President Eisenhower Raised as Jehovah's Witness

[CrackSmokeRepublican]

http://www.adherents.com/people/pe/Dwig ... hower.html

From: "Dwight D. Eisenhower" article on Wikipedia.com website (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower; viewed 1 December 2005):

    Eisenhower's family originally belonged to the local River Brethren sect of the Mennonites. However, when Ike was five years old, his parents became followers of the WatchTower Society, whose members later took the name Jehovah's Witnesses. The Eisenhower home served as the local WatchTower meeting Hall from 1896 to 1915, when Eisenhower's father stopped regularly associating due to the WatchTower's failed prophesies that Armageddon would occur in October 1914 and 1915. Ike's father received a WatchTower funeral when he died in the 1940s. Ike's mother continued as an active Jehovah's Witness until her death. Ike and his brothers also stopped associating regularly after 1915. Ike enjoyed a close relationship with his mother throughout their lifetimes, and he even used a WatchTower printed Bible for his second Presidential Inauguration. In later years, Eisenhower was baptized, confirmed, and became a communicant in the Presbyterian church in a single ceremony on February 1, 1953, just weeks after his first inauguration as president. In his retirement years, he was a member of the Gettysburg Presbyterian Church in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

From: "Gettysburg Presbyterian Church" webpage on Gettysburg.com website (http://www.gettysburg.com/communit/gpc.htm; viewed 1 December 2005):

    The "Church of the Presidents", visited by Lincoln and joined by the Eisenhowers, invites you to visit and/or worship with us in our active and historic church located in downtown Gettysburg...

    Gettysburg Presbyterian Church began its work in 1740 in a log structure situated three miles west of town, at the present site known as Black's Graveyard. The congregation moved to the present location in 1842. The original building consisted only of a sanctuary. During and immediately following the Battle of Gettysburg, the church along with many other public buildings was converted into a temporary hospital...

    On February 1, 1963, President and Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower became members of the church. The pew President Eisenhower occupied was so marked with a plaque. The church also has an Eisenhower Lounge containing prints of paintings and memorabilia of the late President.

    The Gettysburg Presbyterian Church was selected for a special citation as American Presbyterian and Reformed Historical Site No. 94 and is registered by the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia.

Source: Jerry Bergman, Ph.D (Northwest State College, Ohio). "Why President Eisenhower Hid His Jehovah's Witness Upbringing" in JW Research Journal, vol. 6, #2, July-Dec., 1999.
URL: http://www.premier1.net/~raines/eisenhower.html
See also: http://www.eisenhower.utexas.edu/listof ... gation.pdf

Abstract:
It is commonly reported even in authoritative works about President Eisenhower that he was raised as a River Brethren by parents that were active in the River Brethren church. In fact, Dwight D. Eisenhower was raised a Jehovah's Witness, a [group] commonly called Russellites or Bible Students until 1931. His mother was active in the [group] from 1895, when Dwight was five years old, until she died. Eisenhower's father was also an active member, although after 1915 he eventually no longer considered himself a Witness.

All of the Eisenhower boys left the Jehovah's Witness religion when adults and openly opposed major aspects of Watchtower teaching, although some of the values they learned from their Bible studies probably influenced them throughout their lives. Some Watchtower values may even have been reflected in Dwight's statements against war made in his latter life. Nonetheless, the Eisenhower's endeavored to hide the full extent of their mother's and family's Watchtower involvement although they did at times admit their affiliation with them. The reasons why the Eisenhower boys took great pains to hide their early Watchtower associations are discussed.


Dwight D. Eisenhower
Source: Jerry Bergman, Ph.D (Northwest State College, Ohio). "Why President Eisenhower Hid His Jehovah's Witness Upbringing" in JW Research Journal, vol. 6, #2, July-Dec., 1999.
URL: http://www.premier1.net/~raines/eisenhower.html
See also: http://www.eisenhower.utexas.edu/listof ... gation.pdf

    Abstract: It is commonly reported even in authoritative works about President Eisenhower that he was raised as a River Brethren by parents that were active in the River Brethren church. In fact, Dwight D. Eisenhower was raised a Jehovah's Witness, a sect commonly called Russellites or Bible Students until 1931. His mother was active in the sect from 1895, when Dwight was five years old, until she died. Eisenhower's father was also an active member, although after 1915 he eventually no longer considered himself a Witness.

