Did you know?
Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:47 pm
Charles Taze Russell:
Born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1852, the son of a draper, and attended a Calvinist Congregational Church. He was soon overcome with despair at the prospect of hell and went about proclaiming damnation for unbelievers. When he was 17, in trying to convert an atheist, he himself lost his faith. So, at the age of 20, Russell began declaring the "good news" that there was no hell.
He soon began writing, borrowing heavily from the ideas of J. H. Paton who published his works under the title Day Dawn. Russell merely changed the name of his "new" ideas to "Millenial Dawn", and then later to avoid being recognized, "Studies in the Scriptures".
Russell then went on to claim that his idea's were divinely inspired by God and that the Final Judgement was at hand, much like the Seventh Day Adventists. However, what do we know about the character of this "prophet" of God. First, we know that he was forced by federal authorities to return money to farmers whom he had sold his "miracle wheat". The reason being that the only miraculous thing about the wheat was it's exhorbant price and outlandish claims. Secondly, under oath in a court in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Russell stated that he was an expert Scripture scholar and was fluent in Greek. However, when a Greek New Testament was produced for him to read, he was forced to admit that not only did he not know Greek, he didn't even know the Greek alphabet. Lastly, in 1897 his wife divorced him for having adulterous affairs with two different women. When the judge had ruled against him, Russell immediately transferred his property, worth over $240,000 to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.
"Judge" J. F. Rutherford":
Born in 1869, he became a lawyer and went on to represent the Millenial Dawnists. Upon Russell's death in 1916, he assumed the role of president and wished to be know as Judge Rutherford, even though he had never been appointed a judge. He had a forcefull personality that jumpstarted the movement. He focused on creating a seemingly endless collection of books and pamphlets in order to grow the publishing business. He was responsible for coining the name Witnesses of Jehovah, as well as the infamous slogan "Millions now living will never die". Rutherford died in 1942.
I know this is not biblical scripture but sometimes you have to place before people the historical evidences of certain groups that claim certain things, many inside this group do not even know this about these men, they will say it is a lie but it is historical proof!
Out from all this became what you know of as the JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
Born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1852, the son of a draper, and attended a Calvinist Congregational Church. He was soon overcome with despair at the prospect of hell and went about proclaiming damnation for unbelievers. When he was 17, in trying to convert an atheist, he himself lost his faith. So, at the age of 20, Russell began declaring the "good news" that there was no hell.
He soon began writing, borrowing heavily from the ideas of J. H. Paton who published his works under the title Day Dawn. Russell merely changed the name of his "new" ideas to "Millenial Dawn", and then later to avoid being recognized, "Studies in the Scriptures".
Russell then went on to claim that his idea's were divinely inspired by God and that the Final Judgement was at hand, much like the Seventh Day Adventists. However, what do we know about the character of this "prophet" of God. First, we know that he was forced by federal authorities to return money to farmers whom he had sold his "miracle wheat". The reason being that the only miraculous thing about the wheat was it's exhorbant price and outlandish claims. Secondly, under oath in a court in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Russell stated that he was an expert Scripture scholar and was fluent in Greek. However, when a Greek New Testament was produced for him to read, he was forced to admit that not only did he not know Greek, he didn't even know the Greek alphabet. Lastly, in 1897 his wife divorced him for having adulterous affairs with two different women. When the judge had ruled against him, Russell immediately transferred his property, worth over $240,000 to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.
"Judge" J. F. Rutherford":
Born in 1869, he became a lawyer and went on to represent the Millenial Dawnists. Upon Russell's death in 1916, he assumed the role of president and wished to be know as Judge Rutherford, even though he had never been appointed a judge. He had a forcefull personality that jumpstarted the movement. He focused on creating a seemingly endless collection of books and pamphlets in order to grow the publishing business. He was responsible for coining the name Witnesses of Jehovah, as well as the infamous slogan "Millions now living will never die". Rutherford died in 1942.
I know this is not biblical scripture but sometimes you have to place before people the historical evidences of certain groups that claim certain things, many inside this group do not even know this about these men, they will say it is a lie but it is historical proof!
Out from all this became what you know of as the JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES