Newspaper now publicly names one of the local elders that covered up child abuse. It is same elder that WT glorified before because of his work at NASA.
http://m.mcalesternews.com/mcalester/db_291911/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=3takU8GS
newspaper is now naming names in OKLA cover up
by Jack Miller 19 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
-
-
Bella15
posted to my FB.
-
blondie
*** w82 5/1 pp. 3-6 In Search of Success ***
In Search of Success
IT WAS July 20, 1969. The Apollo 11 spacecraft and the lunar landing module named Eagle circled the moon making last-minute preparations for the first historic landing of man on the moon. I sat in the mission support room at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, with dozens of thoughts rebounding in my mind: Will the landing be a safe one? Will the system for which I was responsible operate properly and carry out its necessary functions?
I, as well as many others who had worked diligently many years for this moment, waited and listened intently. Suddenly, a voice from 240,000 miles in space said: “Houston, the Eagle has landed.” How excited and thrilled I was at hearing those words!
And, yet, although I had helped to design, build and test the spacecraft that brought man to the moon’s surface, I soon realized that I had not found success—real success—and happiness in life. But before I tell you more about that, let me first explain how I got involved in the space program and the effect it had on my life.
Early Influences
I grew up on a farm in Oklahoma where hard physical work was a way of life. Even though we had sufficient food, clothing and shelter, there were times when we did not have enough money to purchase a postage stamp, which at that time cost only three cents (U.S.).
My father had been reared in a very poor family and had received only a second-grade education. So he instilled in his children the need to get a good college education in order to succeed. This is what I determined to do. I worked long hours during summer months and worked part-time jobs during school months. I attended class all day and studied each night until the wee hours of the morning. In 1961 I graduated from the University of Oklahoma, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering.
During the four years that I was in college the aerospace program had begun to build momentum, and many companies were clamoring for engineering graduates. This certainly appealed to me as it seemed like a huge step up from life on the farm. Since I had made good grades in college, I received numerous offers of employment from all over the United States. I accepted one at Cape Canaveral, Florida, the launch site for all manned space flights.
Striving for Success
It took little time for me to get caught up in the atmosphere of the space program. Just three weeks after I started on the job, the first United States manned orbital spacecraft was launched. Even though I had not worked on that specific mission, I nevertheless felt a part of it. The spirit of nationalism was very high at that time, since the president of the United States had publicly committed the country to landing a man on the moon and safely returning him to earth in that decade (the 1960’s). The Soviet Union seemed to have embarked upon a similar course, so it was, in fact, viewed as a “space race.” I was eager to do my patriotic duty and help to win this race.
I desired very much to succeed in my profession. To that end I was careful to take advantage of every opportunity to get ahead. Regularly I worked long hours (not being paid overtime) and willingly accepted out-of-town business trips that others refused because of not wanting to be away from their families. I enrolled in night courses and worked out a Master’s Degree, as my supervisor encouraged this as a means for advancement. Since my immediate supervisor enjoyed playing poker, I joined in, viewing this also as an opportunity to promote my success.
Within two years I was promoted to supervise a group of five to seven engineers and, although the group was small, a large responsibility was involved. By this time I had got to know some of the astronauts, and part of my job was to keep them informed as to the flight readiness of the spacecraft’s inertial guidance system. I enjoyed not only my work but also the prestige that came with knowing and associating with the astronauts.
Before long I was promoted to supervise the activities of 10 to 12 engineers during tests of the spacecraft while it was on the launching pad. Since our responsibility entailed one of the major spacecraft systems and I was the spokesman for the group, this certainly made me feel very important. To my way of thinking at the time, I had achieved success.
At the conclusion of the Gemini Program (two-man spacecraft), I was offered an opportunity to move from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, to work on the three-man Apollo Lunar Landing Program. Since this looked like a good means to make further advancement, I wasted no time in accepting the offer.
The next few years were spent working hard on the first moon landing flight, developing computer software for the guidance and navigation systems, planning mission techniques and simulating the flight on a ground computer. I remember being told by one of my superiors: “Nothing is more important than making a success of this flight.”
As a result, I became a workaholic. My whole life revolved around contributing to a successful moon landing mission and also in making a name for myself with my superiors. My family received very little attention. Pride certainly was evident in me, when on July 20, 1969, for the first time in history, an individual whom I had known and worked with stepped onto the surface of the moon from a spacecraft that I had helped to design and build.
A Change in Thinking
During the year or two that followed this first lunar landing flight, I began to consider seriously my profession and what the future held for me. I had seemingly achieved a measure of success—a well-paying job, apparent financial security, a home, a family and respected associates. But it was becoming more and more obvious to me that I was caught up in a system of things that in actuality led nowhere. The more I accomplished, the more I had to accomplish and there was no stopping place. In reality what I had achieved was a false sense of security. Real success and true happiness did not result from what I had attained.
Then, during the summer of 1973, a relative of my wife came to visit us. He and his wife had been studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses, and they were planning to attend a convention of Witnesses being held in Houston, Texas. Since we were not doing anything else that weekend, my family and I attended the convention with them. I was very much impressed by the honesty, and the patient, courteous attitude of individuals as they waited in lines for meals.
Shortly after that convention, my family and I started attending the meetings at the local Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and a weekly Bible study was arranged for us. The first thing that deeply impressed me from what I was learning was the prospect of living on an earth cleansed of greed, wickedness and injustice. (Psalm 37:10, 11, 29; Proverbs 2:21, 22; 2 Peter 3:13) Certainly this stood out in stark contrast to the selfish, competitive spirit that I had seen and become a part of for so many years.
