by minimus 111 Replies latest jw friends
Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, author of Visions of Glory.
I left based on a gut feeling - no support. No internet, no family. Ten years. I consumed BGH's book, like oxygen. Wrote her a letter and she answered with a lovely postcard which I've treasured.
Finally, all immediate family also came out. Such a blessing, but sullied by much pain and betrayal by family still in.
1) My father
2) Ray Franz
3) David Reed
4) Dogpatch
And I forgot to mention Simon and this site - which put the last nail in the WTS coffin.
Isnt it funny that apostle and apostate are almost the same and obviously share a common etymology and root word.
My favourite Apostate was Paul. He helped me to see the ungodliness in being nice and smooth and corruptly not standing for freedom and truth. The prophets were dissenters. Christ aggressively exposed the falsehood and hypocrisy of leaders of religion.
Uprightness is sought for, not partialism.
The kingdom of God requires more of a human than religion teaches: to become helper and shepherd of a new humankind in receiving the grand promises, of which the holy writings as the hearts and hopes of sensible and feeling humans are filled with. If there were not such hope in us, I believe we would not be able to live on like we do.
I may be wrong, but trust that God and his Christ are not.
In fact, I hesitate only a little to say that the Father as the Son abstain and stand apart (apo-state) from most business that is being termed religion, church or organisation (however spiritual their claims may be). Of course, God's spirit needs not separate but vindicates and wins over any falsehood.
JWFacts.com and Freeminds
BTW Randy Watters is the probably one the most humble and knowledgable people you could ever meet (and his front room has a beautiful view).
My mom! I had no idea when I was young how subservice she was. I formally ended the nuclear family addiction but she worked on me in utero. Ray Franz confirmed much with secret info. The WT gb is not covered by journalists. Besides my mom and Franz, I owe much to my local KH. They were uneducated but theyc were decent people. As a group, though, the decency and Holy Spirit gifts were missing. It hurt me deeply. Every nice person in my life was slated for destruction. As I grew older, NY gave me comfort. I would be dead instantly in a nuclear holocaust. The truly unbearable situation would be surviving A with a JW theocracy.
Add the bad act of reading any Bibl. In conscutive verses and assuming the GB members are flawes humans with no brains, it. B
becomes a perfect storm.Extreme human coldness before any intellect.
Ray Publisher, he's the Apostate I love! His old beard had many posibilities! The secret is out, he's who I think about during missionary sex with my husband!
I would say for me the most influential was Ray Franz.
As a kid i grew up fearing the man. My father used to say that he was the greatest opposer of the watchtower society. In my young mind I thought he was an evil man.
Years later,I had the privilege to speak with him, I was ashamed of myself for thinking ill of this kind, gentle man. When he died I was really saddened. Hubby used to correspond with him and sometimes we re read his kind letters.
