by hooberus 13 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Russell was a scumbag, and he was a manipulator and a liar. Just read the transcript of his divorce trial, and you'll see what I mean. The Judge in that trial excoriated him and gave good reasons for doing so. Big time.
My reading of Russell's own account of the divorce episode, as found in the Watchtower itself, did much to convince me that JWs have been an abusive religion from their very beginning. He came across as a male chauvinist pig if ever there was one.
herk
Love_Truth.....It's a nice story but that pericope is a later interpolation into the text of John, missing in the early manucripts, and which even the New World Translation sets off from the main text (like the spurious endings of Mark) because of its problematic textual history. The same story was reported by Papias of Hierapolis (c. A.D. 135) in his work on the life of Jesus and it is possible that the story was added to John by Papias (who was a disciple of John the Presbyter, the latter likely having a hand in John, especially in adding chapter 21 which is verbally very close to 2 John and 3 John) or a disciple of his. Aristion the Presbyter, an associate of John according to Papias, is the author of the longer ending to Mark according to the Armenian manucript, and curiously the legend about drinking poison related in Ps.-Mark 16:17-18 is also reported in Papias as having occurred Justus surnamed Barsabbas.
The story is certainly something many of us wish Jesus said and did.
Farkel....I would love to see this research of Barbara's when it sees the light of day, it sounds very interesting! I think Russell on his own terms was pretty terrible and he only seems angelic when placed in comparison with Da Judge, plus Russell had his own measure of charisma and charm that masked his arrogance and self-deceit.
From the 1954 Walsh Trial PDF, page 187/188, during examination of WTS corporate attorney Hayden Covington:
Q: Are all or any of the Directors of the Pennsylvania Society members of the anointed class?
A: The Pennsylvania Board of Directors are all of the anointed class, and I might say that there is, as mentioned by Mr. Franz to your Lordship yesterday, a Bylaw which is called here a resolution of the Society that prohibits anyone who is not of the anointed from being on the Board of Directors of the Society. May I add that the Society has between 250 and 500 members and the majority of these members are of the anointed. There are some that are not members, but there are no members that are qualified to be on the Board unless they are of the anointed.
Has this position changed? Has the Charters of the Pennsylvania and New York corporations been ammended to allow someone OTHER than anointed members to be on the BOD? I know there was a shakeup of corporation status a number of years ago, where some of the 'Great Crowd' would take and hold positions of responsibility--did that include BOD membership?
If not, the WTBTS would find itself in a world of hurt in a few more years...
