Posts by AndersonsInfo

67

I'm posting here an informative email from STEVEN UNTHANK

by AndersonsInfo in

yesterday, a jwn poster e-mailed me asking if i would post on this discussion board his recent email to steven unthank and also post stevens reply.

the reason for the request is because the poster has need to remain completely anonymous.

i agreed to share the email because i knew you would find stevens reply informative and interesting.. .

I'm posting here an informative email from STEVEN UNTHANK

by AndersonsInfo in

yesterday, a jwn poster e-mailed me asking if i would post on this discussion board his recent email to steven unthank and also post stevens reply.

the reason for the request is because the poster has need to remain completely anonymous.

i agreed to share the email because i knew you would find stevens reply informative and interesting.. .

notjustyet: Yes, this email from Steven has been confirmed by me. Now, you'll just have to believe that I'm telling you the truth. If you don't believe me, I suggest you email Steven through his website, www.jwnews.org.

BTW, as far as I'm concerned, nobody in this world expresses himself in written form like Steven Unthank. Even if I didn't personally know Steven, I could identify his letters or emails in less than thirty seconds. I have posted on JWN Steven's submissions to the Victorian government from the very beginning of his cause. His first submission was over 660 pages long, which I read, and then posted a few pages from it on JWN maybe two years ago. At that time, Steven had a number of critics who were quite outspoken on JWN calling him a fraud. He has weathered name calling from inside and outside of the JW community with strength of character. He's as tenacious as a pit bull dog when it comes to protecting his family, and, for sure, the leaders of the Australian branch of the WT picked the wrong person to persecute for Steven has the sharp mind of a solicitor and the character and caring kindness of Gandhi.

Soft + Gentle: No, this email was not sent to me from Cedars. Take my word for it, he had nothing to do with this. If you still doubt, write to him at jwsurvey.org.

67

I'm posting here an informative email from STEVEN UNTHANK

by AndersonsInfo in

yesterday, a jwn poster e-mailed me asking if i would post on this discussion board his recent email to steven unthank and also post stevens reply.

the reason for the request is because the poster has need to remain completely anonymous.

i agreed to share the email because i knew you would find stevens reply informative and interesting.. .

AndersonsInfo

YESTERDAY, A JWN POSTER E-MAILED ME ASKING IF I WOULD POST ON THIS DISCUSSION BOARD HIS RECENT EMAIL TO STEVEN UNTHANK AND ALSO POST STEVEN’S REPLY.

THE REASON FOR THE REQUEST IS BECAUSE THE POSTER HAS NEED TO REMAIN COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS. I AGREED TO SHARE THE EMAIL BECAUSE I KNEW YOU WOULD FIND STEVEN’S REPLY INFORMATIVE AND INTERESTING.

Dear Steven,

I take my hat off to you for your tenacity in going after the WT for their failure to obtain the Working With Children Card, yet more importantly for exposing their failure to protect children from sexual abuse in the organization.

If there is anything you would like to pass on to ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses as I`m sure you’re aware of their great interest and support for you in your quest?

I hope your health is standing up to all this as it must be taxing. I`m sorry to hear of the families, especially of the children in the Traralgon Congregation who have had to endure the ostracizing this religion dishes out to victims of such abuse. Please pass on my sympathies and also sympathy from the rest of JWN who are following this case.

HERE IS STEVEN UNTHANK’S REPLY:

Dear …,

Yeah, I'm not giving up. Not for what they did to me, not for what they did to my family, and not for what they did to the children.

Before all this started going public, including the bringing of criminal charges against the religion of the working with children laws, and before even going to court or even the Parliamentary Inquiry this week, we invited the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watch Tower Society to settle our dispute with them over the actions of a group of elders, not only for the sake of peace, but because it was the right thing to do and the Christian thing to do.

We invited them to apologize and to make financial compensation of 99 cents. To help them out, and so that there was no burden on them, we each placed $20.00 in the contribution box at the Kingdom Hall to cover any phone calls, letters, postage, even the 99 cents itself.

The paying of compensation, even a paltry 99 cents, is a provision allowed within the congregation, i.e. "the making of amends." Our reason for choosing a financial compensation amount was that if financial compensation was made, no matter how small, then no legal action could ever be commenced by us in a civil court in pursuit of damages. In other words, "Say Sorry", hand over 99 cents and everyone has the assurance that this is the end of the matter. No further discussion, no talking within the congregation, just peace.

Further we invited representatives from both the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watch Tower Society to a mediation meeting at the Melbourne Assembly Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. They refused.

