Why did Ray Franz leave the Organization? Your Opinion Matters!

by SanLuisObispoTruthSeeker 51 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Finkelstein

  Short answer = personal integrity

  He was very close to the leadership of this organization and personally saw the corruption which had been built up around itself.

  I think its more important to take in why the leaders of this organization expelled him, rather than why did he leave himself.

  Thats the game of power though, how its firstly created and further how its retained by those who have achieved it.

  .

  What mostly sparked his critical evaluation of the leadership was the obviously deceit of promoting 1975 by his

  uncle F Franz, that was one false doctrine that resulted in many devout JWS to rethink what they were really

  involved in, including myself.
• 

  Terry

  I don't think any of this is a matter of opinion, only a matter of fact.

  1. In the course of writing articles, Ray did research.

  2. From his research, Ray discovered the WTS weren't scriptural.

  3. Ray discussed his ideas with others and discovered he wasn't the only disaffected "thinker."

  4. Personal study groups formed with honest interrogatives raised and researched.

  5. The alarm bell sounded and pressure came to bear.

  6. Under the pretext of "health" (a true pretext, but a convenient one) Ray "retired" from the catbird seat.

  7. A Witch hunt was begun to see how far the "cancer" of honest inquiry had spread.

  8. Enough facts came to light to warrant searching for a pretext to DF Ray so fellow JW's would not read or pay attention

  to anything Ray might publish or say by way of disclosure of methods and practices of the Governing Body.

  9. Ray was DF'd.

  10. Ray published his book and traveled around the world giving interviews.

  I believe a certain sum of money (hush money) was paid by the Society to Ray as a lovely parting gift. (In hopes he'd go quietly.)

  There is a corollary to the above. Ray was secretly gathering ammo, probably while he was still at Headquarters. I speculate word

  of the "book" was leaked and threw everybody into panic mode.
• 

  fulano

  Yes a year allowance of special pioneering, around 10 k. He writes very suspicious about it, but they offer the same to ex missionaries in europe when they have to leave their missionary assignlent. We were offered 4 months without any requirements of hours, a starter in the real world. No hush dollars at all.

  We never know the truth of Franz it all as we don't know the other Side of the medal, do we?
• 

  daringhart13

  Have you ever tried to sell something you know isn't true, doesn't work or is a fraud?

  It's very difficult for men of honor.
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  GiftsinMen

  I was left thinking if he hadn't been pushed would he have jumped? He didn't make a choice to leave or fade, he didn't really challenge them either. he admits he went along with the GB for years knowing things were wrong. So....would he have jumped if he hadn't been pushed?
  
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  Vidiot

  Ray would have been perfectly content to leave quietly.

  The Org wanted to kick him in the ass on his way out.

  x

  Know who else did that? Nixon loyalists after John Dean turned whistleblower.
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  Crazyguy

  I met the person that wrote the insight books and was involved with other books and writings in the writing department he may have even helped Ray on the Aid book. Anyway he related that a major witch hunt took place in the early 80s an inquisition took place and any person suspected of have thoughts outside the teaching of the Borg were attacked. Now this came about because of two reasons first many thinking JW's had issues with the teaching in 1979 that Jesus was only the mediator for the 144k and rumors had gone around about the inability of Ray and his staff unable to find any evidence of the destruction in 607 of Jerusalem.

  It was related to me that most thinking JW's at bethel either were kicked out or left themselves asap.
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  FayeDunaway

  Because he had more integrity in his left little toe nail than all the rest of those men put together.
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  Vidiot

  Huh; two "dislikes".

  Wonder why. :confused:
• 

  steve2

  Time magazine quoted a source that said the organization provided Ray and Cynthia Franz $10,000 to set up their living arrangement after leaving Bethel. Ray himself did not construe it as hush money.

  Whether Ray would have left of his own free will if he had not been told to leave is a matter of pure speculation.

  The stakes were very high. He and Cynthia had lived securely at headquarters for years. They did not have an alternative source of "accommodation" or income. Ray weas reaching retirement age.

  No, Ray did not immediately relinquish his position when the serious misgivings first emerged. Who can blame him? Questions over personal integrity do not land in one's consciousness fully formed and clarified.

  Who has not struggled with ambivalence over cherished beliefs, gone through waxing and waning self-doubt, hoped others in positions of authority would be humbly agreeable to openly discuss doubts?