Charles Taze Russell and the Freemasons

[Jack Ryan]

While he publicly denied being a Freemason, much of his symbolism and focus on the pyramids mirrors the masons.

Being buried so close to a Freemason cemetery.... I wonder what connection he had.

[JW Insider]

11 minutes ago, Jay Witness said:

Being buried so close to a Freemason cemetery.... I wonder what connection he had.

He was just dying to be one?

[JW Insider]

He joined on a lay-away plan?

[Evacuated]

Probably an underground connection................

[Ronald Day Senior]

On 5/13/2017 at 10:50 PM, Jay Witness said:

While he publicly denied being a Freemason, much of his symbolism and focus on the pyramids mirrors the masons.

Being buried so close to a Freemason cemetery.... I wonder what connection he had.

Although many like to imagine and assume that the Biblical symbolism Russell used has something to do with the Masons, and/or that his Biblical study of God's Witness in Egypt had something to do with the Masons, the reality is that neither is of the Masons, any more than the Bible itself is of the Masons.
 

rlctr.blogspot.com-Masonic Symbols.pdf

[Ronald Day Senior]

I will add that I don't know of any Masonic cemetery that Russell was buried close to.

 

[Manuel Boyet Enicola]

A "secret" follower? Who knows really....

 

[Ronald Day Senior]

6 hours ago, Manuel Boyet Enicola said:

A "secret" follower? Who knows really....

 

I am not sure what exactly is being referred to. I am a follower of my Lord Jesus, but this is no secret. I do make use of Russell's works, as well as that of many, many other Christian authors, but that is no secret either. Anyone who has dedicated his life to be a "follower" of Russell, however, is something of a self-contradiction, since Russell taught that one should follow Christ, not Russell.

Who knows "what" really?

 Without knowing exactly what is meant by this, I can only reply to what I think it may be referring to.

Anyone, however, who is truly familiar with the works of Russell would know that he was not a Freemason, nor was he in support of the Freemasons or any of man's secret organizations  

Regarding the "sun of righteousness' symbolism that Russell made use of: Even Fritz Springmeier recognized that the "sun of righteousness" (although he did not refer to it as such) that Russell used is based on the Bible (especially, Malachi 4:2), but he, in effect, claimed that Malachi had been under the influence of the "pagan world" when he wrote this. If this true, then when Malachi quoted Jehovah as stating these words, Malachi, according to Deuteronomy 18:20, Malachi was a false prophet who should have been put to death. And if that is true, since the New Testament cites Malachi as being a prophet, then Jesus and all that New Testament writers are all false prophets. Of course, in reality, we have no scriptural reason to imagine, assume, add to, and read into, what Malachi wrote, that he was simply under the influence of paganism. The testimony does support that Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, did indeed actually state what is recorded in Malachi 4:2.

As far as the idea that Russell's Biblical study of God's Witness in Egypt is of the Freemasons, again, anyone who is truly familiar with the study of God's Witness in Egypt would KNOW that it is not of the Freemasons, although some individual Freemasons may have undertaken a similar study of God's Witness in Egypt.

rlctr.blogspot.com-Sun of Righteousness Symbol.pdf

[Guest Kurt]

Was Charles Taze Russell a Mason? No, he was not!

Russell stated quite clearly that "I have never been a mason."

Some have claimed that various symbols Russell employed in his published literature are Masonic in nature, and that such associations implied he engaged in occult activity. In later editions of the Studies in the Scriptures series a winged solar disk was stamped on the front cover, a symbol that is also associated with Freemasonry.[citation needed] However, Russell's use of the winged solar-disk originated from his understanding of Malachi 4:2, which denotes a sun with wings, as a symbol that Christ's millennial Kingdom had begun to emerge. Some critics also claim that the pyramid near Russell's gravesite is Masonic, because of its shape and its use of the Cross and Crown symbol, although this remains disputed. The Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon has officially said that Russell was not a Freemason, and notes that these symbols under discussion used are not exclusive to Masonry but pre-date the fraternity.

Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon "Was Charles Taze Russell a freemason?

In June 1913, during a transcontinental speaking tour, Russell lectured in a Masonic hall in San Francisco, saying:

"Although I have never been a Mason ... Something I do seems to be the same as Masons do, I don't know what it is; but they often give me all kinds of grips and I give them back, then I tell them I don't know anything about it except just a few grips that have come to me naturally."

Throughout his ministry he said that he believed Christian identity is incompatible with Freemasonry. He described Freemasonry, Knights of Pythias, Theosophy, and other such groups as "grievous evils" and "unclean".

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