by Leolaia 279 Replies latest watchtower scandals
What in the world was the writer of this hyperbole implying when he wrote this,
"Judge Rutherford couldn't write these things unless he were used of God."?
This is nothing less, as rebel8 pointed out, than saying that Judge Rutherford was writing under the inspiration of Jehovah God himself!
This is a very bold and serious claim.
How did the JWs view Rutherford back then? As a Moses or King David? Talk about creature worship of a man!
--VM44
How did the JWs view Rutherford back then? As a Moses or King David?
I have this groundless theory that many saw a parallel between the immanent end of the world and God's selection of a "Judge" to lead his people through the tribulation into The New World ©. "Holy crap, Batman! Just as in the days of Israel!"
under_believer....Yeah he was a conspiracy theorist through and through. Instead of a Jewish conspiracy to control the world, it was a Catholic conspiracy. Still, Rutherford adopted features from the anti-Semitic banking conspiracy, e.g. Jews were the leaders of Big Business who exploited the peoples of the world and they furthered the ends of the Hierarchy. The interesting thing is that Rutherford used this conspiracy theory to predict the future. Once WWII started, he had very definite ideas on how it would end. He prophesied that Britain and the U.S. would fight Nazi Germany and the Italian fascists, but eventually the internal Nazification of these Allied countries would become complete and they will enter into a peace accord with Germany and Italy, declaring "peace and security", thereby creating a world totalitarianism. This "new world order" (yes, Rutherford used this phrase) would then by overthrown by God at Armageddon. Last I checked, this wasn't exactly how WWII ended. Chalk that one up to being another Rutherfordian false prophecy.
The artwork is indeed really dismal, but I have no idea how it compared with similar rags of the time. The Golden Age was no Saturday Evening Post.
And lastly--I referred to this in a previous comment and nobody seemed interested but I'm really curious. The martyr cartoon refers to early Christians being crucified. Was this prior to the Society's rejection of "stauros equals cross?" Or was this an editorial slip? Or were they using the word "crucifixion" to refer to being attached to an upright stake?
The change was occurring right at that time. In fact, I think the same issue has an article on Jehovah's witnesses disposing of their cross-and-crown pins. The book Riches, published in 1936, was the first publication I know of that asserted that Jesus was "crucified" on an upright stake (the word was still used). And the view was also expressed in the Golden Age:
*** g36 11/4 p. 72 Men Who Court Annihilation ***
The Scriptures state that Jesus was nailed to a xylon (tree) or a stauros (mistranslated "cross"), not to a T-shaped cross. The Brooklyn Union explains that "the cross did not become the symbol of Christianity until four centuries after the death of Christ". The original symbol was a composition of the Greek letters X, P and I (chi, rho, and iota), representing the "Chri" of the word "Christ". Thus the device seen displayed so widely is all a humbug, historically.
The Companion Bible, published by the Oxford University Press, contains an article proving that the form of the cross adopted by the Roman Catholic Hierarchy is really a form of worship of the Babylonian sun-god. Homer uses the word stauros to signify an ordinary stake or single piece of timber, and this is always the use of the word in the Greek classics. There is nothing in the Greek New Testament to even imply two pieces of timber.... [N]umerous scholars have borne united testimony to the fact that the Lord was put to death upon an upright stake, and not on two pieces of timber placed at any angle. Nothing taught by the Roman Catholic Hierarchy can be accepted as the truth.
BTW, the above passage plagiarizes from the Companion Bible, despite the reference.
VM44....Good point! Sure sounds like they were claiming that Rutherford was inspired of God. Interestingly in his self-titled booklet Judge Rutherford Uncovers the Fifth Column (hey look at me! look at me! this booklet is about me!), he wrote:
"I do not claim to have any inspiration higher than others who are devoted to the Lord" (p. 14).
And yet he also claimed that his writings contain commands given to him from Christ Jesus, Jehovah, and the angels. For instance, consider this statement from the Watchtower:
*** w33 12/1 p. 363-364 His Organization ***
To feed or teach his people the Lord has used the Watch Tower publications, and of this fact we have an abundance of proof. No man is given credit for the wonderful truths which the Lord has revealed to his people through the Watch Tower publications. It is certain that all who are of the temple class believe that the Lord is feeding his people through these publications; therefore when we come together, instead of listening to the views of some man, why not have a study of some of the wonderful things which Jehovah has brought to the attention of his people and taught them through his chosen means of teaching?...
If one appreciates the capital organization of Jehovah, then he must have in mind at all times that Christ Jesus is the Head of that organization and it is always the head that directs the operations of the body. He stated that when he appeared for judgment he would be accompanied by his angels, which angels carry out his orders. Without doubt these angels are delegated by the Lord to convey his instructions to the members of his organization on earth. Just how this is done is not necessary for us to understand. Believing that Christ Jesus is directing the work on earth, then we must conclude that the visible ones put in certain positions in God’s organization are there by his will and must render account to him; otherwise they would be removed. Over the entire organization is Jehovah; and as Jehovah and Christ Jesus are one, so likewise must all of the organization be one. Jehovah has answered the prayer of Christ Jesus and made all one who are of his organization. These things being true, then if one in the organization receives directions, and those directions come through the place designated to give instructions, then the instructions should be obeyed as unto the Lord.
