James Thomas Rook Jr.

In view of the @HollyW comment above, I would add that Rutherford opened the door of opportunity to those who have no desire or inkling to go to heaven in order to be close to Jehovah and Jesus, but would that come under this heading?

While at Bethel my table head shared a lot of really negative stories about Brother Rutherford. I had no idea if they were correct at the time, but I listened carefully to a lot of other brothers who knew Rutherford, and I even recorded several hours of interviews with older Bethelites and some of them volunteered information about him. These tapes were for use when I traveled to other congregations to give public talks, because they made giving a public talk very easy. I had a lot of material that I could not use without editing because two of them gave a much more negative view than the publications give. The brothers and sister interviewed were F.W.Franz, Grace DeCecca, Maxwell Friend, Sam Friend, and Bert Schroeder.
 
But another side of Rutherford also shows up, not just in the interviews, but also in his own speeches and writing. Most of the brothers credit Rutherford as the one who promoted the changes made to doctrines single-handedly. He was fearless when he thought he was right. There were dozens of doctrinal changes made between 1927 and 1931, and a large number of those who were active in the organization decided to leave during that time period. But I believe that while he lost a majority for a while, he had an attitude that one brother likened to Judge Gideon, his all-time favorite Bible character. It didn't matter how many persons left the organization, if the change was the right thing to do. (Gideon went from 32,000 to 10,000 and after a final test ended up with only 300 faithful with whom he would fight the battle against Midian.)
 
With that in mind he wanted to root out "creature worship" from the organization. This was his word for the "cult of Pastor Russell" wherein people wanted to dress like him, look like him, talk like him, carry his picture, name their kids after him, etc. Rutherford did not want such a thing for himself, and knew he was the person with the "faith" to get rid of it, even if it meant the majority of Bible Students would leave. It was in effect, the "sword of Jehovah and Rutherford."
 
Also, there were very few progressive changes under Russell. Very early on they had already set a solid doctrinal course when it came to Trinity, Hell-fire, Immortal Soul, Ransom, Restitution, Salvation, Morality, Christian Character, but only a very few changes, except where these were forced upon them in the area of chronology. Rutherford, from the start, turned the Bible Students into a progressive organization that came to expect change, and that very soon would constantly looked forward positively to more changes. Naturally, he got a few things wrong, but I believe a majority of the changes reflected the Bible more accurately.
 
For example, if we were to solely give Rutherford the credit for being the author of these changes, we'd have to admit that he got the following right:
Getting rid of Pyramidology. Getting rid of Creature Worship Getting rid of almost all the complexities and methodologies of the old Barbour/Second Adventist chronology Ultimately turning a system that included 539 C.E. (not BCE) 1799, 1844, 1859, 1873, 1874, 1878, 1881, 1910, 1914, and 1915 into a simpler system that still included most of those dates but focused almost exclusively on just 3 or 4 dates. He put the organization on a road to a more consistent political neutrality including the view that flag salute was a form of idolatry helped true Christians see the folly of involvement in divisive wars and social movements helped Christians recognize political and religious hypocrisy He pushed for legal freedom of speech, and freedom of religion before the world was even ready for it, and these battles were hard-won. He also prompted true Christians seriously consider the relationship between national and religious holidays and their unchristian origins. He promoted the wider use of Jehovah's name Didn't hold back from using the "Old Testament" for life lessons Set an example as a strong personality, full of strong commitment, without mincing words, or pulling punches Prepared the congregations for persecution so that they were not surprised and not weakened Look at how well JWs handled persecution in many countries, not just Germany under Hitler Organized a very efficient organization in terms of ability to publicize and mobilize with the message Made use of all available technologies and venues to spread the word to large assemblies and audiences Organized for growth, envisioned and prepared for expansion Promoted practical, active Christian conduct and morality, but not the mere, quiet internalized form of worship Promoted a purpose and identity that helps Witnesses produce an international brotherhood that transcend class, nationality, and race. Lots of doctrinal specifics are left out to avoid too many off-topic doctrinal discussions, but even where disagreement exists, the bulk of most publications drove more attention to the Bible, Jesus, Jehovah, and Bible characters that we could learn from as examples in our daily lives  
And from the perspective of "executive leadership" he was both serious and successful with these changes. The numbers he lost from Russell's time were gained back again and multiplied a couple of times over before Rutherford died. Outsiders have been impressed with the levels of activity, and participation, and therefore the levels of growth and conversion over the years. Ultimately, a very strong and powerful organization has been built that rivals the Mormons and the Seventh Day Adventists in terms of its current size, rate of growth and stability. And those religions, for the most part, had a bit of a head start in the 19th century. It outpaces most other religions in terms of publications distributed internally, and definitely outpaces every religion when it comes to publications distributed externally. Most of the foundation for the current organization was made workable under Rutherford's watch. This has created an excellent foundation for an international brotherhood where people show love and generosity and good works toward one another and which continues to bring teachings into closer harmony with the Bible.
 

