Det der er interessant er, at den gruppe af 5 oprindelige Bibelstudenter i Allegheny var William Henry og hustru Sarah Conley de to af disse og Joadph russell og datter Margaret og søn Charles Taze Russell de andre tre.
De havde åbenbart mødtes i den sidste del af 1860erne begyndelsen af 1870erne i den lokale Advent Chstisian Church hvor Adventist Jonas Wendelle, George Stetson og George Storrs.
På dette tidspunkt begyndte de to familier Conleys og Russells at mødes i Conleys hjem.
Hver for sig arbejdede de med henholdsvis fabrikation af maskiner og for Russels vedkommende herreekvipering.
Historien fortælle en noget anden historie end den Jehovas Vidner almindeligvis fortæller og det hænger sammen med, at der på den tid var en mærkelig forventning om, at Jesus ville komme tilbage til jorden og at Harmageddon ville komme.
Disse prædikanter, Jonas Wendell and Nelson Barbour var åbenbart lidt for tidligt ude og der kom et brud mellem dem alle.
Charles Taze Russell fortsatte din tankegang som han havde skrevet om i bogen "Food For Thinking Christians" hvor han havde fordsagt Jesu tilbagevenden til jorden i 1878 og 1881 som begge viste sig, at være forkerte. Derfor skildtes Russell og Conley. Ikke som venner, skønt Conley forsøgte at bevare en form for venlig kontakt, men nærmest som konkurrenter.
Det der var foregået var, at når Russell ”gav bort Wagttårnet og anden litteratur gratis (til Herrens fattige), var det der med gratis i citationstegn.
Det er da klart, at når man investere penge i et firma, som skal give væk alt ting så får det en ende en skønne dag uanset om man arbejder nok så meget gratis.
Men det var heller ikke tilfældet. Pengene begyndte at komme ind i denne smarte konstruktion. Nu skal du se hvorledes. Jeg siger ikke, at man ikke har lov at gøre som man vil. Jeg siger heller ikke, at det er ulovligt, men jeg fortælle kun hvorledes det hænger sammen.
Altså når Bibelen siger, at (Mattæus Evangeliet Kap. 6) ”………….. I ikke viser jeres retfærdighed for øjnene af mennesker for at blive set af dem, for så får I ingen løn hos jeres fader, som er i himlene.
Når du giver almisse, må din venstre hånd ikke vide, hvad din højre gør, v4 for at din almisse kan gives i det skjulte. Og din fader, som ser i det skjulte, skal lønne dig.” Citat slut.
Altså, ”……lad ikke din venstre hånd vide, hvad din højre hånd gør”. Det harde Charles Taze Russell forstået helt rigtigt.
Al den litteratur der blev ”bortgivet” blev ”bortgivet” gennem selskabet Watch Tower Society, altså ikke Tower Publishing Company.
Betalingen (for der er intet i denne verden der er gratis, ikke engang den luft du indånder som vi betaler co2 afgifter for i dag) så, betalingen foregik på den måde, at de ”gratis /frivillige” bidrag der indkom til Watch Tower Society, brugtes til at betale Tower Publishing Company.
Husk nu på, at jeg siger ikke det er ulovligt og at de ikke måtte eller kunne gøre som de vil. Jeg siger blot hvordan man fiskede det.
Du kan nok forstå, at senere når vi taler om store penge, så betyder de noget.
Imidlertid var Charles Taze Russell ikke en mand der sådan er dum eller uklog og da ægteskabelige problemer begynder at fylde for meget, beslutter Russell altså at overdrage hans private business Tower Publishing Company til Vagttårnselskabet. (Watch Tower Societ) 1884
http://www.freeminds.org/history/russellnotfirst.htm
Her bliver ”historien” bekræftet af selveste den person, som betroet medarbejder i Vagttårnet i Brooklyn New York havde fået overdraget ”nøglen” til arkiverne i kælderen på deres hovedbygning i Bethel. ”Treasury Dept. at 25 Columbia Heights in Brooklyn”.
Barbara Anderson.
Great material on Conley, West70. When I was researching for the Proclaimer's book, I had GB permission to go anywhere in Bethel to search for Watchtower historical or archival material.
During one research expedition, I made an extraordinary find, that of the first accounts book of the Watch Tower Association, established in 1881.
I found the book buried in old files which were in file cabinets located in the concrete vault in the middle of the Treasury Dept. at 25 Columbia Heights in Brooklyn.
And nobody in Bethel knew it was there. And the dead don't tell tales! It is a small red cardboard-covered spiral notebook. On the backside of the cardboard cover was a folded sheet which had been glued there. When I opened the cover and unfolded the sheet, I saw the first charter of the WT Society.
It probably hadn't seen the light of day in many, many decades. The charter was handwritten in beautiful script. Later, when I compared the handwritings of people in the early Bible Student group,
I found that it was Maria Russell who penned the charter. It was a thrilling discovery and really took the men, who were working on the Proclaimer's book, by surprise. Nobody, and I'll say it again, Nobody knew that Conley was the first president of the Watchtower Society.
The book also revealed that Joseph Russell, C.T. Russell's father, was the vice-president, and C. T. was secretary-treasurer.
The positions were attained by buying shares and the person who purchased the most shares at $10.00 per share became president, etc. I think Conley purchased $3,500 or $4,000 worth of shares, but I just can't trust my memory. However, I'm certain that Joseph Russell bought $1,000 worth of shares, or 100 shares because I verified that information through another source. And I think C. T. Russell bought 50 shares or $500.worth of shares, but don't quote me on that. The accounts book was only in my hand for a short period of time and in the excitement I didn't reopen the book to take a second look but took it directly to Karl Adams in the Writing Department.
One thing for sure, in 1884, C. T. Russell owned the most shares when he and Mrs. Russell chartered the new Pennsylvania corporation because he became president.
During my last day at work before I permanently left Bethel, David Iannelli, a senior writer, came up to me to say goodbye.
He thanked me for my work with the Writing Department and said I should be very proud because if it wasn't for my research, nobody would have known that C. T. Russell was not the first president of the Watchtower Association, rather Conley was.
I certainly was happy to have discovered that and many other historical facts previously not known by the modern-day group of JWs. But the happiness was fleeting because it was about a year later that I began to learn the facts about the Watchtower's sexual child abuse cover-up and every good thing I thought I had accomplished in "God's" organization became as nothing in my eyes.
Barbara
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/99745/1/To-Barbara-Anderson-Re-First-WatchTower-President
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Jeg vil bede de Jehovas Vidner der ser dette om at huske på, at enhver kan gøre hvad man vil og det kan Jehovas Vidner også.
Jehovas Vidner har lov at starte alle de firmaer de har lyst til og sælge ethvert produkt eller dims de har lyst til, til enhver pris det passer dem / jer.
Der er altså ikke noget forkert i, at den første President for Vagttårnet var William Henry Conley og der er heller ikke noget ”galt” i, at han og Charles Taze Russell blev ”uvenner” og der er heller ikke noget ”forkert” i (uden, at det er sørgeligt) at Charles Taze Russell bliver skilt og forsøger, at bevare sine penge i sit nye selskab.
Jeg mener, at man skal da kunne tale åbent om disse ”historiske” ting idet det kaster lys over hvem Jehovas Vidner egentligt talt er.
Venlig hilsen
Ven af Sandheden.