Ray Franz and 1975

by izobcenec 20 Replies latest jw friends

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  mizpah

  Undoubtedly, Ray Franz believed and supported the Watchtower's views about 1975. (All of us in the organization at the time did.) The significance of Ray's controversy with the Governing Body is that he started sharing some of his findings and doubts in the course of his research. For a very brief period there was a spirit of freedom at Bethel. Small groups began to study the Bible. They shared their research findings with each other. Important questions were being asked about some of the fundamental teachings of the Watchtower Society.

  What followed was a tragedy. Members of the Governing Body saw this as a challenge to their own authority. The witch hunt that followed destroyed this era of freedom and purged the only men that could have made a difference in the entire organization.

  However, thanks to men like Ray Franz and others who were caught in the paranoia of the Watchtower Society, many of us learned about the inner workings of the secret leadership and were encouraged to question the entire system. I, for one, will always be very grateful to these men for opening up my eyes to the real "truth" about the Watchtower Society.
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  Euphemism

  I remember, when I was still loyal to the org, wondering whether perhaps Ray Franz and his fellow "apostates" had been responsible for the '75 fiasco. But then it occurred to me that I was thinking like the Ingsoc party in Orwell's 1984... blaming everything that had gone wrong on the party members who had been purged.
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  William Penwell

  Ray being a devote JW and being on the GB would not question what was being said. Reading his book CofC he really believed it was the truth without question but 1975 thing was his uncle Fred's idea. I don't deny he might have said that in a talk. I am sure there is a lot of things he repeated from the GB at the tiime that he regrets today.

  Will
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  Nathan Natas

  Ray Franz became a member of the GB in 1971, well AFTER the expectations of 1975 were set in motion. He left the GB in 1980.

  Was he as caught up in the 1975 expectations as any other Dub of the time was? Probably so. Did his "utterances" during that time support official WTS doctrine? Of course they did.

  What kind of SIMPLETONS would the rest of the GB have to be to allow one member, and a NEW member of the GB, at that - to "influence" them so powerfully? We're in the realm of JEDI MIND TRICKS here.

  "These aren't the droids you're looking for... oh, and Armageddon's going to come in 1975."

  How utterly WEAK and LAME is Jehovah's vaunted Holy Spirit(tm) that it cannot overcome such a thing?
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  berylblue

  Ingsoc party in Orwell's 1984... blaming everything that had gone wrong on the party members who had been purged.

  Aren't the parallels between the WTS and Nineteen Eighty-Four amazing? Oh, I was married to a self - proclaimed Orwell expert. I made the mistake of writing the title without the hyphen between the "eighty" and the "four". It will never happen again; not after he got through with me.
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  Nathan Natas

  I made the mistake of writing the title without the hyphen between the "eighty" and the "four". It will never happen again; not after he got through with me.

  HUH? Sounds to me like there must be an interesting story behind that - do tell, please. Why was it such a big deal?
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  Euphemism

  My understanding of beryl's post is that it was more reflective of the character of the "expert" than of any actual significance. But she may wish to correct me.
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  Farkel

  izo,

  You're asking the wrong question. The correct question is "who came up with the false prophecy about 1975, and who enforced belief in that doctrine upon the most serious of JW punishments, i.e. DFing?"

  Answer to #1: Fred Franz

  Answer to #2: The Watchtower Society.

  Ray Franz had none of the power or prestige of his uncle, (he was the youngest GB member) and he certainly did not run the Watchtower Society. He did as he was told, and I'm sure he actually believed all that shit. I know I did. I tossed away college for that shit. Don't blame him. Blame the system that came up with that shit and promoted that shit.

  Farkel
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  Englishman

  Anyone who was around the dubs from the mid 60's onwards will know what feverish expectations were held for 1975.

  My parents took out the longest mortgage period possible because it would never be paid by 1975.

  I didn't take out any pensions or investments because of 1975.

  We were told that we could only cover our witness territory 9 more times before the onset of armageddon in 1975.

  Englishman.
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  NewYork44M