Posts by Wild

Okay ... maybe they weren't called Witnesses yet. This was when they were called Russellites. I just find it funny that teenagers were running for the hills to get away from them, even back then!

Appeared in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, November 9, 1909.

10

A Teenager Ran Away From Home to Get Away From the Witnesses ... in 1909

by Wild_Thing in

jw
friends

okay .... i guess technically they weren't witnesses yet; they were just russellites.

but i still think it is funny that teenagers were heading for the hills to run away from their nonsense ... even back then!.

.

Okay .... I guess technically they weren't Witnesses yet; they were just Russellites. But I still think it is funny that teenagers were heading for the hills to run away from their nonsense ... even back then!

12

A Picture of the First Bethel

by Wild_Thing in

jw
friends

here is a picture of 124 columbia heights in brooklyn that russell purchased when he moved his operations to brooklyn.

it belonged to another preacher, henry ward beecher, before he died.

russell also bought his other properties that beecher had on hick street, which i guess would be the first assembly hall.

Wild_Thing

That is amazing! Thanks for that information, dropoffyourkeylee! I had no idea he was Harriet Beecher Stowe's father. That's pretty fascinating!

12

A Picture of the First Bethel

by Wild_Thing in

jw
friends

here is a picture of 124 columbia heights in brooklyn that russell purchased when he moved his operations to brooklyn.

it belonged to another preacher, henry ward beecher, before he died.

russell also bought his other properties that beecher had on hick street, which i guess would be the first assembly hall.

Wild_Thing

Here is a picture of 124 Columbia Heights in Brooklyn that Russell purchased when he moved his operations to Brooklyn. It belonged to another preacher, Henry Ward Beecher, before he died. Russell also bought his other properties that Beecher had on Hick street, which I guess would be the first assembly hall. I was wondering if anyone knew if there was any connection between Russell and Beecher besides Russell just buying all his properties. It seems weird that he would buy that much property from the same person, and for the same purposes. The home on Columbia Heights was called "Beecher Bethel" before Russell bought it. After Russell bought it, it just became "Bethel" of the "House of Bethel".

This picture appeared in the Feb. 20, 1909 edition of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle right after it was sold to Charles Taze Russell.

Also, here is the listing that appeared in the paper before it was sold, if you want to know details about the inside. I just found it interesting.

1

It's All Charles Taze Russell's Fault

by Wild_Thing in

jw
friends

i have not been a witness for some 15 years now, and to be honest, i always gave russell a bit of a pass.

i always thought he started the international bible students association with sincere motivations, and didn't have all the horrible rules rutherford would eventually put in place, even if he was a bit wacky (pyramidology, anyone?).

i thought the biggest fruitcake was rutherford who changed the name to jehovah's witnesses and gave the religion a new face that looked completely different than what it did under russell.. but i have reading quite a bit about russell recently, and he was just as sinister as rutherford.

Wild_Thing

I have not been a witness for some 15 years now, and to be honest, I always gave Russell a bit of a pass. I always thought he started the International Bible Students Association with sincere motivations, and didn't have all the horrible rules Rutherford would eventually put in place, even if he was a bit wacky (pyramidology, anyone?). I thought the biggest fruitcake was Rutherford who changed the name to Jehovah's Witnesses and gave the religion a new face that looked completely different than what it did under Russell.

But I have reading quite a bit about Russell recently, and he was just as sinister as Rutherford. The only reason he moved the Watchtower to Brooklyn is because he thought he could sell more books, and he did some pretty sinister things to hide his properties from his wife when they got a divorce/separation. He treated his wife horribly. And the only thing I think he really cared about was money.

Evidently, he was charismatic, judging by the crowds he drew and the people that got obsessed with him. He started this whole mess with his charlatan showmanship, and I squarely place blame on Russell's shoulders for this mess we are all in.

So I just a safe place to say this to get it off my chest ... SUCK IT, RUSSELL!

30

When Did Higher Education Become Taboo?

by Wild_Thing in

jw
friends

i have been reading about the early history of russelites/jws and in the beginning, it seems the organization was formed and headed by quite a few educated people.

lawyers, doctors, businessman.

you could buy voting rights within the organization for $1000, which by today's standard would be somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000, something most of us do not have on hand, unless you are highly educated and/or wealthy.

Wild_Thing

I have been reading about the early history of Russelites/JWs and in the beginning, it seems the organization was formed and headed by quite a few educated people. Lawyers, doctors, businessman. You could buy voting rights within the organization for $1000, which by today's standard would be somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000, something most of us do not have on hand, unless you are highly educated and/or wealthy. It seems like the borg acquired most of its fortune in the early years of its formation, courting highly educated, wealthy people who donated large sums of money, property, or bought voting rights ... before Rutherford made it a dictatorship.

So ... exactly when did higher education become taboo? When did they actively start discouraging it? Does anybody have an exact title of publication or year when it first started?

45

Do U Detest JWs.

by minimus in

jw
friends

Wild_Thing

I don't detest them. I feel sorry for them. They are trapped in a prison of their own making and they don't even know.

They are a like a bear that is trapped in a painful claw trap. Even though it is painful, they stay put and after a while, they start to forget it is the claw trap (the org) causing them pain.

Freeing yourself from the bear trap is even more painful. You have to practically gnaw off your own limb to free yourself. (At least it feels that way.) You are left damaged and will never be the same, but you are free!

Leaving the JWs was one of the hardest things I have ever done, and I will never the same, but it was worth it. Most of the JWs are good people ... just misguided people.

I have a hard time giving the same leniency to those in power, though, especially the GB and many elders.

31

The GB know it's all lies and wants to dismantle the WTS ... then what?

by Simon in

so imagine the gb have a sudden attack of honesty and realize "crap, this whole thing is lies - we're not god's spokespeople at all !".

how do you dismantle a religion that has +8 million members in a responsible way?

you can't just publish a watchtower saying "we were wrong" because that would be irresponsible - you need to let people down gently, put people off gradually.

Wild_Thing

During the centuries of organized religion that humans have had on Earth, has anything close to this ever happened? Not to my knowledge.

That kind of scenario is so outlandish, I would only be able to contemplate it while I was high.

32

Conclusion

by Esmeralda001 in

i decided to put an end to my affiliation with the jws for good.

this decision is not the result of an irrational impulse.

it is quite the contrary.

Wild_Thing

I hope you leave and don't look back. But if your experience is like others, this is far from over. They will end up at your door (probably the elders) and they will give you some line about how you shouldn't let humans stumble you and keep you from serving Jehober ... blah blah blah. Just prepare yourself for them to lay on the guilt.

The way the JWs treat each other is only one of the reasons I left. There are many, many more reasons to stay away.

Wild_Thing

Posts by Wild_Thing