slimboyfat :
“Sounds to me like you’ve carefully crafted your own story about Charles Russell there”
No it doesn’t. This is what his contemporaries mostly said in the link I provided.
i was thinking a bit about this the other day.
ct russell, from what i remember about him, kinda seemed like a genuine, nice(ish) guy, although he had a few eccentric but harmless ideas.. during the russell era jws (actually bible students) could still celebrate christmas, worship in other churches if there was no kingdom hall available, and accept blood transfusions.. then after russell died, along came rutherford - a major league a-hole, for sure.. rutherford had plenty of eccentric ideas but at least some of them weren't/aren't harmless.
some have been long forgotten about - jesus depicted without a beard, the plan to rename the names of the week because names such as thursday (thor's day) is pagan, the articles about the 'dangers' of aluminium, etc.. one key contribution of rutherford which does a lot of harm is no blood transfusions, even in life-threatening situations.. another is shunning, something which never occurred under russell, or at least was much milder.. rutherford has a lot to answer for, i reckon ....
“Sounds to me like you’ve carefully crafted your own story about Charles Russell there”
No it doesn’t. This is what his contemporaries mostly said in the link I provided.
i was thinking a bit about this the other day.
ct russell, from what i remember about him, kinda seemed like a genuine, nice(ish) guy, although he had a few eccentric but harmless ideas.. during the russell era jws (actually bible students) could still celebrate christmas, worship in other churches if there was no kingdom hall available, and accept blood transfusions.. then after russell died, along came rutherford - a major league a-hole, for sure.. rutherford had plenty of eccentric ideas but at least some of them weren't/aren't harmless.
some have been long forgotten about - jesus depicted without a beard, the plan to rename the names of the week because names such as thursday (thor's day) is pagan, the articles about the 'dangers' of aluminium, etc.. one key contribution of rutherford which does a lot of harm is no blood transfusions, even in life-threatening situations.. another is shunning, something which never occurred under russell, or at least was much milder.. rutherford has a lot to answer for, i reckon ....
I was thinking a bit about this the other day. CT Russell, from what I remember about him, kinda seemed like a genuine, nice(ish) guy, although he had a few eccentric but harmless ideas.
I know this is a common and carefully crafted view about Russell. The facts show otherwise. The book below:
https://archive.org/details/allaboutonerusse00cook
was written only 2 years after Russell started printing the WT. It was written by his peers in the New York area.
It shows that he:
1. Had zero bible training what so ever
2. Was a clothing salesman for his father
3. Assumed the title Pastor without ever having pastored anyone.
4. Fostered and promoted the idea that he himself was named in scripture as the faithful and wise servant.
5. Was a shameless self-promoter and had no problem lying on stage
6. Went on a world-tour to investigate missionaries. This was exposed as a complete fraud. He then packed out the Hippodrome in NYC and denounced all missionaries in the most negative terms.
7. Was divorced by his wife (she was known for having impeccable character & from a good family) for "inappropriate behavior".... like locking himself in the maids bedroom and not coming out for 10 minutes when his wife was knocking on the door. She accused him under oath of doing things like this to both of the women who lived in the Russell home.
8. He set up multiple corporations to try and deny her the alimony he was ordered to pay.
Russell filled a niche. He provided a religion to tickle the ears. It was religion for the hard-working albeit uneducated common man:
1. No consciousness after death. So nothing to worry about if you get it wrong in this life.
2. No judgement after you die
3. Second chance theology for almost everyone - wake up in paradise
4. You get to take credit for your hard work you do for God
I believe Russell was the ultimate narcissist sociopath who had no trouble deceiving others.... for their own good of course. Rutherford was just a little angrier.... same BS, same kind of affairs, probably with more alcohol.
ALL of the subsequent WT leaders and many of the R & F have followed in these footsteps that glorify ignorance, the uneducated and self-righteousness.
i met freddie franz who was born in the 1880’s and many others from the 1880’s.
but as a very small child i remember someone very old aged 106 and that person was born around 1856 which means that he was around people from the 1700’s..
