DOOR TO DOOR MUSCLEMAN
GETS SECOND THOUGHTS
B S
(Investigator 21, 1991 November)
Mr Junior Adelaide 1974
To set weightlifting records, organize a gym, be a top goal scorer in soccer, debate with physicists over relativity, achieve a diploma, and work in a lab that came top in a quality control survey are impressive accomplishments.
Add to this evangelism and a "plausible" theory for predetermining the sex of your baby and I felt moved to write about it. My write-up was made easier because Mr Russo gives visitors a hand-written account of his life and achievements.
Frank Russo became a Jehovah's Witness in 1970, married a JW girl in 1977, left the sect in 1985 and rejoined in 1988. During his years of door to door preaching – including several full time stints – Mr Russo conducted many "Bible studies" with householders of whom one was converted.
Mr Russo has a home library worth $50,000. About $12,000 of it is in older JW books bought from American book dealers. The most expensive book was The Way to Paradise (1924) which cost $530. Sometimes Frank makes copies of books for acquaintances on his home photocopier which is also used to multiply his handwritten biography.
Another hobby is chess sometimes played on the home computer against an expensive master-level chess program.
Mr Russo, 37, affords his hobbies from the proceeds of superannuation and because he "sued the government".
The "muscleman" tag was gained in 1974 by winning the Mr Junior Adelaide under 21 title. In a senior contest in the same year Frank came second. In 1973 Frank set three Australian power lifting records in the under 21 category. At that time he also managed St Bernard's Youth Centre Gym. And previous to that: "I was top goal scorer for Azzuri; that was quite an accomplishment."
A current spare time activity is to write to three Doctors of Physics to show them where Einstein's theory of relativity is wrong. A paper has also been sent to Nature magazine and Frank feels that if it's published it could revolutionize this branch of science.
The handwritten biographical handout details Mr Russo's "excellence" in many things. He, for example, "picked up English so quickly that in his first year [in Australia] he came 3rd in the school." And whenever he bothered to work a little he: "came top with A." In year 11 he did 11 subjects instead of the normal five, did most of the work in only two weeks, and passed the lot.
Frank went on to do four years of an Associate Diploma in Medical Technology in which: "he took it upon himself to see how many lectures and practs he could get away with missing and still pass." He then became a technician at the Institute of Medical & Veterinary Science where he did pathology tests and research. In a quality control survey of labs doing atomic absorption analysis Mr Russo's lab came 1st in Australasia out of 95 labs and 2nd in the world out of 570 labs.
An article in The News (September 9) reports Mr Russo's belief that seminal fluid with a pH of about 8 allows male determining sperm to swim faster than female determining sperm and reach the egg first. (The pH-scale ranges from 1 to 14; low values denote acidity, 7 denotes a neutral solution, and high values alkaline solutions.) According to Mr Russo, exercise lowers the pH and gives the female determining sperm the better chance.
The Russo family became JWs in 1970. The end of the world was anticipated in 1975 and therefore a lot of preaching had to be done and meetings attended. This plus bodybuilding, soccer, and part-time work account for the need to do year 11 in little more than two weeks!
Frank considers the JW meetings to be boring and doesn't often attend although he still does some preaching for the sect.
He regards the American leaders – the Governing Body – to be wrong in their anti-blood transfusion doctrine. He also felt he might be God's chosen replacement for Raymond Franz – a Governing Body member who defected in 1981.
On both counts Frank hasn't been taken seriously.
Frank believes that the world will end around 1995. This date is supposed to be 6,000 years after the creation of Adam and Eve. It differs to the official JW calculation which was 1975.
I asked what might happen if the doctrine that Armageddon will strike before the generation of 1914 dies out is false. Said Frank: "The Governing Body are getting old and senile and others are writing the doctrines. Probably they'll introduce some new idea gradually and the Organization will continue. It may become established as an accepted denomination."
Frank refuses to subscribe to INVESTIGATOR because the JW sect members are not allowed to get publications that may criticise the sect.
If you live in Adelaide watch out for Mr Russo's license plate – YHWH01. The YHWH denotes "Jehovah" and the 01 indicates opposition to the doctrine of the Trinity.
Several years ago there was a former JW in South Australia who had the license plate XJW111. Mr Russo may have to switch to one similar to this if he gets any further out of step with his "old and senile" leaders in America!
