I just passed on the email as it came to me... apparently the author used Google or some other software to translate it into English, but it is lacking. Thanks Mind Blown for making some of it more comprehensible. I am not attempting to explain it to you, merely passing it on. My emails are like a stock ticker, and are sometimes 3-4 days late or longer before I can get around to posting the more interesting things. I just have too many hats to wear running Freeminds, which is almost all done myself (we do have volunteer board members, such as Lance Goller (treasurer) and Paul Morrison, who has been my greatest allies in improving our communications, but they have their own jobs, leaving most all the ordinary banal work to do myself. I am and will always be the only salaried board member. I find that I can get more done that way, and if I need some part-time work done, like folding newsletters and mailing, writing a particular author, or doing investigative video reports, I can hire outsiders and 1099 them. I am simply not a fan of most organizational politics, so I try to keep it as least complicated as possible. I can hire someone to do a particular job.
Over the years many have tried to become some kind of "branch" of Free Minds, Inc. but I find it more work than it's worth, as I have to train them to do all the peculiar work myself. Plus few understand my 30-year unfolding plan to deprogram all of you (just kidding!) Plus I can play the "dumb okie" part and use my style, rather than present some facade or conglomerate entity that is not ne and that must water its message down to suit all the board members (though they are in place to keep a close eye on my antics, and two of my board members are not Christian, two are). Another advantage is that I can write what I want when I want, without having to play the alter ego of "organization," or seek to placate potential supporters that I am some super-orthodox Christian. I smply love Jesus and I do very much feel I have a relationship with him. After 8 years in the WT and about 13 years afterwards as a pastor without pay, I am convinced we need less invisible organizational entities and more individuals who can speak their mind, yet have wise advisors to keep me in check.
I choose Christians only because they are the ones of my generation who established the basis for community action against the Watchtower's abuses, yet remaining somewhat free of large organizational issues. Free Minds' income is about 85% contributions and 15% sales (thanks to the digital age books and videos are not purchased much anymore). But actually I would, if I had more funds, do away with sales altogether, as I don't want to die shipping books at 80 years old. I love to blog, but I haven't had much time lately. I will be doing more at the end of the summer. I would love to spend more time on this board, but I am limited to about 10 minutes a day just to pick up and drop off news... so I often miss certain things for 3-4 days until they are drawn to my attention.
My background is a hippie/Jesus Freak, having grown up in the Cold War era of the 60s. My girlfriend Renee, myself, and two longtime buddies rented a house on the Strand in Newport Beach in 1970, long hair, drugs and all, but having grown up as a Baptist I had Christian leanings. Though I take Christian history, the development of the canon of the New Testament, and "doctrine" with a grain of salt and do not and never have believed in hellfire, the accuracy of Genesis, and have ALWAYS believed in evolution, I had a real physical and supernatural experience with Jesus that lasted 10 days in the first year of my ministry upon leaving the JWs. Though some of my writings may seem to indicate I am not in tune with the Bible (after all it was voted together by organizations of men, and nowhere did Jesus start a congregation, church, or organization... nor did he attempt to explain his nature with the Father in Greek philosophical terms... he was my hero, and I gave my life to serving Him at a Billy Graham crusade when I was 9 years old... and it was a real conversion. Years later, I just happened to get lost in the sea of men's organizations. Going back to the simple model of Jesus is actually coming back in style, by the way, as people see the manmade and less-than-pure motives of some "Christian" organizations. Thus my hesitancy to call myself Christian in some circles because it would imply I accept all the councils of men who try to fit the disparate books that have been compiled into a "Bible" (something Jesus never suggested - the sacred Jewish writings were the Jewish scriptures), it didn't take long for man to take over in a multitude of "apologist" roles, from the very beginning of the church. I bought into that partiallly for a time. But like even most seminarians who study the Bible from a more scientific, historical and linguistic viewpoint, there are not a few discrepancies. That is to be expected, as all civilizations continually rewrite their vown history and change their doctrines to "fit in" to modern times.
I think we will see more of this return to Christ in a simple way among those who leave the Watchtower, especially among those who have no evangelical or Catholic/Greek Orthodox background.
While I have written much on doctrine in the early years, and all of it is on Freeminds.org, I tended to write more "third-person" so as not to persuade others that these doctrines are all true and are completely MY viewpoint. But I still do believe they represent as close as possible the beliefs of the pre-Nicene church. The usefulness of this is in showing groups like Jehovah's Witnesses that they are lying about church history, and even if some things the early church taught are difficult to believe in a modern world. But it proves they are lying.
The main mark of a follower of Christ according the Acts 1-5 was a repentance, conversion to the tenets of Christ, and the devotion to a newer, more selfless life. It happened in a flash of time. No 6-month Bible studies, no joining an organization, and no collective egos to weaken or even counter the message of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit
Juan has been working in revamping my entire collection of websites and asks for no money in return. Most all of outside help comes from non-paid contributors. I am so grateful for such selfless, loving people without whom I could never have survived. Plus I have 30 years of close Christian friends (see watchtowerworld.org) that are mostly retired, but very much still want to be a part of helping people, and so (as is always seen on the front of the Free Minds page) there is a link to the site where you can contact the founding "apostates" who have come to believe in Christianity after leaving the WT. They love to help people and there are phone numbers and emails to reach them... people I admire like Joan Cetnar, Ed Gruss, Grace, Tom Cabeen, the Jansmas, and so many more. They WANT to talk and help others in need. Plus the site is a reminder of who has gone before you and done the REAL work that was much harder back then. I avoid recommending hard-core fundys as I prefer people leaving the WT to go back to where they got off the road to sanity and learn to trust their own judgments rather than that of others - something often rare in our societies.
The downside is, I get backed up. But I do have a faithful core group of supporters who contribute to our work and keep us going. Most of them I have met personally, and some have been supporters for nearly 30 years!
I think people like these brothers in Brazil are coming to realize similar things about religious organizations, and the internet has been a major source of change.
Right now I'm stuck on a phone call to Australia so I will continue this on another post or on my website, for what it's worth. I've rambled enough. :-))
Randy
