Luxurious life at the top of the "Watchtower", or what Jehovah's Witnesses are silent about

The Jehovah's Witnesses sect is well known to everyone, whose adherents have been pestering passers-by with their pamphlets for many years and persistently ringing the doorbell, promising to help "study the Bible." Among the members of the sect, the idea of non-concubinage and denial of all worldly things in favor of an organization representing the interests of Jehovah on earth has always been cultivated. But how did the founder of the sect, the most respected and worthy of every imitation of its member, Joseph Rutherford, live?

Even the most simple-minded reader will not doubt for a second that the founder of Jehovah's Witnesses did not need anything and hardly shook magazines at busy intersections. However, the luxury with which Joseph Rutherford surrounded himself surpasses all the wildest assumptions.

The predecessor of the religious organization Jehovah's Witnesses was the society of "Bible Researchers" founded in 1872 by Charles Russell. There was no unity in the ranks of the "researchers", therefore, after existing for several decades, they split into several similar currents. The largest of them were Jehovah's Witnesses, who received their name in 1931 on the initiative of their head — Joseph Franklin Rutherford.

The second president of the Watchtower Society organization, who is now considered its founder, was a lawyer by education, and quite successful and very competent. Rutherford completely reorganized the system inherited from Russell and eradicated the democracy that flourished in the ranks of the sect. The board of directors has ceased to be elected and the full power has been concentrated in the hands of the president and people directly subordinate to him.

Such global changes, according to some old members of the organization, contradicted the will of Charles Russell. Therefore, some of the sectarians left the "Bible Researchers" and created their own organization, which, without hesitation, was named the same way. Rutherford, in turn, was not too upset to get rid of the opposition, but renamed the society to avoid confusion. This is how Jehovah's Witnesses, known to the whole world today, appeared.

Having at his disposal a powerful religious organization with a solid treasury and numerous sources of income, the new president felt a taste for a beautiful life and decided not to save on himself. Being an already well-off man with a solid law practice, Rutherford healed even better, of course, already at the expense of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

The president of the society decided to take care of himself and wait for the advent in the most comfortable conditions. In his youth, Joseph ended up in prison, where he spent about two years. He returned from prison with diseased lungs and almost died from complications of pneumonia. The attending physician once advised Rutherford to stay away from the damp, polluted New York, so that the disease would not return.

Having gained maximum power and control over finances in the sect, Joseph remembered this recommendation and decided to move not anywhere, but to blessed California. For the president of the Watchtower Society, a plot of land was purchased in the San Diego suburb of Kensington Heights, with an area of 100 acres (40.4 hectares).

In the midst of the Great Depression, against the background of general impoverishment and decline, the construction of a luxurious estate, which the owner called Bet-Sarim, unfolded in Kensington Heights. Translated from Hebrew, it meant "The House of Princes" and, looking at the 10-room mansion, it was readily believed that this was the case. True, Rutherford himself became the only resident of Beth-Sarim, not counting the numerous servants.

The choice of the name for the estate was closely related to the gibberish that the cunning Joseph preached. The teaching stated that the prophets Abraham, David, Moses, Isaiah and Samuel, we must lead a new world government with Jerusalem as its capital. But in order to make it easier to manage the whole world, residences such as the "House of Princes" should be prepared for their coming in special key points of the planet.

Bet-Sarim was to become the American anchor point of the new government, whose arrival was expected any minute. According to the teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses, the prophets (princes) were supposed to appear just before the end of the world, which was expected first in 1914, then in 1917, 1920, and finally in 1925. Since the prophets were not punctual and disrupted the coming time after time, Joseph Rutherford, so be it, agreed to live in Beth Sarim.

The estimated cost of construction was a solid 25 thousand dollars at that time. Of course, it was not the president who paid for it, but the organization from membership fees, donations and other sources. The house had everything you need for a comfortable and safe life of a thinker and theologian — marble baths, gilded moldings, a swimming pool, a garage for several cars and even a golf course.

Rutherford, as a respectable and decent man, did not agree to live just like that in an estate built with the money of Witnesses. Therefore, he rented a Bet-Sarim, carefully contributing $10 monthly. For a 470-square-meter mansion surrounded by a park, built by the best architect of the USA Richard Smith Requa in the style of the Spanish Renaissance, it was quite a bit.

But since the president of the Watchtower Society was still forced to visit New York, it was necessary to have housing there as well. For the president, they rented a penthouse in the city center for 10 thousand a year, a cozy mansion on Staten Island, for conspiracy, issued as a radio station and a small private house nearby. In Europe, Rutherford received luxury apartments in London and an apartment in Magdeburg, Germany.

In order for the president to move quickly and comfortably, two Cadillac V12 limousines were purchased for him, which were the most luxurious cars in the USA at that time. In California, the head of the society used an open-top car, and in New York — with a hard roof. However, after a little more than a year, we had to get rid of the cars, as more powerful and expensive Cadillac V16 appeared on sale, which we immediately had to buy again in the amount of two pieces.