I upvote ANYBODY when what they say is true, and/or really applicable.
 

Let's go surfing now - everyone is learning how - come on and safari with meeee -

In order NOT to be labeled a liar and a slanderer, Alessandro Corona ... and justifiably so ... you are going to have to PROVE EVERY ASPECT of those statements you just made. 
YOU PERSONALLY ... not just waving your hand at a PDF file link.
I assume you did not just pull them out of your imagination.
Please supply enough detailed overview and references that your seemingly OUTRAGEOUS claims may be INDEPENDENTLY checked by the average, reasonable person.
If you do not ... and it WILL take some work .... your credibility is ZERO.
...by the way, I did read about 55 pages of that PDF, and concluded that it is the rantings of a man quite mad.

Otto:
Accurate Translations are IMPORTANT.
They keep you from being shot in the stomach by a policeman, when all you are doing is asking for directions.
"Meow" means "Woof" in cat.
Lighten up... you will live longer.
This past Saturday at the meeting, everyone was in shock, as the uptight elder who sat directly in front of me most times DIED four hours earlier, of a heart attack. His wife found him on the floor in the living room.
He might have PREFERRED instead to be hit with a bottle.
On a related note, ... pi at 3.14 will not get your airplane off the runway  ... pi at 3.14159 will keep you from using your flotation cushion ...  to bounce out of a corn field.
( ... by not crashing the aircraft in the first place ...)
DETAILS ARE IMPORTANT !

Otto:
Accurate Translations are IMPORTANT.
They keep you from being shot in the stomach by a policeman, when all you are doing is asking for directions.
"Meow" means "Woof" in cat.
Lighten up... you will live longer.
This past Saturday at the meeting, everyone was in shock, as the uptight elder who sat directly in front of me most times DIED four hours earlier, of a heart attack. His wife found him on the floor in the living room.
He might have PREFERRED instead to be hit with a bottle.
On a related note, ... pi at 3.14 will not get your airplane off the runway  ... pi at 3.14159 will keep you from using your flotation cushion ...  to bounce out of a corn field.
( ... by not crashing the aircraft in the first place ...)
DETAILS ARE IMPORTANT !

The Brother hit his own head with a glass bottle?

The Brother hit his own head with a glass bottle?

It makes more sense when explained with hand puppets!

Looking at those charts, graphs and formulas ... they made no sense to me WHATSOEVER, and I made my living doing math for about 40 years, but not this complicated. ( I could have done better if wearing open-toed sandals..).
While we were out in Service, I asked the smartest brother (seriously) at the Kingdom Hall I go to,  if he could explain the new and improved "this generation..." to me.
He was thoughtful for  several moments, and said: "I think they are trying to do the best they can...".
I thought about showing this post to my wife, Susan, who is a high school math teacher, to see if she could decipher them ... but I suspect her reply would be similar to Albert Einstein's reply when asked if he understood the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Tax Code ... " I am a mathematician .. NOT a philosopher".
By the way .... I have included a Feynman Diagram  that stumped Sheldon Cooper on the Season 1, episode 13 of the TV comedy "The Big Bang Theory", which is a LOT EASIER TO FIGURE OUT.  The answer is reported to be " minus 8 pi alpha" .
You can see almost instantly see they they misinterpreted some of the variables.
( For those in Rio Linda, That was a JOKE! )
UPDATE:  Susan just walked in and saw the "equation" and got upset and said it was all "Mush".
That reminded me of the famous "Drake Equation" ( go ahead.. look it up.. it's worth the effort )  that will accurately predict how many intelligent civilizations currently exist in the Milky Way Galaxy, or the Universe.
IF ( if! ) you plug into the equation the correct set of values.
That is the same problem that exists with EVERYTHING previous to this post.
Since there is no evidence ANYONE has the correct values ... to either philosophy .. and that is what they are ... philosophy ... it's all a wild-assed guess (WAG). 
No more.
MUSH

Thats very interesting, dear  Brother @James Thomas Rook Jr.  thank you very much for your story of the past. The most of us making too much thoughts about all....   The Bible is not so complicated. Jehovah let it write for all humans with a good heart and a deep understanding, I think so.  Of course we must study alot time to understand all  Greetings from Camping in Germany....

