How Did Charles Taze Russell Contribute To Religion

On February 16th, 1852 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Charles Taze Russell was born to Joseph and Eliza Russell. – AD His father was an owner of a successful general store. When Charles was eleven years old, he became a partner with his dad. Both of his parents were reformed Presbyterians and very religious. His mother especially made sure Charles was well-rounded in Christianity. She even pressured him to become a missionary. When he was eight, his mother passed away. In an effort to evangelize, Russell would write Bible verses in chalk on sidewalks. Also, at sixteen years of age, Russell had a discussion with a childhood friend about the creeds and hypocrisy of the Church, which lead him to wonder the credibility of the Bible and Christianity altogether. Wondering if other faiths had the same problems, he started to look into Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism and Taoism. He came to the conclusion that these faiths lacked the substance he was searching for, which lead him to give up on religion altogether. It was at a presentation held by the famous Adventist preacher, Jonas Wendell that renewed his faith. Wendell revealed the rationality and logical side of …show more content…
The "Bible Students" formed into smaller groups, and still exist in North America, South America, Europe and some African nations. In 1931, “Jehovah’s Witnesses” became the official name given by Rutherford, distinguishing them from the "Bible Students" Russell started. Jehovah's Witnesses still credit Pastor Russell as their founder, but Rutherford was truly their founder. Between 1918 and 1929, independent fellowships formed, including the Dawn Bible Students Association, the Laymen's Home Missionary Movement, the Standfast Movement, and the Pastoral Bible Institute. Some claim to be Russell's true followers while others claim Russell's role is not as important as once