I feel there is none, unfortunately, Focus. Not the Jehovah's Witnesses, for sure - the one I still call 'mine' for the time being [to be clear about the term "my own"] - not any other I know to exist.
Eden
jehovah made man a free agent, holding him responsible for his intelligent acts.
jehovah never prevents man from expressing his mind.
intolerance does not at all apply to jehovah and those who faithfully obey him.
I feel there is none, unfortunately, Focus. Not the Jehovah's Witnesses, for sure - the one I still call 'mine' for the time being [to be clear about the term "my own"] - not any other I know to exist.
Eden
most of us are reasonably familiar with reports of scandalous goings-on of that old jellyfish lecher, the founder of the watchtower cult, the one and only charles taze russell.. but, are these stories true?.
this thread is going to be devoted to his allegedly scurrilous activities.
so, bookmark it, please, bro' focus is in possession of noo light, and we're going to explore russell like you've never seen him explored before.. we're approaching his 100th death anniversary, and for all i know this virtual exhumation may lead to a real one.
Rutherford, in the work mentioned above, glances over this issue (without going into specifics):
"Much ado has been made by his enemies about business corporations with which Pastor Russell is connected, particularly with reference to the UNITED STATES INVESTMENT COMPANY.
The fact is that this company was never a corporation in the strict sense of the word. It was a limited partnership organized under the Statutes of Pennsylvania. Its capital stock was $1,000. Pastor Russell furnished that $1,000 out of his personal means.
This company was organized for the purpose of taking title to certain property which it did take over and afterwards disposed of, and every dollar that was received therefrom went into the treasury of the WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY, and was used for its religious work.
Pastor Russell did not receive one cent profit therefrom, nor has any other person ever reaped any pecuniary profit therefrom.
This company has been out of existence for more than two years, and does not own anything today, even its capital stock being expended by the WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY in its religious work.
There is no corporation in existence anywhere in the world in which Pastor Russell owns a single share of stock, nor in which anyone else holds any stock for his use or benefit."
These are Rutherford's words about the case, not mine. I have no way to verify if what he says is true or not. My point is that this, while admittedly obscure, isn't entirely new and can be found on the net - if one knows what to look for, that is.
For some of known Russell's enterpreneurial ventures, you may find some information here:
http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com/russell.html
Eden
most of us are reasonably familiar with reports of scandalous goings-on of that old jellyfish lecher, the founder of the watchtower cult, the one and only charles taze russell.. but, are these stories true?.
this thread is going to be devoted to his allegedly scurrilous activities.
so, bookmark it, please, bro' focus is in possession of noo light, and we're going to explore russell like you've never seen him explored before.. we're approaching his 100th death anniversary, and for all i know this virtual exhumation may lead to a real one.
She had no problem obtaining the bill of divorcement.
Focus, get your facts straight. She filed for a full divorce in 1903 on the grounds of mental cruelty, but was granted a mensa et thoro [legal separation] with allimony. Not a full divorce. Later she sued Russell again when the allimony stopped being paid by Russell and eventually she got 10.000 USD in a settlement agreement (this money allegedly paid by friends of Russel). In Russell's funeral in 1916 she placed flowers with a reference to Russell as her "husband".
Eden
most of us are reasonably familiar with reports of scandalous goings-on of that old jellyfish lecher, the founder of the watchtower cult, the one and only charles taze russell.. but, are these stories true?.
this thread is going to be devoted to his allegedly scurrilous activities.
so, bookmark it, please, bro' focus is in possession of noo light, and we're going to explore russell like you've never seen him explored before.. we're approaching his 100th death anniversary, and for all i know this virtual exhumation may lead to a real one.
Focus, from the court's transcripts, the deposition from Russell:
"You know that was the room in which the slops were emptied and the water was carried, [i.e. not the girl's bedroom] and that was the morning that Emily Matthews was sick, and you told me of it and asked me to go up and see her, and when they were running out and in with water pails I turned the key for half a minute until I would have a chance to hear quietly what she had to say, and there wasn't the slightest impropriety in anything that was done. I would just as soon that everybody in this room would be present.'"
Mrs Russell didn't contradict this statement in court, namely the part where this incident took place.
The "obviously" assumption is very Watchtowerian in style. In any case, i agree that the reason why Russell didn't sue the Eagle over other much more serious slander articles might well be because litigation over those accusations would probably reveal some skeletons in his closet that he would rather leave hidden - and those would be related to finances. But, I'm afraid we would be merely speculating.
Eden
most of us are reasonably familiar with reports of scandalous goings-on of that old jellyfish lecher, the founder of the watchtower cult, the one and only charles taze russell.. but, are these stories true?.
this thread is going to be devoted to his allegedly scurrilous activities.
so, bookmark it, please, bro' focus is in possession of noo light, and we're going to explore russell like you've never seen him explored before.. we're approaching his 100th death anniversary, and for all i know this virtual exhumation may lead to a real one.
