By Ronald R. Day, Sr.
As far as we have been able to determine, she is the first to ever have made such an assertion. We have found no evidence that anyone ever claimed that Russell was a member of the Freemasons while he was alive, nor that he was in support of some kind of Satanic occult practices.
We have not found anything that indicates that there were very many who gave serious attention to Miller's distortions and misrepresentations until several, such as Fritz Springmeier and David Icke, began their conspiracy theory campaigns, based on elaborate and persuasive schemes of distortions and misrepresentations of Russell.
Miller's claim was that Russell was part of a conspiracy of Masons' alleged occult plan to rule the world. In fact, Miller totally misrepresented Russell and what Russell taught in order to make it appear that Russell was indeed some kind of Satanic occultism, a Mason, etc. Indeed, the whole idea that Russell was in some way in support of any imperfect or sinful men ruling the world is totally contrary the central message that Russell spent almost his entire life, energy and fortune in preaching and defending. Those truly familiar with Russell's works would know this, but most people, including most of the JWs and ex-JWs, are NOT actually familiar with Russell's works. Thus, many people could thus be easily swayed by such deceptive tactics as being used by these people who distort what he said or did in order to misrepresent him as being a member of man's Freemason organization, and a believer in spiritism, Satanic occultism, astrology, numerology and many more things that he definitely did not believe in.
Much of what Miller wrote concerning the Bible Students appears to confuse the teachings of Joseph Rutherford with that of the Bible Students; actually, the central message preached by the Bible Students is almost the very opposite of that preached by Joseph Rutherford. By 1928, the vast majority of the Bible Students around the world had rejected Rutherford's gospel related his alleged "Jehovah's organization" dogma. Rutherford named his new group, "Jehovah's Witnesses" in 1931, in order to distinguish his "organization" from the Bible Students who did not believe in such an "organization".
"Russellites"
In the second volume, page 539, of Miller's alleged "research", she starts a chapter entitled,"Russellites or International Bible Students." In reality, anyone who is a "Russellite" would be in contradiction to what Russell taught, and thus in a self-contradiction of beliefs. Russell preached against being a Russellite, believing that one should only follow Christ.
Attracting the Lower Middle Class
"The International Bible Student Movement was founded by Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916) with the object chiefly of attracting the lower middle class intelligentsia of Christian communities such as certain clerical workers, teachers, servants and persons not accessible to direct forms of propaganda. In America the movement has had great influence among the negro element."
This is obviously Miller's own opinion; we do not, however, believe that Russell started the Watch Tower with any motive to attract any particular class, although he did admit that his works were designed for educated Christians and non-Christians who could read and write. In doing so, however, he was not saying that one should not orally preach to those who could not read or write. While the Bible Students have had some influence among the black people in America, not a great many blacks in the Americas have taken an interest in this message. However, Russell's writings against many popular religious views being held among white Christians concerning black people -- such as the false idea that black people are beasts -- may have had an unknown amount of influence related to the treatment of black people. We will also say that the Bible Students movement has had a great influence on many blacks in Africa, but this is not due to any object designed by either Russell or the movement itself.
Forms of Propaganda
We are not sure what is meant by Miller's statement regarding "persons not accessible to direct forms of propaganda." Does anyone have any suggestions?
Arbitrary Conclusions
Miller states:
"The Russellite teaching, drawing its own arbitrary conclusions and proclaiming them as final, professes to prove from Biblical sources that all Christian churches are evil and corrupt, that the time of the Gentiles ended in 1914, and that the Jews must henceforth reign supreme over the world."
We can hardly call the extensive scriptural study of Russell's conclusions as being "arbitrary". Our own belief is that the Biblical evidence to us is great, if not overwhelming, that the Gentile Times did end in 1914. Like Brother Russell, however, we are not dogmatic about this, and certainly do not reject a fellow believer in Christ for not accepting this conclusion.
For various views and conclusions among the Bible Students regarding chronology and time prophecies, one may see:
https://prophecy-rlbible.blogspot.com/p/chronology.html
Proclaiming Conclusions as Final
Charles Taze Russell definitely never claimed that his conclusions were final; indeed, he over and over stated the possibility that he could be wrong, especially as related to Bible chronology and Bible time prophecies. He believed that the Bible was right, whether his conclusions regarding the Bible were correct or not. He never assumed authority over fellow believers so as to claim that all had to accept his conclusions. We would say that most Bible Students today follow this same line of reasoning, although there may have been some among the Bible Students who have displayed similar sectarian reasoning as Rutherford did.
However, Miller may have been referring to Rutherford's conclusions, or she may have been confusing Rutherford with Russell. Rutherford was indeed dogmatic, demanding that all had to accept his conclusions, or possibly go into the second death. Rutherford, in effect, separated his group from the Bible Students movement and led his followers away from the Bible Students.
Jews Must Henceforth Reign Supreme
We do not know of any of the Bible Students that teach that "the Jews must henceforth reign supreme over the world." We did some digital searches using the Bible Students Library software but could find nothing that says anything like this. We did find some statements concerning love reigning supreme and that presently evil reigns supreme, etc., but nothing related to the Jews reigning supreme. We searched for "over the world" and got zero results in all that is contained in the library, version 3.
https://herald-magazine.com/bible-student-library/
Brother Russell, before 1914 had arrived, did believe that Jesus would begin the earthly phase of the kingdom in Jerusalem in 1914 or shortly after. Obviously, Jesus still has not set up the earthly phase of kingdom. We ourselves do not see that this can happen until after Jesus throws Satan into the abyss so that the gentiles (nations) will no longer be under his deceptions. -- Revelation 20:3.
