The Ray Franz Saga

by snugglebunny 45 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  snugglebunny

  I'm just curious as to how it all happened.

  To explain. Many years back, before ex-JW websites, I called on a local lady in order to design an extension to her already enormous house. She was a young, voluptuous gal, married to a much older local business man who spared little expense in order to give his young wife whatever her heart desired.

  We chatted for ages. She then told me that she was a member of the local congregation of JW's and that the congregation had been rocked by the news that a member of the Governing Body had been disfellowshipped. I was quite taken aback, knowing nothing of this at the time. But I do remember how shaken up she was. Bearing in mind that she was from a small congregation in England and she was talking of goings-on in New York, I wondered later how she could possibly of known about it.

  So my questions are these: How were the congregations actually told about the disfellowshipping of Ray Franz? Was an announcement made at an assembly? And how did the JW's react at the time? How was the damage-limitation machinery brought into play? What was the general atmosphere like at the time?

  Any information would be gratefully received!
• 

  blondie

  Actually Ray was said to have da'd himself by having meal with his da'd boss. His wife was never df'd despite being at that same meal along with the boss' wife, not df'd.

  It was a policy enacted retroactively.
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  wifibandit

  Our Kingdom Service, August 1980 announced when he left the GB and Bethel.
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  blondie

  Ray and Cynthia were associated with the Gadsen Alabama congregation up until Ray associated with a da'd jw.
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  DesirousOfChange

  The Feb 22, 1982 issue of Time Magazine also did a full page article about Ray Franz.

  Doc
  
• 

  millie210

  Thanks wifibandit!

  Interesting that they couched the announcement in between banal announcements that appeared all the time.

  A slap in the face to him and their way of diminishing the entire event no doubt.

  As to how it felt at the time? I was pioneering and in my 20s and all I thought was that Jehovah lost a son (satan) and now Fred Franz had suffered the loss of his nephew and it seemed that no one was immune to the bad effects of sin.

  Of course back then, the GB werent real anyhow. They were just names..
• 

  Hecce

  My personal experience goes like this, as a commoner I was not privy to anything secret about this affair or was concerned about it. The information that I got from the start to the end with the DF was one sided, the COs and other relevant elders were the ones talking on a negative light towards Franz about the affair; the common idea was that he was associated with some Evangelicals and had appeared on their TV channels. To be honest with you what was represent to me was not a big deal.

  Years after that with the growth of the Internet when I became aware of the intimate details and his books, my perception about the matter changed completely.
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  Dagney

  I do remember it being very big stuff. I could not figure out how that could happen. I had a bible student at the time and I gave her the speech about men being imperfect, don't follow men, stick to the bible.

  I also remember Ray interviewed on the radio, and we all knew about it and listened. I remember not being shocked at anything he said, and just filed it away thinking there was a lot more to the story. I went on a two week visit to Bethel in 1982, and there was a lot of talk about it still. It appeared to me they were confused as anybody else, especially knowing the character of the man and his wife, and the others DF.

  It wasn't until 20 years later I read the story online and his book. The pieces fit.
• 

  BluesBrother

  If your customer was in England she would only have heard things on the grapevine - perhaps her rich husband had contacts. There was no internet so we only heard rumours.

  That K M that Wifi Bandit put up is the only official information from the WTS. It was noticed though that there were lots of articles soon after about loyalty....It was not until I read C of C that I really knew what happened.
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  Dagney

  Newsweek and a short article about it as well. I remember the article saying "the Watchtower refused to comment..."

  I didn't buy Newsweek after that thinking the article was so biased. Persecution complex...the world is picking of us.

  Sigh. I was an idiot.