WATCHTOWER PRESIDENT HAS HEAD EXAMINED
Modern day Jehovah’s Witnesses are kept in the dark regarding the teachings of the group’s founder and first president, “Pastor” Charles Taze Russell. If the average Witness would examine the teachings of this man, they would be quite surprised. His positions on many doctrines differ greatly from currently accepted “light” as presented by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. In fact, this man who was considered to be the “faithful and discreet slave” for decades would be considered an apostate by today’s Society. What were some of his most outlandish teachings? How would you respond to them?
“Pastor” Russell wrote extensively about the Great Pyramid of Egypt in his series of books called “Studies in the Scriptures,” especially the first and third volumes in this series. These books were written in the late nineteenth century. He went to great lengths to explain that the Great Pyramid was constructed under the direction of Jehovah God.(1) He even drew parallels between the lengths of passages inside the pyramid to several prophecies contained in the Bible.(2) This was accepted as truth by Jehovah’s Witnesses for nearly fifty years! The Great Pyramid was then rejected by the Watchtower Society. They even said that it was built under the direction of Satan himself, not Jehovah God.(3)
Russell taught Jehovah’s Witnesses that the constellation of the Pleiades, and specifically the star Alcyone, was the center of the universe and therefore the location of the throne of God.(4) He also taught that Christ’s invisible presence (parousia) began in 1874 A.D.(5) Both of these teachings have since been rejected by the Watchtower Society as “truth”.(6)
Are you thinking he should have his head examined? I have news for you. He did have it examined, but not by any recognized medical doctor. No, he believed that the pseudo-science of Phrenology held the answer to understanding why people act they way they do. Phrenology is the “study” of the shape of the head and the influence this has on a person’s character. He firmly believed that people responded to God in differing degrees due to the shape of their brains. This is clearly understood when we read the following statement from the primary monthly publication of the Watchtower Society:
“Some have a strong desire to worship God, others have a week desire, and others have no desire at all. The difference is due to the shape of the brain.” (Watchtower, 03/15/1913, p. 84)
Charles Russell even turned to this false “science” during the separation trial from his wife Maria. Questions arose during the trial about his own opinion of himself. The testimony on this included letters to friends were,
“He repeatedly states that he is not self-conceited, but meek and not boastful, and writes that two phrenologists have examined his head and assured him that he was deficient in self-esteem.” (Pennsylvania Superior Court Reports, Vol. 37, p. 351)
The Watchtower Society claims to be God’s sole channel of communication with mankind.(7) These ridiculous statements from their founder and first president cast great doubt on this claim. While Watchtower literature of the early 1900’s condemned all other religions as false, its followers were held in “Babylonish captivity” to false teachings coming directly from the organization led by Russell.(8)
These facts have been documented from the Watchtower Society’s own publications. Can you trust their claim to be the “faithful and discreet slave” who can educate you with “truth?” Can this be God’s channel of communication with man? Should you put your trust in an organization with such a shaky foundation?
Religious leaders in Jesus’ time also made claims about being the sole source of “truth.” How did Jesus respond? He said, “Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” The answer is not found in a faulty, man-made organization, but in the perfect person of Jesus Christ!
(1) Studies in the Scriptures, Series III, 1891, (1905 ed.)p. 362
(2) Studies in the Scriptures, Series III, 1891, (1903 ed.)p. 342
(3) The Watchtower, 11/15/28
(4) Studies in the Scriptures, Series III, 1891, (1915 ed.)p. 327
(5) Studies in the Scriptures, Series IV, 1897, (1914 ed.)p. 621
(6) The Watchtower, 11/15/53, p. 70
Man’s Salvation Out of World Distress Is At Hand, 1975, p. 287
(7) The Watchtower, 04/01/19
(8) Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Divine Purpose, 1959, p. 91
By David Sherrill
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