One factor that helped me see the Watchtower in a different light was reading information about Judge Rutherford.
I found out that what the Society says about Rutherford, and what apparently the reality was were two different things.
The first thing that amazed me was finding out that while he was president of the Society, and probably even before, he never went out in service. His often quoted words, Advertise! Advertise! Advertise, seemed rather hollow.
The other blow was finding out more about his prophecies concerning 1925 and how he reacted after they failed to materialize.
His overbearing demeanor and dictator-like attitude jumps at you from every picture I have seen. This was more confirmed when I read the following letters:
http://www.geocities.com/osarsif/moyle.htm
http://www.geocities.com/osarsif/salter.htm
He lived in the most affluent surroundings possible, compared to the poor pioneers that distributed his books. He had two luxury automobiles, furnished quarters in London, Germany, Canada and other places. Due to his liquor problem (constantly getting drunk) and wanting him out of Bethel, they built him a house in San Diego using the poor publishers donated moneys. If he was the faithful and discreet slave and Jehovah’s mouthpiece then why is it that not a single book he had written is in print today. In fact, the Society would find most of his writings embarrassing.
He fired four directors and took absolute control of the Society in direct opposition to Russell’s will. Although, back then, they considered Russell as THE faithful and discreet slave and that the Lord had entrusted him in all things. So why did he go against the Lord’s appointed slave?
He was the one that adopted the name Jehovah’s Witnesses contrary to Jesus’ admonition to his disciples that they were to be His witnesses. This he did also in contradiction to Russell’s wish that the “brethren” should not strive to get a name other than being “Christians”.
He is the one that formulated the concept of “Jehovah’s Organization”. Again, this was opposite to Russell’s wishes. But more importantly, one must ask where Jehovah’s Organization during Russell’s time was. Which Organization did he go to? Why did Jehovah decide to have an Organization then? What about the preceding 2000 years, were there an Organization and which one was it?
He constituted the monthly time and publication placements requirements for publishers and pioneers, saying that these were directives from Jesus Christ himself. Of course, these requirements helped the Society sell more books. In effect, they were a burden, an opportunity for competition and show-off, and worst of all, a litmus test of a person’s spirituality from the organization and the friends’ points of view. These requirements were instituted without a single scriptural backing. How many hours did Paul put in the service and how many magazines did Peter place?
Worst of all, all these hours spent and publications placed were promoting false prophecies, predictions, assumptions, man-made guesses, and other embarrassing material that Society would not even dare reproduce. All the efforts, resources, legal skirmishes, broken families, and ultimately entire lives had been for naught. How can one justify Jehovah’s or Jesus’ hands in this?
In view of all this, and many other points, my faith in the Society had been completely shattered to say the least.
Although the Society’s and some apologetics say that Rutherford was sincere in what he was doing and that he really believed he was doing the Lord’s work. They lightly dismiss his behavior, teachings and predictions as though they were amusing and anecdotal. They fail to realize the huge impact these teachings did on his followers back then and even until today.
Here is a twist. I am a very sincere person (honestly) and I believe that I am doing the Lord’s will in these last days, so come and follow me. I have good news to tell you. Based on the Jewish lunar cycle combined with the solar eclipse of 1839 and adding the 120 years of Noah’s time and the 40 years of Israel wondering in the dessert plus the 42 months (3.5 years) of Revelations the Lord is coming in the year 2003, no later than July. This my friends happens to be next year. The time is short, but what a marvelous expectation we have. The scriptures definitely and indisputably confirm this. I cannot change this date even if I wanted to. What are you waiting for? The Lord is going to be very angry with you if you do not listen to me. Now go and advertise the King and and the Kingdom and make sure that you get the full price of the literature you place. It is more important than bread.
Now that is definitely not funny, nor amusing neither now nor a generation later, especially if poor victims believed my rantings. But, these kinds of words were precisely what Rutherford preached.
I cannot help but ask myself if Judge Rutherford was alive today and knowing what I know now, would I still follow him?