Ernest, Thanks for clearing that up.
obviously, the older “ anointed ” from 1914 died.
and because they were anointed, they hopefully went to heaven.
in the first century though, a newer generation did not replace the old.
“Rather than provide a rule for measuring time, the term “generation” as used by Jesus refers principally to contemporary people of a certain historical period, with their identifying characteristics.” – Watchtower Nov 1, 1995, p.20.
That was the last WT I ever read. I was 32 years old. I just couldn't believe how stupid the WT imagined us to be.
i met freddie franz who was born in the 1880’s and many others from the 1880’s.
but as a very small child i remember someone very old aged 106 and that person was born around 1856 which means that he was around people from the 1700’s..
Conversed with F .Franz, Br. Friend,
Waton, can you something up? Was Bro. Franz also called Br. Friend? If so, why?
did you drive?
if so, how nerve wracking was it for you?
i'd be terrified i'd stop concentrating for a moment and out of habit make a right turn at a red light into oncoming traffic.
Yes! Hong Kong picked up that nasty habit from the British. Took a lot of concentration.
i met freddie franz who was born in the 1880’s and many others from the 1880’s.
but as a very small child i remember someone very old aged 106 and that person was born around 1856 which means that he was around people from the 1700’s..
I remember my Great Grandfather Turner. Would have been late 60's when I was about 7. He would have been born around 1880 or so. He gave me a pocket knife and was very patient in showing me how to open and close it... when it was safe and when it was dangerous. This was in rural Mississippi. I was spellbound as a spunky young lad.
Late at night when I was supposed to be sleeping on the couch, I would crack an eyelid open and watch smoke from his pipe fill the air with sweet tobacco aroma. As he stared into space, I remember being curious about what he was thinking about as he infrequently took a draw. I have a guess now....Probably wondering where he went wrong since by then his daughter (my grandmother) was a JW as was my dad.
He was a horseback Methodist preacher in his younger days. Definitely plan on seeing him in heaven.
obviously, the older “ anointed ” from 1914 died.
and because they were anointed, they hopefully went to heaven.
in the first century though, a newer generation did not replace the old.
yes, there is a lot of time to come until 2075
That's the end of the final Jubilee Waton. (50 year period of the 2000 year period)
The first time around Jesus came early in the jubilee and everything was wrapped up by 75 AD. Same for this time around? We will start seeing things snowball after 2025 I suspect.
dear all,.
i nearly met up with brother ted f. the other day.
i say nearly, because i arrived round my mothers house just a few minutes after he left.
Hey Duncan,
A lot has happened since you've been gone in the last 20 years.
Scientists found out that cats thrive on vegan food.
There is a new Noah's ark exhibit where millions of people have gone to Cincinnati to check it out. Flood evidence rises.
Dinosaur soft tissue, protein, blood vessels are now regularly found and they, and lots of other stuff like diamonds date to only a few thousand years ago.
The basis of light and matter has been found to be information in the form of mathematical probability waves. As a result, traditional Materialists are getting about as hard to find as CD ROMs.
And more recently, it is looking like the Big Bang theory is in serious trouble with the recent findings of the amazing James Webb Space Telescope. Spiral galaxies are 10 times more prevalent in the early universe than previously thought and the linked to science paper starts with the word "Panic".
Neanderthals are more closely related to humans than two chimps are to each other! So, they are fully human.
And recently, Famed Cornell geneticist, Dr. Sanford lectured the prestigious Natl. Institutes of Health about the impossibility of evolution. He offers "rock solid" proof that even under the most generous circumstances of natural selection, an 8 letter genetic word would take many billions of years longer to evolve than the universe is currently imagined to have been here.
Isn't all this great news?
dear all,.
i nearly met up with brother ted f. the other day.
i say nearly, because i arrived round my mothers house just a few minutes after he left.
Thank God... I thought there for a minute you abandoned this post! Guess you just got distracted for a bit.