Instead, a few weeks later they sent their lawyer to visit our congregation to give a talk from the platform. Our body of elders informed us that the talk was directed specifically at our family. The Watchtower lawyer stood up, identified himself as the Society's lawyer, and directed his comments right at our family sitting there. He carefully stated that if anyone went up against the Watch Tower Society...

"with a view to seeking justice, even if you have actually been wronged, then you can expect to be wiped out and left penniless."

Our family had been wrong, we were seeking justice, the Watchtower Society knew this, and hence the public threat of harm and detriment.

We later informed our congregation that we had a Divine Right to justice and that we will continue to seek that Divine justice.

The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia, both directly and through the resources of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, then launched an unprecedented wave of non-stop vicious persecution and attacks on both myself and my family. They have not stopped.

Our body of elders, at the time, informed us to personally write to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses seeking immediate protection. We did and included all our evidence. A short time later, Geoffrey Jackson flew in and met with those persecuting and attacking our family. The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses then sided with those attacking us and refused to hear our cries and pleas for help, protection, and justice.

Until the Watchtower Society backs off, withdraws the public threat of harm and detriment, and then leaves me and my family alone, I will not stop defending us. It's not about going after the Watchtower Society, or the Church of Jehovah's Witnesses, or even the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, it is about our self-defense and our right to defend ourselves.

As Witness for the Crown I cannot comment on my giving evidence before the Parliamentary Inquiry on Monday, February 18, 2013.

Prior to appearing, I had prepared extensive evidence in relation to my personal financial losses to date as a result of the attacks from the Watchtower Society etc. This included the loss of my home, personal effects, my business, and so on. My direct losses and expenses were over $500,000. That's just for me. It is impossible to calculate the indirect financial loss. I guess, in a way they did indeed cause me to be left "penniless" but I'm not wiped out.

Then there is losing your family, your religion, your friends, and your health.

The newspaper reported that other people attended the hearing to give evidence against the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watchtower Society. I cannot comment on them, as everyone gave evidence at different times, and not as a group.

Ironically, Divine Justice now requires that those who threatened both myself and my family be "wiped out and left penniless."

Cheers,

Steven Unthank

(P.S. you're welcome to share this email on JWN)

26

Victoria, Australia, Newspaper article: Child in Jehovah's Witness Court Bid

by AndersonsInfo in

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/child-in-jehovahs-witness-court-bid-20130217-2elcg.htmlchild in jehovah's witness court bid.

february 18, 2013barney zwartza traralgon child has clubbed his pocket money together with three others, paying $69.70 to launch a private criminal prosecution against the jehovah's witnesses.. the child, 11, who is due to give evidence on monday at the state inquiry into how the churches handled child sex abuse, wanted to force the church to comply with working with children laws.

after four hearings, to which church leaders did not send a representative, the church began complying and the office of public prosecutions intervened to discontinue the case.. the inquiry will also hear from anti-jehovah's witness campaigner steven unthank, a former member of the church who says he and his family were ostracised and persecuted after he tried to tackle child abuse.. his submission alleges the church and its incorporated body, the watchtower society, covered up criminal child abuse, including rape, sexual assault, death threats, blackmail and assault, across four states by ordained ministers and officers of the church.. advertisementthe victorian and civil administrative tribunal will hear a religious vilification complaint against the church by mr unthank in may, after the church said people who left the church, as he had, were ''mentally diseased''.. and the victorian health services commissioner is investigating a complaint by another former gippsland church member that a jehovah's witness chaplain was found alone without permission with a naked toddler in a room at latrobe regional hospital.. the child appearing today, who cannot be named, has asked the inquiry to determine whether the church's failure to get working with children checks between july 2008 and december 2011 amounted to criminal child abuse of all 6160 jehovah's witness children in victoria.. he asks why the government and police let the church ''get away with'' non-compliance, and whether the state will help file a class action against the church.. the submission suggests the 2000 jehovah's witnesses who worked with children were committing criminal offences each week.

AndersonsInfo

In the newspaper article, notice that two important hearings are scheduled and one investigation has been launched by appropriate Victorian governmental agencies. This is certainly good news, especially the hearing scheduled for tomorrow, Monday, in Victoria.

BTW, Steven Unthank will not be the only one to testify against JWs mishandling of child sexual abuse.

We have all waited patiently for the day that the Victorian government will finally look into the awful child sex abuse scandal within the JW organization, and now that day is just about here.

