What do Jehovah's Witnesses think about Charles Taze Russell's involvement with the Freemasons?

Answer 1

One Perspective:

If you ask a JW about Charles Taze Russel and his involvement with the Masons, you will likely get an attempt to re-direct the conversation. JW's are not proud of their leader's alleged involvement with the Masons. They put it off to ignorance of the "occult" factor of the Masons and various other reasons. If you present one with the facts about Russell and his involvement, or his obsession with numerology, you will be classified as a "goat" or, if you are an active JW, you will be classified as an "apostate" and promptly kicked out of the organization. Bottom line is, JW's try to NOT talk about Russell in any way, due to his failed prophesy and his many practices that are shunned by witnesses today. Anything that questions their existing beliefs or the beliefs of any of their founders is considered suspicious and to be avoided at all costs.

Another Perspective:

There is no credible evidence that Charles Taze Russell, first President of the Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower Society, was a mason.

Freemasonry is a fraternal organization with an estimated membership of approximately five million. Freemasonry is neither a religion nor a substitute for one (its members may or may not believe in a "Supreme Being") and due to its somewhat "secret" nature, a number of prominent individuals have been linked to freemasonry, from Sir Francis Bacon to President Obama. Russell is not mentioned in any Masonic reference works, no Freemason society (lodge) has identified him as a member and in a public address given by Russell in San Francisco, in 1913 he stated categorically, ""I have never been a Mason."