The Accidental Prophet

Most of us are familiar with Charles Taze "CT" Russel, either through websites like JWFacts and JWSurvey, or through the Proclaimers publication that was studied sometime during the 90's. He was know as a charismatic figure whose sermons were refreshingly positive and popular with many Christians. The origin and soundness of his teachings is enough to leave one cross-eyed, but in the waning years of Victorian sensibilities, his ramblings took root.

He was perhaps one of the first ministers to take a pragmatic stance toward Christian beliefs. He purposefully set out to establish the origins of Christian traditions, practices, and faith. What could not be established by scripture, or was found to be non-Christian in origin, was discarded. His particular brand of faith was pared down to what could be proved scripturally.

He did, however, fall into the trap of sensationalism and a desire to predict the end of the world. Every apocalyptic religion in the world has done it at least once. Many keep trying. Russel had one of the more interesting slants on his predictions.

Pyramids.

Well, one of them anyway. The Great Pyramid of Giza. Khufu's tomb. Being entranced by the writings of Charles Smyth, Russel expounded on the idea that the pyramid itself was a representation of Bible prophecy, inspired by God Himself. With the application of an "inch for a year", Russel concluded that the prophecy of Isaiah 19:19, 20 could refer only to the pyramid itself, and therefore foretold the second coming of Christ in 1874. Due to either a mathematical error by Smyth or a publishing error by Russel, this date was later revised to 1914. The outbreak of World War I in that year thus validated Russel's prediction as correct and divinely inspired.

However, in 1928, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, which Russel founded, abandoned this teaching and alternately claimed that the pyramid construction had been inspired by the Devil and not God. Inexplicably, they did not likewise abandon the notion that 1914 had been a watershed year. Having died in 1916, Russel was never aware that the movement he founded had completely abandoned his original teaching.

This begs certain questions. Primarily, was Russel correct...? 

If he was correct, why would he be guided by Holy Spirit to a correct conclusion by way of a flawed process? Would it not be sensible for God to direct His servant to a path that was biblically sound? The bible is not known for portraying God as subtle, clever, and certainly not enigmatic. He is direct. Often brutally so. Sodom and Gomorrah, for example, received emissaries with an unmistakable message. The fire and sulfur that rained down after lacked finesse and did not lend itself to interpretation. Likewise, Moses' burning bush got right to to point. The Egyptian army and the Red Sea, Noah's flood, Jericho, the sun over Gibeon; direct and explicit (deadly) messages from God. 

If Russel was incorrect, why does the Society hold on so adamantly to his conclusions while dismissing his process? Consider that the flip-flop on the source of the pyramid's inspiration did not alter their belief in 1914. Even with the repeated relabeling of the meaning of 1914, it would still mean that the Devil had foreknowledge of events and when they would happen, so as to properly inspire pyramid builders to lay the path for interpreting the prophecy... 

Matthew 24:36, anyone...? Anyone at all...?

If this was a message from the Devil (a very big 'if'), why would it not have pointed to some other date? The Devil's entire purpose is to mislead mankind. Why, of all things, would he give an explicit, indisputable, prophetic date on which millions of people rightly bet their salvation? 

There are almost unlimited valid, and yet unanswerable, questions.

CT Russel would be the Forrest Gump of all prophets. He figuratively wrote books to describe the smell of the color nine and came up with 1914; a date which is so closely guarded that it is a disfellowshipping-offense to believe it is wrong. 

The book of Revelation notwithstanding, God's messages in the bible have been direct and unmistakable. He did not tell the Jews they were going to the promised land, but then give them directions to South America. No. He said, "Hey guys... it's right over there. I'm pointing right the fuck at it. Do you see it?!?"

No one under God's direction has ever had to wonder what He expected of them. No one in bible canon has revised anything they ever had inscribed. So why Russel's successors? If he was wrong, he was wrong all the way, and not under the direction of Holy Spirit. If he was right, then modern day Witnesses are working under the direction of people who have obscured the word of God and thus under the influence of Satan. I'm completely failing to see a middle ground here.

A pyramidologist and numerologist decodes the prophecy of Isaiah using a monument inspired by the Devil to identify, alternately, the end of days and the start of the end of days, AND it coincides precisely with the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, IF you're willing to ignore archaeological evidence...

That can't be an accident, right...?

... And a Very Fond Farewell

To the Elders of the St. Ann Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses:

Let me first be clear that I bear you no malice. I believe that you are acting in accordance with what you believe to be the truth. I cannot fault you for following your conscience, and ask for the same consideration. I have loved you as brothers, even long after we have ceased our acquaintance. I respect you as men; as men who are intent on being Christ-like. 

