FACTS ABOUT JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
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Russell was a Zionist. He was strongly against converting Jews to Christianity and actively involved in encouraging the establishment of a Jewish State in Palestine. Benjamin Netanyahu, the ninth prime minister of Israel, when he was the Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations stated "A recognition of Pastor Russell's important role as an early American Christian advocate of Zionism is long overdue."1
Modern day Bible Students still have a Zionist view of Jews. As stated on www.agsconsulting.com (April 20, 2005), a website run by modern day Bible Students:
"Bible Students were the first to appreciate and act upon the commission of Isaiah 40:1: "Comfort, oh comfort My people." (TANAKH, Jewish Publication Society) And they took this commission very seriously. In 1891 Charles Russell, the Pastor of Bible Students congregations around the world, proposed to Baron Rothschild and Baron Hirsch a practical plan for Zionism that involved the purchasing of all government lands (lands not held by private owners) in Palestine from the impoverished Ottoman Empire of Turkey. (Years later Herzl made similar proposals). Pastor Russell prefaced his proposal with the prediction of a massive exodus of Jews from Russia and Eastern Europe. As he predicted, history records over 3 million Jews emigrated from Russia and Eastern Europe by 1924."
Russell wrote:
"There are now in the world more than ten million Jews, about three-quarters of whom are in Russia, Poland, the Balkan States, and Turkey. If the movement toward Palestine should get the impulse that the Hirsch committee is able to give it, an imaginative person can conceive of the country's doubling or trebling its Jewish population before the close of our century, and of its having a larger Jewish population fifty years hence than it had in ancient times, when its census ran up to three millions. Should the restoration be accomplished, all hail to the New Jerusalem!" Watchtower 1892 November 1 p.329
"The more closely we investigate the New Covenant, the more we must be convinced of this fact - that it belongs to Israel alone." Watch Tower 1909 January 15 p.28
"That the re-establishment of Israel in the land of Palestine is one of the events to be expected in this Day of the Lord, we are fully assured by the above expression of the Prophet [commenting on Amos 9:11, 14, 15]. Notice, particularly, that the prophecy cannot be interpreted in any symbolic sense" Studies in the Scriptures Series III - Thy Kingdom Come p.244
"Although the Jews are gradually flowing into Palestine, gradually obtaining control of the land of Canaan, and although reports say that already nineteen millionaires are there, nevertheless, prophecy requires an evidently larger number of wealthy Hebrews to be there before the Armageddon crisis be reached. Indeed, we understand that "Jacob's trouble" in the Holy Land will come at the very close of Armageddon. Then Messiah's Kingdom will begin to be manifested. Thenceforth Israel in the Land of Promise will gradually rise from the ashes of the past to the grandeur of prophecy." Studies In the Scriptures Series IV - The Day of Vengeance - Forward pp. xviii, xix
"Â…expected the year 1914 to mark a significant turning point for Jerusalem" Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom p.135
Rutherford continued with this concept until 1932, upholding Russell's ideal that the Jews and Jerusalem had a special place in prophecy. It was believed that the Jews had remained as God's special people and Jerusalem was to be restored. The Finished Mystery, on pages 536 and 555 was also openly Zionist, as was Comfort for the Jews p.55
"The promise, time and again repeated, that the Lord would regather them and bless them in the land and keep them there and bless them for ever is conclusive proof that the promise must be fulfilled ... Behold, that time is now at hand!"
On 17th October 1920, Rutherford delivered a lecture in Jerusalem in which he is quoted in The Golden Age 1921 Easter pp.369-382 'Zionism Certain to Succeed' as saying;
"Israel is absolutely certain to be fully established as a nation and the Jews again as a specially favored people of GodÂ…The zealous workers in Zionism today are fulfilling prophecyÂ…Zionism is one of the steps in the great divine program."
This was more than just an expectation as the Proclaimers book puts it, it was 'absolutely certain'. Up until the 1930's the events happening to the Jews in the 19th and 20th century were even considered to be proof that this is the time of the end.
