by baltar447 50 Replies latest jw friends
I think Ray should be looked upon as hero to humanity for exposing the vile corruption of the heads of Watchtower Corporation.
Perhaps an antagonist against humanity while being a JWS but a compassionate humanist when he left and wrote a book
exposing what he saw and learned himself.
A hero? Would he have wanted to be looked upon as that? From what I read in both his books, I doubt it. They are of value for the facts he related, but among other things I cannot agree with many of his conclusions. Thanks, baltar, for posting this thread. Some of the comments have been enlightening, including yours.
He's a Hero to me, even though the Great Apostate Witch Hunt of the 80/90's hurt me a lot personally. Still, someone had to do it and I am glad it came from Bethel. It would have happened anyway but RF made it a very powerful. There really is no way to just leave the jws quietly, although in the late 60's and early 70's it was possible to just quit attending. They would call on you but most still considered you a brother unless you formally left, which few did. By the mid to late 70's it really became hard to just drop off the radar- although I have heard moving is very effective. That would not work as well now b/c of the net.
Ray Franz cannot be held accountable for what the jackasses did when he woke up anymore than each of us can be held accountable for changes to individual elders, bodies of elders, family members, other JW's that have crossed our path before and/or after we wake up.
But putting aside "accountable" still causes us to have some things to think about. Did things change because of Ray leaving the G.B. ?
People are pretty sure the Governing Body was going to come down hard pretty soon on potential harm from former members. I doubt Ray sped it up too much. Perhaps he could have tempered the G.B. a bit if he remained as a member. But who can ask people to remain to aid others? Many of us would not do it, nor should we if that was/is our choice.
Ray was content to just leave, just like many of us have done. He would possibly have even kept going to the local Kingdom Hall for the rest of his life. But the G.B. put him in their sites and took their best shot. And Ray fired back with THE BOOK that has damaged the cult more than anything else so far.
So pardon me if I rank him up there with "hero" for his very normal human actions that led to such greatness.
YES!!!
Thanks, Finkelstein and Giordano for sharing. I remember those days. The Ray Franz episode was a mighty earthquake in the organization and its aftershocks are still being felt even though all the principals who were involved are now dead. I met Ray Franz shortly after he and his wife left Bethel. He gave a talk at the West congregation in Tuscaloosa, Alabama which was very well received. My initial impression of him was that he was warm, personable and humble, the kind of man I would have liked to have as a friend. One powerful impression I took away from his talk was his deep concern for people. He made me think of him more as a shepherd than an elder. Shepherds have always been rare among Witness elders, but Ray Franz took that aspect of being a congregation overseer very seriously.
As for his books, I have only read Crisis of Conscience. I was intrigued by his unveiling the workings of the WTS inner sanctum. However, I was struck by something that has always disturbed me. Why did Ray Franz see nothing wrong with probing into the sex lives of other Witnesses. It seems to me that the first thing he should have pointed out to other Governing Body members was just how inappropriate and wrong it was for them to debate such issues. The response that should have been given to any and all inquiries from Witnesses of that nature was, "This is none of our business. You must see to it yourselves."
Quendi
bttt
Quendi
Nathan... I like your style
At great personal cost he refused to live a lie once he discovered what it was.... That alone is heroic.
Then- he put down his thoughts in writing. His writings allowed me to eliminate every little piece of conditioning that remained in a logical manner.
Then- he responded personally to my emails when I wrote to thank him and ask for advice.
I'll go ahead and call him a hero. He helped save my life.