The president of Jehovah's Witnesses had to wait for the prophets at all costs to show them the house and garden, so the issue of Rutherford's safety became acute. In order for the only resident of Bet-Sarim to survive a tsunami, an earthquake, a meteor shower or an air raid by the damned communists from across the ocean, a bunker Bet-Shan - "House of Safety" was built opposite the "House of Princes", on the opposite bank of a deep canyon.

This more modest in architectural terms, but very expensive structure was erected in 1939, when the world was restless. Of course, it was implied that the "House of Safety" was needed in case of Armageddon, and not to hide during the war. Bet-Shan did not have a luxurious finish, but it included an underground bunker with a separate bomb shelter, a warehouse for food, a water tank for 38 thousand liters, its own diesel power plant with a fuel reserve of 15 thousand liters, as well as aboveground buildings such as a garage and a box for keeping goats. If necessary, Bet-Shan could be in a completely "autonomous voyage" for several months, not depending on the outside world.

Oddly enough, but the deeply religious and very positive president of the Watchtower Society was not a fool to drink. From 1920 to 1933, during the prohibition period, satisfying this passion exquisitely was an expensive pleasure. Of course, Rutherford did not taste the products of California bootleggers made from improvised raw materials — the most exquisite original drinks were obtained for the head of the organization.

On average, a case of good whiskey or gin for an inhabitant of the "House of Princes" cost $ 60, which, taking into account inflation, is $ 900. Alcoholic beverages were delivered from the UK or Germany, without skimping on bribes to customs officials and additional payments "for efficiency". Proof of alcohol purchases are numerous invoices and memos in which the people responsible for the supplies reported personally to Rutherford.

By the way, contemporaries recalled that the president was not a gourmet and boldly mixed expensive cognacs with cheap beer, brandy with tequila, and wine with cider. At the same time, during the day, the head of the sect could taste 5-6 different drinks. Often the first glass was on his table by breakfast, at 9 o'clock in the morning. The president was not a hypocrite and strongly criticized prohibition, considering it a "satanic conspiracy."

Addiction to strong drinks did not prevent Rutherford from riding his 16-cylinder beauties with a breeze. In the garage of Bet-Sarim there were both two-seater cars that could be driven by the owner, and cars that implied the presence of a driver. These were very useful when the president, tired of hard work and strong drinks, did not knit a bast and demanded to take him to the estate.

On January 8, 1942, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, having not waited for the prophets on the hospitable land of California, went to them himself, having died at the age of 72. According to the will, the president of the Watchtower Society should have been buried in Beth Sarim, but the state authorities forbade this. Litigation began between 1,400 members of the sect who filed a class action lawsuit and San Diego officials. The debate took more than three months, during which Rutherford's corpse remained unburied and awaited its fate.

As a result, the permission was never received and the great man was buried in the usual cemetery of Staten Island, in New York. However, many do not believe that the sectarians gave up so easily and believe that the body of the second president of the society was still secretly transported to a California villa and buried there according to the covenants.

After the death of Rutherford, Bet-Sarim turned out to be unnecessary and it was decided to wait for the coming of the princes in a more modest setting. The organization sold the villa in 1948, and a couple of years later the Bet-Shan underground bunker went under the hammer. In 1950, the need for any residences disappeared altogether, as the new leaders announced that something had been outplayed there and the prophets changed their minds about returning to the sinful land.

The headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses was moved to its old location in Brooklyn, where it was located before Rutherford came to power. The new presidents of the Society condemned the lifestyle of the second president and decided to hide their income. However, it is known that since 1950, the sect has bought a huge amount of real estate, the total value of which, today, is several billion dollars.

In 2010, the Jehovah's Headquarters left Brooklyn and moved north of New York, to the city of Warwick. All the real estate belonging to the sect on the territory of the Big Apple was sold, thanks to which a good amount of 1.3 billion "greenbacks" was obtained. Part of the real estate, by the way, was acquired by Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, represented by his numerous companies.

After Rutherford's death, those involved in the management of a huge organization behaved quietly and modestly. The only scandals related to luxury goods were two hourly scandals. The first with a Rolex Submariner Serti Dial chronometer, which was seen on the hand of one of the members of the board of directors of the Witnesses, Samuel Hurd. Compared to the chic of the second president, it was childish babble, since in 2015 this gilded toy cost a little more than 21 thousand dollars.

A couple of months later, another leader, Jeffrey Jackson, distinguished himself. He was even more modest and sported an Apple Watch Edition smartwatch made of gold, which was no more than $ 15,000. But even these two trifles caused a flurry of indignation among the sectarians themselves and ordinary residents of the United States. Obviously, everyone has forgotten how a cunning lawyer, not indifferent to supercars and contraband alcohol, once waited for his prophets.