In Depth:  Richard Cotton

On June 2, Raymond V. Franz passed away peacefully following the effects of a fall and subsequent brain haemorrhage suffered on May 30. Ray is survived by his much loved and devoted wife, Cynthia.

Not a few readers of EN will recall this brave man who served for decades in the Watchtower Movement (Jehovah’s Witnesses) as a missionary, elder, leading writer and finally membership of the so-called Governing Body at the Watchtower headquarters in Brooklyn. Possessed of a sharp mind, Ray was involved in the writing of many of the cult’s publications, but his personal crisis emerged during the production of a massive volume entitled Aid to Bible Understanding. A keen researcher, Ray suddenly found that many of the core beliefs that were bedrock to the Watchtower’s superstructure were not supportable either by secular history or, in some cases, Scripture itself.

Protest marchers are due to walk just seven city blocks in Brooklyn, New York to 25 Colombia Heights, the headquarters of the Jehovah's Witnesses, now considered one of the world's wealthiest religions.

Compared with most protest marches the participants will be few in number. Some will be JWs or ex-JWs, other people may have no religious affiliation at all. Yet the marchers will be united by a common theme: they will all have experienced or been eye-witnesses of the machinations of the secretive Governing Body running the cult, which, it seems, has allowed Watchtower policy to physically harm and emotionally ruin children.