The Watchtower & The Masons

18 _ THE WATCHTOWER & THE MASONS _____ Catholics and Protestants equally. There does seem then to be some justification,to see his anti-Catholic behavior as more than simply a doctrinal disagreement.

This is displayed in Russell's World Tour. Russell seems to have connections to people he'd never met. Masonic connections- Masonic help? At any rate, Russell concludes at the end of a world tour that there was no market for his message in Catholic countries. He felt his message could be marketed in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Scandinavia39 (which by then Scandinavia had a strong Masonic membership, remember that King Gustavus V of Sweden was Grand Master of Sweden, and King Edward VII of England was at one point the Grand Master of England's Freemasons.)40 If Russell really believed in his message and that God was behind him, why did he feel heathens would come more readily than Catholics to his message? Now if the Masons were supporting him, this might offer an explanation that would make this more understandable.

Russell claimed to have spent the two years after he rejected the Congregational Church studying Eastern religions. In one sermon, he lists several like Buddhism, but adds that there were others. The author has read much of what Russell wrote and said, and has yet to see evidence of indepth knowledge on the part of Russell toward Buddhism, Hinduism, or Islam. This author theorizes that the Eastern religions he studied most were likely those that the Masonic Eastern Star would study, such as the study of the Egyptian and Middle East paganism that is so important to Masonry.

Russell and his followers held meetings during the 190607 time period at the Eastern Star's Temple on Sunday nights at 7:30.41 By the way, men do join and lead the Order of the NOTES __________ 39 Harrison, Barbara G. Visions of Glory. p. 127 which she indicates is quotation of WT, 1914, pp 326-27. Obviously, Russell is referring to the northern Irish counties, because the southern counties were Catholic.

40 Ferguson, Charles W. 50 Million Brothers, p.20-33 41 A 1906 Watchtower tract on Spiritism provided the meeting time and place.