Investigated the Dawn Bible Society (Russellites)

by orangefatcat 30 Replies latest jw friends

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  orangefatcat

  Since investigating the history of the Society I thought I would do research on the Dawn Bible Society to others known as the Russellites. Today in the mail I recieved a booklet and it is all about Pastor Russell his life and what happened after he died and the split from the WatchTowe Society. Some great reading and a real eye opener to the truth of the Breakoff .

  Has anyone else done or contacted this Bible Society to hear the real truth of the Split between the Russellites and the Organization . I recommend it if you are seriously interested in knowing more facts than what the WTS says.

  Orangefatcat
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  Honesty

  Will you share the contents or post the address for the Russelites?

  Thanks!!!
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  greendawn

  I'm sure it makes very interesting reading as far as I know The JWs are Rutherford's rather than Russell's creation and a lot of Russellites left when he took over fraudulenty the WTS and many more when he began revising Russell's teachings.
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  Robert K Stock

  I used to subscribe to their magazine The Dawn. The Dawn Bible Students are very nice people.

  The Dawn Bible Students sponsored a radio broadcast called Frank and Earnest (long before the comic strip of the same name).

  I always thought that most Witnesses would be much happier as Bible Students if the Witnesses only knew they still exist.
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  New Worldly Translation

  Sounds interesting. I had no idea the Russellites were still around in any form. I'll second Honesty's request for more info as well. I've done a search round the internet but haven't come up with much about them.
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  Robert K Stock

  From 1990 - 1993 I associated with the Bible Students. At that time there were hundreds if not thousands of Romanian Russellites making themselves known to the American and Canadian Bible Students for the first time.

  In the United States, the biggest Bible Student groups are the Dawn Bible Students, the Chicago Bible Students and the Fort Worth Bible Students. There is a large group in the Pacific Noethwest and Ohio.
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  rocketman

  A few months back I looked into the Bible Students, though I don't think it was the Dawn students specifically. There was also a guy who posted here often, and defended the Students. His username escapes me at the moment. Some of his comments here did more harm than good to the BS (slight pun intended) cause, in my view.

  Though I found some things about the Bible Students to be somewhat interesting (their symbol for example contains a cross topped with a crown if memory serves; and many teachings similar to the jws but one was free to disagree) what bothered me is their near-reverence of Russell. I also was taken back by their seeming obsession with the Rutherford takeover and the dismissal of members of the Society's board back around 1917.

  While Russell was certainly a more congenial leader that Rutherford, he was obviously quite wrong on many teachings, especially when it came to chronology. To revere the guy borders on idolatry....and insanity.
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  Robert K Stock

  Rocketman:

  Chronology and Pyramids were two things I could not accept but the Bible Students did not shun me for not believing.

  If you think it is hard to swallow that the Last Days began in 1914, the Bible Student chronology starts the Last Days in 1799 ushered in by Napolean.
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  Noumenon

  I'm also beginning a process of studying in depth Russell's original teachings. I've been inspired to do this after recently learning that Russell's view of Armageddon wasn't anywhere near as extreme or monstrous as the JW version. The idea that God is going to slaughter billions for the sake of a few million, which is effectively what the JW's teach is a repugnant and false teaching to me. I was also really impressed at the distaste that Russell had for 'organised' religion and giving the bible students some distinguishing name. He could see the danger in that. Unfortunately Rutherford took up those things with glee.

  The bible students chronology is even more bollocks than the JW's, and rocketman is right that they practically idolise Russell, viewing him as THE singular 'faithful and discreet slave' in modern times. On their chat-rooms many of them are quite fanatical in defending their bizarre chronological chimeries at all costs. It'd be kinda amusing if it wasn't so sad.

  I'm impressed to hear that they do not shun you for not agreeing with some of their beliefs though. Quite refreshing compared to the cultish repression of free thought and open discussion in the borganisation.
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  M.J.

  Nice people. I posted some questions on their forum at http://www.biblestudents.net .

  One guy started getting preachy though. He told me I could only find the real truth by reading Russell's writings.

  I can see how with their emphasis on Russell's wacko chronology (actually Barbour's) and all the intricacies of the "Divine Plan", not to mention pyramids, etc., that this group couldn't gather a huge following without an elaborate indoctrination and retention program like the WTS.