GAG #6: RUTHERFORD EXCORIATES THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Text:
*** g35 11/20 pp. 99-101 An Open Letter to The Associated Press ***
October 24, 1935
Mr. Lloyd Stratton, Executive Assistant, Associated Press, 383 Madison Ave., New York City.
Dear Sir:
Mr. A. R. Goux has called my attention to correspondence between himself, the New York Times, and your ffice. I have before me the letter of the New York Times, signed by Mr. Edwin L. James, addressed to Mr. Goux, bearing date of October 23, in which he quotes the following from Mr. Lloyd Stratton: "I am glad to reply to yours of October 21, by repeating that Judge Rutherford's speech was not made at the request of The Associated Press."
Your effort to evade the facts is manifest. By using the word "speech" you hope to be within the clear in denying that you requested me to express my views on flag saluting. By referring to my copy, which I furnished you and which I broadcast, you will see that I said this: "The Associated Press has requested me to express my view of the matter." You certainly would not attempt to deny the absolute truth of that statement...
You knew that I stated positively in my statement that I am not a member of a cult, and that Jehovah's witnesses are not a cult, and yet you deliberately inserted in your report three times the word "cult", as applied to me, and quoted Jehovah's witnesses to make it appear as ridiculous as you could.
I am writing you at such length because I am trying to find some language to express my absolute contempt for a bunch of hypocritical men who claim to tell the truth, and who delight to restort to lies to shield another crowd of men who are foreigners to America and who are inimical to American institutions and who make a lot of fuss about the flag in order to hide their crooked ways.... You can spend a lot of time and energy in holding up to ridicule an eight-year-old boy and inoffensive people and make a great hullabaloo about the flag, and yet you sit idly by and close your ears and mouth and remain silent when it comes to saying anything about a foreign power or a combination of foreigners that are attempting to gain control of America and Hitlerize it. The time must surely come when the duplicity of the public press will be properly exposed before the American people...
When I see such a studied effort to doge the truth as the quotation in your letter mentioned here in the outset I am reminded of the words of Jesus when He spoke to the hypocritical Pharisees, the clergy of His day. He used these words: "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." (John 8: 44) Jesus spoke with absolute authority, and He is authority therefore for the statement that the Devil is the father of liars and those who delight to lie show that they proceed from the Devil.
Respectfully,
J. RUTHERFORD
Why did this matter require this ranting of Rutherford's to be published?
Was Rutherford borderline sane? Or did he simply have delusions of grandeur?
Notice how he essentially calls the Associated Press "murderers" and then signs the letter "Respectfully". Guess he wanted to end the letter in a courtesious manner.
--VM44
Respecfully,
J. RUTHERFORD
Okay, that's IT! I'm changing my sign off. Is there ANYTHING that organization didn't taint?
Confoundedly,
AuldSoul
"Judge Rutheford Uncovers the Fifth Column" is worth having just for the title alone!
Here is what the 1940 Saturday Evening Post says about this pamphlet.
"His latest pamphlet is Judge Rutherford Uncovers the Fifth Column. The "column," when the shades are pulled back, appears to be the Roman Catholic hierarchy. This thirty-two-page nickel pamphlet was printed in late June. By the end of July it had been sown in good or stony ground to the amount of 4,000,000 copies."
An interesting fact about this pamphlet is that the words "Fifth Column" in the title worried some people so much that they sent copies of it to the FBI for investigation! As a result the FBI even today has more than one copy of this work of in its files.
--VM44
any rantings about rutherford's rantings on prohibition.
-silent
GAG #7: SINISTER PLAN TO REPLACE THE STARS AND STRIPES WITH THE VATICAN FLAG
*** g35 11/6 p. 84 Lop-Sided News ***
But do the American people wish to be Hitlerized or swastika-ized? They will be if The Associated Press has its way, because that institution is controlled by Big Business, and Big Business is in cahoots with the Roman Catholic Hierarchy for Nazifying the United States and therefore will not allow its black-robed sinister partner to be shown up in its true light. Because Judge Rutherford's speech contained the truth about the Roman Hierarchy's steps and plans in depriving the American people of their liberties, The Associated Press is withholding fair and clear presentation to the people of BOTH sides of the question raised by the refusal of the Lynn boy to salute the flag....
Eventually the people will find out, anyway, that the United States Senate has approved the flying of the flag of the pope above the Stars and Stripes, because of the supposition that the flag of the pope is the flag of God. Why not let the people know that truth now? Eventually, the people will find out, anyway, that the project is on foot for the United States to exchange ambassadors with the Vatican, and that Jesuit plans are well under way to seize the United States government and run it in the same way that Spain and Mexico and South America were run for centuries, and the way Italy and Germany are run now by the Roman Catholic Hierarchy.
Oh, if only Rutherford did not die in 1942, and kept on controlling the Watcthower up into the 50's or even 60's. Given a decade or two more time tt would have self-destructed under Rutherford's loony conspiracy ranting control.
--VM44
