Paving the Way

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:4 ASV).

— James Sochaki

Pastor Russell wrote of the United States, “In no other country could the blessed harvest message — the plan of the ages and its times and seasons and privileges — have been so untrammeled in its proclamation and so widely and freely heralded. It was, we believe, for this very purpose that the providence of God has been, in a measure, over this country (USA). There was a work to be done here for his people which could not so well be done elsewhere … and therefore, when the hand of oppression sought to throttle the spirit of liberty, a Washington was raised up to lead the … daring liberty-lovers on to national independence. … When disruption threatened the nation … God raised up another brave and noble spirit in the person of Abraham Lincoln, who struck off the shackles of the enslaved and preserved the unity of the nation” (“Studies in the Scriptures,” The Battle of Armageddon, page 144).

Many unknown Christians and others contributed to shaping the path for the publication of Harvest Truth in the U.S.

Haym Salomon

Tadeusz Kosciuszko is best known as a key military mind behind George Washington’s victory over the British during the American Revolution. His contributions are still celebrated through memorials in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Yet another Polish contributor, Haym Salomon, although less well-known, was perhaps just as important, serving as the primary financier of the Continental Army A Polish-born Jew, Salomon worked alongside Robert Morris, Superintendent of Finance of the United States. Influenced by his Jewish background, Salomon appreciated the freedom of speech and religion for which rebels were fighting. He added the religious liberty for Jews in America by one of his key accomplishments — the eradication of required religious oaths preventing both Jews and other non-Christians from holding public office. This led to the tolerance and protection of those publishing non-Orthodox Christian views. Salomon died penniless in 1785 in Philadelphia. Government officials and other borrowers never repaid their debt to Salomon. Yet it is uncertain whether the Continental Army could have been sustained without his financial support.

William Penn

William Penn, Jr. became enamored with the message of George Fox, one of the founders of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly called Quakers. After reading the Bible, Penn concluded that Fox’s pacifist stand was correct according to scripture. He published several articles critical of the Church of England, leading to his imprisonment. William’s father, a Rear Admiral in the British Navy, petitioned King Charles II of Britain to release his son. William Jr. then continued his criticism and was again imprisoned. Although disagreeing with his philosophy, William Sr. petitioned again for his release. When Penn Sr. died, Charles II gave William Jr. a significant portion of land in the New World. Although he claimed it was to settle his own debt to the Penn family, perhaps part of his motivation was to silence William’s voice in England. With the urging of his friends, Penn named the colony after his family, Pennsylvania. He drafted a constitution that gave religious freedom and freedom of speech to those who might have been imprisoned in England. The oppressed from all over the free world flocked to Philadelphia, the colony’s fastest growing city, for many years. Despite this growth, Penn kept his promises to the indigenous people who welcomed him, and all treaties were honored during his tenure.

Both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison admired Penn’s principles and incorporated them into the Declaration of Independence and the United States of America Constitution. Benjamin Franklin also spoke of these principles in an uplifting speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia before signing the Constitution.

Although himself a slave owner, Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

Newton, Euler, Gauss

Back in England, Isaac Newton was a brilliant scientist and a proponent of daily Bible reading. He wrote, “If one thinks little, it is easy to not believe in a creator. But if one thinks hard, they know one exists.” John Locke and Christopher Wren said they learned much from Newton and Newton learned little from them. These three men passed out Bibles and sought to break the Church of England’s hold on the people. All three had strong ties with a group known as Polish Brethren.

“The Polish Brethren (Polish: Bracia Polscy) were members of the Minor Reformed Church of Poland, a nontrinitarian (italics added) Protestant church that existed in Poland from 1565 to 1658. By those on the outside, they were called “Arians” or “Socinians” (Polish: arianie, socynianie), but themselves preferred simply to be called “Brethren” or “Christians” (and, after their expulsion from Poland, “Unitarians”). The movement started on January 22, 1556, when Piotr of Goniadz (Peter Gonesius), a Polish student, spoke out against the doctrine of the Trinity during the general synod of the Reformed (Calvinist) churches of Poland held in the village of Secemin” (Wikipedia).

Leonard Euler was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, geographer, logician, and engineer in Switzerland. He advanced graph theory and topology studies and developed many other branches of mathematics, such as number theory, complex analysis, and infinitesimal calculus. He introduced much of modern mathematical terminology, notation, and mathematical function. Euler is recognized as a “universal genius” who “was fully equipped with almost unlimited powers of imagination, intellectual gifts and extraordinary memory.” He believed strongly in a Divine Creator and was a devout Christian supporting the inspiration of scripture. His letters included many defenses against criticism of the Bible and so-called Freethinkers.

Carl Gauss was a German mathematician, astronomer, geodesist, and physicist. He was director of Göttingen Observatory and professor of astronomy there from 1807 until his death in 1855. Widely considered one of the greatest mathematicians ever, Gauss declared a firm belief in the afterlife, and spirituality as essential for human beings. “The world would be nonsense, the whole creation an absurdity without immortality,” he is attributed to saying. Though not a churchgoer, Gauss practiced religious tolerance, believing “that one is not justified in disturbing another’s religious belief, in which they find consolation for earthly sorrows in time of trouble.” When his son Eugene announced a desire to become a Christian missionary, Gauss supported him and proclaimed missionary work “a highly honorable” task despite his criticism of religious organizations.

Albert Einstein

In a well publicized interview with the Saturday Evening Post, Albert Einstein recognized Jesus Christ as a real person. Although never expressing a belief in a personal God, Einstein said that Jesus was much more than a popular prophet such as proclaimed in a best-selling biography by contemporary Emil Ludwig. “Ludwig’s Jesus is shallow. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrasemongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bon mot (a witty remark).” The interview read: “You accept the historical existence of Jesus?” “Unquestionably. No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life. How different, for instance, is the impression which we receive from an account of legendary heroes of antiquity like Theseus. Theseus and other heroes of his type lack the authentic vitality of Jesus.”

During “The Times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24), the dominion of the earth was exercised by Gentile governments. Although God did not approve or commend these governments, He allowed their dominion for an appointed time. Yet He also overruled to support the voices of individuals who proclaimed the validity of the Bible and its principles.

Freedom of religion and speech were important principles that needed to be proclaimed and supported. These principles would be essential for the Truth movement to spread a non-conforming message of Biblical truth. These voices allowed for the emergence of Biblical orthodoxy to be widely proclaimed amid orthodox criticism. We owe a debt of gratitude to those willing to put themselves or their reputation at risk to support the cause of these freedoms.

Religious Intolerance in the Colonies

Many early American colonies enforced strict religious orthodoxy despite the desire for religious freedom. Massachusetts Bay, for example, was dominated by Puritan beliefs, and those who dissented faced severe consequences. Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams were among those who challenged Puritan authority and were subsequently banished. Williams established Rhode Island in 1636, which became a haven for religious tolerance. Other colonies also imposed religious restrictions. In Virginia, the Anglican Church was the official state religion, and dissenters such as Baptists and Quakers faced persecution. Maryland, initially founded as a refuge for English Catholics under Lord Baltimore, eventually passed the Act of Toleration in 1649, granting religious freedom to all Christians. However, this tolerance was short-lived, as the colony later fell under Protestant rule, leading to renewed restrictions on Catholic worship.