Sex and Rockets - Strange Angel CBS series, Charles Taze Russell and Jack Parsons

by truthseeker 7 Replies latest jw friends

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  truthseeker

  I'm watching the CBS series Strange Angel. It is based on a true story about Jack Parsons, who along with others, pioneered rocket development in 1930's America.

  "Strange Angel, a drama series created by Mark Heyman (Black Swan, The Wrestler) and based on George Pendle's book of the same name, explores the dramatic intersection between genius and madness, science and science fiction.

  The story follows the life of Jack Parsons, a mysterious and brilliant man in 1930s Los Angeles, who by day helps birth the entirely unknown discipline of American rocketry, and by night is a performer of sex magick rituals and a disciple to occultist Aleister Crowley."

  https://www.cbs.com/shows/strange-angel/

  The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is derived from Jack Parson's initials. While researching Jack Parsons, I found a book called Sex and Rockets. It specifically mentions Charles Taze Russell.

  Page 9 of this book says this: "Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, announced that the apocalypse would begin on October 2 — coincidentally or synchronistically, the very day Marvel Whiteside Parsons [who would later, as Jack Parsons, call himself the AntiChrist] emerged from his mother’s womb, or from even darker places, and began to investigate and meddle with this planet. (https://rawilson.wordpress.com/2007/06/20/sex-and-rockets/)"

  https://books.google.com/books?id=jVX5AgAAQBAJ&pg=PT27&lpg=PT27&dq=charles+taze+russell+jack+parsons&source=bl&ots=Er7wxPGTHu&sig=PSsHwXCm5M5pR2Se7E7q-femfvc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwik5Ni7zo_cAhUiZN8KHW3uATgQ6AEIWDAL#v=onepage&q=charles%20taze%20russell%20jack%20parsons&f=false

  In an ominous coincidence, Charles Taze Russell, whose "Russellites" now call themselves the Jehovah's Witnesses, predicted the end of the world would happen on October 2, 1914, the day of John Parson's birth, and just a couple of months after the start of World War I. When Russell announced to his congregation in Brooklyn, New York, that the end had begin, he meant the finale was not an instantaenous end to all things, but rather the beginnign of the end as outlined in the Book of Revelation - the appearance of the Antichrist and the harlot, Babylon the Great, being two of the key events. It is ironic that John Parsons, who would later attempt to incarnare Babylon and who would also sign an oath stating that he was the Antichrist, was born the very day of Russell's eschatological event.

  The book Angels & Maggots written by Nathan Neuharth says: "Jack Parsons A.K.A. John Whiteside Parsons A.K.A. Marvel Parsons was born on October 2, 1914. This was the date Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses, predicted that the end of the world would happen."

  https://books.google.com/books?id=FV5QDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA139&lpg=PA139&dq=charles+taze+russell+jack+parsons&source=bl&ots=IsW-hUqmGo&sig=I_rA9vvZnMDCBF1TClzngmxt4c4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwik5Ni7zo_cAhUiZN8KHW3uATgQ6AEITzAJ#v=onepage&q=charles%20taze%20russell%20jack%20parsons&f=false

  Here's another

  http://2012diaries.blogspot.com/2010/04/american-history-hex-jack-parsons-and_19.html
  

  Any thoughts to all this?

  Truthseeker
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  smiddy3

  I would take exception to a couple of statements made in this OP however others might disagree.

  Page 9 of this book says this: "Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses

  I would argue that C.T.Russell founded the "International Bible Students Association" not the Jehovah`s Witnesses ,C.T. Russell never identified himself as a Jehovah`s Witness .

  J.F.Rutherford usurped the followers of Russell after his death and he was the founder of the Jehovah`s Witness religion stating that they would now be identified as Jehovah`s Witnesses.

  When Russell announced to his congregation in Brooklyn, New York, that the end had begin, he meant the finale was not an instantaenous end to all things, but rather the beginnign of the end as outlined in the Book of Revelation - the appearance of the Antichrist and the harlot, Babylon the Great, being two of the key events.

  I believe that is bullshit ,Russell initially believed that 1914 was the end of the known world and that all the Faithful, his followers would be in heaven by 1918-19

  Just my take on what has been presented in the opening OP without looking at the links and I stand to be corrected in what I have stated
  
  
  
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  truthseeker

  Thanks.