For the sake of balance (not that is my interest to defend Mr. Russell's character), but it will be an interesting read the following work published by Franklyn Rutherford in defense of Pastor Russell against the frequent libel published by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
A Great Battle In The Ecclesiastical Heavens, As Seen By A Lawyer , by F.J. Rutherford (published in 1915) Click the link to read in PDF format.
If one discards the usual hyperbolic verborhea so typical of Rutherford, (and the fact that it was written by a bully that most of us hate) and stick to the facts he presented, one can see that he makes a pretty good case in debunking the accusations launched upon Russell regarding the "Miracle Wheat" and Mrs. Ball and the so-called "Jellyfish" remark. Same with the case involving Ms. Ruth Galbraith. Regarding Ms. Emily Matthews, can you produce anything else more substancial than Maria Russell's alegation that she once found CT Russell locked in a laundry room with this house maid? When asked in court, under oath, if she was accusing her husband of adultery, she plainly replied "No".
These stories about C.T. Russell have been more or less known by the "apostate" communnity around this forum. I personally find that most of them lack solid grounds other than sheer wishful thinking. But bring it on - in the interest of historical accuracy, I'm interested in knowing what previously unknown documentation you will produce.
Once thing we must all keep in mind: nearly 100 years past upon slander don't make the slander truth. Scans of Ad Hominem articles by anti-Russell activists, such as the militant ones in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, or the Washington Post, etc (let's not forget that Russell made powerful enemies within the Evangelical Alliance, and they had important influence in some media of the day) prove nothing just by itself, except that this was a hot topic back in the day. If there's going to be substance to such accusations, much more is needed than just produce scans of slander articles in a local newspaper.
Eden
Edit: Here's the link to the scanned booklet: http://www.ukbiblestudents.co.uk/John%20Edgar/battle%20in%20the%20heavens.pdf
most of us are reasonably familiar with reports of scandalous goings-on of that old jellyfish lecher, the founder of the watchtower cult, the one and only charles taze russell.. but, are these stories true?.
this thread is going to be devoted to his allegedly scurrilous activities.
so, bookmark it, please, bro' focus is in possession of noo light, and we're going to explore russell like you've never seen him explored before.. we're approaching his 100th death anniversary, and for all i know this virtual exhumation may lead to a real one.
Fascinating research, Focus. Interested to see what's coming next.
Eden
some days ago two elders visited my sister because she has not been attending the meetings more than one year.
this time she prepared notes containing watchtower past teachings about the blood ban so as to ask them for those changes, and it seems that the elders were also prepared for her past questions.
for instance she showed them that "albumin" was considered "under scriptural ban" in 1956 (read the page 20 of awake, september 8).
JW Gone Bad
Soon after her reinstatement she stopped attending meetings and went inactive. We only learned about her death and funeral nearly two weeks after it happened. No one really cared much about her in the congregation. Sad, but true.
Eden
some days ago two elders visited my sister because she has not been attending the meetings more than one year.
this time she prepared notes containing watchtower past teachings about the blood ban so as to ask them for those changes, and it seems that the elders were also prepared for her past questions.
for instance she showed them that "albumin" was considered "under scriptural ban" in 1956 (read the page 20 of awake, september 8).
Randy Watters has repeatedly stated that no one has been DF'd for accepting a blood transfusion for many years and this is the reason why.
Randy is technically right, but wrong de facto. After blood fractions became acceptable, in my congregation I witnessed the case of an elderly sister who got DF'd for accepting a blood transfusion, after the surgeon has put some pressure on her. The local Branch was on the case. Mind you, she "dissociated herself" - there was no JC, only the Elder's decision that by accepting blood, she has dissociated from the congregation. She was reinstated less than one year after. She died less than 6 months after being reinstated.
Eden
some souls here may feel i was a little harsh.
if so, i am deeply sorry.
i was abused by a handful right from the start, presumably on the basis of the avatar picture (and 2001 vintage).. when visiting dubland, i often find that others start fights with me - for whatever reason, and i provide quite a supply of them - and when it doesn't quite go the way they expected, they cry persecution.
I'm curious, Focus.
I've stumbled upon this on an old thread:
[start of quote]
Whereas, when we look back in the past, we must admit, COJ and Bill Bowens were a part of the "solution" to the problem.
really? How long has little Billy B been out of the org and please answer this question...is it not the position of BB that if is weren't for the SL issue he would still be a good little dubbie Elder? Please Bill or your cronie...answer this question. It reveals a lot about character and intent. What souliton ar you referring to BTW?
Sincerely,
District Overbeer of the "Tired of the Bullshit" class [end of quote, the bold is mine]
This is post #2197 of forum member Valis, from 10/26/2002.
I couldn't help but to notice the same tone of writing and the same 'signature'.
So, Focus... are you also Valis, or is this a coincidence?
Eden
still not sure the jw's are wrong on blood?.
still not sure the jw's are wrong on blood?
still not sure the jw's are wrong on blood?
marked