Secondly, I want to clearly state that I do not believe my baptism at the age of fifteen to have been valid. The decision to be baptized was predicated on the incorrect assertion that it was an informed decision. I have been able to determine that I was in fact woefully misinformed, and in fact coerced into forming a covenant with the Society that cannot be validated. 

I was taught the doctrines of Jehovah’s Witnesses from the time I could sit up on my own. I was taught that they were the actual Truth. I was taught that we were guided by God’s Holy Spirit. I was taught that we knew things that the world did not. It is no exaggeration that this is the only “truth” I was exposed to until I became an adult. This is analogous to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Reality is incomprehensible unless one is free to examine it, and there is no version of my upbringing that can be qualified as “free”.

Even so, I was pushed towards baptism by every rung of my social ladder. My parents, peers, and spiritual leaders (you, or your forebears) all aimed me toward a singular path – dedication and unwavering devotion to Jehovah and his earthly organization. It was obvious to me that I would not have a place in the social structure of Jehovah’s Witnesses unless I was first baptized. A fact evidenced by my lack of association with my contemporaries. 

Had I been fully informed as to the nature and origins of Society doctrines, I’d have chosen differently. However, as a minor, I was not granted access to life-altering information. I also entered into the aforementioned covenant ignorant of the fact that if I ever became informed, I would be shunned for disagreeing with what you regard as “truth”, irrespective of whether it was factually correct. Certainly you are aware that once you are baptized as a Witness, there is no way to cease being a Witness, even for well-founded reasons, without sacrificing ties to your family.

Jehovah’s Witnesses support only one truth, and that is the one espoused by the Governing Body. It has been established in a court of law that Witnesses uphold the practice of disfellowshipping to preserve “unity at all costs” (Walsh v Clyde; Scotland, 1954), even when doctrines may be wrong. So, regardless if I had evidence handed down by God himself, if I disagree with the Governing Body, I am to be disfellowshipped. If I disassociate myself, for any reason, I am to be treated exactly as a disfellowshipped person. Brothers, literally the only way for me to have a relationship with my blood relatives is to live and die as a Witness.

Perhaps there will be members of your body of Elders who remember the first talk I ever delivered in the Theocratic Ministry School at the age of five… I certainly do. Job 2:1-13 – I discussed the theme of integrity for three minutes and twenty-six seconds. It was not until I was grown and had faded from the organization that I began to understand what integrity really meant to me. I used to think it was doing what God wanted of me, no matter what others may say. I used to think it was upholding the Society’s teachings, no matter what apostate lies I was confronted with. 

Gentlemen, integrity is doing what is right, no matter the sacrifice. Integrity is standing against an untruth or an injustice when those around you disagree in their ignorance, even if they are ignorant by choice. It is the moral fortitude to make the hard decision when every consequence comes at great [personal] cost. 

It is to my integrity which I owe my first duty. 

I will not belabor you with details in which you have no interest. Perhaps it will be enough to say that you do not need to delve into apostate circles to determine logical errors made by the Society. You only need to exercise critical thought and validate the Society’s views against empirical evidence. The conclusions of the Society are frequently wrong, and continuing to use their publications as a reference point leads people farther astray with each iteration. 

The February 2017 Study Edition Watchtower (Who is Leading God’s People Today, para. 12) says that “The Governing Body is neither inspired nor infallible. Therefore, it can err in doctrinal matters or in organizational direction.” In fact they have erred, are continuing to err, are promulgating those errors as God’s will and occurring at His direction. But if they are not inspired, how can they perceive such things? The very definition of inspiration precludes the assistance of the Holy Spirit based upon the admission at the start of this paragraph.

Paragraph 14 of the same study article presents an inference of Angelic assistance as “evidence” of divine favor. Brothers, I implore you to examine the metrics of the world wide preaching work over the last several years. The effectiveness of your efforts has waned significantly. Every measure of success, the very “evidence” of Angelic assistance, is in decline! That is not a topic that is up for debate. It is simply the truth.

Paragraph 16 continues with a blatant plea for you, the sheep, to continue praying for men who, by their own admission, are not inspired. Should you not be praying for inspired representatives to lead Jehovah’s people instead of the Governing Body? Geoffery Jackson, of the Governing Body, testified before the Australian Royal Commission [into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse]. When questioned by Angus Stewart if they saw themselves as Jehovah God’s spokesperson(s) on earth, he replied “that I think would seem to be quite presumptuous to say that we are the only spokesperson that God is using.” 