Pages 223, 224, 225 and 228 copied from The Way to Paradise (1924) – a JW book now a collector's item valued at over $500:
land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil three score and ten [70] years." In other words, till the land had had its seventy years of rest. Princes in All the Earth 223
Seventy times 50 are 3,500. The whole period would therefore have been 3,500 years from the time the Jews entered Canaan until all the types would have been fulfilled.
As they entered Canaan 1,575 years before Christ there would be 1,925 years of types after Christ, or 1925 A.D. The year 1925, therefore, would have been the last jubilee the Jews would have kept, if they had remained faithful to their covenant. Then what would have happened?
We should expect that the antitype would begin to be fulfilled; namely, the jubilee for the whole world. If the Jews had remained faithful God would not have granted any special favors to the Gentiles until all the types were fulfilled. (Amos 3:2) But God would not change his time schedule simply because the Jews would not keep their part of their contract. No! He simply filled up the time with other work. As we have seen, be visited the Gentiles to select from them a people for his name. (Acts 15:14-17) He had no intention of trying to convert all the Gentiles during this time. After he had found sufficient number from the Gentiles to fill up the "royal priesthood…holy nation...peculiar people" (1 Peter 2:9), lie would then return to the Jewish nation as he had promised "the fathers."(Romans 11: 215-28) Thus the Jews missed the
224 The Way to Paradise
privilege of the heavenly invitation. God proved that he could easily find enough from the Gentiles to fill all the places of highest honor in his kingdom. This will be very humiliating to the Jews when they see what they have missed.
The Jewish legal year begins in the fall, about our October first. The year 1925 would therefore begin about October first, 1925. It would be very reasonable to expect to see some beginning of God’s favor returning to the Jewish people, as a part of the world, shortly after that date. Many of the Jews are already looking longingly towards their old home-land, Palestine. God's limit of time to the Gentiles as nations expired in 1914, as we have already seen. Thus as the Jewish nation, as a nation, lost favor with God when they crucified Jesus, and the Gentile nations have no further recognition by God as nations, Christ will soon begin to deal with the world as individuals, commencing with the Jew first, through the ancient worthies. We should, therefore, expect shortly after 1925 to see the awakening of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Melchisedec, Job, Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, John the Baptist, and others mentioned in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews.
These will form a nucleus of the new kingdom on Earth. One of the first things necessary will be to put Jerusalem in condition to be the capital of the world. This will necessitate a great deal of work, but there will be many willing
Princes in All the Earth 225
workers. Current news informs us that attention is already being centered upon Palestine, and thousands of Jews are trying to return there. Already considerable work has been done in the way of building better roads and cultivating the fields. However, we should not expect to see much systematic work under way until these "princes" have been awakened and placed in charge.
The capital of every country should be in direct and quick communication with all parts of its territory. If Jerusalem is to be the capital of the world, it should be able to get into quick touch with every locality. Christ’s kingdom is to undo in one thousand years all the evil brought about in the previous six thousand years. Old-fashioned methods will not suffice. Already we see great changes coming in. The wireless and radio can carry messages half way around the world now; and by the time the princes are brought forth these inventions will be perfected to reach all the way around.
Everybody in the world will be "in one room," so to speak. The room will be a little larger than we may have been accustomed to hold meeting in; but what of that? Now when we read Isaiah 2:3 and Zechariah 14:16, 17 we see bow easy it will be for all the people to go "up to Jerusalem." The princes can easily radio their instructions to any part of the world. Think of Prince Abraham having some general instructions to give, calling "Attention"; and all the
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every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."–Matthew 7:7, 8.
We know that God heareth not sinners. (John 9: 31) All will want to be among those who desire to serve the Lord in spirit and in truth, that these promises may apply to them.
Let us suppose that you are living after the kingdom is established and the blessings have begun to How-out to the people in abundant measure. Of course it will take some time to get things in smoothly running order after the great stress between now and 1926. It may be ten years or more before you get your home all fixed up, and the gardens bringing forth the luscious fruits and appetizing vegetables in abundance. Even if it takes a while longer you will be that much better prepared.
You will have secured the services of the best decorators you can find. Some of them used to be undertakers; but since there are no more people dying, they have had to seek some new occupation. Their experience as undertakers prepared them to become decorators with very little difficulty.
You have made all preparations for father and mother. The home is all ready; a special room is prepared for them, fitted with everything you can think of that might give pleasure and delight. You then call up the princes at Jerusalem, state your case, and make request that your father and your mother might be
[Update: After JWs changed their doctrine about the last generation in 1995
Mr Russo ceased preaching activity and meeting attendance.]
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