Raymond Franz- Friend of God

[Bruce Michael]

Raymond Franz was a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses from 1971 until May 22, 1980, and served at the organization's world headquarters for fifteen years, from 1965 until 1980.

Franz has written and edited two detailed books which relate his personal experiences with the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society and fellow members of the Jehovah's Witness organization.

Franz was raised as a third-generation Jehovah's Witness; many of his family were members. Frederick Franz, Raymond's uncle, was highly influential in the religion's development, practices, and doctrines.

Raymond's father was baptized in 1913 as a Bible Student, as they were known before they adopted the name "Jehovah's Witnesses" in 1931.

We salute a brave man who stood up for freedom of thinking and conscience- a man who stood up for Christ!

 

[Bruce Michael]

Yes, Raymond "ripper" Franz, really knew his stuff.

Franz began working in the organization's writing department and was assigned to collaboratively write Aid to Bible Understanding, the first encyclopaedic book published by Jehovah's Witnesses.



In the preface of the first of his two books, Crisis of Conscience, Franz describes his experience at the headquarters in this way:
“ What I saw, heard and experienced during the next fifteen years had a great impact on me. Whether the reaction of the reader will coincide with mine, I have no way of knowing, but one thing is certain, and that is no one could understand what brought me to a crisis situation without knowing these developments. The proverb is apt: 'When anyone is replying to a matter before he hears it, that is foolishness on his part and a humiliation'"—Proverbs 18:13

 

[Pathless]

We salute a brave man who stood up for freedom of thinking and conscience- a man who stood up for Christ!

Hip Hip Hooray.

So what did he do? And did Christ give him a nice pat on the back? A medal?

Seriously though, I'm a bit confused. Did he challenge Jehovah's Witness or help establish the organization, or both? I can tell from your post that he and his family were deeply involved, but parts of your posts (like the bit quoted up there and the quote about him having a 'crisis') seem to imply that he broke away from the JWs.

I guess I just want to know what we are saluting about him. Thanks.

And why is he called "ripper"?? Sounds ominous.

 

[Bruce Michael]

Hip Hip Hooray.

So what did he do? And did Christ give him a nice pat on the back? A medal?

He got more than a medal. He got his freedom and a clear conscience. And our Lord did give him a mighty pat on the back! "Well done faithful servant!"

Seriously though, I'm a bit confused. Did he challenge Jehovah's Witness or help establish the organization, or both? I can tell from your post that he and his family were deeply involved, but parts of your posts (like the bit quoted up there and the quote about him having a 'crisis') seem to imply that he broke away from the JWs..

And why is he called "ripper"?? Sounds ominous.

In 1971, Franz was invited to become a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, a small group of men at the second-highest organizational level. At that time, the President of the organization held all of the decision-making power. He accepted the position and spent many years travelling the world seeing the organization’s structure, workings, and practices on all levels, and overseeing the organization's activities, in many countries.


Franz states that the crossroads in his life occurred during his nine years as a Governing Body member:

By the end of 1979 I had arrived at my personal crossroads. I had spent nearly forty years as a full time representative, serving at every level of the organizational structure. The last fifteen years I had spent at the international headquarters, and the final nine of those as a member of the worldwide Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. It was those final years that were the crucial period for me. Illusions there met up with reality. I have since come to appreciate the rightness of a quotation I recently read, one made by a statesman, now dead, who said:

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie—deliberate, contrived and dishonest—but the myth—persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.


I dubbed him "ripper". I did consider "the ripper" but stuck with "ripper".

Cheerio,
Br.Bruce

 

[mee]

remaining steadfast and eating from the table of Jehovah is the thing to do . there is only one table to eat from and it is good. matthew 24;45-47
and new thoughts based on more accurate knowledge is in abundance . and it all comes at Jehovahs own time table , as always .
working along with that channel is the way to go . in what ever way Jehovah wants .



i love the way that things are progressive and it is always at Jehovahs time . a good attitude is what it is all about.


i am being well fed and it is good food. my thoughts are inline with the channel Jehovah is using at this time , but i am never bored because true knowledge is abundant.Daniel 12;4


Isaiah 55:8: "‘For the thoughts of you people are not my thoughts, nor are my ways your ways,’ is the utterance of Jehovah. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’"


Jehovahs ways are best . and the channel is getting the GOODNEWS preached matthew 24;14


Search through me, O God, and know my heart. Examine me, and know my disquieting thoughts, and see whether there is in me any painful way, and lead me in the way of time indefinite." (Psalm 139:23, 24)



its good to know that it is Jehovah who can read hearts and minds .

