by NikL 67 Replies latest jw friends
The fact remains that the Freemasons have diverged itself toward ancient Egyptian symbolism at some point in time.
The Great Pyramid of Giza in particular was seen by this organization as a stone mason's symbol associating themselves with god the Great Architect of the Universe.
But, Finkel, that does not prove any association with Russell.
None of Russell's theology comes from Masonic belief. If you think it did, you must demonstrate it by example.
Maybe this will help. I'm a very small person: 4 feet ten inches tall, slightly under 90 pounds. I drive an old Mercury because everything adjusts to my size: The seats, the steering wheel, the mirrors. It's white with a black rag top. It has a blue interior with faux wood trim.
There are at least two other identical cars in this area. One of them is owned by an older woman who, like myself, is blond. She's tall, stout, and a bit grumpy. [I met her once.] We're not at all related. But we drive identical cars. If someone presumed on the basis of similarity that we were related, they would be wrong. That type of presumption is one of the classic logic flaws.
It is what is at work here. The presumption of relationship based on similarity is a false one.
And what is your refutation of him using a Knights Templar symbol on the front cover of Zion's Watchtower ?.
I agree with you on the Pyramidology concept not exclusive to Freemasonry, as other Christian based faiths in the late 19th century held to some relevance to this theology.
Did someone borrow this ideology from the Freemasons and used it as a base toward something more ?
By the way I think its important to distinguish between beliefs and the assertive usage of symbols.
Wouldn't the pyramid and all the symbols on his grave site as well as him being buried at a Masonic site be a good indication that he was a Mason?
"And what is your refutation of him using a Knights Templar symbol on the front cover of Zion's Watchtower?" - Finkelstein
Are you referring to the image of a knight on the right upper corner of the magazine? If so, please provide evidence that this is an 'official' or 'sanctioned' symbol in usage by the Knights Templar. I have perused hundreds of images online and have yet to find this exact image. Also, I have gone on to some Templar sites and cannot find this image. Perhaps I have missed it and you can help me with this.
I'm surprised no one has brought up in this discussion the underlying anti-Masonic rhetoric in the northeast US (particularly upstate New York) during the 1800's. The Wikipedia article would be a good place to start:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Masonic_Party
Maybe this doesn't have a direct connection to Russell, but it provides some context to the historical environment in which he lived.
The point being that there have been many people over the years who have had (and still do have) a deep suspicion of the 'secrecy' of the FreeMasons.
F, It's not a Knight's Templar symbol. It's a reference to the 'complete suit of armor' Christians are to put on. See Ephesians chapter six.
Suspicion of a secretive order does not mean Russell was connected to them. The so-called secrecy is a myth. Their 'secret books' are easily found by a determined researcher.
Crazy,
He's not buried at a Masonic site. He's buried at the old Watch Tower cemetery, now part of Rosemont cemetery. The pyramid is not his tombstone. It isn't a Masonic pyramid, but is modeled after the headstone for Piazzi Smyth.
This is what we wrote in Separate Identity, volume 1:
Pyramid
A pyramid shaped monument was installed in the Bible Student cemetery in Pittsburgh. The cemetery is occasionally described as Masonic. It’s not. There is a Masonic temple nearby built years later. There is no connection. The pyramid was intended as a general monument with the names of those buried in the Watch Tower plots engraved onto open books. Rather than being a Masonic symbol, the open book motif derives from the book of Revelation. Those who want to cast Russell as part of some great Masonic conspiracy claim the pyramid embodies the “all seeing eye.” It does not. The pyramid symbol refers to Russell’s belief, shared by many others who did not otherwise hold his views, that the Great Pyramid at Gizah was a divinely inspired testimony in stone to Bible truth. We trace the development of this idea in Chapter Three. The use of the pyramid as a monument was suggested not by the back of the US dollar which had an entirely different design in 1920, but by the grave marker for Charles Piazzi Smyth, a prominent pyramidologist and Astronomer Royal of Scotland.
The monument was installed in 1919, some years after Russell’s death. One source suggests Russell designed it, a Bible Student convention report saying: “The Pyramid, as you will note, has an open book carved on each side, intended by Brother Russell for the names of Bethel workers as they ceased their work and were laid at rest, awaiting the great Resurrection of the first-fruits of the Lord.”[1] A Bible Student web page takes pains to blame the pyramid monument on Rutherford rather than Russell. Neither of these statements is correct. The monument was designed not as a memorial to Russell but “as a memorial to the society.” It was “designed by Brother Bohnet, and accepted by Brother Russell as the most fitting emblem for an enduring monument on the Society’s burial space.” According to Bohnet, work started in 1914. The pyramid’s purpose was not Masonic.[2]
[1] Souvenir Notes from the Reunion Convention of Christian Bible Students: Pittsburgh, Pa., November 1-2-3, 1929.
[2] Souvenir Notes from the Bible Student’s Convention: Pittsburgh, Pa., January 2-5, 1919, page 7.