  Also, apologies, I don't know how this topic was posted three times.
  
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  reslight2

  truthseeker

  Charles Taze Russell indeed was never a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization. He did not believe in such sectarian authoritarianism, nor did he believe in the organization/Armageddon message preached by the JWs.
  

  Nor was Russell expecting "the Apocalypse" (which scripturally means revealing, making manifest, known) to come in 1914. Most people think of' "the Apocalpse" as being the end of the world, but Russell was definitely not expecting the end of the world for 1914. Especially from 1904 onward, Russell was expecting the time of trouble was to begin in 1914 and end at some unknown time after 1914. Russell died in 1916, still holding to the belief that the time of trouble had begun in 1914.
  

  Brother Russell did not believe in the concept of "the Apocalypse" as that term is often used today. The last book of the Bible is often called the Apocalypse, because it reveals by signs (symbols) things that already were and things that were yet future. Russell believed that most of the book of Revelation was already fulfilled in the past, that it started to be fulfilled even the first century, long, long before 1914. He was, therefore, not expecting the series of events often associated the phrase "the Apocalypse", as described in the OP.
  

  Brother Russell believed that the appearance of anti-christ had begun in the first century, and that, after the apostles died, the spirit of antichrist produced what the KJV refers to as the Man of Sin, which Russell identified with the Papal system. He identified Babylon the Great also as being manifest especially in the sectarian Papal system. He was not expecting the antichrist nor Babylon the Great to come in 1914 or anytime after 1914. He was expecting Babylon the Great to be destroyed either in 1914 or sometime after 1914.
  

  It is reported that Russell did announce at Bethel, on October 2, 1914, that the Gentile Times had ended, and that the Kings have had their day. As far as I have been able to discern, the only source of the date when this took place was that A. H. MacMillan, in his book, Faith on the March. Whether that was the specific date, and exactly what Russell said, I have not been able to verify.
  

  Generally Russell did not specifically spell out October 2, 1914 as being when end of the Gentiles would be reached, and that the time of trouble was to begin. He most often referred to October 1 in a general way, but he also stated he didn't know exactly what day the Gentile times would end, but that he pointed to October 1 as being the general time. Russell never predicted that end of the world was to begin in 1914. He did believe that the end of the age -- which often rendered in most translations as "the end of the world" -- had begun 1874. He orignally thought the time period for the end of the age would itself end in 1914; however, his change of viewpoint (in 1904) concerning the beginning of time of trouble would indicate that from 1904 onward he was no longer expecting the end of the age period of time would come to a halt in 1914.
  

  Russell did not believe in "Russellites." He believe that a Christian should follow Christ, not Russell.
  

  However, the Bible Students as a whole rejected Rutherford's "Jehovah's visible organization" dogma. They did not take the name "Jehovah's Witnesses". Bible Students still exist today, separate from the JW organization that Rutherford created.
  
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  reslight2

  One of the sites linked to states:

  "At the turning of the twentieth century, Charles Taze Russell was only one of many would-be seers who were attempting to trace the contours of the future amid the ruins of ancient Egypt."
  

  First Charles Taze Russell was not a "seer"; he disclaimed being such. He only claimed to be a student of the Bible who presented his conclusions regarding prophecies found in the Bible.
  

  Russell held no special interest in Egypt beyond the Biblical interest. I am not sure what is meant by "attempting to trace the contours of the future amid the ruins of ancient Egypt." He did seek to find confirmation of the Bible in Egypt and elsewhere. If the reference is to his Biblical study of God's Witness in Egypt (often called the Great Pyramid of Egypt), again, the GP itself only confirms the Bible. It is not, of itself, a source for future expectations (although some, by using a lot of imagination, have tried to use it this way).
  
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  truthseeker

  Thanks reslight for your response. Very interesting. Seems that Rutherford completely hijacked the organization after Russel's death.

  Truthseeker
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  Nathan Natas

  I'm curious about when this show is aired. Here in Seattle it is not on any schedule for DirecTV.

  Jack Parsons was an interesting guy. I have both "Sex and Rockets" and "Strange Angel."

  By the way, every day THOUSANDS of things happen just because two things happen on the same day does not mean they were connected, or a conspiracy, or fulfillment of wacko prophecy.
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  truthseeker

  Nathan, it's on CBS All Access. Airs every Thursday.