by IslandWoman 30 Replies latest jw friends
Bill Bowen has divided his own house. Most here supported his efforts and still do, what he has done is cause a fire among his own supporters here, his large army of friends here. It's not RF supporters against BB supporters it's really Silentlambs Org. supporters divided!
He does not seem to care too much about that though.
IW
IW that is one of the points I have tried so hard to make. His abusive language and similar language by some of the movements supporters have taken away from the movement itself. Not only have children been sexually abused in many cases but many are here on this forum because they feel that the WT abused them in other ways. To not have compassion for all ex-jws and thier plight- and to not respect others choices during thier recovery process- is cold hearted and makes some question the integrity and motivation of others.
I will state here as I stated for Ray Franz - leave these men alone. They are human, they make mistakes. In Ray's case, I believe he repaid his debt to society, and anti'd up to his mistakes.
In Bill's case, I believe a formal apology was made, and accepted.
But the main point is this - THE ONLY REASON IT CONTINUES TO DIVIDE PEOPLE is because people keep talking about it. If we allow Bill his indiscretion, as a human, and leave it alone, it will blow away with the wind and the SilentLambs can continue on. Perhaps he has learned from this, and will think more about things before posting in the future.
IMHO - its post like these that continue to "divide the house"....
(Not attacking you IW - I've read many of your posts & I think you're great!!!)
It kinda reminds me that there are different factions in a movement. For example: all of us Americans are striving for equality.. yet, there are some groups who are trying to quiet other people's message just cuz it goes against them.. and then in the end.. they are only hurtin their own selves.. cuz if you quiet, well ya gotta quiet everybody to be fair.
country girl
Hi Pettygrudger,
I was just trying to point out that most of us were/are in the same camp, and the divide caused by Bill Bowen has only hurt his own camp.
Now there is talk of handing over the "Ray Franz" matter to the courts, there are some here who are out for blood. The longer Bill Bowen let's this go on the deeper the divide will become, imo.
IW
IW - thanks - I understand now....and your point is a valid one. Bill although passionate & driven doesn't appear to have the experience necessary to handle such a large load. Although I was extremely concerned with his actions & comments at one point, it seems that perhaps he has done what many suggested - took a step back to reflect & get his "self" together.
I don't know what the future of Silent Lambs holds, but Bill is worthy of all's understanding & compassion with such a gigantic undertaking. He may not seem to be the best man for the job, but he was the one willing to take the ball & run with it.
I think his camp (of which I am one) can become undivided. I think we all need to put his mistakes into perspective and continue on as we have. Perhaps others who have "left camp" will take a moment to focus on the "larger picture" of this organization. If they feel they can contribute, or perhaps take on some of the load (i.e. setting up "cell" areas) then the focus won't so much be on Bill, but on the organization as a whole.
Bill although passionate & driven doesn't appear to have the experience necessary to handle such a large load.
Why don't people when they say this, then go and take the reigns? I'm sorry but he's done alot, and you can't sit there and say he's got too much, when in fact you don't know, no one could hardly know what's on his mind, unless we all can all of a sudden read minds. I think Bill has done MORE then anyone else in the history of the Ex-jw movement. He's done more in the last couple of years than anyone. As far as getting it out to the general public, no people really need to start cutting him some slack.
Edited by - Trauma_Hound on 26 October 2002 16:59:22
Hi TH,
Pettygrudger's post was on the whole sympathetic towards Bill and his mission, imo.
IW
Edited to add: My comment above was to your original post which was more caustic than the one up now. Good idea TH.
Edited by - IslandWoman on 26 October 2002 17:7:37
TH - what do you know of what I've done or not done? Do you live in Michigan, or must I post everything I DO? I personally have found my niche in helping others, and since I tend to be shy & introverted, I prefer to stay out of the spotlight. I did help w/the rally - but was unable to attend because of my family commitments. So, I PHYSICALLY did what I could do from home....I did call & e-mail a few reporters and also left my lambs at my local congregations.
This issue is huge - I know firsthand thank you the emotional & mental reprucussion from abuse - I just don't run around talking about it all day long. All organizations that handle persons of ANY type of abuse (mental, physical, sexual) have MANY members intricately involved. While they may have a spokesperson, there isn't typically 1 person running the entire show - it takes to much. I have applauded Bill's efforts on many different stages - its just too much for 1 person. As a spokesperson, I think his "antics" were counterproductive to the point he was trying to make.
We all have talents (i.e. yours is in production of outstanding videos). My whole point all along has been that Bill NEEDS HELP (i.e. my example of cells in areas where someone else can be "spokesperson" or whatever the need).
But, after having said all that, I can see why you may have taken hombrage to that one statement - it was worded incorrectly. I should have said "ANY PERSONS PASSION & DRIVE IS NOT ENOUGH TO CARRY SUCH A HEAVY LOAD ALONE!"
I get the impression that there have been several rational minds that have assisted Bill Bowen and the Silentlambs organization to overcome great obstacles to get to the point it has. Certainly Bill and his wife and all of the victims that came forward are appreciated.
But there must be a great sense of embarrassment and concern among many of these persons not in the spotlight as they see support for Silentlambs evaporating. If it can't be agreed that what was said was wrong, certainly it was at the very least a very unwise political move.
Rightly or wrongly the sense of justice in what seems to be the majority of posters here is demanding a "proper apology". People sometimes need to hear what they need to hear and feel that it is genuinely sincere. I sense that if this happens most persons will be onside once again, provided some efforts to reduce the posibility of such occurances happening in the future are implemented. Simply on the merits of what the Silentlambs group has accomplished, people will overlook alot of things - provided the importance we place on a sincere apology is respected.
Exactly why an apology has not been forthcoming is beyond me. What possible reason that is so important that it disregards the cries for an apology? It gives the impression of complete disrespect to so many here. Yes, the dead horse continues to be beaten and we are all sick and tired of it. But it can be made to stop and it could have been made to stop a long time ago. Why hasn't it?
Is there anyone among the rational minds operating behind the scenes at Silentlambs that is willing to shed some light on this? I don't think hoping people will simply "move on and forget" is terribly effective. I mean if the WT had admitted it's mistakes and apologized regarding mishandling cases of child abuse, would that not have changed the direction of things and would we not at least have more respect for them than their silence and denials and justifications?
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