(Question #15) Since the Jehovah’s Witness organization currently rejects most of the teachings of its founder Charles Taze Russell (who was president of the organization from 1879-1916), and since they also reject “Judge” Joseph Franklin Rutherford, who succeeded Russell as president from 1916 – 1942, how can we be sure that in 25 more years, Jehovah’s Witnesses won’t also reject the current president, Milton G. Henschel (1992 – present), as they did Russell and Rutherford?
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The questioner seems to be profoundly ignorant on many levels.
The truth is, as far as the core doctrines are concerned Jehovah’s Witnesses still believe and teach what Charles Taze Russell and the International Bible Students believed and taught. Whatever changes have occurred over the past 14 decades has mostly been related to interpretations of prophecy.
Ironically, the most serious problem afflicting the organization today is that the leadership has not rejected the nonsensical teachings handed down from the Society’s former presidents.
For example, consider the prophecy of Joel. According to Rutherford the locust plague that devastates the world symbolizes Jehovah’s Witnesses. Supposedly, the ministry of Jehovah’s Witnesses has devoured and scorched Christendom’s fertile fields and caused the clergy to howl and weep and beg Jehovah for relief. For more than 80 years the Watchtower has recycled this nonsensical drivel. To demonstrate the point, as recently as 2008 the Watchtower likened Jehovah’s Witnesses to the locusts of Joel. The article even exhorts us to read the 2nd chapter of Joel. But if we actually consider the prophecy we could not fail to notice that Jehovah intervenes to destroy the invading pests. Too bad for Jehovah’s Witnesses!
