Misunderstandings concerning C.T. Russell

From one of our previous writings for the bible researchers Association, Bijbelvorsers, Vereniging voor Bijbelstudie,  we love to reprint this article before it would become lost. We first placed it on March 4, 2011 at 3:11 pm.

Bible Students Founder C.T. Russell Shaking HandsThat on the Internet and in the belief world there are a lot of misunderstandings concerning the position of Charles Taze Russell is confirmed by several responses of people and organizations.

In Founders of the Witnesses of Jehovah you can see among others this wrong concept that Russell would have been the founder of the Witnesses of Jehovah. This has been fed by certain groupings which yes or no consciously found oneself to send this wrong information in the air.

In that article also the openness of Russell compared with other believers is quoted. Because he had contact with several serious Bible research workers and was active in different studies, a picture was created as if he would be linked also with that or another organization.

Sometimes he met with people of the Second Adventists which had no leader. But some took the conclusion from that, that he maintained contacts with complete another movement, namely with the Seventh day Adventists.

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a Dutch version / een Nederlandse versie: Misvattingen over C.T.Russell

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  • 10 Things You Never Knew About Jehovah’s Witnesses (listverse.com)
    The modern day Jehovah’s Witnesses (known most commonly for their door-to-door evangelizing work) have been around since the late 1800s. It was around that time that a Bible study group based in Pennsylvania began analyzing, comparing, and dissecting Biblical scripture only to arrive at conclusions not taught by the majority of mainstream Christian religions. This group used zealous proselytizing to spread their scriptural discoveries. They also used their hope for the future that they gathered from the Bible to spread their beliefs across the US. Eventually, they spread their message into many different countries. Though they are currently based in hundreds of lands around the globe, the general populace knows relatively little about this far-flung faith.
  • Lebanon: Situation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, including treatment by society and authorities; state protection available in cases of discrimination or mistreatment (2006-November 2013) (refworld.org)
    Media sources indicate that, as far as the Lebanese government is concerned, Jehovah’s Witnesses is neither a registered organization nor an officially recognized religion (Los Angeles Times 17 Apr. 2010; NOW Lebanon 16 Nov. 2008). In its submission to the UN Universal Period Review (UPR), the working group of the UN Human Rights Council indicated that Jehovah’s Witnesses are considered by Lebanese religious authorities as “‘outlawed'” (Dec. 2010). In 2010, the European Association of Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses (EAJCW) stated in their submission to the UPR that on 27 January 1971, the Lebanese Council of Ministers banned Jehovah’s Witnesses in Lebanon based on the “charge that ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses are inspired by International Zionism'” (EAJCW 26 Mar. 2010). The EAJCW added in the same 2010 report that the 1971 ban was still in force (ibid.).The ban does not allow Jehovah’s Witnesses “to import religious literature, publicly share their beliefs, and have Christian meetings for worship in Kingdom Halls (places of worship of Jehovah’s Witnesses)” (ibid.). The US Department of State International Religious Freedom Report indicates that in Lebanon, “[f]ormal recognition is a legal requirement for religious groups to conduct most religious activities” (2012, 3). However, sources indicate that unrecognized religions may operate and assemble (Cumorah n.d.c; NOW Lebanon 16 Nov. 2008). Similarly, the US International Religious Freedom Report says that unrecognized religious groups “are permitted to perform their religious rites freely” (2012, 4).