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Fred and Barbara have developed an incredibly wide knowledge of world religions, the cults, and the occult. They both have a reputation of being quite tenacious in their desire to stand and be counted when it comes to the Christian Faith! Fred began serious studies in religion at the age of 16. This was due to his then Anglican (Church of England)minister telling him that the Bible was something that only men like himself, who had been to theological college, could understand! Some days later, he purchased the book titled, 'The World's Religions'! This was the begining of a study that Fred continues to this day! In keeping with this line of study he was awarded a Bachelor of Religious Education Degree (BR.Ed) -majoring in Christian Apologetics - from Jubilee International Bible College, Brisbane, Australia in 1988. In August 2006 he was presented with an earned Doctorate of Divinity Degree (D.D.) from the Master's International School of Divinity, Indiana USA.
Fred and Barbara were both members of the Anglican Church in Australia when they first met. They were both Confirmed in the church and were Communicant Members. Barbara was employed by the former well-known Sydney Department Store, Walton-Sears. Fred then worked for the giant international electrical firm of Siemens-Edison-Swan.
Fred enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in August 1958 - a step he eventually took after a falling out with his Dad when he wanted to enlist in 1955 as a RAAF apprentice. His Dad opposed a 15 year period enlistment - 3 years apprenticeship and 12 years service. He eventually enlisted in January 1961. Why the delay? Because shortly after his initial acceptance he and Barbara began their relationship - one that has now stood the test of time, as they have now been married for over 49 years!
His Recruit Training was completed at Wagga Wagga, NSW. He was then posted to RAAF School of Radio, at Laverton in Victoria, for further training, where he found there was an unknown waiting period for sufficient numbers to start a course. He re-mustered and returned to Wagga Wagga to attend the RAAF School of Clerical and Administration for further training. He graduated in February 1962.
He then moved to No 2 Stores Depot in Sydney where he was involved in all aspects of warehousing and supply logistics. In April 1962 he was detached to RAAF Base Squadron at Ubon, Thailand, on the Laotian Border (about 300 miles East of Bangkok). He served there until October 1962 in support of No 79 Squadron's Sabre Jet Fighters operating as a deterrent to Communist activities in that region. These proved to be the early days of the Vietnam War. It was to be his first indirect involvement in that war. Whilst in Thailand he gained insights into the Buddhist religion through friendship with the eldest son of a local Thai family, Thongindra Pongsai. He was physician in charge of the Leprosy Control Project for the World Health Organisation in the Province. He spent time discussing religion with local Buddhist monks.
Returning from Thailand, he was sent to Headquarters Support Command, Melbourne. For two years he was involved in the conversion of the entire RAAF Stores Catalogue Numbering System to the NATO Stock Numbering System, which resulted in the RAAF's first computer take-up of their entire stores stock. He was promoted to corporal in November 1995 and posted to No 2 Aircraft Depot at Richmond, NSW. He was NCO in charge of the Depot's Tool Store which involved the purchasing of tools, hydraulic spares, consumables and etc. In August 1965 he applied for, and was accepted, for aircrew training as a Loadmaster on the C130A Hercules Transport Aircraft.
Fred flew operationaly as a Loadmaster with No 36 Squadron until his discharge in November 1968. In that time his flights spanned Australia (with the exception of Tasmania!). He crewed on flights to New Zealand, Papua-New Guinea, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Borneo, Thailand and South Vietnam. In each of these countries he observed first-hand, and spoke in-depth, with members of many different religions and their occult activities.
What Barbara was doing furing this time was keeping the home fires burning and running the family. She was a great mother to the then first four of what was to later become a family of eight children with five girls and three boys! All are now married. Each has made a profession of the Christian Faith and all were Baptised in water. Fred and Barbara now have 22 Grandchildren and one Great Grandchild!