Miller, however, appears to be leaving the impression that the Bible Students are saying that the Jews must rule the earth without Christ. Russell himself did not believe such. Only Christ will have supreme rule over the world. He believed that any human rulership of the age to come must be under the righteous control of Jesus, to whom the Father has given all authority to judge.
The book claims that Russell "elaborates an occult dogma alleged to be based on biblical precedents."
The word "occult" can take on different shades of meaning. Russell did not believe in any form of occult magic, astrology, spiritism, etc., nor did he believe in any system claiming use or knowledge of secret or supernatural powers or agencies that are not of God, and or the Bible. Russell was definitely actually non-dogmatic about his beliefs beyond the fundamental Biblical beliefs. The only "occult" or secret dogma that Russell advocated was that God sent Jesus, that Jesus died for the world of mankind, and that God raised Jesus on the third day. -- Isaiah 61:1,2; John 4:42; 6:51; 17:1,3; Romans 5:12-19; 10:9; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22; 1 John 2:2; 4:14.
Russell did speak of the church spoken of in the Bible as being a "secret society." In doing this, he was not saying that the Bible Students are part of any of man's secret societies.
http://mostholyfaith.com/Beta/bible/CRS/1906.asp#CR9:1
In speaking of the church itself as being secret society, he was not speaking of the Bible Students Association as being a secret society, nor was he speaking of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society as being a secret society. One has to understand his views related to what constitutes the true church.
The book appears to distort Russell's undogmatic views of Revelation as being in some way proof that he was connected to the Masons and/or the Occult.
Practically all of the Protestant reformers connected Papacy with Babylon the Great. If one uses this claim that Russell was in some way connected with the Masons or the Occult, then, if one is consistent, the same would apply to nearly all of the Protestant reformers who have done the same. Russell, however, did not just point to the Papacy, but to all sectarianism, as being Babylon. He condemned such sectarianism as being unscriptural, but this does not mean that he was condemning the people of any those sectarian systems to some kind of eternal doom (as did Rutherford). Russell did believe that such sectarianism will not be allowed in the age to come, and thus that the destruction of Babylon (sectarianism) would eventually free all from such sectarian bondage, and thus that Christianity would eventually prove to be victorious. The Dawn printed a booklet that may be helpful along this line, entitled, "God and Reason":
http://www.dawnbible.com/booklets/reason.htm
Miller claims that Russell "predicts that, under the visible rulership of the Ancient Worthies (The Jewish Sanhedrin), those Gentiles who still believe in Christ will acknowledge his reign as an invisible one while submitting as Christians to all the hardships these Jewish lords might choose to put upon them."
We have found no place where Brother Russell ever spoke of the ancient worthies as being the "Jewish Sanhedrin." Miller may have really believed this false assumption concerning Russell, although we have no idea where she would get such an idea, except that she would be writing under the influence of Satan, who is the father of lies. (John 8:44) This idea is evidently designed to create a false impression that Russell promoted the idea that the world was to be ruled by evil Jewish men. Miller leaves out the Russell believed that the world is to be ruled by Jesus and those who are joint-heirs with Jesus in the heavenly phase of the Kingdom, and that this is all in accord with God the heavenly father's purpose to bless all families of the earth. Such rulership would not in any way be evil, but according to God's righteous standards. In that day, the world will learn righteousness (Isaiah 2:2-4; 26:9; 1 Peter 1:13), as opposed to the evil of the present age. (Galatians 1:4; 2 Timothy 3:13) Russell believed that, due to the righteous rulership of Jesus and the joint-heirs, the faithful ones of old, such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Moses, etc., will be raised and these will become princes (rulers) under the Heavenly rulership (Jesus and the joint-heirs). It was these that he referred to as the "ancient worthies." They will not rule apart from the righteous and just rulership of Jesus, and all will be to the glory of the God and Father of Jesus! The entire arrangement of that kingdom is for the benevolent blessing of all families of the earth!!!!!!! And what a blessing that will be for all mankind, for Satan will no longer be around to promote his evil deceptions. (Revelation 20:3) Russell in no way promoted any idea the world was to be placed into any men who are not in harmony with God's righteousness. Brother Russell actually gave a tremendously wonderful hope for mankind beyond the time of trouble in his message that all families of the earth will be blessed through Jesus and the glorified church.
The book, The Finished Mystery, although it is still being advertised as being written by Charles Taze Russell, was not actually written by Russell, and does not always reflect what Russell taught and believed. This book definitely cannot be trusted to truly reflect what he taught.
Miller's lack of proper research is shown in her statement: "The present head of this movement is John Rutherford." John Rutherford was not associated with the Jehovah's Witnesses organization at all; he definitely was not the head of that "movement" (actually organization), nor was he the head of the Bible Students movement. John Rutherford (father of Adam Rutherford, author of a series of volumes entitled Pyramidology) may have been associated with the Bible Students, but definitely, he was not the head of the Bible Students movement. We suspect that Miller was confusing John Rutherford with Joseph Rutherford, who created the Jehovah's Witnesses organization.
(More may be added later, God willing.)
See also: Charles Taze Russell
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