    All of the Eisenhower boys left the Jehovah's Witness religion when adults and openly opposed major aspects of Watchtower teaching, although some of the values they learned from their Bible studies probably influenced them throughout their lives. Some Watchtower values may even have been reflected in Dwight's statements against war made in his latter life. Nonetheless, the Eisenhower's endeavored to hide the full extent of their mother's and family's Watchtower involvement although they did at times admit their affiliation with them. The reasons why the Eisenhower boys took great pains to hide their early Watchtower associations are discussed.

Eisenhower's mother was a strong pacifist, a position traditionally associated with a belief that she belonged the River Brethren. See:
http://www.presidentialavenue.com/de.cfm
http://www.bookrags.com/biography/milton-eisenhower/

From: Peter Roberts, "Dwight David Eisenhower" page in "God and Country" section of "Science Resources on the Net" website (http://www.geocities.com/peterroberts.g ... ower.html; viewed 29 November 2005):

    Religious Affiliation: Presbyterian

    Summary of Religious Views:
    Eisenhower's family background was Mennonite (River Brethren), and he was raised in an intensely religious home environment. There are stories in circulation that when Eisenhower, as youth, suffered a life-threatening infection, the family prayed day and night over him, but family members insist such stories are greatly exaggerated, and that the overall level of prayer did not appreciably increase. Eisenhower himself called such accounts "ridiculous."

    Eisenhower was the first president to officially join a church while in office: on 1 February 1953, he became a member of the National Presbyterian Church.

    Views on Religion and Politics:
    The words "under God" were added to the Pledge of Allegiance during the Eisenhower administration.

    Quotations:
    "In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war." -- Flag Day speech, signing bill authorizing addition of the words "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance, 14 June 1954

    "We are particularly thankful to you for your part in the movement to have the words 'under God' added to our Pledge of Allegiance. These words will remind Americans that despite our great physical strength we must remain humble. They will help us to keep constantly in our minds and hearts the spiritual and moral principles which alone give dignity to man, and upon which our way of life is founded. For the contribution which your organization has made to this cause, we must be genuinely grateful." -- message to the Knights of Columbus meeting in Louisville, 17 August 1954

Webpage created 23 July 2005. Last modified 1 December 2005.

[CrackSmokeRepublican]

Russell later went on to claim that Jehovah God did indeed recognize himself and his little band of followers as the true Temple, and they alone, in all the earth were pleasing to the Father. How is this possible when he was steeped in pyramidology and Masonic "secrets" which he accepted? It boggles the mind to imagine God choosing one steeped in occult and pagan doctrines.

Russell now goes on to compare the heavenly reign of himself and his followers, the "Royal Priesthood" (who he says will be divine) to the Knights Templar of the Masonic Lodge! (The order with the most occult symbols).

"...A thousand years during which these Knights Templar are to scatter blessings to all the families of the earth".

Heresy aside, he just loved to use masonic terms and show how he and his followers were superior "Masons", superior "Knights Templar". He then offers full freedom of choice to his followers in these words,

"...If you feel that you want to become a member of the Free and Accepted Order of Masonry, and do not feel free and masonic enough as a follower of Christ, God bless you, use your own judgement; that is yours to decide not mine. But now I am talking about this great order of masonry of which Jesus is the Grand Master. This Order is to be entered in a peculiar way. There are certain conditions--the low gate, the narrow way, the difficult path".

Now comes his most telling statement on the subject of whether or not he was a Mason.

"Although I have never been a Mason, I have heard that in Masonry they have something which very closely illustrates all of this".

So, by Russell's own words, minus the "double-speak" and the parallells he draws all through this discourse, he plainly says he has never been a Mason.

He gives the Masons their due, however, when he says,

"Our Masonic friends have it down very fine. I do not know where they got it so well. I have often wondered where they found out so many of the secrets of our High and Accepted Order of Masonry. From the time you come in to be a member of the Royal Priesthood, a living stone, a member of the craft of Masonry, from the Lord's stand-point,...if any man will be a living stone in the Temple, if any man will be a member of this High, Free and Accepted Masonry--let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me".

