In the JW Proclaimers book it says:
As Brother Russell and his associated studied the scriptures , it did not take them long to see that the God portrayed in the bible is not the god of Christendom. This was an important matter because, as Jesus Christ said people's prospects for eternal life depend on their knowing the only true God and the one whom he sent forth, his chief Agent of salvation.
Their study of God's word helped them to realize that the creator has a personal name and that he makes it possible for humans to know him and to enjoy a close relaionship with him.
The Watchtower of October-November 1881 pointed out:"Jehovah is the name applied to none other than the Supreme Being- our Father, and him whom Jesus called Father and God."
It goes on to say:
As witnesses of Jehovah, C.T. Russell and his associates felt a keen responsibility to expose teachings that misrepresented God, to help lovers of truth realize that these are not based on the Bible. .
Brother Russell wrote in the Watchtower of April 15, 1894:" Evidently it came not from the bible ( immortality of the soul).
He exposed the trinity...
He discovered that the soul was not immortal
He removed the doctrine of Hellfire
Many of JW's teaching today!
During one of his (Russell's) lectures a man was in the audience and became quite moved, it was Frederick Franz, who later a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's witnesses and eventually became President of the Watchtower society!
In the Watchtower Russell said: "We do not separate ourselves from other christians by taking any distinctive or peculiar name. We are satisfied with the name, Christian, by which the early saints wre known."
How did it come about that we are known today as Jehovah's Witnesses?
In the first century, the manner of life that centered around faith in Jesus Christ (and by extension, the congregation itself) was referred to as "The Way." A number of translations of Acts `8:25 indicate that it was also called "The way of jehovah"." on the other hand some who were outside the congregation derisively referred to it as" The sect of the Nazarenes."
Since Christian came to be used so loosely they decided they needed a distinctive name. They had been called Russellites and Rutherfordites by the clergy. Some called them the "Watchtower People". In time it became increasingly evident that Jehovah's servants tryly did need a distinctive name. 1910 brought them being called "International Bible students association. In 1931 they became Jehovah's Witnesses.
I think the witnesses show they truly believe that he had something to do with laying the groundwork/ helped form the religion!
Snoozy..
ps..I remember years ago, back in the 50' s my Mother in law (JW) told me that the Jehovah Witness religion used to be called "The Way". I never found anyone to go along with this when asking about it years later. Now I know where she got it from. They had in the beginning, years many years before the Jehovah witness name was adopted been called "The Way". (According to the book Proclaimers of God's Kingdom)
