Why was Gilead Missionary school originally built as a Bombshelter for Bethel??

by Witness 007 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Witness 007

  Rutherford preached that World War 2 would end with "Fascist Catholics" taking over the world and Jehovah stepping in.

  His book Enemies 1937 "...Will Great Britain and America become Fascist under Catholic control? The Scriptures and the facts support that conclusion...." So Ruthrford made some bombshelters....

  Watch 82 8/15 p.10 "...as a precuation for the saftey of the Bethel family, a place of refuge was built in South Lansing, New York...it was never needed for that purpose....later transformed into the Gilead Missionary school."

  Watch 81 12/15 p.28 "Rutherford believed that intense persecution may require them to leave Headquaters. Thus he built a building in upstate New York, that could be used by the Bethel family."

  After the death of Rutherford during the war Nathan Knorr reversed this belief giving the Convention talk "Peace can it last." saying: "This war is NOT the battle Armagedon..." In Feb 1st 1943 he organised the first missionary school from an isolated property that once was a built as the ulitmate "Armagedon shelter."
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  St George of England

  It's worth reading about BETH-SHAN on the internet. Rutherford's other safe house with underground bomb shelters etc. Just for him and close friends!

  I think the new HQ in Warwick follows a similar patter to Beth-shan; rural, self-sufficient and with an underground bomb shelter car park for 750 vehicles.

  George
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  Broken Promises

  Where do you get the idea about the bombshelter?
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  St George of England

  http://www.exjws.net/museum/bethshan.htm

  Just Google Beth-Shan and you also find several other references to it. It is only mentioned once in the WTS literature, a Consolation magazine of 1942 and that was only about the court case surrounding JFR's burial. He wanted to be buried at Beth-Sarim. If that was not possible then Beth-Shan. In the event neither locations were allowed.

  One of the bomb shelters at Beth-Shan is still used. See above link

  George
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  Broken Promises

  Interesting details, but where did they get this information?

  Without any sources, it’s just hearsay.
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  St George of England

  That is possibly true. What is a known fact is that the WTS owned Beth-Shan; that is proved by the article in Consolation and the court case after JFR's death. Like Beth-Sarim it was deeded to the prophets on their return.

  I wonder what the WTS would say if you wrote and asked them about it?

  George
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  Broken Promises

  BTW, those pics are of a basement, not a bombshelter. Bombshelters don’t have windows.
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  St George of England

  I do not see any windows. It is now a basement, if you look at the other photos you can see when it was discovered after the goat barn was demolished and the earth scraped. Apparantly the owner of the site moved the location of his new house so it could be built over the 'bomb shelter' and he could use it as a basement or whatever.

  George

  PS Sorry if I have sent this off subject by introducing Beth Shan; it is supposed to be about Gilead. Apologies.
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  blondie

  *** w82 8/15 p. 13 Endurance by Faith in Jehovah ***

  Because of the loss of liberties in many lands, and as a precaution for the safety of the Bethel family, a place of refuge had been built in South Lansing, New York.

  *** w81 12/15 p. 28 Active Christians in a Critical Time ***The special event occurring in New York, N.Y., U.S.A., was the graduation exercise of the 71st class of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead. We do well to reflect on some points made during the program.

  The principal speaker was F. W. Franz, president of the Watchtower Society and of the School. His hour-long talk opened with a review of the School’s history. After the outbreak of World War II, the then-president of the Society, J. F. Rutherford, believed that intense persecution against Jehovah’s Witnesses might require that a move be made from the Society’s Brooklyn, New York, headquarters. Thus he had buildings constructed in upstate New York that could be used to house the headquarters staff.
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  designs

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