Even if Russell wasn't a freemson still the Watchtower and Russell at their begining they have too many conections with Occult. Specially the way that they were explaining prophecies, and I talk about pyramidology which is a masoning and occcult religion.
Even if the Watchtower and Russell they were just borrowing ideas from freemasons still they are influenced from it.
But what makes me really wonder is that there are just too many connections with this two. Plus how come a 17 year old guy managed to set up a religion in such quick way trough out America in the late 1800's and managed to write all this books and sermons. Something does not fit here. And why did he used Masonic symbols and terms in his puplished books?
I find it very hard to accept that the Watchtower does not have or used to have connections with the illuminati.