Who's Greg Stafford

by Room 215 25 Replies latest jw friends

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  Room 215

  Does anyone know Greg personally?

  I'm intrigued by the comments made regarding the recent release of his Dissertations, and can't help but adimre him for the nobility of his intent. It seems to me he's a victim of the delusion that the beliefs of JWs are intellectually defensible and can withstand the test of empiricism and hard, objective scrutiny.

  I can't help but wonder how he's regarded by his peers in the local congregation, the local elders ad Circuit Overseer whether he holds any JW office (elder, ministerial servant, etc), whether he gives lectures, parts on the meeting, etc. and what the JW braintrust in Brooklyn make of him.

  For the Bethel leadership he represents a real dilemma; i.e whether to (1) tolerate, (2) ignore or (3) discipline him. I'm sure they would prefer the third option; but how do they do so to a loyal if honestly critical apologist without showing their imperious, autocratic, intolerant sides to the public?
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  ozziepost

  Good point, Roomie. We'll follow this situation with Greg Stafford with interest.

  Cheers,
  Ozzie

  "If our hopes for peace are placed in the hands of imperfect people, they are bound to evaporate."

  
  - Ron Hutchcraft Surviving the Storms of Stress
• 

  gumby

  Perhaps the big boys at Bethel WANT this publication in the hands of all who want an explanation.
  This way, the Borg is NOT RESPONSIBLE for any error or scrutiny of it's contents. Perhaps they encouraged it in a silent manner.

  There is no way possible Greg can undo all the wrongs commited by them. A false prophet is a false prophet! Murder is Murder! Lies are Lies! A cult is a cult!
  Go for it Greggie! We'll rip you a new one from this board!
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  Pathofthorns

  Books like Greg's or even all of the noise we make online impact JWs very little. The average JW is oblivious to it all.

  I would say recent experiences would suggest that the Society is preferring to IGNORE many of these things and REFUSING to respond to criticism from members. By doing things this way, they draw less attention to the issues and avoid potential backlashes and future embarrassements than they would have if they went the DISCIPLINE route.

  I think on a case by case basis, they weigh out the benefits vs. potential liabilities. And whereas in the past, they ALWAYS went the DISCIPLINE route, I think they realize now it is better to do what is in their best interests.

  Path
• 

  Room 215

  Hi all,

  Thanks for your comments. The questions remain: Who is this guy? Where is he? And how high up the chain is he?
• 

  Duncan

  Hello Room 215,

  I, too, have been intrigued by the recent Greg Stafford threads on this forum.

  There’s AlanF’s thread about Stafford’s new book wherein he is questioning, implicitly at least, the Faithful Slave’s spiritual authority – a huge no-go-area for a loyal dub, I would have thought.

  And more surprising, in the Calgary Blood issue thread where Greg is quoted openly opposing the Society’s views on blood.

  It seems he is determined to become front-page news here on JWD, for a while.

  A number of possibilities come to mind:

  1. Most straightforwardly – Greg Stafford is having/has had a Crisis of Conscience and decided to “tell it as he sees it” regarding the WTS and To Hell with the Consequences! - disfellowshipping, shunning, disgrace and a blackguarded reputation among former friends.
  2. It’s a cynical ploy, a planned arrangement with Brooklyn to air certain ideas that can be tested upon Greg’s readership. A sneaky way of signalling a change of policy and direction, all the while preserving deniability for the Watchtower leadership.
  3. Greg sees himself as an important, global player on the JW world-scene, and can in some manner fill the leadership vacuum that currently exists. His book will serve as a rallying-cry, he will attract a following, and “somehow” succeed to the leadership of the Governing Body.
  4. Greg has written the book and the readership that he primarily has in mind is, in fact, the GB itself. He hopes to influence them into reform.
  5. Greg just doesn’t care what he says – he just wants to sell a pile of books. Sort of tabloid journalism JW-style.

  Looking at my list, I guess I have ordered it in descending order of likelihood, in my opinion.

  I’ll have to wait to see how it all plays out, like everyone else. I might even buy his book.

  Regards

  Duncan.
• 

  AlanF

  I can't answer all of the possible questions about who Greg Stafford is, but I'll tell what I can from my personal experience.

  Stafford first came into my view around 1995 or 1996, when I got on an AOL discussion group about JWs. He posted as Apokrisis-something. He was an adamant, well-spoken and aggressive defender of JWs. Over the years he has distinguished himself as perhaps the most outspoken of online JW defenders. He has allied himself with various other well-known defenders, of the online and offline variety, such as Rolf Furuli and Marley Cole. So far as I know, Stafford holds no special position in the JW organization and is just a normal publisher, although he has a scholarly bent unusual for a JW. Certain people have told me that he became a JW around 1990, but I haven't confirmed that.

  Stafford put out his first book, Jehovah's Witnesses Defended, in 1998 and he put out a 2nd edition in 2000. Both concentrated largely on the JW view of God, Christ and the Trinity. There was a small section that defended the Society's actions regarding 1975, and a strangely abbreviated section that sort of defended, but not completely, the blood doctrine.

  AlanF
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  TR

  2. It’s a cynical ploy, an planned arrangement with Brooklyn to air certain ideas that can be tested upon Greg’s readership. A sneaky way of signalling a change of policy and direction, all the while preserving deniability for the Watchtower leadership.

  I've heard that Knorr gave the green light for McMillan(sp?) to write his book, "Faith on the March" back in the 50's. I also wonder if the same is true for Stafford's book.

  TR

  AWWWWW, CRAP!
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  Cygnus

  I know people who know Greg. ;) I have exchanged several emails with Greg. This is my opinion:

  Greg is a publisher somewhere on the Left Coast, USA. He might be a ministerial servant. His elders know about his books. He does not consult with Bethel about what he writes in his books or on internet boards. He does not feel that absolute shunning of disfellowshipped persons is warranted. His main objective is 1) to defend the name and person of Jehovah and 2) to alleviate unnecessary pressure on his JW brothers both from opposers and from the JW leadership.

  I think Greg has done a stellar job in deconstructing certain anti-JW arguments. Greg is just about where I was 5 years ago when I considered myself a "reformed JW."
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  TheOldHippie

  When I spoke with him one or two years ago, he was on the move from Chicago to the West Coast, and he was a ministerial servant.