by PopeOfEruke 19 Replies latest jw friends
Bro. Dale Irwin, former City Overseer of Brisbane (Australia) passed away yesterday morning.
A memorial service is being held this coming Friday at the Brisbane Assembly Hall.
Dale was a much-loved Witness here in Brisbane and a wonderful public speaker. He was briefly famous in the early 80's when he and his wife became parents of quadruplets.
Sincere condolences to the Irwin family.....
Pope
:Dale was a much-loved Witness here in Brisbane and a wonderful public speaker
Alas, such JW men are few and far between. One condolence for those who were fortunate enough to know him will be the fact that Brother Irwin's funeral will no doubt be packed with people wanting to be there.
After a quarter century of book-writing, power and "fame", Judge Rutherford only had 4 people attend his funeral, and even his wife and son didn't bother to attend. I'm sure the 4 who attended would have rather been somewhere else, too.
From what you've said, Irwin's faith was in "the walking of it." Rutherford's faith was in "the talking of it." Big difference.
I'm sorry if I'm off topic here. I just couldn't help but notice the distinction between the two men and the impact they had on other's lives, even though they were both JWs.
Farkel
Nicely said Farkel.
And I know it's sometimes hard FOR US to admit it, but it is possible for some to be a good person and a JW. As you say most just "talk the talk" and very few "walk the walk".
Pope
Yes, I'm sure this man "walked the walk" and was much loved but he was still a powerful, high-ranking member of an authoritarian, mind-control cult that destroys lives and is full of paedos.
It's not exactly FULL of pedos. In my 40 yrs as jw, i never heard of there being any pedos, although there must have been some.
S
Pope
My condolences . I'm sure he was a man worthy of your praise.
y
Yadda,
Cant you hold back on the negativity for just one thread.
Sorry for my negativity. Of course, it's sad when someone dies and commiserations to his family. But what did this brother Irwin ever do to lift a finger to correct all the wrong in the organisation? People on here ridicule GB members when they have strokes or die but they praise a city elder who enforces the GB's policies. You don't get to be a city elder unless you're a real hardliner.
yadda yadda 2,
:You don't get to be a city elder unless you're a real hardliner.
I know a former District Overseer and even more importantly, he was a special trouble-shooter for the WTS. He had the power to fire DOs, COs, and elder bodies, and he did just that. He was responsible for overseeing some of the seminal books the WTS produced in the late 1958's and later, including the "Your Will Be Done on Earth Book" and the "Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained Book." He was baptized at Beth Sarim. I've seen a picture of him as a much younger man walking side-by-side with Nathan Knorr. You had to be SOMEBODY to do that.
He was a great guy and beloved by JWs when he had that power.
You simply are wrong in painting all those with authority in the WTS with the same brush.
He used to post in here as "Maximus." I spent many hours talking and commiserating with him. He was a wonderful human, IMHO. Others who post in here and who used to post in here knew him for decades and while he had some of the usual human flaws, he was still regarded as one of the "good guys" in WatchtowerLand(tm).
Farkel
Thank you Farkel for your balanced attitude and post.
I am related to an ex CO who believed and did what he thought was right at the time.
I am also related to an ex DO who was/is a very loving caring person who just wanted to help people and thought he was doing just that.
I also know elders who sincerely believe they are doing God’s will, and are sacrificing much to do what they think is right.
Do those people who are so judgmental think they were the only ones who were sincere, who were good people.
Is a puzzlement!!!
