Examples of Fredrick Franz Horrible personality.

In he's Nephews book I could not believe some of the things he mentions.  When his FATHER died Fred Franz told his mother he could not go to the funeral because he was just too BUSY at Bethel.  She spoke to Rutherford who ordered him to go.  At the funeral of a young Franz Nephew Fred was asked to give a speech......so in front of the widow and kids he starts "ISN'T IT WONDERFUL TO BE ALIVE".......saying nothing about the person he dribbles on about doctrine then gestures casually to the coffin....."in the end we all end up like this..."  

When told Acts 20:20 can't be translated as going "Door to Door" he explains how the apostles could have gone in the Front door...and out the Back door, causing much Governing body laughter.

The man has no idea how to function in reality.  A total Watchtower/Bethel robot.

How dare you insult our exalted Leader   

I think Freddie was somwhere on the Autistic spectrum, and had no concept of how others felt or reacted to circumstances, for that reason some of his actions could be excused, he had no empathy because it was not part of him, that part of his mind did not work.

Having said that, I have relatives, clients and friends who are Autistic in some measure, all of these are never obnoxious, all, in their own way are very sweet people, one in particular will always check what is the correct response she should have, so as not to hurt or upset anyone, how kind.

Freddie was not at all like that, which given his evident intelligence must have been entirely his choice, he was it seems, a thoroughly nasty man, with his side-kick Knorr, another cold fish, he fostered an attiude that still pertains at the top today, the Rank and File JW's are cannon fodder, are basically children to be led by the nose and are expendable at any time.

Witness 007:

The man has no idea how to function in reality.

Being dead usually has that effect. :)

Plus after he left, Ray Franz wrote a number of letters to Fred Franz and he never responded or acknowledged receipt. 

He also consigned many brothers to prison in many lands by insisting that alternative service was not an acceptable option instead of military service. The Watchtower only changed that policy after Fred Franz died.

Yep: the entire Revelation Climax book.

yet jesus wept at the death of lazarus..

gestures casually to the coffin....."in the end we all end up like this..."  

He got this part right.

His dress sense wasn't up to all that much either...

Cedars

Cedars how can amke such a Judgemental statement? That shirt is bloody awesome. And apparently he spoke to his shoes, how cool is that?

I like his red plaid shirt and red tie... he probably wore it during several memorials to symbolize the blood of Christ...

They should take that picture of whacky Freddy and put in in the How-To-Dress-For-Bethel-Tour brochure.

Cantleave:

Cedars how can amke such a Judgemental statement? That shirt is bloody awesome. And apparently he spoke to his shoes, how cool is that?

You make a good point. I guess on reflection his dress style was "pragmatic" and tre retro-lumberjack chic. He was ready to leap from bible scholar to chainsaw-wielding woodsman at a moment's notice. He also never needed to worry about losing his pens, because he always had at least 3 handy in his pocket at any time.

I'm sorry Fred, I had you all wrong. You were a fashion god...

Cedars

Franz felt no shame lying to the rank and file.

He invented the GB, but fought it when its members wanted to start governing his organisation.

He didn't admit that he made an ass of himself after 1975.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH39xJL4puQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqrb4e37KDc&feature=related

On another thread:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/222809/1/Fredrick-Franz-had-a-horrible-personality

Thanks for those videos freetosee - I particularly liked the first one, and I'm bookmarking this thread as a result.

One thing that strikes me is how idiosynchratic and staggered Franz's speaking style was. His eccentricity really comes across in his delivery, and I can only imagine how tedious GB meetings would have been with his participation. Can you imagine listening to him mumble like that for hours on end to explain or debate sensitive doctrinal matters? Ugh.

Cedars

Well, you have to be pretty fanatical about the Watchtower to give up a Rhodes Scholarship in order to run it.

The more research I do on this guy, the more it looks like he had a lot more say in the direction the cult headed during the Joe Boozer days than most people think.  Which would mean that he was knowingly working for the Babylonian Brotherhood and serving their agenda.  Maybe he even had a hand in Chuckie's Halloween Ritual death along with the Boozer.......

Fred Franz always struck me as a man in an ivory tower who knew little about what was going on around him.  In person he was pleasant, even decent in a way.  Knorr was the one you didn't want to end up in an elevator with, not Franz.  Who really bothered me was Karl Klein.  That man had serious issues of envy and jealousy.  He loved nothing more than to take credit for something that was going on at Bethel.  Franz was talkative and jovial at our dinner table.  Klein made the entire evening tense and people were afraid to say anything.

Cedars: He was ready to leap from bible scholar to chainsaw-wielding woodsman at a moment's notice. 

Hahahahaha, you made me laugh. I'm having a REAL hard time imagining ol' Freddie ever even saw a chain saw in person let alone knew how to handle one! 

I'm thinking in the dictionary under "manly" there is that picture of Freddie ... as the antonym! 

Such a blowhard!

Actually his admission that they made 'mistakes' about some of their predictions, specifically Rutherfords 1925 ones, and his candidness in saying Rutherford said he "made an ass of myself" about 1925, is rather good don't you think and I'm not sure why he should be criticised for that.

Questions that I hope aren't too OT: 1. For those who knew him personally, was he so brilliant or did he stand out b/c the Bethel standards are so low?

2. What did he do when 1975 did not bring Armageddon?

I was in the crowd at Yankee Stadium when he announced 1975. Everything stopped. People were riveted. He certainly had everyone's attention. I don't recall qualifications. I heard 1975, period. Of course, I tended to enter catatonic states at KHs and conventions.