Fred's frequent involvement in supporting Australian troops in the Vietnam War - flying in fresh troops and equipment, which became MEDEVAC flights back to Australia with the wounded (and the dead) - began to take its toll on him. He was involved in similar flights to several other SE Asian conflicts in which Australia was involved at that time. The constant transporting of the human wreckage of war, coupled with the polarising of members of his own family over the Vietnam War - our Australian society was severely divided over our Nation's involvement in the war with huge protest and moratoriam marches taking place around the nation! (So what's so new about our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq now?). All this caused a great deal of personal distress when he was frequently taken to task for being a part of the war.
In February 1968, his aircraft was operating a scheduled run to Phan-Rhang (where our Canberra bombers were based) in Vietnam. On their arrival, he and his crew, were immediately seconded to the USAF to fly village evacuation into Cam-Ranh Bay. This was during what is now known as "The TET Offensive". It was a major thrust by the Viet-Cong and the North Vietnamese Army to try to over-run the whole country, but was defeated. This gave him first-hand experience of what man's inhumanity to man could do! Seeing the fear of death on the faces of ordinary Vietnamese men, women and children who ran to and into his aircraft (with no passenger seating) not really knowing where they were going - but knowing that if they stayed in their village, they would be dead before the day's end! Sadly, when the country was defeated in 1975, probably many of those we saved during TET probably lost their lives anyway! It was during this task that Fred lost whtever faith he had in God, his country and his fellow-man!
Later in that year, Fred was assigned to crew the aircraft tasked to support the controversial visit to Australia of the then US President, Lyndon B. Johnson. It was this visit which caused massive demonstrations of protest in our cities against the War. Johnson's visit resulted in multitudes rioting in the streets on a scale which our nation had never seen before, nor since! People lay in protest on the road in front of Johnson's cavalcade of vehicles!
Many years after his resigning from the RAAF, Fred was diagnosed as suffering from several medical conditions, which were directly attributable to his RAAF service. Today, Fred and Barbara are chaplains of their church's Home and Hospital Visitation Team. Fred now has time to write and research as time and his health permits. He is well aware that none of what he has achieved to date could have ever eventuated without Barbara's continuing love and very real support over many years.
CANDIDATES FOR A CULT!
The foregoing involvement and experiences in war literally had the effect of 'setting up' both Fred and Barbara to accept the 'false gospel' (the word 'gospel' means 'good news') of the Jehovah's Witnesses (JW's) whose 'backing' organisation is 'The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society'. It was the issue of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War that was raised by the JW's raised when they which aroused Fred's interest. They spoke about their total opposition to all involvement in war. That said that 'war was wrong' which was something which Fred had come to so desperately want for someone in authority to tell him. He was susceptible because all of the authority figures in his life - some family, friends, chaplains and etc, were all supportive of the war! Therefore, for Fred they had lost all credibility! Although, as the war continued to take its dreadful toll over, many of them were to change their stance.
One has to admit that the JW's and members of similar religious groups do seem to speak with authority - but, as research has proven, only on their pet subjects! Sadly, Fred and Barbara went on to become baptised Witnesses and were to spend the next ten (10) years of their lives under their influence! This was at the expense of all else, until they finally realised they could take no more and tried to resign in early 1978.
Barbara had resisted joining the Witnesses at first but was eventually persuaded by some very strong Jehovah's Witness women that their "way" was right. Fred's war-caused illnesses at that time prevented him from being up to investigating the roots of the JW's as he should. Gradually, as Fred learned of the many of Watchtower deceptions since their beginning, such as the many false dates they have proclaimed for the 'end of the world' and the changes of doctrine the years. Not wanting to be hypocritical, he resigned from his positions of responsibility in 1973 - just 2 years before the last failed date of the Witnesses for the Battle of Armageddon - or, the end of the world as we know it!