I got beat up with ever changing definitions for a half century, and MORE.
THEY WERE ALL WRONG
You are confusing me with someone WHO CARES .

Cos:
Even though we don't know what those names are, Jehovah has even named the stars of the heavens, and knows them all by a personalized, (which really means individual),  name  ....he did NOT give personalized individual  names to  the radiations they emit ...gamma radiation,  x-rays, ultra violet, radio waves, infrared, etc. .... for electricity, Reddy Kilowatt comes to mind as a personalized name that power companies gave to Electricity as an advertising ploy.    before they realized you do not have to advertise electricity.
PEOPLE are silly that way, but we enjoy being amused.
I am going to keep this short, as today I have to work outside all day installing bundles of electrical wiring for my yard underground wiring system , and I don't want to get a sunburn from Fred ultraviolet light, or have a heat stroke from Wanda infrared light, and is rumored that If I am not careful, Reddy Kilowatt will try to kill me.
I am silly THAT way.
Forgive me ... it's silly to name FORCES with personal names as I have just done ( and the electrical companies did)...... that is why Jehovah does not do it.
That is why the HOLY SPIRIT does NOT have a personal name  , it,  like a star, is a FORCE that emanates from God to affect things at the other end ... to accomplish his will at his direction.
It is a DIRECTED force, not light sunlight that illuminates the solar system, and beyond.
So ...ponder this ... why do trillions upon trillions of stars have a personalzed name ...  and the HOLY SPIRIT does not ... only descriptions of WHAT IT DOES!
Answer: (For those in Rio Linda...) IT'S A FORCE.
Of course Casper the friendly farce may condemn me to hell for saying so ... but that would be...... "unfriendly"
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU, COS.
 

ANYBODY can explain "Gog of Magog"
I am 70 years old, now.
When I was about 7 years old I went with my mother to Assemblies which back then lasted from 9 in the morning to 9 at night .. and ALL DAY we heard about "Gog of Magog", with hundreds of supposedly related scriptures, reasonings, and predictions ... and even then I learned a LOT which has been helpful to me my entire life, and endures to this day.
EVERYBODY ... is always wrong!
no exceptions.

Cos:
What you have stated is OPINION.  You have proved NOTHING, except that you can type.
Both God and Christ have a personal name ... what is the Holy Spirit's name .... Casper?
If so, it must be a FRIENDLY spirit.
YEAH, that's the ticket!
( ... for those in Rio Linda that was intended to be biting sarcasm .... because the Holy Spirit does NOT have a personal name ... and God and Christ do! )
note:  ... descriptions do not count as personal names, no more than a warm blanket does... um .... not being a person...
.
.
Even my seven dogs have personal names ...... in human English .....  I don't know if that is true in Arf.
.
 

Cos:
What you have stated is OPINION.  You have proved NOTHING, except that you can type.
Both God and Christ have a personal name ... what is the Holy Spirit's name .... Casper?
If so, it must be a FRIENDLY spirit.
YEAH, that's the ticket!
( ... for those in Rio Linda that was intended to be biting sarcasm .... because the Holy Spirit does NOT have a personal name ... and God and Christ do! )
note:  ... descriptions do not count as personal names, no more than a warm blanket does... um .... not being a person...
.
.
Even my seven dogs have personal names ...... in human English .....  I don't know if that is true in Arf.
.
 

Cos:
What you have stated is OPINION.  You have proved NOTHING, except that you can type.
Both God and Christ have a personal name ... what is the Holy Spirit's name .... Casper?
If so, it must be a FRIENDLY spirit.
YEAH, that's the ticket!
( ... for those in Rio Linda that was intended to be biting sarcasm .... because the Holy Spirit does NOT have a personal name ... and God and Christ do! )
note:  ... descriptions do not count as personal names, no more than a warm blanket does... um .... not being a person...
.
.
Even my seven dogs have personal names ...... in human English .....  I don't know if that is true in Arf.
.
 

