Russell Questioned His Faith

The following statement has been made on a forum concerning Charles Taze Russell:

“Russell questioned his faith at an early age and was uncomfortable with hell and predestination. He bounced around between Presbyterianism, Adventism, and Congregationalism before founding the movement that would become the JW's.”

We are not with the Jehovah's Witnesses, but Russell was right in questioning his faith in the teachings of man. He did especially question those teachings that would depict the Creator as a fiendish demon, as in such doctrines as the supposed indescribable eternal sufferings of billions of men, women, children, infants, etc., who died without believing in Jesus.

Of course, as he pointed out, in his youth, he thought that these teachings were actually a part of the Bible, and thus, believing this, his faith concerning the Bible also came into doubt. However, he learned that the Bible did not teach such blasphemous doctrines as the eternal, indescribable suffering of most of mankind. And he learned that the Bible does teach that Christ died for all, he was right in taking up the Biblical stand for the truth concerning these matters.

Russell also learned the Biblical truths about hell, the condition of the dead, and about the trinity, as well as “the ransom for all,” from others who had become before him. He made no secret of this. Nevertheless, his understanding of these matters did not originate from out of the blue, nor were they simply his own thoughts. It was the proper Biblical understanding of these matters that led him to reaffirm his faith in the Bible, in the God of the Bible, and in Jesus as the Son of God who gave himself a ransom for all.

I doubt that Russell would have ever claimed to have been the founder of the Bible Students movement. At any rate, the Allegheny class existed before Russell became associated with N. H. Barbour, who was a "Second Adventist"; Barbour, however, was not a member of the Seventh-Day Adventists.

Russell, of course, was not the founder of an organization called "Jehovah's Witnesses." He never heard of such an organization; he did not believe in such an organization, nor did he believe the authoritarian claims of that organization. He preached against the formation of such an organization until the day he died. Russell refused to allow himself or the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society to become a "central authority" over the local congregations. Nevertheless, individually, and as congregations, many of the Bible Students may have come to view him or the Watch Tower Society as such. 

We will not, in this post, address all the false claims that are presented in the forum post linked to above. Many of the claims have already been addressed elsewhere. See our resource page:

Charles Taze Russell

-- Ronald R. Day, Sr. - Restoration Light Bible Study Services

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