I can hear the gasps from modern Jehovah's Witnesses that their exalted leader used the word "cross", but this was before "new light" on the "torture stake", so I guess he's excused for ignorance.

So, although Russell claimed to know Masonic Secrets, and compared his "Royal Priesthood in Christ" to the Lodge, he felt himself above ordinary Masons, and in fact said plainly he never was one.

Nevertheless, his massive ego, just led him on and on to make more and more ridiculous statements. We continue on with remarks from page 122,

"Do you mean that the Lord's Church is a secret order? Yes, surely it is...Did the world know the great Mason when he was here? No. Did the world slay the great Master Mason? Yes".

So now we have Russell referring to our God and Savior, Jesus Christ as a "Master Mason". Is this not blasphemy of the highest order?

In case we missed the point, Russell expands on it,

"So you and I as under-masons are waiting for the return of our Master Mason, who gave his life on this very account in connection with this secret of the construction of the Temple, the Church".

Christ died for our sins to set us free from the condemnation of sin and death, not for some secret regarding the Temple. Russell is way off base from the gospel.

He goes on to equate the Christian walk with the degrees of Masonry saying, "...we must go on to higher degrees, because those who are in the first degree practically know very little".

He then states again how exclusive he is in his own opinion, how clever, and how full of secret knowledge he considered himself,



What you see on the tombstone of the founder of the Watchtower movement, is the Knights Templar Symbol for the York Rite of Freemasonry. This degree is equivalent to the 33rd Degree of Freemasonry and is the highest degree of the York Rite indicating that he knew whom he was serving. It was not Jesus Christ of Nazareth to be sure. Shown below are examples of how the Christian Science and Jehovah's Witnesses cults have used this symbol. This is where Charles Taze Russell (1852 - 1916), 33rd Degree Freemason and founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses cult is buried.

www.cephasministry.com/masonic_connecti ... tower.html

[CrackSmokeRepublican]

Eisenhower and Israel: U.S.-Israeli Relations, 1953-1960
Isaac Alteras

Overview

"Incorporates the most authoritative scholarship and exploits recently released archives. . . . This multi-layered analysis should be must reading for a wide audience."--Richard H. Immerman, Temple University

"Alteras writes fairly and intelligently. . . . His book is a welcome addition to the literature on American foreign policy in the Eisenhower years."--Robert A. Divine, University of Texas at Austin

This first detailed analysis of early U.S.-Israeli relations draws on recently declassified documents from both countries, most notably Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion's diaries and correspondence and the Israeli State Archives. Alteras explores the relations between the United States and Israel during the Eisenhower administration in the context of U.S. interests in the Arab Middle East and devotes considerable attention to the impact of American Jewry on Eisenhower's and Dulles's policies toward Israel.
Among the controversies this book will be important in resolving: who promised what to whom in the interchanges that preceded the 1956 invasion of Suez, and exactly what the relationship was among Israel, France, and Britain. With persuasive support from primary sources, Alteras argues that although Ben-Gurion understood that Israel stood to lose the most in the event of failure, the British and French were at least as much to blame for the debacle that followed as were the Israelis.
Further, Alteras shows that Eisenhower and Dulles agreed fully on U.S. policy toward Israel and that the secretary of state consulted the president at every stage of policy implementation. He indicates that although Eisenhower at times questioned the wisdom of Truman's decision to recognize the Jewish state, Eisenhower never tampered with that decision or with the U.S. commitment to Israel's survival. Alteras also details the manner in which organized American Jewry successfully lobbied Congress to thwart the administration's attempts to impose economic sanctions on Israel in the aftermath of the Sinai campaign.
In this examination of U.S.-Israeli relations during a crucial stage of their evolution, Alteras breathes life into the political figures whose motivations and decisions helped shape the two countries' attitudes toward each other today.

Isaac Alteras, associate professor of history at Queens College, City University of New York, has published and lectured widely on Jewish history and the Arab-Israeli conflict. From 1986 to 1991 he directed the Center for Jewish Studies at Queens College.

http://www.upf.com/book.asp?id=ALTERF93