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Ray franz jehovah witness12/14/2023 ![]() ![]() During those two years, the motives, character and conduct of persons who conscientiously disagreed with the organization were portrayed in the worst of terms. What happened in those two years, not merely as regards myself but as regards others, caused me to reassess that position. I maintained that position for nearly two years. The inquirers, in turn, consistently said that they had tried that avenue with no success: “No comment.” My reply was simply that I could not be their source of information. I consistently directed the inquirers to the headquarters in Brooklyn. "After I resigned as a member of the Governing Body in May, 1980, I received numerous calls from newspapers and magazines wanting information about the situation existent within the organization. Most Witnesses today, unless they were eyewitnesses to those now long gone days, have no idea what really happened. But the fact is that the WTS has used the intervening decades to repair the facade the 1975 episode had severely damaged. Maybe that was their way of dealing with the shock of his banishment from Brooklyn. So I'm not surprised that some came to believe that Raymond Franz promoted 1975. It speaks powerfully about the cognitive dissonance that I and so many others suffered that we never questioned the legitimacy of the organization itself when we should have realized that all these fault lines showed that God was not directing the WTS at all. The Bethel purges, while never discussed openly in any of the WTS publications, were seen by many of us rank-and-file Witnesses as "proof" that Christ was watching over his organization and, after giving apostates enough time to repent, then exposed them for their evil works and "cleansed" the organization by having them reproved, removed or disfellowshipped. It was a confusing time in the organization. ![]() After Raymond Franz was removed from the Governing Body, those names reverted back to their originals. As a result, Our Kingdom Ministry was changed to Our Kingdom Service and the Theocratic Ministry School was renamed the Theocratic School. Raymond Franz was responsible for the change in thinking about the difference between "service" to God and a "ministry" to him. Others saw the handwriting on the wall and left of their own accord, some returning quietly to their home congregations while others left the organization altogether. Indeed, a witch hunt was launched at headquarters during that time and many were kicked out. The rumors about rampant "apostasy" at Bethel came in the wake of Raymond Franz's departure. It is also important to note that when Raymond Franz was exiled from Bethel, he was not disfellowshipped. Even that disagreement was covered up in the WTS official annoucement of his dismissal. His subsequent dismissal came over disputes about the identity and destiny of the "great crowd" mentioned in the book of Revelation. As steve2 has stated in response to the OP, Raymond Franz was never blamed by the WTS for the 1975 fiasco.
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