Those are lots of nice places but why not just look in NEW YORK at the NEW YORK TIMES WEB SITE
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Jehovahs-Witnesses.html
hawk
OFFICIAL: Bill Bowen Was DF'ed
by ErieGuy 36 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
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obiwan
Just wait till there are so many lawsuits on the wts that they will have to admit to all the wrongs and coverups just so they can stay a solvent organization.If the wts does not they will go bankrupt will all the lawsuits.You go Bill,we are ALL behind you,the wts will never agian see my face at any jw function.
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Trauma_Hound
It is now time for protests in front of they're distric conventions, we need lot's of body's to make the protests affective, I know, having been involved with protesting the arrest of a russian programmer by the FBI. We need a list of DC's in every state, and hit them hard, I mean absolutly hard, this will keep it in the press!
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revdrjohnson
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--jehovahswitnesse0726jul25.story
Former elder excommunicated for speaking out on sexual abuse
July 26, 2002, 2:27 AM EDT
DRAFFENVILLE, Ky. -- The Jehovah's Witnesses have expelled a former elder who publicly criticized the church's handling of child sexual abuse cases, the man said.
Bill Bowen of Draffenville said he was disfellowshipped after a brief hearing Wednesday night.
Bowen said Jeff Steen of Murray, one of three elders on the committee, called him Thursday morning, but Bowen told the elders to communicate with his attorney, Rush Hunt of Madisonville, and hung up. Bowen said Steen then called Hunt and said Bowen had been disfellowshipped but provided no other information.
Neither Steen nor the other elders on the panel _ George Bandarra of Murray and Ron Carey of Central City _ returned phone messages.
Bowen has said the church protects pedophiles by not reporting accusations to police and encouraging victims not to go to authorities to discuss the matter with anyone in the congregation. The church has denied any wrongdoing and claims it follows the law.
Bowen said he plans to appeal the decision, made at a hearing that Bowen had asked be rescheduled and was held without him. Bowen said he was across the street from the Kingdom Hall and the elders locked the door and blocked the windows. He added that the three elders appeared to be the only people present.
"The thing they have nailed to the wall is that they require two eyewitnesses before a child molester may be convicted" in the church, Bowen said. "I have flatly denied these charges against me, and they brought no witnesses against me. It's a vast inconsistency in the organization. If I was a child molester, they wouldn't have had a hearing. Because I'm a person who spoke out to protect children, they disfellowship me in 30 minutes."
Bowen said he received the return receipt from a letter Hunt mailed asking that the meeting be rescheduled so that his witnesses, coming from all over the country, could attend.
"They've stepped over about all their protocols, so I think they'll ignore my request for an appeal," Bowen said.
Being disfellowshipped requires members to shun the person who has been expelled.
"From my standpoint, the real crime is not disfellowshipping me," Bowen said. "The real crime is, now they're going to silence anyone in the organization who needs help or support. They will face disfellowshipping for logging onto the Web site."
Bowen, who started a support group on the Internet for abuse victims, said visitors to the site are split about evenly between current and former members.
Bowen is the fourth Jehovah's Witness disfellowshipped this year for speaking out on the issue, following Barbara Anderson, of Normandy, Tenn., and Carl and Barbara Pandelo, of Belmar, N.J.
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On the Net:
Abuse victims: www.silentlambs.orgCopyright 2002, The Associated Press
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jwsons
They D/F Bill while the name Bill Bowen quite familiar to the media and readers in all over the world !!!
They give another nail to their cuffin Nobody Else. If they D/F him BEFORE the Dateline, they can say "Oh! He is a D/F-man" BUT now they D/F mean they reap the result, not Bill.
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Europe
You go Bill!!!
BTW:Last week during prime time,the Belgium news reported about the story of thousands of childabuse cases and the cover up by the WTBTS!!!!!
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FreeToBeMe
So Bill Bowen got df'd ..... personally, I don't see the big deal. Has this guy become something of a 'messiah' for the most recent disfellowshipees? What's the big deal with being df'd anyway? I, like most of the people in this forum negotiated their df'ing with grace, and without buying into the Org's. games. We bucked Org. procedure, and when elders demanded we meet with them for some kangeroo court, we said 'No'. We, each of us individually, removed the power of the Org. by not giving it power over us... and many of us prepared the way for people like Bill Bowen, who can thank their lucky stars that they have 'an issue' they can attached their anger too.
Bill Bowen now has the 'fellowship' of Silentlambs, and similar forums, and I am pleased for him, as I am for others similarly placed, but don't forget that whilst some of you continued attaching so much importance to Org. doctrine, procedure and philosophy, many of us suffered because of it, and suffered in silence. Fortunately, the 'silence' has now become a deafening roar, but only now have people like Bill Bowen finally heard us. We may be silenced again, we may continue to roar... the 'truth' is the Org. will never be quite the same. However, there will continue to be those who are deaf to the lamb's roar, as many have been up to now.
I wish Bill Bowen all the best in his efforts. The internet has proved to be a wonderful forum for bringing us all together. But, let's not forget those who have suffered in silence, who thought (and in their minds knew) they were alone, and have either managed, or not, to deal with their pain without the support now afforded those who have access to it. The strength Bill Bowen has is not his own, but is that which has been given him as a gift by those that have preceded him. Let's pray he doesn't misuse that strength in harping upon an issue of little consequence, his disfellowshipping. The silent lambs deserve better.
FreeToBeMe
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SUSCARRA
Bill,
I'm so proud of you and your family.
Now that you are DFD, you can hang out with our little family(HA,HA). It's scorching hot out here in Utah, but nothing like the HELL the WTS is experiencing. You have done a fine job keeping the fires 'a blazing' for the SOCIETY Boys.
However, I can't blame those little elders for covering the KH windows. They probably were having a difficult time trying clean up all the s!!t in their pants and didn't want anyone to see. These guys are so haughty. They probably thought that DFG Bill would be the end of him. WRONG!!!!!!! Now, they have to quickly rewrite the ELDERS MANUAL, because evidently it is seriously outdated. With all these new proceedures, what is an elder to do?
Wild Bill, rides again.
HIP, HIP, HURRAY, from the Carraways
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ErieGuy
Suscarra:_______
Your "haughty" assessment is far more accurate than your "cleaning their pants" remark.________
Those 3 "out-of-town HIT MEN" probably now think they are on the same level as the biblical "minor prophets". This "privilege" to cast out a "super-apostate" out of Jah's clean organization is one in which they will gloat for years. They likely now feel that their position as a future "sarim" in the paradise earth is assured.________
Bill should post any personal contact info that he may have on DUMB, DUMBER, and DUMBEST so that anyone who likes can express their opinion DIRECTLY to these "princes".
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termite 35
Bill; I think this is dreadful; not only because it must surely be a sad day for you both; but because you had ears in the Society when you were part of it.Now the little ones who may have felt they could look to you for advice and support , may not feel comfortable as you are disfellowshiped and that word seems to frighten so many.
Unfortunately, those who do not know how sincere you are ,will be able to label you as 'an Apostate' with,as usual, no thought or regard as to WHY you felt it necessary to speak out.
We will all help to keep this issue alive and the truth will out, Bill;and when it does they will be ashamed. I only hope that your actions may cause them to question themselves.
Love to you
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