1. The child, 11, who is due to give evidence on Monday at the state inquiry into how the churches handled child sex abuse...

2. The Victorian and Civil Administrative Tribunal will hear a religious vilification complaint against the church by Mr Unthank in May, after the church said people who left the church, as he had, were ''mentally diseased''

3. And the Victorian Health Services Commissioner is investigating a complaint by another former Gippsland church member that a Jehovah's Witness chaplain was found alone without permission with a naked toddler in a room at Latrobe Regional Hospital.

Please keep checking Steven Unthank's websites, www.jwnews.org and www.jwleaks.org for news as it develops.

Barbara

26

Victoria, Australia, Newspaper article: Child in Jehovah's Witness Court Bid

by AndersonsInfo in

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/child-in-jehovahs-witness-court-bid-20130217-2elcg.htmlchild in jehovah's witness court bid.

february 18, 2013barney zwartza traralgon child has clubbed his pocket money together with three others, paying $69.70 to launch a private criminal prosecution against the jehovah's witnesses.. the child, 11, who is due to give evidence on monday at the state inquiry into how the churches handled child sex abuse, wanted to force the church to comply with working with children laws.

after four hearings, to which church leaders did not send a representative, the church began complying and the office of public prosecutions intervened to discontinue the case.. the inquiry will also hear from anti-jehovah's witness campaigner steven unthank, a former member of the church who says he and his family were ostracised and persecuted after he tried to tackle child abuse.. his submission alleges the church and its incorporated body, the watchtower society, covered up criminal child abuse, including rape, sexual assault, death threats, blackmail and assault, across four states by ordained ministers and officers of the church.. advertisementthe victorian and civil administrative tribunal will hear a religious vilification complaint against the church by mr unthank in may, after the church said people who left the church, as he had, were ''mentally diseased''.. and the victorian health services commissioner is investigating a complaint by another former gippsland church member that a jehovah's witness chaplain was found alone without permission with a naked toddler in a room at latrobe regional hospital.. the child appearing today, who cannot be named, has asked the inquiry to determine whether the church's failure to get working with children checks between july 2008 and december 2011 amounted to criminal child abuse of all 6160 jehovah's witness children in victoria.. he asks why the government and police let the church ''get away with'' non-compliance, and whether the state will help file a class action against the church.. the submission suggests the 2000 jehovah's witnesses who worked with children were committing criminal offences each week.

AndersonsInfo

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/child-in-jehovahs-witness-court-bid-20130217-2elcg.html

Child in Jehovah's Witness court bid

: February 18, 2013

Barney Zwartz

A TRARALGON child has clubbed his pocket money together with three others, paying $69.70 to launch a private criminal prosecution against the Jehovah's Witnesses.

The child, 11, who is due to give evidence on Monday at the state inquiry into how the churches handled child sex abuse, wanted to force the church to comply with working with children laws. After four hearings, to which church leaders did not send a representative, the church began complying and the Office of Public Prosecutions intervened to discontinue the case.

The inquiry will also hear from anti-Jehovah's Witness campaigner Steven Unthank, a former member of the church who says he and his family were ostracised and persecuted after he tried to tackle child abuse.

His submission alleges the church and its incorporated body, the Watchtower Society, covered up criminal child abuse, including rape, sexual assault, death threats, blackmail and assault, across four states by ordained ministers and officers of the church.

The Victorian and Civil Administrative Tribunal will hear a religious vilification complaint against the church by Mr Unthank in May, after the church said people who left the church, as he had, were ''mentally diseased''.

And the Victorian Health Services Commissioner is investigating a complaint by another former Gippsland church member that a Jehovah's Witness chaplain was found alone without permission with a naked toddler in a room at Latrobe Regional Hospital.

The child appearing today, who cannot be named, has asked the inquiry to determine whether the church's failure to get working with children checks between July 2008 and December 2011 amounted to criminal child abuse of all 6160 Jehovah's Witness children in Victoria.

He asks why the government and police let the church ''get away with'' non-compliance, and whether the state will help file a class action against the church.

The submission suggests the 2000 Jehovah's Witnesses who worked with children were committing criminal offences each week. These included ministers, elders, chaplains, teachers, volunteers, publishers (a term for people who doorknock) and even people who repair the church premises, called Kingdom Halls, ''as they use child labour to save money''.

The child says he and his family have also been ostracised by the church and forbidden to attend services. ''Because everyone protected them, I have now lost my religion.

''The state of Victoria allowed this to happen.''