Brothers, we all know Brother Jackson's statement to be patently false! We have held to the immutable truth of the Governing Body (and the Society) being God’s only earthly representatives for as long as there have been Witnesses. Did Brother Jackson lie to the Australian government, or have they been lying to us? In either case, critical scrutiny is the only reasonable response. But you and I both know that if you follow that rabbit hole, you’ll be chastised, at best; disfellowshipped, at worst. Silence is the only option afforded to any of us.

It is, unfortunately, incumbent upon you to do what the Society requires of you. I am an apostate, which I do not deny. I have lost faith in uninspired men, who are not God’s only mouthpiece, and are not infallible. Do they mean well? Certainly. Do I owe them any fealty? Certainly not.

When I began this letter, I did not intend to be so verbose. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks”, however (Luke 6:45). Brothers, it is with the greatest humility that I ask you to examine your faith with an objective eye. All things come from God, including actual truth. There is no sin in seeking it out. For my part, I can no longer in good conscience identify myself as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. My integrity would be one sacrifice too many.

Disconnected...

Please forgive spelling errors... this is copied right from a FB chat...

Mom: I saw your post as ex-JW. I already figured
it out but needed it confirmed. Good bye to the
son I've always loved. I still hope to have some
contact with my granddaughter. I've missed not
ever getting to know her.

Me: Can I ask you a question?

What is it?

Truthfully, I don't have any single question. There
are so many... but if I must start with one, how was
1914 determined?

I mean, I know how you think it was determined...
but you may be surprised how it actually was...

The best way to answer is give you this link
and let you research it yourself. (Link). I think
you've research a lot of negatives about what we
believe. How about looking at why we believe it.
Chapter 5 might answer your question you sent
to dad in an email. He actually researched your
question but it came from an older publication.
You can download this book if your really wanting
an answer and not just looking for more reason
to disbelieve. Apostates use some truth mixed
with a lot of lies. That's what makes them so
believable. Satan used the same tactic wth Eve.
Most of what he told her was true except that she
'positively will not die.'

(Link)
(Link)
jw.org

Everything I believe about what you believe comes
right from the societies own publications... I'm asking
you, mom, what you know about how your religion
was founded. I pick 1914 because it is the foundation of
Everything you believe about the provenance of
Jehovah's organization.

It is THAT important.

The Bible is our foundation. The kingdom and
the vindication of Jehovah's sovereignty is
the main theme of the Bible. If you want the
TRUTH read the book and check the scriptures.
I'm already convinced that the kingdom is real
and will soon rule over the earth. And have held
that conviction for over 55 years. I guess we've
said everything we need to say. Any future
conversation would be futile. You've sided with
Apostates so any contact in the future will be
only in case of an emergency. Just know that
we've always loved you and we always will.

I understand that this makes you very emotional.
However, all I'm asking for is an open and reasoned
discussion about what you believe. In the previous
message you have retreated into religious defense based
strictly on faith. All I would like to do is discuss
published, verifiable, and immutable fact.
Can we do that?

If your position is the truth, then you have nothing to fear.

I'm waiting to see the doctor. Now is not a good
 time. It's not fear that keeps me from having a
discussion on the subject it's that I already know
that you won't accept any scriptural evidence we might give.

I'm open to scriptural evidence that corresponds
with historical, and scientific evidence. The bible, as 

a historical document, should be well supported, 

should it not?

Are you going to check the evidence I provided
in the link You want me to hear your side but
you're not willing to offer me the same courtesy.
Why have a long debate? Listening to Apostasy
is a waste of time and would make me disloyal to
my God Jehovah. Goodbye Son

I'll read it. Sure. I've already read it in the search
for impartial truth, but I'm willing to again. Are you
willing to hear facts that are inconvenient, but no
less true?

You see, you're already of the opinion that I am closed
minded. You have no interest in what I have to say. You
assume that everything I am going to say is to break you
down. But my only interest in learning any of this was to
help the ones I love.

You can't fix what ain't broke. Time will tell
 which of us followed the right path.
 
They'll be calling me soon. Did you know
 of dad's fall off a roof Sept 2015? 3 fracture
 in the pelvis. Irreparable torn rotator cuff
 in left shoulder that's left his left arm mostly
 unusable. Only option he has to regain some
 use is reverse shoulder replacement. I will
 eventually need knee replacement. I have
 to use a cane most of the time. Thought you
 might be interested in our physical status.

Of course I'm interested.

Got to go

You didn't raise a heartless boy. Nor did you raise a fool.

 I'm sorry that you think so little of me that you would 

dismiss me without the benefit of doubt...