Rutherford's smear campaign (a must read) (page 5)

VM44

Page two of this thread is broken.

Only the first two postings on that page show completely.

Edited to add:

I am using IE8

Leolaia

It loads well for me....what is your brower?

I am going to hold off posting more until a mod removes the images....

bats....If I had done this thread in one post it would have been so long that no one would have wanted to read that post. Plus I was hoping for a bit of discussion as events progressed.

I'm sure they will fix it. This is a hot topic. Rutherford motivated megalomania is shining thru on this story. His early childhood or infantile developement must have got arrested somewhere as Freud would speculate.

JWB

First of all, I'd like to thank Leilaia for taking the time and effort to post all the information so far.

frankiespeakin, it seems I'm not the only one who questions the appropriateness of someone with Rutherford's personality in leading an organization that claims to be acting under the direction of Jesus himself.

The following comments are simply my own views. I have come to the conclusion that Joseph Rutherford suffered from some form of megalomania. The way he handled the Olin Moyle affair reveals, I believe, an example of this condition. Rutherford's over-the-top reaction to the private letter sent to him by Olin Moyle shows he was a man with a huge ego and feeling of self-worth. His control of the Society was maintained by demonizing what he saw as his 'opponents' and gathering around himself various yes-men. He couldn't cope with the criticism Moyle brought and seemed to equate it with an attack against "God's Organization"!

"Megalomania is a psycho-pathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of power, relevance, or omnipotence. 'Megalomania is characterized by an inflated sense of self-esteem and overestimation by persons of their powers and beliefs'. [I. B. Weiner/W. E. Craighead, The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology: Vol III (2010) p. 977] Historically it was used as an old name for narcissistic personality disorder prior to the latter's first use by Heinz Kohut in 1968, and is used these days as a non-clinical equivalent. [Megalomiacs abound in politics/medicine/finance Business Day 2011/01/07] [Kohut H The Psychoanalytic Treatment of Narcissistic Personality Disorders: Outline of a Systematic Approach, 1968] It is not mentioned in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) [The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual published by the American Psychiatric Association] or the International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD)." "A quotation by Bertrand Russell gives his interpretation of megalomania: 'The megalomaniac differs from the narcissist by the fact that he wishes to be powerful rather than charming, and seeks to be feared rather than loved. To this type belong many lunatics and most of the great men of history.' ['The megalomaniac differs from the... at BrainyQuote'. Brainyquote.com. 1970-02-02.]" "During his final years, and especially after the death of Hephaestion, Alexander the Great began to exhibit signs of megalomania and paranoia. [Green, Peter Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age, pp. 23–24] His extraordinary achievements, coupled with his own ineffable sense of destiny and the flattery of his companions, may have combined to produce this effect. [Green, Peter Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age, pp20–21]" - Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalomania

hemp lover

Leo, this is fascinating reading. Thank you.

mind blown

Had to pick my jaw off the floor! More valid information the WTS cannot deny and can't hide behind closed doors anymore, thank goodness for the age of the computer

Wow, is all I can say, this is the newest info. for my WTS/GB angst list ....

nugget

I am so glad someone alerted me to this thread. Shocking events and it is painful to see how one dictator can cause so much intimidation and upset. JFR does himself no favours.

Leolaia

Thanks mods for removing the posts on the previous page!!

For those commenting, I again request NO SPOILERS!! I would like to present the material on Moyle as a unfolding story. But please discuss what has already been posted. :)

frankiespeakin....That is interesting, I never really gave much thought to what Rutherford's childhood experiences could have been. I bet they did shape his character to a great deal. Certainly it was his prison experience of 1918-1919 that greatly fueled his vendetta against the Catholic Church.

Rutherford's over-the-top reaction to the private letter sent to him by Olin Moyle shows he was a man with a huge ego and feeling of self-worth. His control of the Society was maintained by demonizing what he saw as his 'opponents' and gathering around himself various yes-men. He couldn't cope with the criticism Moyle brought and seemed to equate it with an attack against "God's Organization"!

Exactly! Nicely worded.

VM44....Okay the problem with p. 2 is that three of my posts have script that originated from Word. Maybe those posts could be fixed, but I'm not sure. Meanwhile, I would suggest to not use such a crappy browser. Firefox, Safari, Chrome load the page without problems.

Leolaia

Then Rutherford gave this reaction to the Zone servant's communication:

#25
J. F. Rutherford to zone servant Harvey H. Fink, 19 Sept. 1939: "Your action in this matter is entirely out of the line of your duty. The Board of Directors and the Family heard the matter and all were of the opinion that Moyle had made not only false statements, but statements in that letter that was a libel on the entire Family and upon the organization....It is much better for you to let the Board of Directors to decide the matter rather than for you to decide it....That his letter is false ought to be sufficient and that the entire Family here have decided it is false, of itself would be sufficient to show unfaithfulness....

If you fully endorse Moyle's action please let me know immediately. You are either for the Watchtower or you are not. I wish you to state positively and I wish to know whether or not you are going to represent the Society or attempt to cause disturbance amongst the brethren".

Leolaia

Zone servant Fink gave the President a quick reply in self-defense of his actions:

#26
Zone servant Harvey H. Fink to J. F. Rutherford, 21 Sept. 1939: "At no time has Moyle's letter to you been read to any company and outside of myself I know of no other person, except my wife, who has read his letter. Neither have I publicly or privately defended Bro. Moyle's action to other brethren as I sincerely believe it is none of my business....However I took the attitude that even if Bro. Moyle was 100% wrong in what happened at Brooklyn, it was my Christian duty to help him as I could as long as he was now willing to do right, serve the Lord, and did not stir up trouble among the friends, thereby doing harm to the Lord's organization. He has minded his own business, been active in door-to-door witness work, publicly and privately expressed his loyalty to the Society and until his actions prove him to be a hypocrite I cannot condemn him for what I know nothing of. I assure you, however, should he 'cause division' in the Lord's organization I will be the first to be off of him like a dirty shirt. I can readily see, Bro. Rutherford, from your past experience with those who have been ousted from Bethel that you are naturally suspicious that Bro. Moyle has or intends to turn against the Society. Moyle has not done so and while we should watch him closely let's not accuse him before he is actually guilty. He has several times expressed his great concern over this whole matter because he thought some might be stumbled thereby.

My action in demanding of Bro. Moyle that he tell the Milwaukee Company of his stand toward the Lord's work and the Society was prompted by the following. The whole matter had been almost forgotten when that statement came out in the Tower. Immediately a lot of tongues began to wag. Moyle, who did not even want to talk about it, was prodded 'for the facts'. Some wanted the whole thing aired out for them publicly to decide whether right or wrong had been done. Others demanded to know what he meant by attending the meetings and still others challenged the Society's right to declare any man faithful or unfaithful to the Lord, claiming that 'God alone can judge'. This thing threatened to really develop into something so in order to nip it in the bud and 'clear the atmosphere' I publicly demanded of Br. Moyle to know where he stood. He then read a short note setting forth exactly what I told you in my letter of the 12th. His letter to you was definitely not read nor any part of it. The whole matter as far we are concerned is over with now, so let the matter rest and be assured that nobody is causing any divisions that I know of".

Rutherford's smear campaign (a must read)

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