Cedars,
I went back to some correspondence from about a year ago with people not part of this website. I had located the transcript to the Walsh trial in Scotland in which the chief officers of the Society gave testimony. Covington overall was skilled at avoiding snares such as "belief in worldly armies?", but there is also something said about the "increasing light" doctrine...
I had gone back to read the trial transcripts largely due to quotes on cross examination that had remained on my mind. Some were not attributable to Frederick Franz, as it turned out, but to the society’s counsel Hayward Covington. Covington had never assumed for himself the title of anointed as did other board members, but was very effective in argument before the Supreme Court. There were ironies in the current context though. In petitioning the government of Britain for religious exemptions, it was noted by the counsel for the state that the society regarded all religion as satanic, agencies of the devil – and, moreover, that the government of Britain was the two-headed beast of Revelation. Covington conceded these things to be true, but also asserted that the Society maintained that there should not be “anarchy in the world” – an interesting compromise with evil to be sure.
P. 345 H. C. Covington cross examined: [ The crown = Q., Covington = A.]
Q. Is it not vital to speak the truth on religious matters?
A. It certainly is.
Q. Is there in your view room in a religion for a change of interpretation of Holy Writ from time to time?
A. There is every reason for a change in interpretation as we view it, of the Bible. Our view becomes more clear as we see the prophecy fulfilled by time.
Q. You have promulgated, forgive the word, false prophecy?
A. We have – I do not think we have promulgated false prophecy, there have been statements that were erroneous, that is the way to put it, and mistaken.
Q. Is it a most vital consideration in the present situation of the world to know if the prophecy can be interpreted into terms of fact, when Christ’s Second Coming was?
A. That is true. And we have always striven to see that we have the truth before we utter it. We go on the very best information we have, but we cannot wait until we get perfect, because if we wait until we get perfect, we would never be able to speak.
Q. Let us follow that up just a little. It was promulgated as a matter which must be believed by all members of Jehovah’s Witnesses that the Lord’s Second Coming took place in 1874?
A. I am not familiar with that. You are speaking to a matter that I know nothing of.
Q. You heard Mr. Franz’s evidence?
A. I heard Mr. Franz testify, but I am not familiar with what he said on that, I mean the subject matter of what he was talking about, so I cannot answer any more than you can, having heard what he said.
Q. Leave me out of it.
A. That is the source of my information, what I have heard in court.
Q. You have studied the literature of your movement?
A. Yes, but not all of it. I have not studied the 7 volumes of “Studies in the Scriptures”, and I have not studied this matter that you are mentioning now of 1874. I am not at all familiar with that.
Q. Assume from me that it was promulgated as authoritative by the Society that Christ’s 2 nd Coming was in 1874?
A. Taking that assumption as a fact, it is a hypothetical statement.
Q. That was the publication of a false prophecy?
A. That was the publication of a false prophecy, it was a false or an erroneous statement in fulfillment of a prophecy that was false or erroneous.
Q. And that had to be believed by the whole of Jehovah’s Witnesses?
A. Yes, because you must understand we must have unity. We cannot have disunity with a lot of people going every way. An army is supposed to march in step.
Q. You do not believe in worldly armies, do you?
A. We believe in the Christian Army of God.
Q. Do you believe in worldly armies?
A. We have nothing to say about that, we do not preach against them, We merely say that worldly armies like the nations of the world today are a part of Satan’s Organization, and we do not take part in them. But we do not say the nations cannot have their armies. We do not preach against warfare. We are simply claiming our exemption from it, that is all.
Q. Back to the point now. A false prophecy was promulgated?
A. I agree that.
Q. It had to be accepted by Jehovah’s Witnesses?
A. That is correct.
Q. If a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses took the view himself that that prophecy was wrong and said so, he would be disfellowshipped?
A. Yes, if he said so and kept persisting in creating trouble, because if the whole organization believes one thing, even though it is erroneous, and somebody else starts on his own trying to put his ideas across, then there is disunity and trouble. There cannot be harmony. There cannot be marching. When a change comes it should come from the proper source, not from the bottom upwards, because everybody would have ideas, and the organization would disintegrate and go in a thousand different directions. Our purpose is to have unity.
Q. Unity at all costs?
A. Unity at all costs, because we believe and are sure that Jehovah God is using our organization , the governing body of our organization, to direct it, even though mistakes are made from time to time.
Q. And unity based upon an enforced acceptance of a false prophecy?
A. That is conceded to be true.
Q. And the person who expressed his view, as you say, that it was wrong, and was disfellowshipped, would be in breach of the Covenant, if he was baptized?
A. That is correct.
Q. And as you said yesterday expressly, would be worthy of death?
A. I think –
Q. Would you say yes or no?
A. I will answer yes, unhesitatingly.
Q. Do you call that religion?
A. It certainly is.
Q. Do you call it Christianity?
A. I certainly do.