"(The) regathering of Israel to Palestine would be one of the most conclusive proofs of his presence." The Harp of God (1921) p.256
"1918 Jews began to rebuild Palestine Â… proof of the Lord's presence at the end of the world" Creation (1927)
Anti-Semitic comments crept into the Golden Age during the late 1920's, and in 1934 Zionism was renounced by Rutherford.
"Be it known once and for all that those profiteering, conscienceless, selfish men who call themselves Jews, and who control the greater portion of the finances of the world and the business of the world, will never be the rulers in this new earth. God would not risk such selfish men with such an important position" The Golden Age 1927 February 23 p.343
"The Journal of the A.M.A. is the vilest sheet that passes the United States mail. Nothing new and useful in therapeutics escapes its unqualified condemnation. Its attacks are generally ad hominem. Its editorial columns are largely devoted to character assassination. Its editor (Morris Fishbein) is of the type of Jew that crucified Jesus Christ."The Golden Age 1934 September 26 p.807
Rutherford contradicted his previous views when renouncing them in the 1932 book Vindication - Book II pages 257 to 258.
"Jews [are] no longer important to God.. the Balfour Declaration, sponsored by the heathen governments of Satan's organization, came forth, recognized the Jews, and bestowed upon them great favors.. The Jews have received more attention at their hands than they really deserved."
This change is discussed in the Watchtower 1955 May 15 p.296
"By the publication of Volume 2 of the book Vindication that year, Jehovah's witnesses came to see that such a "back to Palestine" movement was by the spirit of Jehovah's archfoe, Satan, who has deceived the entire inhabited earth."
"Nothing in the modern return of Jews to Palestine and the setting up of the Israeli republic corresponds with the Bible prophecies concerning the restoration of Jehovah's name- people to his favor and organization .... The remnant of spiritual Israelites, as Jehovah's Witnesses, have proclaimed world-wide the establishment of God's kingdom in 1914" Let God Be True second ed. pp.217, 218
How incredible to say that Zionist teachings were from Satan after the Organization had spent the previous 60 years actively preaching it. Is this saying Satan had been influencing Russell and Rutherford? If Satan was behind this prominent Watchtower teaching, how many other prominent Watchtower teachings is Satan influencing? At what point did the reasoning of Satan stop being promoted by the Watchtower Organization?
Footnote
1. David Horowitz, Pastor Charles Taze Russell: An Early American Christian Zionist (New York: Philosophical Library, 1986) Back Jacket
http://infounderground.18.forumer.com/index.php?act=ST&f=2&t=93
The Watchtower is big money, being one of the top 40 New York City Corporations making nearly one billion dollars a year. That's just from one of their many corporations.
Unlike in the case of Christians who are persecuted in other lands for talking about Jesus Christ, Jehovah's Witnesses are largely persecuted for following the teachings begun during the second presidency of the Watchtower, when Joseph F. Rutherford took over in a corporate flap and began changing doctrines quickly in the Watchtower belief system. He claimed that angels directly conveyed truth to some of those in leadership. He coined the name Jehovah's Witnesses to make them stand out from being witnesses of Jesus, a typical evangelical expression (and a Biblical one).
Rutherford dumped holidays, birthdays and the 1874 date for the invisible return on Christ, and invented an earthly class of Witnesses, since only 144,000 can go to heaven in their teaching. The rest, meaning all 99.9% of Witnesses still alive, will live forever on a cleansed earth, under the rule of the Watchtower leaders in heaven, who will keep them in line by local elders known as 'Princes'.
If you have been witnessed to by Jehovah's Witnesses and you reject their message, you will likely die shortly at Armageddon with all the other non-Witnesses, since theirs is the only true religion, and (if they can live up to all the rules) they are the only ones to inhabit this new earth. If you believe Witnesses seem rigid now, any non-conformist during the future cleansed earth will be directly destroyed by Jehovah. Even now a Witness will be disfellowshipped for any one of many gaffs, such as smoking, taking a blood transfusion, or even voting.
