A Truth Presented by Satan - Did Russell Condone Using the Occult?

Many take a quote from Russell's short article, "What is Truth?" and use it to claim that Russell accepted Satan's lies as being truth, and/or that he was supporting the occult, spiritism, etc. Did Russell say that he would accept Satan's lies? Did he say anything that means that he condoned the occult? If one reads actually reads what he said, it becomes apparent that he was not saying such. Indeed, in many of his writings and sermons he often warned of being deceived by Satan's lies and deceptions.

One who misrepresents Russell regarding this is John Ankerberg. We are addressing some of the things stated in the article, "The Pagan Roots of Jehovah's Witnesses." We are not with the Jehovah's Witnesses, but, we do appreciate the work of Charles Taze Russell, who was never a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

First, we should note that the article mispresents Russell as the founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses. . Russell was never a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Russell preached against such an organization and he also preached against the kind of message that the Jehovah's Witnesses present. See Russell Versus Jehovah's Witnesses

The article presents an inaccurate statement about The Watchtower of July 15, l950, page 212. The author of what is stated there evidently did not do much research, and misrepresented Russell as "hungrily ... investigating the heathen religions in search of the truth on God’s purpose and man’s destiny." Russell did report of how he, believing that the Bible taught that most of the people who have ever lived are now in eternal flames of torment, did turn to various eastern religions to see if they offered anything better. Russell never said that he "hungrily" did this; his report simply shows that he found nothing satisfactory in that search.

Based on an inaccurate statement presented as being from a 1950 Watchtower, the article states concerning Russell:

He knew so little of the Christian faith and what the Bible taught that an “infidel” drove him into skepticism. Not only that, he filled his mind with pagan, occult beliefs before returning as an obviously last choice to the Bible.

The wording again misrepresents Russell, and what actually happened. Russell actually rejected the pagan/occult beliefs as being unreasonable, so he did not fill his mind with pagan, occult beliefs as claimed. Before he discussed matters with the infidel, he actually thought that what man's creeds and dogma taught was what the Bible taught. He, like many others, was well acquainted with the Bible, but had been, in effect, trained to view the Bible through the lens of man's dogma. When he was about 16 years old, he encountered an infidel who actually upset Russell's belief in what he at that time thought was the actual teaching of the Bible. He later found out that what is taught by man's creeds is actually not in harmony with the Bible.

Russell stated: "Thinking that we had already examined the Bible sufficiently, we turned our attention to heathen religions, only to find them less rational in some respects, though less fiendish, than our own creeds. Evidently, the most intelligent peoples have been the most thoroughly seduced by Satan and his doctrines of demons, into believing the most horrible things respecting the Creator and His purposes toward His human creatures. -- Watch Tower, December 15, 1914, page 377. 

And he said:

So that even when I had thrown away my Bible, when I did not know its value, I got to looking for a Bible somewhere and I searched amongst all the heathen religions to see if I could find one any better than the one I had thrown away, and I found nothing nearly as rational, nearly as reasonable, as the Bible when I understood it. -- What Pastor Russell Said, Q197:1.

Rather than filling his mind with pagan, occult beliefs, he found nothing satisfactory in those beliefs.

The following is stated concerning Charles Taze Russell

Truth: “A truth presented by Satan himself is just as true as a truth stated by God. . . . Accept truth wherever you find it, no matter what it contradicts” (WT 7/1879, pp. 8-9).

http://mostholyfaith.com/Beta/bible/Reprints/Z1879JUL.asp#Z3:2

This quotation is from Russell, and there is nothing at all wrong with what Russell stated. It does not mean that Russell used Satan as a basis for truth, or that he sought truth from Satan. Such a thought has to be imagined beyond what Russell said and read into what he stated. Nevertheless, we find this quote being spread by many on various sites, in forums, in videos, etc., evidently with the object of making it appear that Brother Russell was supporting forms of Satanism, demonism, occultism, spiritism, etc. However, the quote is taken out of context with the evidently design to mislead people regarding what Russell actually saying. Some appear to quote this with the idea that Russell was willing to accept the lies of Satan, although what he stated actually says the opposite. Let us look at the entire article so as to see what Russell was speaking of in context:

"WHAT IS TRUTH?"

This question is one which every sincere Christian should ask and seek to answer. We should learn to love and value truth for its own sake; to respect and honor it by owning and acknowledging it wherever we find it and by whomsoever presented. A truth presented by Satan himself is just as true as a truth stated by God.

