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Masonic Connections
There is no firm evidence that there were any links between the Masons, Russell and the early Watchtower, although many people have tried.
The reason many have tried is the unusual amount of coincidences in the language and symbolism used in the early years of the movement. A very good example of this are the titles used by Russell for his early publications, “Millenium Dawn”, “Golden Age” all these have Masonic undertones to them.
The early Watchtower used to use a symbol identical to that which the Order of the Knights Templar use
Enlarged view of Watchtower masthead
Knights Templar Badge
Above is the Watchtower Memorial next to Russell’s Grave, and below a version of Russell’s Divine Plan

Above shows the Knights Templar logo.
Russell also used a lot of Masonic terminology in his sermons by making references to “The Grand Master” when referring to the Lord, “Secret Order” when referring to himself and his followers and “Degrees of Knowledge” to name but a few.
I’ll leave this for you to decide.
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