To even vocally question the teachings of the Watchtower will result in complete cutting off, with family and friends usually being forbidden to talk to them. The Watchtower is a truly Orwellian world, in a time when Orwellian societies are nearly obsolete.
By their own Yearbook accounts,Witnesses are shrinking in number in many Western countries as of the last few years, as the internet facilitates the spread of information (much of it critical of the Witnesses). Witnesses are cautioned against creating JW-related websites, largely to prevent their members from discovering the history and dirty laundry of this organization on other websites. (There are literally hundreds of former members pages in many languages.)
The Watchtower strives hard to control the flow of information to the individual Witness, and prefers that all instruction come through the magazines they carry door-to-door. Without this form of control, even as they themselves admit, they would believe just the same as other Bible believers.
My hope is that there will be a day in each of their lives when the Watchtower magazine is no longer needed, and they can go to college, vote for office, and contribute money and time to other, more vital causes in their community. More than likely they will then cease to be persecuted, except in a few societies more authoritarian than their own.
Sincerely,
Danny Haszard
Reference
http://www.freeminds.org
Tell the truth don't be afraid-
Any group who believes the modern day Israel (who is really Edom and the Asian khazars), is a zionist stooge.
I'm well aware of who runs the 'Watchtower', and I'm also well aware that they (J witnesses), don't understand that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh.
You believe him to be Micheal.
So many christian sects are founded by zionist's its totally MIND BLOWING.
www.godisjesus.net
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"Hey you, Whitehouse. Ha ha,.. charade you are" Pigs/Animals/Pink Floyd
Ognir needs to wake up from his slumber, also the ones who posted the prior comments.
What does Russell and 1892 Watchtowers have to do with facts about Jehovah's Witnesses?
To get facts about Jehovah's Witnesses, talk to us. Talk is a verb in the present tense. That means people can not talk to Russell as he died in 1916.
And there is no such thing as a Watchtower organization.
So to get facts go to www.watchtower.org or www.jwproclaimers.org
to get real facts about Jehovah's Witnesses.
It seems we have a new user who apparently joined solely for the purpose of attempting (and failing) to refute allegations about the JWs.
Perhaps Sklemetti can set the record straight right now, rather than issuing the rather vague invitation to "talk to us". Don't you have the facts to hand to counter the allegations made in the post, Sklemetti?
Your "its all wrong, just ask any of us" technique just doesn't cut it, I'm sorry to say.
They refuse to fight in stupid wars like WWI, WWI, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, etc...
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"Stop judging by appearances, but judge justly."
With the JW's you always have keep in mind two distinctions: the upper minority echelon of the Watchtower organisation and the majority "pioneer's" doing all the footwork (attracting new converts, promoting the "humble servant" outward appearance, etc.).
Historically the JW's upper echelon welcome persecution as it is used to confirm in the minds of those doing all the footwork that they are right on track and will be duly rewarded for their *works*.
The JW's despise bringing up their past and go to great length's to create preposterous excuse's for past blasphemous blunder's such as one false prophecy after another starting nearly from the group's inception.
For example, their belief that the 144,000 mentioned in the bible is referring to the JW's until their membership exceeded that number and they were forced to revise who that 144,000 was amongst them. There are countless other prophecies put forth by JW elder's that never came to pass and revised (far-fetched rather) explanations were created.
They even go to great lengths to avoid talking about the revision's.
And you'll never get them to refer to any bible version except their own internally translated New World Translation and before they'll refer to their own bible, and for good reason as it is full of contradictions and out of context Hebraic and Greek translations, they encourage you to read their Awake and Watchtower handouts and even use those in their bible studies and services.
The JW's believe that the Watchtower organisation in Brooklyn is who God has chosen to funnel his wisdom through to be received by the JW's upper echelon for distribution.
And the JW's become startled when you initiate a discussion with them regarding any of their predominant closely held beliefs.
