The aggressive heresy known as Jehovah's Witnesses was fathered by the self-styled "Pastor" Russell. During its rather short history it has employed various names to allay suspicion and to commend its propaganda. With great efficiency it has changed its name frequently. "Russellism," "Millennial Dawnism," "International Bible Students' Association," and recently the more popular "Jehovah's Witnesses" are some of the most widely used names under which this heresy has operated during its history.
The very core of the teaching is set forth by the oft-repeated phrase : "Millions now living will never die." And by the use of this most modern heresy, they have appealed to a surprising number of unthinking Christian people who will believe anything that appeals to their own preconceived ideas.
The Witnesses have seized upon the hope of the millennium as taught in Revelation 20, a hope that has thrilled the followers of Christ through the centuries. This great millennial prophecy has been dreadfully perverted and caricatured by Pastor Russell. According to his fallacious teaching, during the millennium those alive will be given a final chance to repent and the dead will be resurrected to have another chance at salvation. It is the propagation of this erroneous theory that makes this sect find a degree of popularity with the unthinking throng who want to enjoy this present life to its fullest, and yet escape the consequences of their sinful conduct.
The fervor and zeal with which the Jehovah's Witnesses propagate their doctrines is to be commended. There is scarcely any portion of the -United States that has not heard of their teachings. They expand their resources to the limit in the dissemination of their literature. It is a familiar sight, in any city across our land, to see their adherents actively witnessing on the street corners, holding forth their official church organ, the Watchtower, for public purchase. In the sending forth of their literature, they are highly organized and definitely routed to cover the countryside with a thoroughness hardly credible.
In the promotion of his work Russell traveled extensively and spoke incessantly. He died in a Pullman car near Pampa, Texas, while on one of his preaching missions. With the passing of the founder the "Elisha transforming mantle" fell upon Judge J. F. Rutherford. This man was an orator of no mean ability. In 1927 the largest world radio hookup was put to his service, that he might give to the waiting public the principles of this "sacred order." They still maintain an expensive weekly national radio program starring the dialogue artists "Frank and Ernest," and in this way they question and answer the main principles and fundamentals of their beliefs.
In 1879 "Pastor Russell" (this is the way his followers choose to speak of him) began the public propagation of his teachings. Early in his life he was a zealous Congregationalist. Thus we have proof that he did not emerge from the ranks of Seventh-day Adventism, as has often been charged by his many enemies. His works were first published in six volumes under the general title Millennial Dawn, and later when his false theories were perceived and exposed, the books were issued with slight revision as Studies in the Scriptures.
For background as a partial explanation for the many concepts held by Charles Taze Russell, we are indebted to the research material in Herbert M. Wyrick's book Seven Religious Isms. He declares concerning the early youth of the man:
"Russell as a youth was of a religious nature and in early life seems to have been possessed of a morbid fear of hell. This extreme was followed by a period of religious doubt and uncertainty, during which he seems to have dabbled in the mysteries of Oriental religions. He then came back to the study of the Bible and threw away the whole Christian creed, gradually substituting for the evangelical truth of the Scriptures the vagaries on which his system of false teaching is built."
Now let us look at some of the doctrines of this ism. In support of this portion of our survey of Jehovah's Witnesses, we shall freely quote from their own published works, using whenever possible the words of Russell and Rutherford, the co-founders of this ism. It is not the purpose of this paper to contradict or even to explode their false teaching, but simply to bring out clearly their specious beliefs.
False Doctrines and Beliefs
I. DENY DEITY OF LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Rutherford declares in his book The Harp of God (1921)
"Some have earnestly believed that Jesus was God Himself. But such a conclusion is not warranted by the scriptures."—Page 99.
"Some insist that Jesus, when on earth, was both God and man in completeness. This theory is wrong."—Page 505.
In his book Reconciliation (1928) he maintains:
"The Son is a god. The name god is applied to mighty ones, even to angels and to magistrates. The name god is therefore properly applied to the Son because he was a mighty one. The names Jehovah, Almighty God, and the Most High God are never in the Scriptures applied to Jesus."—Page 106.
"Jesus was not God the Son."—Page 113.
