Upon further investigation, it appears that I was in error and misidentified the poster Beacon Of Truth as being Lawrence Hughes/SHUNNED FATHER. The misidentification was based on a telephone conversation that I had with Mr Hughes on or about August 20, 2005, in which he expressed frustration and the same negative sentiments toward the members of JWD and the lack of support he was perceiving from them for his protest rallies. I was fully prepared to allow those comments to "slide" (and in fact had invited Mr Hughes, his wife, and anyone who was going to be at the protest rally to come to my home for Thanksgiving Dinner on the evening prior to the rally in Canada) until I saw those same comments posted here last week. I was also led to believe it was Mr Hughes based on a search of the IP address and determining that the posts originated in the same city as Mr Hughes' previously stated place of residence. Since that time another individual has come forward and identified themselves as the person behind the Beacon Of Truth alias. This individual is one of Mr Hughes' many friends and ardent supporters and obviously shares similar thoughts about the members of JWD.
I offer my sincere apologies to Mr Hughes and to the members of JWD for this misidentification.
What I will not apologize for is standing up for the members of JWD in light of accusations and condemnations made against them by the individual who posted as Beacon Of Truth, which appear to have Mr Hughes' tacit approval. I will not apologize for exposing Mr Hughes' statements to me that were critical of the vast majority of posters of this community. I felt (and still feel) an ethical responsibility to the members of this community to ensure that any endeavour they choose to participate in, endorse or support does not exploit their kindness with one hand and slap them across the face with the other. I will not apologize for standing up to anyone using the same slanderous, badgering, manipulative guilt- and shame-inducing tactics that the Watch Tower Society has used on each and every one of us when we were members of that group.
The people who make up the community of JWD are some of the most intelligent, hard-working, and dedicated individuals I have ever had the pleasure to encounter, and I will applaud every step they make that they define as personal progress as they learn to make their way in life outside the JWs. How they decide to effect their own recovery from the Watchtower belief system is not my decision to make, nor anyone else's, and I will not stand by for one moment and permit anyone to malign another person's efforts at achieving personal freedom from the JWs, however they choose to define it for themselves.
As far as Mr Hughes' comments pertaining to me personally, anyone can search Google-archived statements that I have made on this forum or any other forum and determine whether those comments deserve any merit or not. I have nothing to fear from such an exploration. However, for the record:
- I have apologized for the erroneous identification of Mr Hughes as Beacon Of Truth even though I had evidence to support that hypothesis
- I did not instruct any member of JWD to withdraw their support of Mr Hughes' protest rallies. There is a difference between telling someone to do something and providing information that results in someone making their own decision to withdraw support for a cause. Just prior to Mr Hughes' thread making several allegations against me, I sent him a PM stating:
There are still lots of people who are going to show up at the Brooklyn Rally and I posted a suggestion to get more people go to out and support you, by recommending a Red Cross Mobile Blood Donor Clinic at the same time as the rally, outside the walls of the WTS headquarters. I also suggested that picketers could carry red helium balloons and write the name of a victim of the WTS's blood transfusion policy on them so that people could see just how many victims there have been.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/98874/1699730/post.ashx#1699730
- In speaking with Mr Hughes regarding Arsenic Trioxide, I made it perfectly clear that I was in no position to comment on the matter one way or another because oncology is not my specialty and I was not well informed of the various treatment modalities available or the appropriateness of any treatments available. I have never commented about this treatment modality anywhere.
- Although I am neither DFd nor DAd, I am not a JW in good standing. I have not set foot in a Kingdom Hall for over 10 years. I have not participated in the door-to-door ministry for over 11 years. I have been involved in various public awareness endeavours, including a letter writing campaign regarding JW child sexual abuse that was sent to over 1000 of Canada's elected officials.
Sincerely, Scully