We need a national story about Ray Franz's life

by moshe 17 Replies latest jw friends

  • Hoping4Change
    Hoping4Change

    re: the Time magazine article

    It would be nice to see Time pick this story up and update some of its' contents re: Jehovah's Witnesses. Notice how the end of the article points out "They have necessarily backed off the 1975 date, but the End must occur during the lifetime of people who still remember the earthly events of 1914. With the rapidly thinning ranks of such oldsters, the Witnesses confront an increasingly troublesome, self-imposed and absolute deadline." It would be nice if any such article would also point out the change/shift to this with the new Generation teaching.

  • rebel8
    rebel8

    Great idea, moshe!

    I am also wondering if some sort of fund can be set up in his name, to be used in cult prevention or something similar? Tied to an established secular organization, for those of us who eschew religion in any form (no offense intended, that is just the reality for many ex-jws).

    You know, Ray was very helpful to me in researching wt policies that affected me in childhood (hemophilia), and generally just telling me his perspective on what happened (wts systematically killing hemophiliacs, if you ask me). I wonder if AJWRB would be a candidate for such a fund?

    They do such great work to help current jws and physicians (A physicians guide to saving lives and limiting personal liability ; suggestions on how you can help your Witness patients. Now available as a downloadable brochure. Do Jehovah's Witnesses Really Abstain from Blood?).

    It would be a really great thing to include in a national article.

    And btw I'm not being morbid here. A fund in honor of someone can be set up while they're still alive.

    I can think of few better ex-jws to be honored.

  • belbab
    belbab

    Moshe,

    I agree with you that we need a national story.

    We also need a memorial site on the internet, may be a thread on this site, that when people do a search for Ray Franz that site comes up. On it should be a biography. pictures of him, quotes from his writings. etc.

    We also should monitor JW sites and document any comments of Jehovah's Witnesses and not let them get away with any derogatory comments. We do not want him "to fade away into that good night".

    When the Philistines in the Bible nailed the corpses of Saul and Jonathan on their walls, brave men went and cut the bodies down and gave them a decent burial.

    If it wasn't for the one who asked Pilate for the body of Jesus, his corpse would have been thrown on the dung heap.

    Woman risked their lives to care for his body. We need a figurative memorial tomb for Ray Franz.

    Back around 1991, Another ex JW, named Don Smith, and myself, and also a French Canadian, named Joe Rollin all in our sixties went to Atlanta to build a storage amd shipping building for his books. To get a good price to have his books printed he had to order a large amount. His house was packed with boxes of books so one could hardly pass through. We worked very hard for ten memorable days assisted at one point by attendees of the BRCI (sp) Bible conference who help raise the truss structures into place.

    One memorable thing I remember, each day Ray would go to the mail box and come back with the mail. At noon he always shared his mail with us that came to him from around the world. He always answered his mail as posts on this board have said. It is ironic his heart attack came while he walked the couple hundred yards down his driveway to get the mail.

    I am not computer savvy enough to set up such a memorial. Perhaps someone out there can pick up the torch.

    belbab

  • Mad Sweeney
    Mad Sweeney

    marked

  • Lozhasleft
    Lozhasleft

    I absolutely agree that we should do something BIG to mark this man's contribution to us all and to those in the future who will benefit from his dedicated work and integrity. I'm in the UK but am happy to join in anyway I can be of assistance if someone wants to put some ideas into practice?

    Loz x

  • not a captive
    not a captive

    Yes for a big national story but also yes for the little letters to the local papers editor.

    We are now allowed to feel and speak and write. Ray was honest, faithful ,gifted.

    But if he helped us at all, then we can do in a small way what he did.

    WE can point out that sometimes there are people whose admirable acts are the thing that we find hardest to do ourselves. Lose a lifelong reputation in our religious world. But Ray Franz's faith in Jesus was the willingness to follow the Lamb wherever he took him; and that integrity is doing what is right even if you may sacrifice a great deal.

    And Ray and Cynthia did this with kindness and grace. And gave those who found themselves marginalized and shunned by their own faith community information that has helped us heal.

    I intend to write something of this to my local paper here in NW Arkansas.

  • carla
    carla

    please check your pm

  • Scarred for life
    Scarred for life

    I think there should be an article in People Magazine, Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, USA Today. Also CNN, MSNBC, BBC. He deserves a LOT of recognition. But it would take the right person to spearhead that and be able to communicate superbly to get the message out.

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