Ray Franz - is he REALLY a hero?

by baltar447 50 Replies latest jw friends

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  Quarterback

  A hero shows courage in the face of adversity. Ray did this. He exposed and opened the boardroom discussions in the inner private sacred rooms of JW land. He risked losing his friends, relatives, a comfortable life. It takes a big man to admit his mistakes, and involvements with how those mistakes affected the lives of others. The mid 70's had other heros, so many and their names escape me.

  I read COC in 1977, and it opened my eyes. I didn't read his 2nd book. One book was all I needed to ground me back to earth.
• 

  confusedandalone

  In 1977?

  Advance copies
• 

  suavojr

  Quarterback did you mean 1987?
• 

  Quarterback

  Suav: It probably was in 1987. I took some bad acid in the 60's, and it puts my mind in a different time zone. I occasionally get flashbacks, but the dates are distorted.
• 

  nugget

  He took a stand that took courage. He is a victim of the cult as much as any of us. HE is not to blame for the spiteful policies it just shows the cruelty of those left behind who would have made the same choices to hide their corruption over time.

  Blame the offenders by all means not the victims.
• 

  HowTheBibleWasCreated

  His reacding of the Gsoepl of John in th earky JW tapes are soft and inviting. While I am an athiest Ray Franz stood for whathe belive and there is no shame in it
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  solitairelife

  I left the organization in 1997 due to the absolute lack of love amongst the body of elders, which included taking me off the school without a hearing or explanation as to why, the refusal to give me copies of the kingdom ministry, and their insistance upon others not to show me any love. I did not read Ray's books until about ten years or so after that and will say that after doing so, although they weren't the cause of my leaving, they play an important part in why I will never return. In the 17 years since I left, not one sheparding call. If there is an Almighty God, I will take my chances with Him alone. Never again will I become a part of any religious organization. I did my time.
• 

  new hope and happiness

  A hero?

  I think for everybody there is a time to decide, thats when the brave man chooses and the coward steps aside.

  Yet sometimes we find ourselfs in a position when we are being attacked and then we have no choice but to fight back.

  Anyway Rays books got a lot of people to reading and wondering. But i dont think of Ray as a hero, no more than i see you and i as heroes.
• 

  LoisLane looking for Superman

  I needed a hero to save me from WT.

  My brother tried to wake me up decades ago. I wouldn't listen.

  Ray wrote his insider's version of the GB in a kind but straight, forward manner.

  Ray wrote it, I read it, the rest is history.

  Thank you for writing in a way that cut through all the red tape and got to the meat of the matter.

  Yes, in my book, Ray was my hero.

  LoisLane
• 

  Oubliette

  Any time anyone stands up for what is right, that is heroic. The more costly the consequences, the more heroic it is.

  The fact that the WT leadership responded the way they did is typical of abusers. While Ray's leaving may have been the trigger for their actions, they are fully responsible for those actions. They are the ones that are, or at least should be, held accountable.

  Any other assessment ends up blaming the victim, which is another common tactic of abusers.