by Ancientofdays 36 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
probably an urban legend for the sake of the lil' minds.
the real question is, *why* would ray ever go back to the wts? suddenly it becomes apparent to him that they really are joe hoba's earthly org? how? and why would it suddenly be apparent to ray, and not all the other christan ex-wits?
sounds like the wet dream of some wts apologist if i ever heard one.
tetra
The Watchtower urban legend mill cranks out overtime,back in the early 70's I had deep reverence for the wise annointed faithful bros who had pinpointed the locations in the usa of the strategic oil reserves so we would have gas after 1975 armegeddon.This rumor was floating right around the same time i stopped eating mcdonalds because my JW grandmother said they put blood and worms in the hamburgers`Danny Haszard Bangor Maine
That is just not true. I know a few people who are personally in touch with him and this is totally wrong. Just last year we emailed back and forth a few times, I can tell that I know for a fact he has not returned.
If he really did return JWs would know about it. The rumors would be everywhere. Your friend is dead wrong.
This question raises an extremely interesting issue: The very young and the very old are often at the mercy of others when it comes to decision-making. I knew an elderly ex-JW whose wife remained an active witness. When his wife was diagnosed with Alzheimers, the congregation made it very clear to him that they would give her no support unless he repented and came back. In his late 80s, he came back. But the saddest part was, he was not accepted with open arms - everyone kept their distance from him. Personally, I think they exploited his frailty and ill health.
Among the elderly, it's best not to equate "coming back" with a spontaneous, "heartfelt" decision!
Yes, it's true, and Rocco, my bird, just got a job working in the writing department.
W
I heard that Rutherford has been resurrected and has moved into Bethsarim.Did you hear if his wife and kid joined him?
I saw them driving the old Caddilac here in Portland. They were planning on going up to Seattle 'cause there are so many nice guys upthere
Thanks guys for the consistent news and also for ilarity like Rutherford in Bethelsarim (LOL) I ha to tell you that this story of RF back here in Italy is largely believed from the active JWs who kows about RF story (not too much unfortunately)
Hillybilly : What's the olive branch story ?
Drew Sagan, Done4good : can you share with me RF e-mail or is personal stuff ?
Ciao
I wrote to Ray a couple of times. This letter from Sep 05 shows he strongly was against the idea that anyone but Jesus has the authority to direct Christians.
I know Geoff Jackson personally and know he is smart and nice. I asked Ray if he thought such a person would see through the GB and be likely to leave as he did. This was his response.
Dear Paul,
Thanks for your letter. I spent two weeks in Germany in September and am now still trying to catch up with things. You say of Geoff Jackson that: He claimed to be in awe of the older GB members and the great knowledge and energy that they possess I do not know, of course, to whom he refers as so many have died since I was there. But with me it was just the contrary. Almost from the first GB meeting onward I was severely disturbed to see how little Scriptural knowledge most members manifested. I had expected to witness meetings where God’s Word played a major part but it seemed rarely to come into the picture. The same was true with the conducting of the morning discussions at the breakfast table, chair manned on a weekly basis by a GB member. With the great majority, their concluding comments were mainly a repetition of WT material with very little of original thought or research. Very few of them are true students of the Scriptures, virtually none are scholars (my uncle perhaps being the only member who could be viewed in that light). Perhaps one overriding concern as regards any expression that does not hold to the “party line” stems from fear, for they must realize, even if subconsciously, that their position is weak on many issues. Even here, however, I think that many believe that they are acting to protect the only “good” religion left on earth.
As to their sincerity then, it is, I believe, as to their belief that they are serving God, and their belief that the organization they head is superior to all other religious organizations on the face of the earth. In the latter case, I believe they can hold that belief only by being in a state of denial, not allowing themselves to face the reality of the organization’s flawed course and seriously flawed record. Whatever their sincerity in their desire to serve God, it has not protected them from a remarkable insensitivity to the disillusioning effect of their failed apocalyptic predictions on the membership, the weakening effect it has on their confidence in the reliability and worth of the Scriptures.
I doubt that the reason for the secretive and authoritarian nature of the organization’s leadership can be reduced down to any one or two factors. Knowing the men, I have no question that some, such as John Booth, George Gangas and others, simply believed, somewhat blindly, that the organization is God’s sole channel. They seem to have no other motivation. Others manifested a degree, greater or smaller, of ambition and concern for prestige. Only a few displayed some measure of willingness to act in a harsh manner reminiscent of inquisitional times. Among the Governing Body members as a whole there was not great excitement about the 1975 predictions. As shown in Crisis of Conscience, they did express a measure of concern as to the possibility of disillusionment at one meeting described. But in other respects, it was almost as if they were bystanders, watching what went on but not feeling directly involved or responsible. This degree of detachment was not unusual and illustrates the effect of being an elite body.
What about the brother formerly known as Prince?
As of today, Ray Franz is not back in the WTS. I know him personally and spoke to him this week and as of then he was not back in nor planning to be. Who thinks these things up?!
