The jelly fish story is small potatoes even if 100% true it really isn't that important especially when you conciders his last few years as the Faithful Steward until his pointless death brought on so soon because of his fanatical views about being God's mouthpiece that you couldn't shut him up even when he was deathly sick and you couldn't even hear him if you tried yet he still relentlessly keeps up a worthless persuit oblivious to reality. Clearly this playing the role of Faithful Steward really blured the lines of reality for him and caused great harm to his health.
Pastor Russell Part Snake Oil Salesman, Tightwad, And Fanatical Religious Writer
by frankiespeakin 35 Replies latest watchtower bible
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Old Goat
worthless, oblivious ...
Those are a matter of perspective. Have you read his books? My guess is that you have not. In his lifetime opposers said things such as 'one can read pages and pages of his writings and find nothing wrong." Then, of course, there was the unorthodox statement that would make opposers cringe. Some deny that Russell claimed to be the faithful and wise servant. An article in the 1909 Zion's Watch Tower makes it plain that he did. When it first became an issue Paton and Barbour in their respective magazines ran letters from upset adherents.
But Russell was not the first to claim to be the slave or part of it. Nineteenth century commentaries often pointed to clergy as the salve of Matthew twenty-four. This is as much nonsense as Russell's claim. The sad thing is, Russell had the right of it in his first statement on the verse, suggesting that any faithful christian was a faithful slave. Initally he did not see Jesus' statements as anything but an illustrative object lesson. And such it is, the modern governing body's delusions aside.
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frankiespeakin
Old Goat,
I think a list of quotes from Russell on the subject showing the progression of ideas that led to him finally accepting the Faithful Steward mantle. I'm sure the things that he wrote cleverly got his readers to adopt the idea and then he modestly claims to reluctantly except the nomination or appeal of the populous as the story goes. Maybe some code writer and whip up some code to do a search throught his writting to see the progression of thoughts that led to his acceptance of the prophetic role and title. The paper trail must be enormous with 50,000 pages to sift thru that's a lot of writting about his favorite fantacy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Taze_Russell
Beginning in July 1879 he began publishing a monthly religious journal, Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence . The journal is now published by Jehovah's Witnesses on a semi-monthly basis under the name, The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom . In 1881 he co-founded Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society and in 1884 the corporation was officially registered, with Russell as president. Russell wrote many articles, books, tracts, pamphlets and sermons, totaling approximately 50,000 printed pages.
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Old Goat
There are several inexpensive disks with most of Russell's writings, certainly all of his major works as searchable pdf files. Also there's a web site or two. Russell wrote surprising little about it. In 1894 his wife proposed the doctrine in a lecture in Chicago. By 1895 Russell was willing to believe that the Faithful servant was one man. He added an appendix to one of the volumes saying as much. He avoided publicly saying he was the slave, though he admitted as much in private. In print he shows it in an article in 1909 and in slight edits to previous comments.
Unlike today's governing body, Russell suggested that each was responsible for his own beliefs and conduct. Russell's claim, though misguided and a bit obnoxious, wasn't anything like the blaspheme of the governing body.
In context (I owe this to Schulz and deVienne's research) Barbour and Paton both claimed to be God's special voice to Christians. Russell's self-view was a reaction to these claims.
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frankiespeakin
Og,
Thanks for the dates!
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frankiespeakin
A People For His Name book on line discribes Russells very early successful sales campaign stratagy for getting people to sell his books for free or with very little pay to live on while they traveled and sold his books and stuff so the call goes out in the 1881 april Watchtower (started printing1879+3 cofounded Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society, Russell 29 and 35years later dead because he would shut up about his bible fantacies) for readers to engage in a very special and important work that would bring in more money for the printing company he was directing and controlled. Click on link start on 4th paragraph:
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Old Goat
It's his enemies that suggested he made money from his books. Court testimony (the evidence was an examination of Watch Tower Society accounts) showed that the books were sold at a loss and on those few years where there was a prophet the money was ploughed back into the work. This is found in the original transcript of Russell v. Russell. Any other claims are false. Russell was a committed believer. Fanatic? probably. In it for the money. No. Russell provided the literature at a loss to the missionaries. By abut 1907 the full time workers' accounts were hopelessly in arrears. W. Hope Hay, a Canadian believer donated money to pay the accounts current. By 1916 the society was basically broke. Russell expended his own money. At his death he was nearly penniless.
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Old Goat
as an additional note: most everything Russell wrote is online. You'll have a better picture of the man if you read major portions of it.
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frankiespeakin
OG,
Thanks for the info. What do you think were the reasons for the preaching tour despite his very bad health was it keep the business solvent or duty to fulfill being that he thought he was God's mouthpiece?
No. Russell provided the literature at a loss to the missionaries. By abut 1907 the full time workers' accounts were hopelessly in arrears. W. Hope Hay, a Canadian believer donated money to pay the accounts current. By 1916 the society was basically broke. Russell expended his own money. At his death he was nearly penniless.
So was the Organization on the brink of bankruptcy 1916? I thought Russell gave all his property to the company he controlled to avoid paying alimony. He may not have lived in luxery at the WT expence but being a business man money plays a key role in what gets printed, thus the delusional dates for the end of the world had money drawing power to sell printed material and be spared alive when God's anger become unhinged and do you think the Wt corp is in a similar situation now finacially speaking?
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Old Goat
You thought that because it's a common claim. It is, in fact, wrong as is so much that is out there. There is a letter (probably on line somewhere) from Macmillan saying the society was broke. They poured money into the Photodrama which was shown at a loss. The society has about 100K on hand in 1916. Not much for an organization that went through about 300K per year in the last years of Russell's life.
Russell was a committed believer. He may have been wrong, but he believed what he taught. Was he a 'nice' man? Sometimes. Was he in it for the money. No. Was he a kook? Not as much of one as people claim, but sometimes. I think miracle wheat is an example. He believed the age of restitution had begun. He look for things such as a cancer cure, "miracle" beans, and miracle wheat as proof.