History 101:
When Joe Rutherford illegally seized the presidency of the WTB&TS after Russell died he turned it into a dictatorship. He was an alcoholic narcissist. All the toxic beliefs he brought with him became the foundation for the myriad of rules for behavior that started the ball rolling. Since then the leadership has continued the narcissistic rule making and control that both he and Russell started. Russell was no choirboy when it came to controlling and manipulation people but Rutherford took it into the stratosphere. He vowed to create the largest publishing company on earth and he clearly made great headway with that
According to
- Consolation, May 27, 1942, p. 6. It is not clear from this publication whether this included the distribution of Russell's earlier writings:
He wrote twenty-one books and was credited by the Society in 1942 with the distribution of almost 400 million books and booklets
Phenomenal for the time.
But more importantly were all the controls he placed on people, the rules for behavior that had nothing to do with serving any god but rather served his agenda alone.
In 1925, he gained full control over what doctrines would be taught in Watch Tower Society publications, overruling the refusal by the five-man Editorial Committee to publish his article, "Birth of the Nation",[85] which contained significant doctrinal changes.[86]
Rutherford later claimed Satan had "tried to prevent the publication of that article ... but failed in that effort";[87] In 1927 the Watch Tower Society ceased printing of Russell's Studies in the Scriptures.[88] The Editorial Committee was dissolved in 1931, after which Rutherford wrote every leading article in The Watch Tower until his death.[89] The 1933 Watch Tower Society Yearbook observed that the demise of the Editorial Committee indicated "that the Lord himself is running his organization".[90]
n 1928, Rutherford began to abolish the system of electing elders by congregational voting, dismissing them as "haughty" and "lazy", and finally asserting in 1932 that electing elders was unscriptural.[93][94] He impressed on elders the need to obey the Society's "regulations", "instructions" and "directions" without complaint.[95] Service directors, who reported back to Brooklyn, were appointed in each congregation and a weekly "service meeting" introduced to meeting programs.[96] In 1933 Rutherford claimed that abolishing elective elders was a fulfillment of the prophecy of 2300 days at Daniel 8:13–14, and that God's sanctuary (the Watch Tower Society) was thereby cleansed.[97]
At a 1931 Bible Student assembly in Columbus, Ohio, Rutherford proposed a new name for the organization, Jehovah's witnesses, to differentiate them from the proliferation of other groups that followed Russell's teachings.[91] Bible Students who opposed or abandoned Rutherford to form new groups were increasingly described as the "evil servant class" by The Watchtower, which said it was wrong to pray for those who were "unfaithful".[98][99] Four years later the term "Kingdom Hall" was introduced for the local meeting place of congregations.[100]
In 1937, the door-to-door preaching program was extended to formally include "back calls" on interested people and Witnesses were urged to start one-hour Bible studies in the homes of householders.[101][102] In the late 1930s, he advocated the use of "sound cars" and portable phonographs with which talks by Rutherford were played to passersby and householders.[101]
In 1938, he introduced the term "theocracy" to describe the denomination's system of government, with Consolation explaining: "The Theocracy is at present administered by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, of which Judge Rutherford is the president and general manager."[103] "Zone servants" (now known as circuit overseers) were appointed to supervise congregations. In a Watchtower article Rutherford declared the need for congregations to "get in line" with the changed structure.[104][105]
In 1927, Christmas was declared to be of pagan origin, and the following year its celebration by Bible Students was condemned as supporting "Satan's organization".[138][139] Mother's Day was condemned in 1931,[140] with other holidays as well as birthdays officially renounced in subsequent years.[141][142]
Fellow Watch Tower Society director A. H. Macmillan says Rutherford "spoke as simply and directly to the people as he knew how, and he was an extremely forthright man. He was thoroughly convinced that what he had to say was the truth and that it was a matter of life and death."[167] Macmillan added, "He would never tolerate anything that would be contrary to what he clearly understood the Bible to teach. He was so strict about that, he would permit nothing that would seem to show a compromise when it came to an issue of the truth."[168]
Other authors also address Rutherford's abrasiveness: James Penton describes him as blunt and moody with an explosive temper,[170] with "a streak of self-righteousness which caused him to regard anyone who opposed him as of the Devil",[171] while Alan Rogerson notes that he was a "dogmatic and insensitive person, obsessed with his own self-importance."[172]
The Wikipedia page carefully cites quotes from a variety of sources to support these claims. The organization has become a clear representation of Rutherford's character and personality.
ALL groups learn to take on a "personality" of those who lead. If the leaders are harsh the group will have rules that reflect that. if the leaders are loving the group will reflect that.
Sadly, people often repeat what they know. Most of us realize that we need to learn new ways of dealing with the people in our lives after we leave the JWs or any toxic environment.
As to why people join these groups: topic for another day.