Due to there being water EVERYWHERE ... the Society has changed some training procedures.

IN FACT .. there is so much water in South Texas, that TrueTomHarley, way up there in Liberalville, is able to now use his new Home Depot Bluetooth Cordless Hose.

Every once in awhile ... even a blind pig finds an acorn.

In order NOT to be labeled a liar and a slanderer, Alessandro Corona ... and justifiably so ... you are going to have to PROVE EVERY ASPECT of those statements you just made. 
YOU PERSONALLY ... not just waving your hand at a PDF file link.
I assume you did not just pull them out of your imagination.
Please supply enough detailed overview and references that your seemingly OUTRAGEOUS claims may be INDEPENDENTLY checked by the average, reasonable person.
If you do not ... and it WILL take some work .... your credibility is ZERO.
...by the way, I did read about 55 pages of that PDF, and concluded that it is the rantings of a man quite mad.

I rest my case ....

They used an occultist to uphold their false teachings (1 Tim. 4:1).

TTH:
Never in the history of the world has the majority EVER been right ... the most they can hope for is consensus.
YOU CAN VOTE TO KEEP THE PEACE, AND HAVE "ORDER" .... BUT YOU  CAN NOT VOTE ON TRUTH.
...and JWI's posts DID wear me down ... but to the best I could tell, every word was true. 
The fault was MINE .. not his, that I do not have the patience anymore to be a scholar. 
To more or less quote Alex Guiness playing Dr. Zhivago's policeman brother as he was in the snow watching Dr. Zhivago tear apart someone's fence for firewood "My brother is a much better man than I am, but that does not bother me ... I have killed much better men than I am, with a small pistol.".  If you do not get the philosophy behind that statement .. it means some things are not important ... and some things ARE.
And as far as kids squabbling in the car back seat with  siblings and whining 'are we there yet? ... we are adults with legitimate concerns ...legitimate real world problems .... Hurricane Harvey immediately comes to mind ... and we are told if we do not shut up, Big "Brother" Dad is going to stop the car and throw us outside ... and anyone else with legitimate concerns and complaints that dares disagree with his authority will also have the same fate.
That is an excellent way to keep order, but it is by extortion ... when the siblings  recognize  there is NO process  for the redress of legitimate grievances that exists ... none whatsoever.
Big "Brother" Dad, as always, knows what is best ... to maintain his position.
So ... one adult is treated like a child, and expelled from the car, the other adult siblings are also treated like children, with nothing of value to say ...   and are threatened to be ALSO expelled if we do say it, and some are for that reason! ..... and the grievances  go unanswered.
And the roadside becomes littered with the bodies of legitimate complainers. Dad does stop to paint with a broad brush in white, on both sides of the car "Celestial Chariot", as he grew up in the 50's when men named their cars.
And besides ... he can always get MORE children. He knows that so very well.
In Russian State Orphanages they bind babies in cloth so they cannot move their arms, and when they cry they are ignored. After awhile... they stop crying, because no one ever comes to show them tenderness and love .... and their "Big Brother" sees this as a good thing, because when they grow up, they will make excellent, totally obedient citizens and soldiers. 
It will never occur to them that they are anything else but machines to serve the State.
Sound Familiar?
Here is the quote:
" I told myself it was beneath my dignity to arrest a man for pilfering firewood.
But nothing ordered by the Party is beneath the dignity of any man.
And the Party was right: one man desperate for a bit of fuel is pathetic; five million people desperate for fuel will destroy a city.  That was the first time I ever saw my brother.
But I knew him.
And I knew I would disobey the Party.
Perhaps it was the tie of blood between us, but I doubt it; we were only half-tied anyway, and brothers will betray a brother.
Indeed, as a policeman I would say get hold of a man's brother and you're half-way home.
Nor was it admiration for a better man than me.
I did admire him; but I didn't think he was a better man. Besides, I've executed better men than me with a small pistol. "
                            But nothing ordered by the Party is beneath the dignity of any man.
                                       But nothing ordered by the Party is beneath the dignity of any man.
                                                      But nothing ordered by the Party is beneath the dignity of any man.
                                                                             But nothing ordered by the Party is beneath the dignity of any man.
                                                                                          *
... and therein is where the crime lies.
.
 

This is SO TRUE .... especially in Toontown.