The Skull and Bones Society and C. T. Russell

There have been many false statements being made concerning Charles Taze Russell and the "Skull and Bones" Society. Some have even claimed that CT Russell was the "founder of the Skull and Bones"; most endeavor by various imaginary lines to in some vague manner connect Russell with that Society. The goal is to make it appear that Russell was in some way a leader in an alleged Satanic Illuminati plot to take over the world. Thus, it is usually also falsely claimed that Russell was a 33rd Degree Freemason, and that he was the founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses religion.

The false argument, is, in effect, that CT Russell was the member of some alleged Illuminati bloodline that was controlled by the Jesuits. Evidently, it is being assumed that anyone of this bloodline cannot be saved by the blood of Jesus. As yet we have not found any statement as to how one who is alleged to be of such a bloodline could not become be covered by the blood of Jesus. Russell showed from the Bible how those creeds were in conflict with the Bible. CT Russell certainly demonstrated by his life and works that he was a believer in the blood of Jesus. As to his being a 33rd Degree Freemason, one has to accept the trinitarian creeds in order to be a member of the Knights Templar. It would be totally nonsensical to think that a man would spend most of his time, money and energy sabotaging that which he is being alleged to have been secretly supporting, and yet, evidently, according to the statements we have read by various authors, Russell was covering up what he was secretly supporting by spend most of his time, money and energy in sabotaging what he was supposed to be secretly supporting.

Most who speak of Russell as being connected with the "Skull and Bones" Society usually only hint at such a connection, claiming, for instance, that Russell was of the same bloodline as the founder of that Society. From Wikipedia, we find the following information concerning the Skull and Bones Society:

Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class "landed societies" at Yale.

The society's alumni organization, which owns the society's real property and oversees the organization, is the Russell Trust Association, named for William Huntington Russell, who co-founded Skull and Bones with classmate Alphonso Taft. The Russell Trust was founded by Russell and Daniel Coit Gilman, member of Skull and Bones and later president of the University of California, first president of Johns Hopkins University, and the founding president of the Carnegie Institution.

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Skull and Bones was founded in 1832 after a dispute among Yale's debating societies, Linonia, Brothers in Unity, and the Calliopean Society, over that season's Phi Beta Kappa awards; its original name was "the Order of Skull and Bones."

Note that the "Skull and Bones" was founded in the year 1832. Note also its connection with Yale University.

Now note that Charles Taze Russell was not even alive in the year 1832; CT Russell was born in 1852, twenty years later. He certainly was not the founder of a society twenty years before he was born. Nor have we found any evidence that CT Russell ever set foot in the Yale University, or that he even knew that such a Society as "Skull and Bones" existed. There is no link at all between CT Russell and the Skull and Bones, except that one of the Founders of Skull and Bones had the last name of "Russell". We have found no evidence that CT Russell knew of or was of any near relationship to William Huntington Russell. Some have erroneously claimed that WH Russell was the uncle of CT Russell; this would have meant that WH Russell would have been the brother of CT Russell's father, Joseph Lytel Russell. CT Russell's father, however, had no brother by the name of William Huntington Russell.

It appears that those who hate the glad tidings that Russell actually preached continue to use the spirit of human imagination so as to keep coming up with more and more false accusations to make concerning Russell in order to prove by what they are imagining: that Russell was a member of the Freemasons, an Illuminati, etc. In reality, we believe that Russell's works give overwhelming testimony that Russell was not involved in any kind of "secret society", such as the Skull and Bones.

One has replied to the above:

Look at his gravestone and monument in the masonic cemetery. He was a mason and his uncle William did found the skull and bones society. Hardly surprising really for a cult that lets it's children bleed to death.
Also worth noting that their Bible was translated by a self confessed Satanist and they take turns in refusing the body and blood of Christ in a ceremony identical to that of the church of Satan.

Evidently, the "monument" being referred to is the pyramid replica that Rutherford authroized to be constructed, not in a "masonic cemetery", but in the Rosemont United Cemeteries. That cemetery is definitely not a Masonic cemetery. The pyramid monument is not Russell's gravestone,  For more information see the links provided on our reference page concerning Russell's Grave.

"He was a mason"

We definitely have seen nothing at all (except for a lot of imaginative assumptions, distortions, and false statements) that give any evidence that Charles Taze Russell lied when he said regarding man's Freemson organization, "I have never been a Mason." For more information see the links provided on our reference page concerning Russell and the Freemasons.

Regarding the supposed idea that an uncle of Russell was the founder of "Skull and Bones Society", the real fact is that none of Russell's uncles was the founder of that society. Nevertheless, even if one of Russell's uncles had been the founder of the Skull and Bones Society, it would have no bearing at all concerning Russel''s service to God and Jesus. Nevertheless, Brother Russell's father, Joseph Lytle Russell, had no brother by the name of William.

As to the idea a cult that 'lets its children bleed to death': Charles Taze Russell was not associated with any cult that lets its children bleed to death. We are supposing this is actually referring the Jehovah Witnesses and their no-blood transfusion policy. Russell was never a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses, and he had nothing to do with such an idea.

Regarding the idea of "their Bible", evidently referring to the New World Translation of the Jehovah's Witnesses: Although this actually has nothing to do with Russell or ourselves, we do know that the Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation was not translated by "Satanists", although we do believe that the construction of the JW organization is one of the works of Satan and his demons.

Also, the idea that "they take turns in refusing the body and blood of Christ" is evidently referring to the Jehovah's Witnesses, not to Russell or ourselves.

Ronald R. Day, Sr. (Restoration Light Bible Study Services: ResLight, RLBible)

Originally published: May 11, 2012; updated: March 20, 2014, April 24,2017, September 18, 2019; February 2023.
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