The Watchtower and the Masons

by ozziepost 135 Replies latest jw friends

  • ozziepost
    ozziepost

    The latest edition of the Free in Christ Ministries Journal contains a very interesting article entitled The Watchtower and Masons.

    Drawing upon material from the book The Watchtower & the Masons by Fritz Springmeier, it gives the following parallels between the things that C T Russell believed and those taught by the Masons:

    * Both believe Jehovah is the most important word being the basis of their dogma, and the name of their God
    * Both believe God yielded power to a lesser god
    * Neither take heed that the Tetragrammaton (Heb. YHWH) is more correctly rendered Yahweh, nor do they give much credence to the Tetragrammaton meaning “I am that I am”
    * Both use the Masonic term ‘Great Architect’
    * Both teach that Jesus is merely a ‘good man’ – not Almighty God
    * Both fail to understand that Jesus Christ is humankind’s only mediator
    * Both believe that the church is a secret mysterious body – whose mysteries and secrets are only given to the initiated as they progress
    * Both state that members of their organisation do not need to renounce their membership in other religious bodies
    * Both believe that the church is like a pyramid
    * Both have another ‘Bible’
    * Both maintain that Christian scholars do not properly understand the Bible
    * Both believe that the Bible is written in code and is a hidden book and a temple
    * Both believe in a future life for all humankind, referred to as the new ‘Golden Age’
    * Both reject the biblical doctrine of Hell
    * Both maintain that a lie is not a lie when one deceives another who is not worthy of knowing the truth
    * Both will be under oath to protect members
    * Both emphasize the need for continuing revelation
    * Both maintain an exclusiveness to truth
    * Both appeal to human reason, to mysteries, and hidden knowledge
    * Both, while appealing to reason, feel no compunction in regards to historical facts, no matter how sound the historical evidence might be against their chosen view
    * Both are fascinated by numbers, assigning special and cryptic meanings to them
    * Both believe that God uses orders (ranks), degrees and (secret) oaths
    * Both believe that Abraham and Melchizedek had progressed to a high degree in God’s order
    * Both believe that God built the Great Pyramid
    * Both are interested in Egyptology
    * Both fail to understand the biblical teaching on the atonement of Christ
    * Both believe in salvation by works
    * Both disregard the need for New Birth
    * Both use Masonic buzz words and symbols
    * Both regard the Catholic Church as Babylon the Great
    * Both maintained that the blacks (sic) were inferior to whites (sic)
    * Both met in Masonic Halls

    The article continues: “Keep in mind that these comparisons are with the thoughts of Pastor Russell and hence many are no longer applicable to the Watchtower Society of today.”

    Here we have more evidence of a man-made organisation.

    Food for thought?

    The complete article can be obtained from e-mail: [email protected]

    URL: http://www.pnc.com.au/~fichrist

    Cheers,
    Ozzie

    "Truth persuades by teaching, but does not teach by persuading."
    TERTULLIAN, Adversus Valentinianos

  • Kent
    Kent

    Hmmmm. Fritz Springmeier isn't a person I will trust all that much. I guess he's got plenty of time now. He's in jail for drugs, isn't he?

    Yakki Da

    Kent

    "The only difference between God and Adolf Hitler is that God is more proficient at genocide."

    Daily News On The Watchtower and the Jehovah's Witnesses:
    http://watchtower.observer.org

  • DannyBear
    DannyBear

    Great post Ozzie,

    More facts about the origin of the RELIGON "We're Jehovah's Witnesses".

    They cannot deny most of the early and current teaching's were in fact based on these idea's.

    Researching the origin's of one's belief, can shed a completely different light, on one's current 'faith'.

    Thanks for the reference.

    Danny

  • uncle_onion
    uncle_onion

    I have read that book and 99% of it is "well we can suppose" and "therefore we can presume"... It is all based on presumptions. He makes the point that most Masons have been catologued but CTR has never been listed as a Mason. It did not convince me.It was a good theory but did not hold any weight when the "evidence" is scrutinised.we should be interested in facts not fiction.

    UO

  • DannyBear
    DannyBear

    Where does Ozzie say that this info, supports the idea that CT was in fact a Mason?

    Read before you critique.

    DB

  • Mulan
    Mulan

    Hasn't this subject been pretty well exhausted on this forum?

    No proof, just mis quotes, and no evidence.

    Marilyn (a.k.a. Mulan)

  • ozziepost
    ozziepost

    Thanks DB,

    For uncle_onion's benefit:

    parallels between the things that C T Russell believed and those taught by the Masons

    Cheers,
    Ozzie

    "So often, the unpolished
    the disjointed
    Is on its way to the truth
    Ahead of the finished
    the polished."

    Ken Walsh, Sometimes I Weep

  • uncle_onion
    uncle_onion

    Danny bear

    If you read my post again, I am not talking about what Ozzie said but I am talking about the book that he is quoting from.

    Take some of your own advice and "read before you critique".

    BTW have you or Ozzie read the book in question?

    UO

  • ozziepost
    ozziepost

    G'day uncle_onion,

    We shouldn't need a book to tell us what either Russell or the Masons teach. That'd be like 'shooting the messenger'.

    If we're Dubs or even exJDubs we probably know more of Russell's teachings than the Masons, but even so, we can verify Russell's teachings in the list quoted. How about the Masosn? Personally I can't claim that background, but the accuracy looks worth a try, don't you think?

    Cheers,
    Ozzie

    "So often, the unpolished
    the disjointed
    Is on its way to the truth
    Ahead of the finished
    the polished."

    Ken Walsh, Sometimes I Weep

  • DannyBear
    DannyBear

    Ozzie,

    Once again the self proclaimed learned among us, must get their little digs in.....they won't allow anyone even a direct quote, from any source, THEY have decided is not worth consideration.

    Bullshit!

    Thank you

    Danny

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