For instance the JW's believe that Jesus Christ is a created being - Michael the archangel even though in the book of Revelation (found even in their own NWT) the words of Jesus declare that he is the "Alpha and the Omega" the beginning and the end and in context of eternity described to be meaningful to the mortal mind it's referring to the nature of the being of Jesus as always having existed - not created at some point in time. Ask the JW to show you in their own literature where it actually say's that Jesus ever refer's to himself as the first created angel Michael. It doesn't but they'll stretch alot of verses to try to make them one and the same.
There is literally tonnes of information that can be found to refute the JW's and they have absolutely no leg to stand on even though they will debate endlessly with you as is the nature of a brainwashed psyche.
If you don't have the spiritual fortitude to try and win a JW back from his or her or their closed world and you want the JW's to stop knocking on your door then simply challenge them on even one point informing them to be able to move on any further that they simply explain an unrefutable truth of a deception from their past, they will deem you of the anti-christ, black flag your address and skip over you on their neighbourhood visits.
Higher JW education should be promoted now.
Anyone who has been a Jehovah's Witness for decades like myself knows that seeking a college education was a defiant act which surely would get you sanctioned by the congregation.
We had a popular slogan called the "13 year plan" which was 12 years of public school which could include the vocational 'trade' schools,then one year of regular pioneering THEN you could get married.
The Watchtower religion is in dire straits for cheating millions of followers out of higher education with the "deliverance is at hand" slogan (still the 2006 district convention theme) the Watchtower is using apologist to discredit old timers who have been there.
Worldly secular statistics show the UU Unitarian universalism church as the most educated at 55% of members with a college degree and the Jehovah's Witnesses at 5%.
The Watchtower NOW has lessened up the restrictions as the 'new system' is on hold and the younger JW generation won't tolerate the janitorial jobs of their parents.
Although they have recently changed their policy so that at least a technical education is now seen as appropriate, the vast majority of Witnesses still have a high school education or less, and any change in their education level will take years before it has any effect on the Society
http://jehovahwitness.vox.com/
Tell the truth don't be afraid-
Sullivan, sure I can set the record straight.
You said:
"It seems we have a new user who apparently joined solely for the purpose of attempting (and failing) to refute allegations about the JWs."
I did not attempt to or fail to refute any allegations about the JWs because I don't see any allegations about JWs. I was commenting on the title, which is the only thing that references to JWs. He mentions the "Watchtower teachings and Watchtower Organization" but that is not Jehovah's Witnesses.
The body of his blog is about Russell and Rutherford and about Zionism. What does that have to do with any facts about Jehovah's Witnesses? Thus nothing to refute.
"Perhaps Sklemetti can set the record straight right now, rather than issuing the rather vague invitation to "talk to us". Don't you have the facts to hand to counter the allegations made in the post, Sklemetti?"
What is there to counter since he did not mention anything about Jehovah's Witnesses. He mentioned about Russell and Rutherford. Russell was not one of Jehovah's Witnesses as he died before the name was adopted. Thus I stated to learn the facts talk to the current ones who are Jehovah's Witnesses. And zionism is totally irrelevant. No one cares since Israel is not Biblical anymore.
"Your "its all wrong, just ask any of us" technique just doesn't cut it, I'm sorry to say."
Well, it sounds like you don't want to listen anyway.
Sklemetti,
Your nitpicking aside, there were plenty of allegations about the JWs and their spirtual forebears. It appears that you joined for the sole purpose of throwing a little fit, as you have done precious little to engage with the subject matter.
Then why did you bother signing up here?
I'm happy to listen, once there is something to listen to.
The Plot by the JH's (Jove=Jupiter=Melchizedek=Zeus=Satan)
to turn Jesus into archangel Michael is pretty evil.
For Archangel Michael is basically an antichrist!
El=Satan=Saturn= Lord of Death (freemasonry black and white checkerboard with saturn judge on throne)
Yup!!!