i was thinking, this would explain why Rutherford was never Disfellowshiped for drinking and immorality.
Disfellowshiping only began in 1952!! Before this Witnesses were immoral!
by Witness 007 27 Replies latest watchtower bible
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slimboyfat
Not only was the failure to legalise marriage sanctioned under Rutherford's tenure, getting your marriage recognised legally was seen as a serious sign of weakness according Herbert Stroup in his account of the Witnesses:
Witnesses consider it unnecessary to secure the services of licensed civil or religious authorities for a marriage ceremony. Mr Rutherford loudly protested against the religious authorities especially, who, he felt, perform marriage ceremonies without the authorization of Jehovah and purely for monetary reasons. The civil authorites also represent a part of "Satan's organization"; marriages performed by them are not recognised by Jehovah. Mr Rutherford approved the Old Testament marriage of Isaac and Rebekah at which no "third party" was present, for the good reason that God had ordained the marriage and was watching over the couple... Some present day Witnesses do marry. Those of a more conservative bent usually seek a civil or religious service, but this concession to "worldliness" is not viewed with favour by their more zealous brethren. The Jehovah's Witnesses (1945) Herbert Stroup, pages 114-115.
So it seems while Rutherford was president the policy was the exact opposite of today and legal marriages were actually frowned upon.
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Witness 007
Thanks slimboy thats very interesting....I did not know that!
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Witness 007
Witnesses before 1957 were WHORES!!!!!!
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vienne
Disfellowshipping as a Watch Tower practice extends back to Russell's day, though it has taken differing forms. Into the 1930s matters were handled by a public trial and congregation vote. This changed in the 1940s. Organizational Instructions for the Kingdom Publisher, 1945 edition says:
"If a brother sees a fellow publisher do that which is out of harmony with the Lord's organization and His instructions, he should not gossip among others; but he would do well to go to his brother and in a kind manner call his attention to his shortcomings. If an individual associated with a company persists in wrongdoing and does not act according to the Lord's Word and direction as becoming of Christians, then the representative members of the congregation who are the servants in the company, the mature ones or elders, can decide what shall be done with such person. (Deut. 21:18-21; Matt. 18:15-18) The Scriptural admonition is to have nothing to do with such an individual (Rom. 16:17; Titus 3:10) The elders would so advice the congregation (1 cor. 5:11-13) Later if genuine repentance is shown by the dismissed offender the elders may order that he be received back in their midst. - Prov. 17:10; 2 Cor. 2:6-11 7:8-12; 2 Thess. 3:14, 15."
H. H. Stroup's book should be used with care. It is full of errors and contrived material. See Schulz: Separate Identity, vol, 2 introduction where examples of Stroup's fakery are given.
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Balaamsass2
I had JW family in San Francisco during the 1930s. They told me some outrageous stuff was going on openly....even by Circuit Overseers and Pioneers.
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peacefulpete
Many years ago a special pioneer came to our congo. He described his life to me. He had had children but had no contact with them or their mother for decades since he was devoted to preaching. I was shocked but even more shocked no one seemed to care.
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vienne
No circuit overseers in the 1930s.
I interviewed an old-time Witness for Uncle B's research. She reported that in the mid-1940s, the "Company Servant" in Salinas, California, ran away with a 15 year old girl. But things like that do not mean they didn't expel from the congregation. As I understand it, because 'trials' were very public, many congregations were reluctant to tread that path. If you want to see what open congregation trials were like find the Golden Age report on Rutherford expelling the Canadian Branch Servant. I've forgotten the exact date, though I believe it was between 1935-1937.
The Watchtower in the 1920s-1930s had repeated warnings about behavior. One of the most interesting to me was a 1924 article on strong personal differences.