Thursday, May 27, 2010

Russell and "Christian Truths"

This is in response a blog on a site called Christian Truths. We will not be providing too much in this blog, but will be mostly giving links to where we have provided information. Please click on the links for more information.

The author evidently considers Charles Taze Russell as having been of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization, when in reality that organization did not exist when Russell was living.
https://rlctr.blogspot.com/p/jws.html

Russell did not believe in an authoritarian organization such as the Jehovah's Witnesses.
https://rlctr.blogspot.com/p/authority.html

Russell preached against demonic occultism, and certainly was not involved in such.
https://rlctr.blogspot.com/p/occult.html


We are shown a picture of the Masonic Lodge building was constructed across the street from the Rosemont United Cemetery, where Charles Taze Russell. The evident design to deceive the reader into thinking that Russell was a Mason because the Masons, evidently several decades after Russell died, constructed a Masonic building across the street from where he had been buried.

We are falsely told that Russell was a "33rd Degree Freemason", when in fact, he was never even a member of the Freemasons' organization.
https://rlctr.blogspot.com/p/russell-and-freemasons.html

We are then presented with another picture of the pyramid monument that is in the Rosemont Cemetery, which shows the Masonic Temple in the background. Again, the evident deception that is desired to be promoted by this is that the pyramid monument is a Masonic pyramid. The words above the picture tell us to the notice "the Illuminati pyramid". In fact that pyramid has nothing to do with any secret organization called the "The Illuminati." Such is being imagined and assumed. In reality, that monument was constructed several years after Russell died, as a memorial to those who had died while working at the WTS headquarters. The monument was to be a reminder of the God's witness in Egypt, the Great Pyramid, None of this has anything whatsoever to do with a secret organization called the "The Illuminati", nor with the Freemasons.
https://rlctr.blogspot.com/p/great-pyramid.html


The statement is made concerning the picture of the pyramid monument that "this is where Russell is buried." The deceptive implication that this seems to be desired to leave is that Russell was buried in or under that pyramid monument, whereas in reality he was not buried in that monument, nor under that monument.  The pyramid monument was constructed a few years after Russell died, and it is located in the middle of the plot owned by the WTS in the Rosemont Cemetery. However, no one is buried in or under that monument, and there is nothing on or about that monument, that is connnected with the Freemasons' organization. The cross and crown symbol, of itself, is not a Masonic symbol, although many would like one to think this so that they can use that symbol to make it appear that Russell's usage of the symbol means that Russell was a Freemason. Such reasoning, if taken to its logical end, would mean that practically every traditional church denomination there is Masonic, since practically every denomination has used some form of the cross and crown symbology. In reality, what is being presented as proof that Russell was a Mason is what someone has imagined and assumed.


CLICK HERE to see where Russell is buried.

It is claimed that what is presented on the page is "irrefutable proof of the Jehovah's Witnesses are inseparably linked to Satanic Freemasonry." We are not with the Jehovah's Witnesses, and we do not believe in that organization, nor did Charles Taze Russell. Nevertheless, what is being spoken of here is concerning Russell, and thus we need state that, in realty, no proof at all was presented that Russell was linked to Satanic Freemasonry; what was presented is what someone has imagined and assumed.


HELL

Russell believed in the Bible hell, but he did not believe in the eternal suffering theories that are often associated with hell. Of the scriptures given, only one relates to the true Bible "hell" (hades/sheol)


Some links regarding the Bible hell:
https://bible-hope.blogspot.com/p/sheol.html
https://bible-hope.blogspot.com/p/hades.html
https://bible-hope.blogspot.com/p/gehenna.html
https://bible-hope.blogspot.com/p/lake-of-fire.html

1 John 5:7 says nothing at all about three persons in one God, nor do 1 Timothy 3:16, Acts 20:28 or Isaiah 9:6 offer any proof that Jesus is the only true God.