As I progressed in my studies of the Bible, I appreciated being able to relate my own situation in life to what I was learning. For example, I placed myself in King Solomon’s shoes when I read his words recorded at Ecclesiastes 4:4: “I myself have seen all the hard work and all the proficiency in work, that it means the rivalry of one toward another; this also is vanity and a striving after the wind.” How true this was in my own case! I had worked hard and had become very proficient in what I did. Yet it had been futile, or worthless, in securing for me lasting happiness and peace of mind.
Making Changes in My Life
From the knowledge I was acquiring, I decided that I would have to make some changes in my life. For instance, I learned from Galatians 5:26 that Christians should “not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another, envying one another.” Although I had already thought about breaking free of my competitive profession, I now became convinced of the need to do so.
‘But how will I be able to do it and still support my family of five in the standard we had grown accustomed to?’ I asked myself. I was encouraged by the reassuring words of Jesus at Matthew 6:33, where he said: “Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things [life’s necessities] will be added to you.”
‘What will my former associates think when I give up a supposedly secure, excellent-paying position?’ I also wondered. But both my wife and I became firm in our resolve to make the decision that would be right for us, no matter what former associates might think.
A few years prior to our study of the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses, we had purchased a house and 120 acres of land near where I had grown up in Oklahoma. We had talked on numerous occasions about moving there, but had not done so. However, now we were sure that this was the best thing for us to do. So about six months after I attended that convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1973, I quit my position on the space program and moved my family to our new home in Oklahoma.
In order to “put bread on the table” after leaving the space program, I went to work for a small electronics firm, earning about one half the salary that I had previously earned. However, it was not long before I was faced with another big decision.
I came to realize that the work I was now performing was directly linked to the manufacture of military equipment. I just could not conscientiously support such endeavors and live in harmony with what the Bible says at Isaiah 2:4 and 1 John 3:11, 12. So I decided to terminate this source of income. It took courage and faith in Jehovah’s ability to provide for us the necessities of life. But, looking back, I can honestly say that never did my family and I lack sufficient food, shelter and clothing.
Eight years have now passed since I made the decision to leave the space program. My family and I have certainly experienced the truthfulness of what the Bible says at 1 Timothy 4:8: “Godly devotion is beneficial for all things, as it holds promise of the life now and that which is to come.” Indeed, serving Jehovah has given us a better life now.
We have also benefited economically by learning to be content with the necessities of life. (1 Timothy 6:8) Unlike the glamorous position I once held, I now own a parking-lot sweeper and operate it about two days a week. This allows time for me to share regularly in public-preaching activity, and it also provides more time for me to spend with my family, whom I had neglected for many years when I worked for the space program.
Of course, serving Jehovah has not completely eliminated our problems. But it certainly has better equipped us to cope with them. No longer do I worry about succeeding or getting ahead in this world, since I now know that this system of things is destined to pass away and be replaced with a righteous new order of God’s making.—1 John 2:17; 2 Peter 3:11-13.
As I look back on the changes that I have made in my life, I heartily agree with the words of the apostle Paul recorded at Philippians 3:8. Worldly prestige and prominence are like refuse in comparison to an accurate knowledge of God and Christ, and the marvelous hope of eternal life on a paradise earth.—Contributed by Wendell Marley.
[Footnotes]
1 mile equals 1.6 km.
One acre equals 0.405 ha.
[Blurb on page 4]
‘“The Eagle has landed!” I had helped to design the guidance system that placed the first man on the moon’
[Picture on page 5]
‘My family and I have certainly experienced that serving Jehovah gives a better life now’
-
under the radar
So is this the same NASA engineer with a different name, or someone else entirely?
I guess it is possible that the Society mentioned more than one person with a NASA background who bought into the cancer. What a pity! It's a shame when an educated person falls for the ancient superstitions and gives his mind over to a blanking cult.
-
AudeSapere
under the radar wrote: So is this the same NASA engineer with a different name, or someone else entirely?
According to the newspaper article, Ronald Lawrence is the name of the pedophile. Wendell G Marley was the elder to whom the letters from WTS HQ were addressed ("Body of Elders, McAlester Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, c/o Wendell G. Marley.”)
Wendell Marley is noted as the author of the '82 Watchtower article that Blondie posted.
I hope this helps clarify who is who.
-Aude.
-
shadow
Too bad that reporter did not post scans of letters
-
blondie
A 1998 letter from New York is signed with a stamp that appears to read, “Your brothers, Watchtower B&T Society of New York, Inc.,” to “Body of Elders, McAlester Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, c/o Wendell G. Marley.” It discusses a review of “testimony that you have gathered thus far” about “accusations of sexual improprieties and other possible acts of sexual abuse that have been made by several people against Ronald Lawrence.”
1982 WT
Contributed by Wendell Marley.
-
DATA-DOG
Just think. It could have turned out differently if the Superior Authorities had been involved in the early stages.
DD
-
under the radar
Thanks for the clarification, everyone! I'm glad it wasn't the engineer who turned out to be a pedofile, but it's still a shame a person of his intelligence fell for the myths and superstitions of organized religion. What a waste of a powerful mind...
-
blondie
Engineers can be and are pedophiles...equal opportunity
Added concealing pedophiles is worse in my mind than being a pedophile.