WTBS Made a Huge Mistake!

patio34

I was tempted to write the WTBS today. I'm reading a loaned copy (from my younger sister, 'Waiting') of Ray Franz's "In Search of Christian Freedom." It is a masterful point-by-point refutation of the WTS doctrine. And who would be in a better position to do it, than an ex-GB member?

What I was tempted to write the Borg was something like 'boy, did you make a HUGE mistake in disfellowshipping that guy!' Talk about knowing where the skeletons are hidden!
(But I wouldn't waste the paper or stamp on a letter I know wouldn't get past the front desk and waste basket.)

His gentle rationale and use of the Bible scriptures is so clear in demonstrating the errors the Borg have made regarding door-to-door, blood transfusions, clerical hierarchy, legalism, etc. It's 'just what the doctor ordered!' And I'm only half-way through.

Not that I haven't been equally impressed with the writings of ones on the Net such as AlanF. But I'm still discovering every day. It's only been since March of this year that i 'left.'

Pat

"All religions die of the same disease--that of being found out."

TR

Hi Pat,

Isn't it amazing the things we can research/write/find out when our consciences are free to do so?

I read Ray's books also. I understand there is a third edition of C.O.C. Gonna hafta read it again!

TR

"Kults Suck"

MacHislopp

Hi Pat,

sometimes the "light gets brighter"
for others too, and as a result they "can see
LIGHT"!

Nice to have your thoughts,
Agape, J.C. MacHislopp

Farkel

Wait until you get to the chapter on the Misue of Disfellowshiping. If that won't make you foam-at-the mouth then you are not sufficiently motiviated.

Look at that picture of that 80-90+ plus old guy (Percy, something) I've loaned my copy out, so I cannot reference it right now. Here's a guy with what? fifty years of service to the Corp.? He's DFd for questioning the "generation" issue, which the society quietly changed later. He DIED DF and he had it RIGHT to begin with.

Who are these assholes who screw up people's lives, and why will not the R&F stop these assholes from hurting people any longer?

I don't know. I'm doin' MY best!

Farkel

LostMyReligion

Hi Pat!

It's me, your email pen-pal from the other half of that big state out west somewhere. I decided to give this posting thing another try.

I heartily agree with you on the value of Ray Franz' books. I ended up reading "Christian Freedom" first and then COC. They aare both exposes ( can't make an accent for that word) of the first degree as far as I am concerned. Especially ISOCF is a masterpiece of research and reasoning, and enabled me to let go of the lingering fears of "what if they could be right" about this or that issue, and feel the full weight of indignation of things like disfellowshipping which I had no real personal experience with, never having had a close friend or relative suffer it.

I agree that they made a huge mistake DFing RF not only because he knows where the skeletons are, but because his writing style was so much more readable than 90% of the standard WT output. They should have let him write a lot more. I had no trouble reading the hundreds of pages in his 2 books, but I can barely make it through 3 or 4 pages of the WT before numbness sets in. Of course the object of the subject matter may have something to do with that.

Looking forward to conversational interchange with you here, and in my email box!

LMR

hopeful

I enjoyed Ray's books too. Jang leant me hers and told me to read the Christian Freedom Book first, and then to read the Crisis book. I am glad she did that because I think I would have had a breakdown if I had read the Crisis book first. I could not believe what I had got myself into and I was so glad to be out of it.

What a cruel, consciousless, manipulative and hateful organization it really is and what it has done to so many people. I am not suprised really to see how angry they are on these boards and how they treat each other sometimes. They are only doing what they have been trained to do like my ex-husband.

hopeful

Francois

Ray has really performed a great public service with his books. It takes time for society to make changes in itself, but it does happen, and perhaps the end really is near for the Evil Empire. Its true, too, that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. When enough people make enough noise, the WTBTS will slouch into its own self-imposed end.

