I should probably title this Blog "Richard and Francis Rawe," but while they are and have been one for some time Richard Rawe is the one with whom I have communicated most over the past 15 or so years. Most of our correspondence has been over the phone and in writing. However, in 2002 I was asked by Lawrence Hughes, the father of Bethany Hughes, to come up to Calgary, Canada, to assist him in his fight for fairness and truth in his daughter's blood transfusion case, since I had written on this subject online and in my (at the time) recently published book, Three Dissertations on the Teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses (Murrieta, CA: Elihu Books, 2002).
During my visit to Calgary, I met and I stayed briefly with Lawrence Hughes and others prior to attending the trial. At this time I was also able to meet Richard and Francis in person, along with James Penton and others who had come to support Lawrence and to offer testimony, if necessary, to support his side of the issue.
Moving past that time for now, since 2002 I have maintained communication with Richard here and there, with more regular contact occurring over the past 2-3 years. Richard now hosts an online guest and call-in show, Dialogue. On Saturday, February 19, 2011, at 6:45 PM EST, I will be Richard's guest. You may listen or call in to discuss subjects of related interest, or to ask a question.
Current and former members of the Watchtower Society should keep in mind that my appearance on Dialogue with Richard next Saturday does not mean we agree on everything or even on every important thing, though we are not far from important agreements on what to teach about most things, such as whom to worship (that is, by name ["Jah," or as Richard prefers to say at this time, "Yah"/"Yahweh"), and how in the most important of ways we can and should proclaim the Great Message having to do with Jesus of Nazareth. What is more, we are both working to meet up with each other at this point. So it is only a matter of time, and a question of who else we work with along the way or in teaching others beliefs based on the best available reasons, in spite of our limitations, wherever possible.
During my visit to Calgary, I met and I stayed briefly with Lawrence Hughes and others prior to attending the trial. At this time I was also able to meet Richard and Francis in person, along with James Penton and others who had come to support Lawrence and to offer testimony, if necessary, to support his side of the issue.
Moving past that time for now, since 2002 I have maintained communication with Richard here and there, with more regular contact occurring over the past 2-3 years. Richard now hosts an online guest and call-in show, Dialogue. On Saturday, February 19, 2011, at 6:45 PM EST, I will be Richard's guest. You may listen or call in to discuss subjects of related interest, or to ask a question.
Current and former members of the Watchtower Society should keep in mind that my appearance on Dialogue with Richard next Saturday does not mean we agree on everything or even on every important thing, though we are not far from important agreements on what to teach about most things, such as whom to worship (that is, by name ["Jah," or as Richard prefers to say at this time, "Yah"/"Yahweh"), and how in the most important of ways we can and should proclaim the Great Message having to do with Jesus of Nazareth. What is more, we are both working to meet up with each other at this point. So it is only a matter of time, and a question of who else we work with along the way or in teaching others beliefs based on the best available reasons, in spite of our limitations, wherever possible.
You can learn more about Richard Rawe's unique story and in particular about his history in the Watchtower Society by clicking here. If you are currently involved with or supportive of the Watchtower Society, Richard's story is presented from his own firsthand experience in and involvement with what he describes. However, as Richard writes at the end of his online story:
Realizing how incredible this must all sound, I make no claim that our case was typical of Jehovah's Witnesses everywhere; of that I know better. Yet, not infrequently there have been other actions we know of, equally as bizarre in the Society's departure from justice when its own interests become challenged.Many of us who were once involved with difficult groups of people can appreciate Richard's experience, while others in the Watchtower Society may not yet be able to relate to much of what Richard describes. Either way, Richard has had the courage to stand up for what he believes in spite of the challenges he and his family have faced, and he continues to use the same desire which made him one of Jehovah's Witnesses in the first place to further accurate knowledge about God and men. To that end, I look forward to joining Richard on Dialogue next Saturday, February 19, 2011, at 6:45 PM EST.
If you want to listen or call in to the show, you can view the Dialogue link or simply call (712) 432-8710 and when asked use pin #9925. As you come into the conference part of the show, you may have to press *1 to hear sound.
As I noted earlier, all current and former members of the Watchtower Society have experiences which are unique to each person or to each family, and no one story or experience can equally describe another. But you may hear about many of these experiences during this show or during other shows hosted by Richard. Also, and in relation to what I wrote earlier, while I agree with Richard on many important matters pertaining to the Watchtower Society's past and present abuse of its authority/position, and where it concerns the Society's many documented false teachings about chronology, prophecy, and the use of blood as blood (versus the use of blood as a food or as a dietary beverage), I may not at this time promote all of the same means or methods used by Richard and others related to his show in order to address similarly problems with and/or within the Watchtower Society. More importantly, we are both working in the same direction, that is, to help others learn to become reliant solely on Jah/Yah God and Jesus of Nazareth for Christian faith, that is, rather than rely or depend on men (or on women) who claim appointment by one or both but whose actions and words regularly contradict their claims.
If you have a question about Jehovah's Witnesses, the Watchtower Society, the Christian Witnesses of Jah, or anything related to these subjects then listen in or call Dialogue on Saturday, February 19, 2011. I will do my best to help further a good discussion of any appropriate topic or question.
