Edward Chitty, Governing Body - Former

by waiting 11 Replies latest jw friends

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  waiting

  This quote is from Jerry Bergman, PhD. I have seen quotes where his opinions are quite belligerent against the WTBTS. However, due to my childhood background, this quote is quite curious.

  I have read inuendos about homosexuality amoung Governing Body - but have read no details nor explanations. Does anyone know any further about information - for or against - this quote?

  "A good example of the fact that doctrinal deviation results in disfellowshipping far sooner than moral deviation is the case of Governing Body members Raymond Franz and Edward Chitty. Raymond Franz, through extensive research on Biblical questions, became increasingly convinced that the Society was clearly wrong relative to their interpretation of Scriptural prophecy and doctrine. As a result, he was removed from the Governing Body. The single incident of eating with his employer and landlord, who had previously resigned as a Witness, was the excuse that resulted in his disfellowshipping.

  On the other hand, one governing member allegedly had a homosexual love affair with a 19-year-old Bethelite, a boy less than one-third his age, who reportedly jumped to his death off of one of the Bethel buildings over his guilt from the affair. Yet, he was merely asked to resign from the Governing Body, reportedly, for committing what most openly consider a grievous sexual offense, not only homosexuality, but pedophilia, which resulted in the tragic death of a guilt-ridden young man. And he was evidently asked to resign only because of the widespread awareness of the incident. Possibly if fewer persons knew about this incident, he would have even retained his Governing Body position. This is only one of many examples that illustrate that the Society is concerned primarily with loyalty. They are extremely reticent to disfellowship for grievous moral offenses, but are not at all shy about disfellowshipping those who they feel lack loyalty to the Society."

  I am not bringing up this situation for bashing. I am not as interested in Mr. Chitty as with the 19 year old boy who "allegedly" jumped to his death from a Bethel building. Any information?

  waiting

  [url= http://www.premier1.net/~raines/leave.html]Why Jehovah's Witnesses Leave[/url]

  Edited by - waiting on 12 July 2000 8:33:23
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  Dubby

  I don't have any concrete evidence on this matter, but I have read in various places on the net about this. Maybe Randy Watters has first hand knowledge. He was there at the time, I believe.
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  waiting

  Hey Dubby,

  I took your advice and posted this on h20, got some information. Mr. Bergman is not a highly thought-of man by the apostates who answered me.

  At least the JWs and apostates who answered agree on that point.

  Brother Chitty, and another of the GB were removed for "alleged" homosexual practices (not necessarily with each other.) The concensus was that both "liked" young handsome men/boys.

  Neither of them were ever disfellowshipped. Perhaps they couldn't find two JWs who would be witnesses against them? Then again, how, in this particular sin, would you be a witness if you weren't involved, unless you just happened to walk in the bathroom?

  Probably wouldn't do your JW career too much good to be a witness against a member of the GB in this "gross conduct."

  The young man who killed himself was not in this particular set of circumstances. No one knew much. Seems rather a shame.

  waiting
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  Jerry Bergman

  As to the claim: I have seen quotes where his opinions are quite belligerent against the WTBTS. some have claimed this (mostly Witnesses) but I have never seen evidence. It is easy to make claims, harder to back them up. Evidence please????
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  waiting

  o good grief. If you'll note the date of that post, it was over two years ago. I can tell you how much I weighed then, but damned if I can tell you much more than that!

  Btw, nice to meet you, Dr. Bergman.

  I am not bringing up this situation for bashing. - waiting

  lol, NOW I would bring it up for some *slight* bashing! I'm 6000+ posts older.

  waiting
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  jwsons

  Dr. Bergman,

  Where did you get the information about the 19-years old boy jump off from Bethel building ? Please give us more detail about the source.

  Thanks in advance.

  jwsons
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  Jerry Bergman

  I first heard it from a Bethelite who I have found to be accurate in his information. Actually I ended up with several sources, and therefore I felt the account could well be accurate (note my wording was tentative). So far I know of no information that goes against this claim, but if good credible evidence exists against it I will gladly revise the conclusion
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  Jerry Bergman

  Sorry

  I just read your post (I am rather new on this site).
• 

  AlanF

  There seem to have been at least two different situations that got mixed up to produce the rumor that a young man was involved with Ewart Chitty, and later jumped off a Bethel roof. Here is what I can remember:

  Chitty did indeed have "homosexual leanings", whatever that is. A young man of about 19-20 brought charges against Chitty that he had these "leanings", and so Chitty was forced to resign from the GB. This was about 1979, I think.

  Completely independently from this, a long-time Bethel staff member named Richard Wheelock developed serious mental problems over a period of years, and (I think) in the late 1980s killed himself by jumping off a Bethel roof. Wheelock had nothing to do with Chitty's resigning.

  AlanF
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  JT

  Completely independently from this, a long-time Bethel staff member named Richard Wheelock developed serious mental problems over a period of years, and (I think) in the late 1980s killed himself by jumping off a Bethel roof.

  ########

  i recall this so well, i was there- wheelock and his wife went on a zone visit to greece or something, anyway she slipped and fell breaking her pelvic, hip area- she had an operation in that country and it didn't go to well, they stayed over their for sometime and then she died-

  after she died he could not deal with her death- one of the sisters in my hall worked as a housekeeper on the same floor he lived on- the other housekeeper was asked to assist him in cleaning out his wife clothes- as they were cleaning out the closet he just broke completely down, she call the homeoverseer and some guys from the infirmiry had to come upstairs and take him to the infirmiry- he used to be the right hand man of Max Larson, he was like the #2 man in the factory office him - he was a big man as well like over 200lbs

  but afterward he lost a lot of wieght and i will never forget this scene in the bethel home laundry

  i was touring with my folks the bethel home and we came up in the laundry and there is this room where they have the hangars and there he was sitting there with another old timer and they were separating the hangers with the cardboard on them for pants and the ones you use for shirts

  and it was so sad to see a man who used to wheel and deal with Vendors for Million dollar presses and bindery equipment, now reduced to only being able to separate hangars and put them in a stack

  late on i left bethel and one day i got a call from an old roomate telling me that Wheelock and jumped off the roof to his death

  so both he and his wife died for an organization that thought NOTHING OF THEM

  HOW SAD

  and yet that is the same situation that we were end, in that we will reach 70-80-90 and die for an organization that cares nothing for us,

  how good it is to be FREE