The purpose is to make sure that decisions have widespread support. 110-135)įranz also reveals that for a motion to pass, a 2/3 vote of the entire Governing Body membership is required. Strict Watchtower prohibitions led to severe persecution and murder of Witnesses in Africa, while lax requirements in South America led to the opposite result. The author cites an example of conflicting policies with regard to military involvement of Witnesses in Malawi and Mexico. The unique feature of Crisis of Conscience is the inside information that isn’t available from any other source. The key emotion expressed is sadness at what legalism and a desire for centralized control had done to the religion to which the author had dedicated most of his adult life. Witnesses have been told that Franz’s book is filled with hate, but any fair-minded person who reads it will be surprised by the author’s lack of hatred and bitterness. The Watchtower forbids Jehovah’s Witnesses to read his book and has branded him an apostate and modern-day Judas. He also reveals the legalism and hypocrisy that he saw within the organization.Ĭrisis of Conscience contains the following chapters:Ĭhapter 4: Internal Upheaval and RestructureĬhapter 8: Justification and IntimidationĬhapter 9: 1975: ‘The Appropriate Time for God to Act” He discloses how he learned of major changes in doctrine and practice that the organization has tried to cover up or minimize. Shortly thereafter, Ray Franz published Crisis of Conscience, in which he told his story. Long-standing Witnesses were being forced out and disfellowshipped (excommunicated), including Raymond Franz, a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses and nephew of then Watchtower president Fred Franz. Some essays were written by other authors and edited by Raymond Franz.In the early 1980s, rumors started about a huge shake-up at Watchtower headquarters. The works are organized into three sections below by type of format. I could not accept that the organizational interpretations, based on shifting human reasoning, could ever be made equal in authority to the actual statements found in God’s unchangeable Word. Everything here is freely available and we encourage you to share it. His efforts were made for those seeking truth and looking to benefit from his unique insights. Our mission is to preserve this archive in honor of our friend, Raymond Franz. In 1982, he self-published Crisis of Conscience, followed by The Sign of the Last Days (1987), and In Search of Christian Freedom (1991). After his resignation in 1980, he was compelled to continue his spiritual writings and of his personal experience. During his 40-year span with the religion and its corporate cohort, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Franz gained intimate knowledge into the inner workings of the organization. Raymond Franz is widely known for his career as a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This site is dedicated to preserving the works of Raymond Franz as he originally presented them as a legacy to others who are interested in his personal truth.įranz’s books, essays, and audio files were originally made available from his former publishing concern, Commentary Press, and are now made available here. He entrusted us with carrying out his vision with both language translation and digital formatting of his writings. Unfortunately, since his passing in 2010, more recent editions of his books have been altered to include personal commentaries, ideologies, and the agendas of others. Over the years, Ray Franz relied on a number of close associates to help disseminate his books and essays, he was our dear friend.
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