by his answers.” The old Judge had said to him. “That’s how I got to see your burning ambition and keen mind, young man.”
When the old jurist got pretty deep in his cups the raw side would come out and he’d lay dark and troubling wisdom upon his protégé’.
“The weak man seeks to understand others rather than judge them. The strong man bends the will of others to himself.”
Young Rutherford could keep up with the heavy drinking without a wobble, but in so doing he’d adopted the iron will and caustic philosophy of his mentor.
On May 5th, 1892 he earned the right to practice law in the state of Missouri. His two-year tutelage under Judge Edwards gave him the leg up he had needed. He went to work right away at the legal firm of Draffen and Wright as a trial lawyer in the quaint little town of Booneville, Missouri.
Four years as public prosecutor honed his skills. When appointed Judges fell ill or went off on vacation, which fellow got the substitute appointment? Judge Rutherford did, of course. Joe liked the title, too. He would call himself “Judge” whenever introductions were made. Eventually, he was simply, The Judge.
On a hot summer’s day in the Missouri District Attorney’s office, Joe was chatting with the D.A. when a traveling colporteur (book salesmen) came to call with a large book bag filled with religious offerings. Joe listened to her quirky message and thereafter he could not stop himself from purchasing the set of books authored by a man named Charles Russell.
Sister Beeler opened the cover and demonstrated a Chart of the Ages, explaining how each epoch of human history connected to prophecies. At her close came the call to action.
“Did you know the Bible tells us, Mars will invade us in 1914?”
Captivated by the unusual nature of the message, and her smile, Rutherford purchased the set of books. He soon fell ill with fever. He read and read until the fever made him delirious with weird visions. He fell unconscious. In three days, Rutherford recovered and returned to the law office a changed man.
(p.44)
A meeting was arranged between Pastor Russell and the Judge; they were joined by another man named MacMillan. In an hour’s time, MacMillan and Russell confronted Rutherford, moving in close to him, intimately coercing him.
“Judge, you are a man gifted by the Lord with a powerful force of intellect—He wants you preaching His message.”
“I’m not a preacher—I’m a lawyer and a Judge.”
“Well, now, Judge, Just listen to me. I’ll show you what you can do. You go and get a copy of the Holy Bible and a small group of people, and teach them about life, death and the hereafter. Show them there is no hellfire, there is only destruction or the reward of Paradise. Tell them about Mars and its role in prophecy.”
The Judge stood between the two persuasive men as they lay hands upon him, and in his heart he stood convicted.
“Well, that doesn’t sound too bad. It is a matter of life and death rather than heaven or hell. I guess I’m in!”
In 1907 Rutherford became Tower Society’s legal counselor. To do this, he made application and was admitted to the New York bar, becoming a recognized lawyer for that state. On May 24 of the same year, Rutherford was also admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. Rutherford visited Egypt and Palestine, and in 1913, accompanied by his wife, he traveled to Germany, where he addressed audiences totaling 18,000.
Within three years, Rutherford had positioned himself comfortably for the takeover of the worldwide organization with himself as its sole Presidential dictator. But first, Russell had to be in a better place, somewhere far, far away."
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Note: The biographical statements are accurate. Naturally, the inserted "Mars" parts are fiction inasmuch as my book is Science Fiction. -
31
Astounding! How much do you REALLY know the history of the Jehovah's Witnesses? I bet you DID NOT know about this!
by park ave boy inquick background.
a few days ago someone brought up an old new york newspaper called the "brooklyn eagle.
" during lunch i had a little time to do some research about the whole jw.borg and what i found almost knocked me out of my seat.
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Terry
See next panel
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31
Astounding! How much do you REALLY know the history of the Jehovah's Witnesses? I bet you DID NOT know about this!
by park ave boy inquick background.
a few days ago someone brought up an old new york newspaper called the "brooklyn eagle.
" during lunch i had a little time to do some research about the whole jw.borg and what i found almost knocked me out of my seat.
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Terry
MIRACLE WHEAT: the complete story (from Bible Students blog)
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Excerpt:
THE CASE BRIEFLY REVIEWED
Below is the article from:
The Watch Tower, February, 15, 1913, page 62"I am interested in everything progressive and tending to prove that we are entering the great Thousand Years of earth’s blessings under Messiah. In the columns of THE WATCH TOWER I have noted the coming of Divine blessings in fulfilment of the prediction that “The wilderness shall blossom as the rose,” “The earth shall yield her increase,” etc. Five years ago we quoted in THE WATCHTOWER columns reports respecting “Miracle Wheat.” We gave the name and address (Mr. Stoner) of the farmer who discovered this new wheat and his reports of its remarkable qualities. We published also the report of Mr. Miller, the Government expert, who thoroughly investigated it and pronounced upon its superior qualities.
