Gruss was the professor of history and apologetics at L.A. Baptist college for many years after leaving Bethel. I've been to his house many times, know his wife, and he is the most honest, wonderful guy in the world. He never indulged in sensationalism, and had no animosity for the Watchtower. He left peacefully and wrote the classic "Apostles of Denial" in 1970. He was above that. Any perceived animosity would be from the former Bethelite he interviewed, whose life the WT absolutely ruined. One of many, and most of them are now dead. But I used to talk to a lot of them when I was there. When I was pioneering in San Luis Obispo for 6 months before I went to Bethel in 1974, one of my service partners was a meek Italian guy named Guido Fulgenti, who had a poor wife who suffered severe pain all day long.
Guido was at Bethel when Rutherford was in charge, he was in his late 70's when I met him. He told me lots of stories about Rutherford as we went door-to-door. I knocked on every door in SLO in 6 months. Got 6 studies baptized all by myself. (Got three out after 1980.) Guido was convinced the end would come in 1974 rather than 75, due to a controversy over dating, that few know about today (THAT was Freddy's doing). I just put up with that idea... like nearly half of the organization I never believed in their chronology or 1975. It was too obviously made up for political reasons.
When I first became a JW in Canoga Park, Calif. in 1972, the guy who practically started the JWs in the San Fernando Valley, Forrest Tanner, was our overseer. I used to go out in service with his son and his son's wife all the time. We used to put in 140 hours a month. I always worked the apartments that no one was allowed into, like the huge Oakwood garden apartments. When I was at Bethel, I went doot to door in a forbidden all Jewish apartment building in Coney Island, because no one else would work it. I didn't realize it, but it was on the Jewish High Holy Day, and they were LIVID. I got escorted out to the street with my Puerto Rican partner, only to sneak back in on another floor ten minutes later. Tons of fun!
One day I'll tell you how the big black sistas dealt with muggers in dark alleys at night. :-)) Bethel was fun for me. I just never take myself too seriously, and really don't give a damn what anyone else thinks. I was a 60's former hippie. It was all an Alice in Wonderland to me. I need to stay entertained. :-))
Another tall guy in the SLO cong. just got back from Bethel and was an elder but a young guy, and he told me what to expect at Bethel... the race fights, cussing, G-jobs and all. Especially about Knorr's penchance for having people for breakfast to the glee (and horror, depending on your age) of the Bethel family. It was like watching a schlock horror movie, just go along with the camp and you'll enjoy it. But it had nothing to do with God or spirituality.
Some of the GB used to fall asleep during their Wednesday meetings. Kind of a deja vu back to circa 400 CE, when the churches were arguing over what they would declare (include in) the "Bible." It was a vote back then, too, you know. Wise up, people! Life is much more simple than you think.
In the fourth and fifth centuries, the Eastern and Western churches were the lead organizations, and the most legitimate in keeping records, good and bad. But theological scholars are living in another world altogether, populated by invisible sky-daddies and super sky-daddies, devils, guilt, fear, and hell. It's fun for awhile to spar with them, but it has nothing at all to do with the REAL world.
That was what Freddy was, a wannabe theoligian who took himself far too seriuously and was only after power. To me he was extremely boring but funny to listen to, like Jonathan Edwards. Freddy was a disgusting little weasel, now that I look back. I liked him then (from a distance).
Jonathan Edwards was this type of man, though not so much after power. Wikipedia says,
Edwards played a critical role in shaping the First Great Awakening, and oversaw some of the first fires of revival in 1733–35 at his church — First Church [ 6 ] — in Northampton, Massachusetts. [ 7 ] Edwards delivered the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", a classic of early American literature, during another wave of revival in 1741, following George Whitefield's tour of the Thirteen Colonies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Edwards_%28theologian%29
That's where the concept of "sinners on the grill" came from, a spoof of Edwards I loved to use. (That's why this is Monty Python stuff!) I could always picture Jehovah with a barbecue hat on, bending over a hot grill with all the Holy Angels watching in glee, as he turned over the sinners with his spatula as they screamed in agony for all eternity.
People can only come up with this stuff when they have isolated, warped minds bent on control and power to scare others into submission. If they were happily married they would not be so obtuse.
When I got to Bethel, I was not really surprised at any of it, thanks to the young ex-Bethel elder in SLO, who remained an elder and still believed all the nonsense for years after. I think he was part of the Granville clan who is still in SLO. The senior Granville committed suicide when I was at Bethel... they found him hanging by his necktie (don't know if he had his bookbag in his hand) from a tree not far from the Kingdom Hall (there was only one in SLO at the time.) Half the city was college kids (Cal Poly), and so half the city changed citizens every year practically. It was a gold mine for discussions and converting people to my 19th century carnival-style cult. Every house had about 5 college kids renting out tiny apartments. (Still do). They always let you in, and would discuss and debate with you for hours.
SLO is a beautiful town. I actually lived in Pismo Beach and drove a $50 car back and forth every day, as I went out in service 6-7 days a week until I left for Bethel. Right before I left for Bethel, I helped my dad fix up an old market into "Ken's Sports," a sporting goods store on the main drag of Paso Robles. We used to go fishing at Lake Naciemento, and they had a trailer home right on the huge lake. Paso Robles only had about a 4,000 poplualtion back then, and they had pig running contests and all sorts of Western gimmicks.