Related 1 John 5:7, see:
https://jesusnotyhwh.blogspot.com/p/scriptures-examined.html#1john5-7

Related to 1 Timothy 3:16, see:
https://jesusnotyhwh.blogspot.com/p/scriptures-examined.html#1tim3-16

Related to Acts 20:28, see:
https://jesusnotyhwh.blogspot.com/2017/11/acts20-28.html

Related to Isaiah 9:6, see:
https://jesusnotyhwh.blogspot.com/p/mighty-god.html

ADDENDUM:

As best as we can tell, "Christian Truths" removed in the original post that we responded to above. Another post now appears dated June 1, 2010, simply entitled "Cults," which is a label often used, especially by those who follow the men who developed the trinitarian dogma, to represent those who refuse to follow Athanasius and other who have developed a false "orthodoxy" for God.

At any rate, the pages allegedly presents "truths" concerning the cults listed; whether the things listed are actually truths regarding the other groups listed or not, we will not address here. Our concern is with what is stated about Charles Taze Russell, and what is presented as beliefs in connection with Russell.

Again, the "Christian truths" belies the truth in misrepresenting Russell as the founder of an organization that he did not believe in. Indeed, Russell preached against such authoritarianism as exists in the JW organization until the day he died. Russell certainly did not believe in the Gospel(?) of bad tidings taught the Jehovah's Witnesses.

See:
Was Russell the Founder of What is Now the Jehovah's Witnesses?

"Christian Truths" further belies the truth by stating that Charles Taze Russell taught that "the church belongs to the ecclesiastical wing of Satan's organization." Search as one may in Russell's writing, you will not find any mention of the church belonging to any ecclesiastical wing of Satan's organization. In this "Christian Truths" fails to present the truth. Russell never used the phrase "Satan's organization" at all. It does not appear in his writings. Russell did teach that the human sectarian church organizations formed by man were part of Satan's Empire (Kingdom); Russell denounced sectarianism, not the church. Although he denounced sectarianism, at the same time he believed that the true church could be found amongst all various Christian sects and denominations. Russell stated: “the Lord in Heaven records as members of His true Church all the saintly — whether Roman Catholics, Anglican Catholics, Greek Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc. — and none others…. Do we not see that a part of our mistake was in calling the outward organization the Church of Christ, instead of remembering that the Lord alone writes the names of the Church, that He alone reads the hearts, that He alone is the Judge, and that He alone has the right to blot out the names of those who become reprobates? … We must see that the Church is a comparatively small company of saintly footstep followers of Jesus, irrespective of sectarian lines.” And Russell stated: “all who are worshiping any church organization should be warned. See thou do it not.’ These are thy fellow servants. ‘Worship God.’ `Rev. 22:9`.” He further stated: “so far as the true Church is concerned, the only authority in it is the Lord, the Head of the Church, and his Word, and the words of those whom he specially chose to be his mouth-pieces, the apostles.” And, “we believe that in every nation and denomination there are some true saints of God, members therefore of the true Church of God.” 
See:
Russell and the True Church


"Christian Truths" continues to misrepresent the truth by presenting the false statement that Russell condemned the teachings of the church in all ages. Russell did condemn the false teachings of men who claimed to represent the church, and which teachings have been formed by the spirit of human imagination; he never condemned the original teachings that were given to the true church in the first century.








Did Russell ever say that Christ did not rise from the dead? Absolutely not! Indeed, Russell taught that Jesus did rise from the dead. (CLICK HERE) Indeed, it is the one who claims that Jesus' soul never died who would be claiming that his soul was never raised from the dead, for, following such logic to its conclusion, how can a living soul that is not dead be raised from the dead? Indeed, if Jesus had been living at all, then he was not raised from the dead, but from the living.

See our own studies on Jesus' resurrection:

The Manner of the Resurrection
https://rlbibleresources.blogspot.com/2022/07/manner.html
Raised in the Spirit
http://hereafter.reslight.net/archives/430.html
Jesus Died a Human Being – Raised a Spirit Being
http://atonement.reslight.net/archives/1.html

More may be added later, Yahweh willing.