Some of our readers purchased seed from Mr. Stoner at $1.25 per pound and approved it. In 1910 one of the friends of our Society, who had raised some of this wheat, sold it for seed at $1.00 per pound, and donated the proceeds to our Society. In 1911 the same friend, having raised more seed, asked that THE WATCH TOWER give the benefit of this to its readers at $1.00 a pound post-paid, and appropriate the net results to the furtherance of its work. Another friend, who had some of the same seed, also donated similarly, the total amount being twenty bushels.
For the accommodation of our readers, we allowed this seed-wheat to be put up in pound packages and mailed from THE WATCH TOWER Office, just as the U.S. Government handles such seeds at Washington. We did the business at the request of others and in their interest, and credited them on our books with the results, setting aside to them proportionately voting shares in our Society. We made no claim for the wheat on our own knowledge. We merely gave the report of the Government expert, of the originator, and of our friends who had tried the wheat. We merely acted as intermediary.
Nevertheless, everything that was said respecting the wheat was fully proven at this trial by expert witnesses, interested and disinterested, and their testimony was not shaken. It was also shown that farmer Stoner and his business partner, Mr. Knight, made no sales of this wheat under $1.25 per pound until September, 1911; and that they had a written contract between them that none of the wheat was to be sold at any price until the following year — 1912. Suddenly in September, 1911, they changed their plans, considering that they had wheat enough accumulated, put the price down to $5.00 per bushel, about the time that THE WATCH TOWER wheat was all sold at a dollar a pound. This The Eagle’s attorney claimed was proof of fraud on the part of THE WATCH TOWER — sufficient excuse for the slanderous assaults of The Eagle upon me.
It was in vain that my attorney sought to show the Jury The Eagle’s malice — that it really was attacking me along religious grounds; that it had set itself as the champion of certain clerical enemies of mine, and was seeking to destroy my influence and, if possible, to drive me from Brooklyn. In the court-room sat about twenty-five of my friends, who had come long distances at their own expense to have an opportunity to speak a word in my behalf. Through some intricacies of the Law respecting evidence, these were unable to be heard in my behalf.
Instead, the Law gave The Eagle’s attorney the privilege of saying all manner of evil against me falsely — for the sake of the Doctrines of Christ, which I hold and teach. He was allowed to picture me, as The Eagle had done in its cartoon — as a thief and robber, masquerading in the garb of a minister of Christ. He was allowed to ridicule the “Miracle Wheat,” although I had nothing whatever to do with it, nor with the naming of it; and notwithstanding the fact that its superiority was proven.
He was allowed to inveigh against the fact as criminal, that I hold the office of President of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, and to claim that I hold the office in some corrupt or unlawful manner, and that I misuse the Society’s income in some unexplained way to my own advantage. Meantime, scores present in the courtroom and thousands all over the land, would have been glad to testify that their donations have come to the Society because they have the utmost confidence in my integrity and management of its affairs as its Executive Officer, and that had anybody else been President their donations would have been smaller or none at all.
Presumably because there were seven Catholics on the Jury, The Eagle’s attorney was prompted to refer to the Sisters of Charity and their noble work as nurses in the hospitals, without referring to the fact that those nurses are well paid, and that the hospitals in large measure are supported by State taxation.
The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society was held up to scorn because it did not have any hospital work nor draw any revenue from taxation, and because the female members of the Society do not visit the workshops of the land weekly or monthly on pay-day, and exact donations to its work. Our society was held up to scorn also because we do not send a wagon around the city collecting groceries and provisions for the up-keep of our work; because we do not take up collections even on Sunday; because we have never solicited a penny or a dollar from anybody; and because we never have fairs, grab-bags, “chances” or “raffles.” Our Society was held up to scorn and ridicule because it offers its literature free to the poor, while other similar Societies charge both rich and poor for their tracts and other publications. The Eagle was pictured by its attorney as a dove, a bird of Paradise. For defending it the Protestants on the Jury were led to hope for escape from eternal torment through “the pearly gates” of heaven, welcomed with the words, “Well done!” for giving The Eagle the verdict. Neither I nor my attorneys could offer such inducements conscientiously."
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A Separate Identity: Organizational Identity Among Readers of Zion’s Watch ... By B. W. Schulz
by Terry inenter:.
https://books.google.com/books.
a separate identity: organizational identity among readers of zion’s watch .
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Terry
I can't make my mind up as to whether Russell was an intellectual or an obsessive-compulsive with delusions of grandeur. Of course, those aren't the only two possibilities :)
I'm no clinician, but there is something compulsive at the root of such a mountain of writings as Russell generated over his lifetime.
How much did he write?
In my book, The Monorails of Mars, I include this passage:
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"By now Russell’s ministry totaled some 50,000 printed pages, and nearly 20 million copies of his books which had been distributed worldwide. His sermons were printed daily in thousands of newspapers, and his public sermons drew standing-room-only crowds."
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