by diamondblue1974 42 Replies latest jw friends
Hey Diamondblue!
Way to go,I think I read the book 3 or 4 times and learnt something everytime.You absolutely have to get In Search of Christian Freedom.It speaks a little deeper on a many subjects and will answer even more of your questions and doubts.Raymond Franz did an excellent job with his books and many of us owe him a debt of gratitude.
Goldminer
Who wrote In Search of Christian Freedom?
or you can buy it from
And check up on other Ray Franz writings and similar authoris.
Blondie
I'm still reading my copy - I"m on the double standards of the GB. It just angers me so much at times, to think that ours lives were & many millions of lives are being held in the palms of about 14 old men at Brooklyn Bethel - power hungry old men, with nothing better to do that toil with us.
I'm still reading my copy - I"m on the double standards of the GB. It just angers me so much at times, to think that ours lives were & many millions of lives are being held in the palms of about 14 old men at Brooklyn Bethel - power hungry old men, with nothing better to do that toil with us.
I can identify with your feelings and thoughts there LB and share them completely.
Did anyone who has read it have any criticisms of it?
DB74
Does R. Franz offer any explanations as to why the GB is so rigid and incapable of changing so many things that cause a great deal of harm to the membership? They are incredibly selfish.
Green Dawn, when Ted Jarcz who is an alleged child molester and former head of Watchtower's (Secretive) Service Department, keeps sitting on the Governing Body, I believe that's the answer as to why the continual selfishness. Does anybody else have a better answer? If so, I too would like to hear it.
Greendown asked…
Does R. Franz offer any explanations as to why the GB is so rigid and incapable of changing so many things that cause a great deal of harm to the membership?
Yes he does.
On pages 296 and 297 of this First Edition he explains why he feels that the men of the Governing Body are themselves captives of their own illusionary concept that the Society is God’s organization
He reasons…
For (the men of the Governing Body) "the organization" remains something undefined, abstract, a concept rather than a concrete entity. Perhaps because of such an illusory view of ‘the organization’ a man can be a Member of such a Body that has virtually unrestricted power and authority, and yet not fell keen sense of personal responsibility for what that Body does, for what ever hurt or whatever misleading information and consequent misdirection results.
It was “the organization that did it, not us” seems to be the thinking. And, believing that ‘the organization’ is God’s chosen instrument, the responsibility is passed on to God. It it was His will – even if later the particular decision or the particular authoritative teaching is found wrong and changed. People may have been disfellowshipped or otherwise hurt by the wrong decision. But the individual Member of the Governing Body feels absolved of personal responsibility. Any mess that has been made, God will do the cleaning up of it for "the organization."
That explains it for me.
Don at www.CaptivesOfaConcept.com
I know about Greenlees and Chitty being into pederasty but is Jaratz also under suspicion now?
One of the biggest JW myths R. Franz proves a lie in C.o.C. is the nonsense promoted by the Society that God's earthly organization is spirit directed through the living remnent of the 144,000 who collectively and mystically leads the organization. It is very clear that the vast majority of this "special" class have absolutely no say in producing Watch Tower Society's dogma or administration. It was very clear that until the mid 1970's the Society was directed by the dictatorial powers of just one or two top leaders at any given time and even since the mid seventies by a small body of top leaders. One of the most influential of these leaders, Fred Franz (Ray's Uncle) admits that he always thought that the Society would be run by chosen individuals right down until the big "A" in direct contrast to what was written by this very same man for general consumption for the Rank & File JWs. The Anointed, as a class, never ran the Society and still don't today so the JWs are not even consistant within their own beliefs about the authority structure of the only "true Christian" organization. Fred Franz even fought the concept ( which he invented) of sharing power with the small Governing Body so there are even layers upon layers of contradictions within the thought patterns of the modern W.T. Society's chief prophet/scholar. Such confused thinking would never be allowed by a real intelligent super being like God in the leadership directing His organization.
A great read! My only criticism would be my not understanding how such a bright fellow as R. Franz didn't take the next logical step in applying his intellegent skepticism to the Bible itself. The fact that he remains a Bible believer to this day is shocking to me. The power of tradition is very strong so in my opinion he remains himself "a victim of a concept", in this case traditional Christianity. This works out better I think though for any JW willing to examine his/her questions about the W.T. Society since reading a book by a full blown Atheist would stop many from learning the important information R. Franz has provided in his writtings.