 

[Pathless]

He got more than a medal. He got his freedom and a clear conscience. And our Lord did give him a mighty pat on the back! "Well done faithful servant!"

Oh. Good for him and Jesus. Glad they are both happy!

I still don't have an answer to my question, though, which was:

Did he challenge Jehovah's Witness or help establish the organization, or both? I can tell from your post that he and his family were deeply involved, but parts of your posts (like the bit quoted up there and the quote about him having a 'crisis') seem to imply that he broke away from the JWs.

You wrote:

In 1971, Franz was invited to become a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, a small group of men at the second-highest organizational level. At that time, the President of the organization held all of the decision-making power. He accepted the position and spent many years travelling the world seeing the organization’s structure, workings, and practices on all levels, and overseeing the organization's activities, in many countries.


Franz states that the crossroads in his life occurred during his nine years as a Governing Body member:


The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie—deliberate, contrived and dishonest—but the myth—persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.


I dubbed him "ripper". I did consider "the ripper" but stuck with "ripper".

Cheerio,
Br.Bruce

I guess I can do my own research. Or at least look to an article posted by someone named Shaun.

Shaun's Research on the Jehovah's Witnesses

 

[Bruce Michael]

Oh. Good for him and Jesus. Glad they are both happy!

I still don't have an answer to my question, though, which was:

You wrote:

I guess I can do my own research. Or at least look to an article posted by someone named Shaun.

Shaun's Research on the Jehovah's Witnesses

Hello,
Yes we need to question and question more, for that is our quest.

I did look up that nice man, Shaun's page.
Shaun's Research on the Jehovah's Witnesses

Raymond said:
“ I now began to realize how large a measure of what I had based my entire adult life course on was just that, a myth—"persistent, persuasive and unrealistic."

It was not that my view towards the Bible had changed. If anything, my appreciation of it was enhanced by what I had experienced. It alone gave sense and meaning to what I saw happening, the attitudes I saw displayed, the reasonings I heard advanced, the tension and pressure I felt. The change that did come was from the realization that my way of looking at the scriptures had been from such an essentially sectarian viewpoint, a trap that I thought I had been protected against. Letting the scriptures speak for themselves—without being first funneled through some fallible human agency as a "channel"—I found they became immensely more meaningful. I was frankly astonished at how much of their import I had been missing. The question was, what should I now do? ”


Franz gradually came to the conclusion that "the organization ...was stiffening its resistance to any Scriptural correction either as to doctrinal beliefs or its methods of dealing with those who looked to it for guidance." "I was opposed to the extremes to which [authority] was carried."

" ...I felt that the role of Christ Jesus as active Head was overshadowed and virtually eclipsed by the authoritarian conduct ...of the organization." "I could not accept that organizational interpretations, based on shifting human reasoning, could ever be made equal in authority to the actual statements found in God's unchangeable Word."

 

[mee]

Hello,
Yes we need to question and question more, for that is our quest.

I did look up that nice man, Shaun's page.
Shaun's Research on the Jehovah's Witnesses

Raymond said:
“ I now began to realize how large a measure of what I had based my entire adult life course on was just that, a myth—"persistent, persuasive and unrealistic."

It was not that my view towards the Bible had changed. If anything, my appreciation of it was enhanced by what I had experienced. It alone gave sense and meaning to what I saw happening, the attitudes I saw displayed, the reasonings I heard advanced, the tension and pressure I felt. The change that did come was from the realization that my way of looking at the scriptures had been from such an essentially sectarian viewpoint, a trap that I thought I had been protected against. Letting the scriptures speak for themselves—without being first funneled through some fallible human agency as a "channel"—I found they became immensely more meaningful. I was frankly astonished at how much of their import I had been missing. The question was, what should I now do? ”


Franz gradually came to the conclusion that "the organization ...was stiffening its resistance to any Scriptural correction either as to doctrinal beliefs or its methods of dealing with those who looked to it for guidance." "I was opposed to the extremes to which [authority] was carried."

" ...I felt that the role of Christ Jesus as active Head was overshadowed and virtually eclipsed by the authoritarian conduct ...of the organization." "I could not accept that organizational interpretations, based on shifting human reasoning, could ever be made equal in authority to the actual statements found in God's unchangeable Word."

remaining steadfast to Gods channel is the way to go matthew 24;45-47 its good Jesus is feeding it thats why.