Perhaps no class of people are more apt to overlook this fact than the Christian. How often do they in controversy overlook and ignore truth presented by their opponents. This is particularly the case when arguing with an infidel. They feel at perfect liberty to dispute everything he says on religious subjects. This is not the correct principle. Many infidels are honest–as anxious to speak and believe the truth as are Christians–and if in converse with them we ignore truths which they may advance, we not only fail to convince them of our truths, but put an end to all hope of reaching them; for our failure to admit the evident truth which they advance begets in them contempt for the one who is not honest enough to admit one truth because he does not see how it can be reconciled to another. Accept truth wherever you find it, no matter what it contradicts, and rely for ability to afterwards harmonize it with others upon “The Spirit of truth, which shall guide you into all truth,” as Jesus promised.|

Truth, like a modest little flower in the wilderness of life, is surrounded and almost choked by the luxuriant growth of the weeds of error. If you would find it you must be ever on the lookout. If you would see its beauty you must brush aside the weeds of error and the brambles of bigotry. If you would possess it you must stoop to get it.

Be not content with one flower of truth. Had one been sufficient there would have been no more. Gather ever, seek for more.

Weave them together as a garland – "Bind them on thee as a bride doeth." "Bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: so shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man." Prov. 3:3.

Thus, if one approaches this with an honest heart, one will realize what Russell was saying. We should remember that the word Satan means "adversary", especially as being in opposition to Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and Jesus, the Messiah sent by Jehovah. Nevertheless, Satan is also the adversary of the child of God. (1 Peter 5:8) Russell was likening the infidels who are being used by Satan to oppose the truths of the Bible as though they were Satan; Jesus did something similar when he called the apostle Peter “Satan”. (Matthew 16:23; Mark 8:33) Peter, of course, was not literally Satan, but he was imitating Satan by speaking what is false and attempting to persuade Jesus to take a course contrary to that which Jesus knew God wanted him to take. Likewise, the infidels who reject the creative account of the Bible may present a lot of truths in what they say, although they may misrepresent those truths to promote what is not true.

Likewise, if Satan or his demons speak a truth, it is still true regardless of their purposes for stating the truth. Otherwise, the stated truth would be a lie simply because of who stated it, which is self-contradictory. If something is actually "true", it cannot at the same time actually be a "lie".

Nevertheless, the implication of putting the quote from Russell on the site appears to be to imply that  absolutely everything Satan says is a lie and thus, Satan cannot speak one sentence without everything in that sentence being a lie. In the context of what Russell was saying, it would mean that every word and every sentence spoken by any infidel, even if it is true, has to be a lie because of who said it. Such an idea, if extended to the demons over whom Satan is prince, then the demons lied when they called Jesus: “the son of God,” and “Son of the Most High.” (Matthew 8:29; Mark 3:11; Luke 1:32; 4:41; 8:48) Thus, if they cannot tell the truth at all, then we should believe that it is a lie to say that Jesus is the “Son of God,” or that Jesus is the “Son of the Most High.”

In Job 1:7, we read:

Job 1:7 - And Jehovah said to Satan, From where have you come? And Satan answered Jehovah and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

 -- Green's Literal Translation. 

Did Satan lie to Jehovah by saying that he had been going back and forth in the earth, etc.? We have no reason to think that he did so.

But someone may ask: Didn’t Jesus say concerning Satan that “there is no truth in him?” — John 8:44, Word English.

A literal word-for-word rendering of John 8:44 would be: "You out the father the devil you are and the desires of the father of you are willing to be doing. That man-killer was from beginning, and in the truth not he has stood, because not is truth in him. Out of the own he is speaking, because liar he is and the father of it." -- Westcott & Hort Interlinear rendering without the added words in parentheses.

Jesus first referred to "the truth", not just "truth" in general. (John 8:32,40,44) Obviously, Jesus was not speaking of absolutely all truth, but "the truth" that he himself had come to declare. (John 1:18; 14:6; 18:37) Thus, in speaking of truth as not being Satan, Jesus was not speaking of absolutely all truth, but the truth as related to himself and to his God and the divine purposes and plans. We don’t believe that it was Jesus' intent to say that Satan can never tell a truth at all, any more than he meant that those Jewish leaders to whom he spoke could never tell a truth. We have no reason to think that Satan lied to Jehovah when he spoke the words recorded in Job 1:7. However, many times when Satan tells us a truth, it is framed in a setting of a lie, as in Genesis 3:5. By such methods, he misrepresents the truth that he states with a lie.

Nevertheless, the quote from Russell, taken out of context, has been spread to many sites, publications, and videos, and often quoted in a context to make it appear that Russell accepted occultism, Satanism, astrology, demonism, spiritism, and many other things. The obvious motive is to misrepresent Russell by leaving the impression that Russell believed that what Satan says is “the truth,” which is again far from Russell’s intent in his statement. Russell’s works attest of his view concerning Satan, that he was a liar, and the father of the lie, as Jesus said. 

For links regarding:

Russell and the Occult - The studies linked include many of Russell's own writings concerning Satan and the occult.

Photo of Russell colorized by pallette.fm,