Daughters of the Tower

For anyone whose interested in the history of the Watchtower Society, there is a fascinating list and summary of Bible Student associations who broke away from the Society and formed their own groups.  Many of these still hold to C.T. Russell's teachings. 

You can find it on the Yahoo Search under "Daughters of the Tower." 

Interesting reading.

http://www.biblestudents.net/history/daughters_tower.htm

(insert sarcastic voice here)  

Isn't it good to know that the watchower society has not been susceptible to schisms, divisions, and confusion as has the rest of Christendom's Churches.  The WTS is not confused, they know they are right.

Now that you have broached the topic, you will be interested to learn of the influence that the Watchtower Society (Russellism) exerted on different groups that still proliferate in Africa. 

http://www.watchtowerinformationservice.org/josephbooth.htm

Wow!  I would never have guessed that some of the violent religious groups in Africa had their roots in Russellism.  I can understand how Africans, with their long chaotic history, would be susceptible to the JW message.I appreciate getting a full and balanced view of a famous missionary's life - with both high and low spots in his life's calling.  Booth was obviously a visionary, a man before his time.

Kenneson:

Thanks for the additional information.  I had heard about the other Watchtower movement in Africa.  But I didn't realize there was an indirect connection with Russell. 

For several years I had correspondence with G. Boccaccio from the Christian Millennial Fellowship.  He told me that his group had roots back to the "New Covenant Believers" that broke from Russell back in 1908/09 and included very close associates including Russell's sister, Mae Land.  (Apocalypse Delayed)  For a short time, Russell taught the church was not under the "new covenant."   This caused division within the ranks.  Among this group, two important men, Henninges and McPhail, had played a vital role in the organization.  There were only about 10,000 members in the Watchtower at the time.  Several hundred left the organization over this issue. 

Thanks for this information  - absolutely incredible-- so seems the same with the vast majority of religions -- they all have schisms --there are at least 3 branches of the mormon church  - JWs-Russelism is obviously no different

jgnat:

We had always been told by the Watchtower Society that most of the "evil servant" class had faded away because of their break with "God's organization."  Obviously, it was not true since many of these "Bible Student" groups still exist.  In the 1950s I remember two groups in the city where I lived:  The Dawn Bible Students and the Associated Bible Students.  Occasionally, we would meet members of this group when going from house to house.  Most were elderly and friendly.  I remember several trying to tell me that they represented Russell and his movement not the Watchtower Society.    Of course, I was too young and naive to accept their explanations.  And we were warned not to get into discussions with any "evil servants."

Today, it amazes me how the life of one man, C.T. Russell, has influenced the lives of so many other people.  Some of the Bible Student groups still study his writings and view him as the "faithful and discreet slave" and the "Laodicean Messenger."  Yet, his writings are a classic example of failed predictions and expectations.   

Wow Mizpah..

If I was talking about the long hair that I have.. I'd say I'd have a lot of "split-ends".

Fascinating read...

I guess there are still ones splitting off from  the Russellite followers, the Rutherford... and now another one on here a couple of weeks ago inviting us all to have a look.

I can't remember what they called themselves though. 

If anyone remembers could you post it here.

sincerely

Special K.

I looked back and found it myself...

They call themselves

"Church of Jehovah"...

 

special K

Special K

There is another group that has recently come to my attention  that is located primarily in Roumania.  I think they call themselves "True Faith Jehovah's Witnesses."  As I understand it they had been cut off from the Watchtower Society for many years and were shocked by the changes in the teachings of the organization since Rutherford's tenure.    They view Rutherford as the last legitimate spokesman of God and adhere strictly to his writings. 

I guess it is in the nature of humans to disagree with authoritarian control and to form new groups.  The process seems never-ending.  Certainly, the whole Protestant movement is testimony to this tendency. 

 

 

 

Fascinating stuff.... I wonder if there is more information as to how the isolated JW groups in Eastern Europe evolved away from Brooklyn?

As a JW in the early 90's we had been taught that literature was smuggled in and imagined that things were pretty much the same as here only underground. We saw pictures of the mass baptism in Kiev and sort of assumed all was well. What we did not hear is how some groups had totally diverged. Did they have mass disfellowshippings?

A

I would love to know more about the history of the Polish Bible Students Assocation.  According to the summary, they took over the IBSA twice from the Society.  There must be a very interesting story behind all this.  Does anyone have more information?

The WTBTS version is in  a fairly recent yearbook -- mid 1990s off memory