More and more power

Rutherford’s star continued to rise. The time came when, to oppose him, was the same as opposing God. He in fact claimed to be the mouthpiece of Jehovah, since Russell had departed.

In a few years, all the meeting-houses were re-named “Kingdom Halls”. In 1937, Rutherford demanded that those going door-to-door would do everything possible to call back at homes and start regular Bible studies there.

He, in 1938, labeled the movement a Theocracy, a form of government where God Himself – through the “Judge” of course – was in charge.

Rutherford died in 1942, leaving behind an incredibly organized and efficient organization with tens of thousands of adherents. Though there had been losses due to the doctrinal changes he instituted, more than an ample recovery made up for them.

About those changes, and conflicts with Russell.

One thing Rutherford began to do was cast as idolaters those who wanted to revere Russell’s memory. It didn’t bother him that he had himself taken the place of God in the people’s thinking. This was just a regrettable necessity.

In July 1917, Rutherford had a book called The Finished Mystery put forward as the seventh volume of the Studies in the Scriptures series. Actually the book contained teachings not held to by Russell. New dates for prophecies were included. The beginning of Christ’s reign was now 1914, not 1878, for example. The resurrection of the “sleeping saints” was to be 1918, also not 1878.

A book that Russell had completed in 1881, showed up in a revised edition. Many of his teachings had been changed.

Russell, for example, taught the cycling down of human society to the point where Armageddon would be a natural outcome. Rutherford claimed it would be totally a God thing when it happened, not brought about by man at all.

Before that 1931 change of the Society’s name, came a new emphasis on God’s Name, “Jehovah.” This was to be the primary doctrine of Christianity now, the vindication of God’s Name, not God’s grace to humanity.

Gog and Magog (Ezekiel) would somehow now be bound up with the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It would lead to God destroying at Armageddon all those who opposed them.

Russell’s emphasis on character development, that is, sanctification, was now discredited (1926).

And the strange teaching extracted from Matthew 24 that Russell was the “faithful and wise servant” Jesus was discussing, was no more to be held by true Bible Students.

In 1927, Christmas was declared to be of pagan origin, then Mother's Day was condemned in 1931. Before this was all over, even birthday celebrations were not allowed!

Truly the changes were coming one on top of the other.

Rutherford and Israel and Adolf

Whereas Jews were blessed by Russell as having obtained God’s favor, Rutherford claimed that the Jewish business leaders of his day were "arrogant, self-important and extremely selfish." The idea of God restoring the Jews to Palestine was discontinued.

It was during Rutherford’s tenure that the following letter, translated for our purposes, was sent to one Adolf Hitler, cozying up to the dictator for his approval, that the Witnesses of his land would escape persecution.

Dear Reichskanzler…
The Brooklyn headquarter of the Watchtower Society is pro German in an exemplary way and has been so for many years. For that reason, in 1918, the president of the Society and seven members of the board of directors were sentenced to 80 years in prison, because the president refused to use two of the magazines published in America under his direction for war propaganda against Germany. These two magazines, "The Watchtower" and "Bible Student" were the only magazines in America which refused to engage in anti-German propaganda and for that reason were prohibited and suppressed in America during the war.

In the very same manner, in course of the recent months the board of directors of our Society not only refused to engage in propaganda against Germany, but has even taken a position against it. The enclosed declaration underlines this fact and emphasizes that the people leading in such propaganda (Jewish businessmen and Catholics) also are the most rigorous persecutors of the work of our Society and its board of directors. This and other statements of the declaration are meant to repudiate the slanderous accusation, that Bible Researchers are supported by the Jews.

The conference of five thousand delegates also noted - as is expressed in the declaration - that the Bible Researchers of Germany are fighting for the very same high ethical goals and ideals which also the national government of the German Reich proclaimed respecting the relationship of humans to God, namely: honesty of the created being towards its creator.

The conference came to the conclusion that there are no contradictions when it comes to the relationship between the Bible Researchers of Germany to the national government of the German Reich. To the contrary, referring to the purely religious and unpolitical goals and efforts of the Bible Researchers, it can be said that these are in full agreement with the identical goals of the national government of the German Reich.

We are looking forward to your kind approval, which we hope to receive soon, and want to assure our highest respect to you, honorable Mr. Reichskanzler.

Yours faithfully,
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society Magdeburg

And more

Also gone in the new Rutherford regime would be the Pyramid dependency for God’s revelation. To Rutherford, the whole idea was Satanic.

In 1930 came another interpretation of the Book of Revelation in which he corrected his own former views, and rejected totally those of Russell!

And soon after, a Rutherford book condemned the women’s movements of his day as Satanic.

1935. School students are not to salute the flag. If they do, they are guilty of death! Yes, that was what he said. In 1940 alone, children in 43 states were kicked out of schools for trying to obey this mandate. The courts saw much of the Witnesses. By 1943, the findings against the students were reversed by the courts. This, after angry mob scenes stirred the public into action.

In 1938, Rutherford called a halt to singing at congregational meetings. (Oh dear!) The people were at least wise enough to put singing back into the agenda soon after he died.

In that same year, 1938, he began urging his followers to forget about getting married and having kids until after Armageddon. This whole attitude produced a bias against marriage, allowing the unmarried to take a superior attitude toward the “weak” brothers and sisters who just had to tie the knot.