2.DENY ATONEMENT OF LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Russell says in his book Studies in the Scriptures:
"One Redeemer was quite sufficient in the plan which God adopted, because only one had sinned, and only one had been condemned. . . . One unforfeited life could redeem one forfeited life, but no more. . . . If we should suppose that the total number of human beings since Adam to be one hundred billions, and that only one-half of these had sinned, it would require all of the fifty billions of obedient, perfect men to die in order to give a ransom . . . for all the fifty billions of transgressors."—Series I, p. 133.
"Suffering on our Lord's part would not alone pay the wages of sin."—Ibid., series 5, p. 127.
3.DENY DEITY AND PERSONALITY OF HOLY SPIRIT.
Russell affirms in his most famous published work, Studies in the Scriptures:
"The holy Spirit is not a person, but an influence."Ibid., P. 210.
"There is absolutely no ground whatever for thinking or speaking of the holy Spirit as another God."Ibid., p. 569.
4.DENY HELL AND ETERNAL PUNISHMENT.
Rutherford declares in his book Reconciliation (1928):
"There is no thought expressed in the Bible anywhere that God purposes to put any of his creatures into a place of endless torture."—Page 25.
"Hell is not a place, but it is a condition. It is a condition of death, which means non-existence."
"The doctrine of hell torment being a lie and emanating from the devil, and the clergymen being the ones who teach that doctrine to the people, it follows that in teaching such false doctrines, clergymen are the servants of the devil."—Page 296.
Russell further affirms his conviction in this matter by declaring in his book Millennial Dawn:
"God is too good to sustain an everlasting hell. . . Eternal torture is nowhere taught in the Bible."—Studies in the Scriptures, series 1, pp. 127, /28.
5. DENY AUTHORITY OF CIVIL POWER.
The Witnesses are strict believers in noncombatancy, and although it has been several years since the ending of the second war, hundreds of them are still imprisoned in conscientious objector camps throughout the nation. They refuse allegiance to the flag, claim-in.. that it is a form of idolatry forbidden by God in His ten-commandment law, yet they utterly neglect to recognize that the fourth commandment is a part of that same law. They are stanch, almost fanatical believers in the absolute freedom of press and speech, and expend heavily of their resources to further these doctrines.
Both Russell and Rutherford were unalterably opposed to all other forms of church organization, calling all other faiths Babylon. They especially are opposed to Seventh-day Adventists, declaring that they are the false church of our time. They have, for nearly a decade, let go their full vengeance on our church, but of late have decreased their efforts, declaring, "Advents are so far gone that even God can do nothing for them."
The exact size and number of their membership and the number of their churches has never rightly been ascertained. Their clergy is a loose-knit organization of laymen, for every member has the right to "witness." They do not designate public address as preaching, but rather as witnessing. They maintain that regardless of preparation, anyone in their congregation who is sympathetic to their doctrines has the right to be heard. Their meetings often turn into prolonged testimony services with each member occupying as much time as he desires.
Many who have never correctly understood the aim and object of this sect, declare that the public should be more tolerant of this new concept of faith. They feel that far too many people are biased in their opinions of these people. We shall, therefore, examine statements by leading clergymen on what they believe concerning the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Dr. A. C. Dixon, who was minister of Spurgeon's tabernacle in England, and a recognized British clergyman, declared concerning the doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses, "Its plan of salvation is a plan of damnation."
Dr. James M. Gray, who has served for years as head of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, affirmed a short while ago, "Russell-ism contradicts almost every fundamental revelation."
Dr. I. M. Haldeman, former pastor of the First Baptist church, New York, refers to Russellism as "the wicked and blasphemous system which teaches the annihilation of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Dr. H. I. Ironside, of the Moody Bible Society, said, "This is indeed a sect of perdition; and its teaching is rightly labeled 'damnable.' From such turn away.'"
Dr. A. J. Pollock has cried out against these people by declaring: "The system is antichristian. It comes under the lash of the Apostle Paul, who wrote: 'Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.' (Gal. 1:8.) Russellism is another gospel. If Rutherford and his followers died in the beliefs that are advoca,ted in his books, they died unbelievers in the gospel that Paul preached."
Basically, the Jehovah's Witnesses are an honest, earnest group of individuals who have been led astray by a cunningly devised fable. No one will declare that they are not zealous in the propagation of their gospel of error. It is truly a pity that this people have fallen into the snare of the evil one, and have planted seeds that will eventually turn to tares of disappointment.