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.