And something else. I met Ray when he moved to Winston, GA and was in the end stages of completing his home there. Worked with he and a few friends putting together some meetings of ex-JWs and other interested parties. The first meeting was held over in Alabama. Anyway, I had a chance to deal with Ray on a close personal basis for a few years back in the late eighties, and the point I want to make is that he is such a mild-mannered, gentle, honest, spiritually oriented and motivated guy, its hard to believe that the Borg did not listen to him when they had the chance.

It's obvious that Ray doesn't have a selfish bone in his body. And it would be hard to believe that he would ever be motivated to seek personal promotion or "glory" for himself or for his ideas. And yet the bozos at Borg headquarters allowed their own selfishness, their own ambition, their own hard-heartedness to allow this gem of a guy, endowed with no small intellect, to escape them. When they lost the services of Ray Franz, they lost the last, best, hope of turning around and sinning no more.

Think about it. Where would the JWs be today if they had sincerely adopted Ray's interpretations into the body of their beliefs; if they had ceased defending the indefensible, if they - in short - had gotten real and acknowledged the validity of the concerns of its members? It's strange to think about it in these terms, but the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses could have evolved into quite an attractive bunch. But they didn't, of course. It's hard to get people who think they speak for God to acknowledge the validity someone else's viewpoint. And its gonna cost 'em. Big.

Just musing.

Francois

patio34

It's good to hear from y'all about this. It was much better than writing to the Borg.

TR and Mac, the 'light is getting brighter' now that we're free to look for it!

Farkel, just started the disfellowshipping chapter (gr-r-r-r). And that was pathetic what they did to that elderly man--heartless.

The chapter on blood was astounding. How could the WTBS dupe so many people into risking their lives? I just hope none of my grandchildren get put at risk over this.

LostMyReligion, I keep reading these kinds of books because of wanting to be satisfied it's right to leave. Although I wish I could pull my 2 sons out! Need patience, huh? It's so nice to have you posting on here!

Hopeful, I agree the books should be read in the order you said. Because the ISOCF seems to have more doctrine rebuttal and CofC has more of the internal workings. It does get one's ire up! The only problem is wanting to share it with JWs--which will lead to df'g. He has a point about that too in the chapter on df'g. How cleverly the WTS refuses to defend its policies on the basis of 'apostasy' when Jesus, Jehovah, and the early Christians did just the opposite.

Francoise, thanks for the info about meeting Ray Franz. His personality certainly comes thru in the books too. It's as with evolution, those species that didn't adapt go into extinction. It seems that will be the outcome for the Borg.

Pat

Jang

I had the pleasure of meeting Ray and Cynthia too when I was in Atlanta in Nov 1986. My cousin and I drove over to see him and she was so impressed by his humility and love and their hospitality.

They had just moved into their home out of the van at that time.

JanG
CAIC Website: http://caic.org.au/zjws.htm
Personal Webpage: http://uq.net.au/~zzjgroen/

dedalus

Farkel, just started the disfellowshipping chapter (gr-r-r-r). And that was pathetic what they did to that elderly man--heartless.

"Now, now, Patio34 -- maybe we don't know the whole story. Perhaps the man was selling drugs to the kiddies in the congregation, and the generation excuse was a smokescreen. Or perhaps he was holding after-service orgies in the back of the Kingdom Hall. The point is, we should never question decisions made by elders, because we don't have the whole story."

Don't you get sick of hearing that? Because if you haven't, Patio34, you will. I recently told my JW father about an elder who was deleted for accepting a non-Witness donation for his blind, deaf, and mentally handicapped son. "Well, we don't have the whole story," he said. Then I told him about a sister I knew who was reproved in the 80's because she was raped and didn't scream. "Well, I don't know her personally, and even so, I wouldn't know the full facts of what happened there." It's going to get frustrating for you if you try to share what you're learning with other Witnesses.

Personally, I find that passive, do-nothing stance repulsive ... but then again, I once said the same thing myself when confronted with judicial atrocities.

Dedalus

WTBS Made a Huge Mistake!

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