Didn't need Ray Franz to see the bullshit. One doesn't need to look very hard to see the bullshit.
Farkel, I completly agree with you. I left before I read Franz's book. I had already stopped attending meetings in early 70s because I was disillusioned with the borg but stilll read the WT. When I read that only the 144,00 had Jesus as their mediator, I knew it was a lie. I thoungt that if I did not have Jesus as a mediator, hell, I didn't have anything. After that mag. there were other contradictions. I attended the Baptish church, my boss's church,on Memorial night, just to see what it was like. My jw coworker ratted me out. The JC met with me and I told them the WTS were not telling the truth about Jesus being only the mediator for the 144,000 and other things. They df'd me but did give me the option of appealing. I did not appeal. I did not want to get df'd. They told me that in order to remain inside the org. I could not ever discuss the Bible with my df'd husband (he was df'd for smoking). That was too much for me, it was against my constitutional rights to free speech. I had to give up my family and my husband's family but that's what I did. I felt I was the only weird one who couldn't behave until I read CoC. Now, after finding this site, I think I am one of the ones with some brains who knows the WTS is nothing more that a publishing, real estate cult! I have learned a lot here and know I made the right decision when I left. I just can't believe my father took us away from the Catholic church and into this cult! What was he thinking. At least as Catholics we would have prepared ourselves for living our lives out in this world. As it is, I did not get my nursing degree until I was 54 years old. As someone else posted, at least now with sites like this, others may leave sooner and not waste too much time in that cult! I also had an older brother and a yonger brother who had left the org, so that helped me leave.