The Witnesses even claimed that 'the Battle' was to begin on 14/15th October 1975, so to leave just before that time, in the minds of his JW 'friends' was absolutely foolish! Fred held most leadership positions at the JW Congregation Level, including that of Theocratic Ministry School Servant (teaching the JW's public speaking and how to conduct their conversations at the door of the unsuspecting!), as a guest speaker for other Congregations, and speaking at both Circuit and District Conventions. He also worked on special projects with the Watchtower Society's Australian HQ staff, then based at Strathfield in Sydney.
However, it was on Easter Sunday 1978 that Fred realised that as result of his continuing research into the 'mysterious' beginnings and ever-changing teachings of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, that he could no longer associate with such a diabolical organisation. The chains of bondage were finally broken. As a Jehovah's Witness he had found that he had been serving a 'wrong jesus' (false christ) and his relationship with the true Lord Jesus Christ was restored! Restored, because Fred had accepted the Lord Jesus as his Lord and Saviour in November 1957! But sadly, no one discipled him and taught him the basics of the Christian faith. Restored also were the long broken extended family relationships with all their previously alienated relatives - who they were taught by the Witnesses 'really belonged to the devil'!
Barbara, and the children saw such a dramatic change in Fred, after his return to his real Christian faith, that within twelve months, she and seven of the children, had all left the JW's to become true Christians! Their eldest daughter, Kathleen, a few months after the family stopped fellowshipping with the JW's, was encouraged by long-time Witness family 'friends' to, "...remain loyal to Jehovah's organisation in order to get your brothers and sisters through Armageddon (the end of "this system of things" and the destruction of all on earth but the JW's - which, as said before, Witnesses firmly believed would occur in October 1975!)" She was told, "...it's no good you worrying about Mum and Dad now that they are outside Jehovah's Ark of Safety (meaning not JW's anymore) the important thing is for you now, as the eldest in the family, to save the your brothers and sisters"!
Our Daughter Leaves Home: Our eldest daughter, Kathleen, found it very difficult to cope with the drastic changes in the family's spiritual status, she was encouraged by the Witnesses to leave home. The very people we had loved and cared for many years, were the ones who encouraged her to do this, and then proceeded to lie to us as to her whereabouts and allowed her no contact - they lied to the NSW Police when questioned by them! Fortunately, the Witnesses unsuccessfully tried to marry her off to young "eligible" Wintess males! Eventually, our prayers were answered and she came home of her own volition, almost a year later!
Kicked Out of the Kingdom! Within a short time the family members who were baptised by the JW's, were all disfellowshipped (read 'ex-communicated') by the local JW 'elders' without their knowledge. They only became aware of the action taken by the Witness "elders" when former JW friends, workmates and JW schoolfriends began to shun them, even crossing the street to avoid them! A family member was told, "I shouldn't be talking to you anymore, you know you've been disfellowshipped don't you?"!
Yes, there is good news! There is Life after the Watchtower! Contrary to what cult members will tell you, the Good News is that there is life after being involved with a group like the Jehovah's Witnesses! (Or, any cult group for that matter!) Truly, the old has passed away and the new has come! All those years of working and toiling to attend innumerable meetings and thousands of hours spent knocking on doors selling Watchtower publications at our own expense has paid off. How? By giving us a 'deposit of experience' that we can now draw from frequently to help others to come out of, or avoid getting into spiritual bondage. Bondage that comes as a result of becoming entangled in authoritarian and mind-numbing cult groups.
This site is representative of the years of experience and research that has been the lot of the Grigg Family! To actually be a part of what the true and living God is doing in the lives of people in the world today is truly a privilege - there is no comparison between the joy of knowing the Grace and Mercy of God and being lost in the leagalistic bondage of the cults!
We trust that you will never ever have to go through the agony of deceit and abuse that the Grigg family have experienced over many years. It would be true to say that only in Christ have they been liberated from the past. That is the motive behind what they now do - they have willingly chosen to be, as the saying goes, 'Be a warning sign at the top of the cliff', rather than 'Be the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff'!
There's an old and wise saying that says, 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure'!
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