The four children launched their prosecution with a magistrate's permission on July 26, 2011. In October 2011 the church's Governing Body wrote to all Victorian congregations, telling them to get the checks. At the final court hearing, on February 21, 2012, the Director of Public Prosecutions discontinued the case, saying it was not in the public interest.

''How can [tackling] child abuse not be in the public interest? How can criminal charges be discontinued after the person refused to turn up to court of five separate occasions?'' the child asks. He wants charges reinstated against church leaders.

A spokeswoman for the Office of Public Prosecutions said the charges were withdrawn because there was no reasonable prospect of conviction.

Vincent Toole, solicitor for the Jehovah's Witnesses, said the fact that the church got working with children checks had nothing to do with Steven Unthank, whom he suggested was behind the court case. ''We find it disappointing that he continues to misrepresent our organisation.''

Mr Toole said Mr Unthank unsuccessfully tried to get authorities to take action against the church over working with children checks, and ''after none were prepared to pursue the matter, he took the extraordinary step of instituting a private prosecution''.

''Jehovah's Witnesses abhor child abuse, and place the protection of children at the highest level,'' he said.

27

LA Times: Many researchers taking a different view of pedophilia

by AndersonsInfo in

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jan/14/local/la-me-pedophiles-20130115/2.

many researchers taking a different view of pedophiliapedophilia once was thought to stem from psychological influences early in life.

now, many experts view it as a deep-rooted predisposition that does not change.january 14, 2013|by alan zarembo, los angeles timesas a young boy, paul christiano loved the world of girls the way they danced, how their spindly bodies tumbled in gymnastics.

AndersonsInfo

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jan/14/local/la-me-pedophiles-20130115/2

Many researchers taking a different view of pedophilia

Pedophilia once was thought to stem from psychological influences early in life. Now, many experts view it as a deep-rooted predisposition that does not change.

January 14, 2013 | By Alan Zarembo, Los Angeles Times

As a young boy, Paul Christiano loved the world of girls — the way they danced, how their spindly bodies tumbled in gymnastics .

In adolescence, as other boys ogled classmates, he was troubled to find himself fantasizing about 7- to 11-year-olds.

His desires remained stuck in time as he neared adulthood. Despite a stable home life in suburban Chicago, he was tortured by urges he knew could land him in prison.

"For having these feelings, I was destined to become a monster," he said. "I was terrified."

In 1999, Christiano was caught buying child pornography. Now 36, he said he has never molested a child, but after five years of state-ordered therapy, the attraction remains.

"These people felt they could snuff out the desire, or shame me into denying it existed," he said. "But it's as intrinsic as the next person's heterosexuality."

In the laboratory, researchers are coming to the same conclusion.

Like many forms of sexual deviance, pedophilia once was thought to stem from psychological influences early in life. Now, many experts view it as a sexual orientation as immutable as heterosexuality or homosexuality. It is a deep-rooted predisposition — limited almost entirely to men — that becomes clear during puberty and does not change.

The best estimates are that between 1% and 5% of men are pedophiles, meaning that they have a dominant attraction to prepubescent children.

Not all pedophiles molest children. Nor are all child molesters pedophiles. Studies show that about half of all molesters are not sexually attracted to their victims. They often have personality disorders or violent streaks, and their victims are typically family members.

By contrast, pedophiles tend to think of children as romantic partners and look beyond immediate relatives. They include chronic abusers familiar from the headlines — Catholic priests, coaches and generations of Boy Scout leaders.

Other pedophiles are "good people who are struggling," said Dr. Fred Berlin, a psychiatrist who heads the Johns Hopkins Sexual Behaviors Consultation Unit. "They're tortured souls fighting like heck not to do this. We do virtually nothing in terms of reaching out to these folks. We drive it underground."

Studying criminals

Some of the new understanding of pedophilia comes from studies done on convicted sex criminals at the Center for Mental Health and Addiction in Toronto, where researchers use a procedure known as phallometry to identify men whose peak attraction is to children.

A man sits alone in a room viewing a series of images and listening to descriptions of various sexual acts with adults and children, male and female, while wearing a device that monitors blood flow to his penis.

Like men attracted to adults, nearly all pedophiles respond most strongly to one gender or the other — females far more often than males.

In searching for causes of pedophilia, researchers have largely dismissed the popular belief that abuse in childhood plays an important role. Studies show that few victims grow up to be abusers, and only about a third of offenders say they were molested.

Scientists at the Toronto center have uncovered a series of associations that suggest pedophilia has biological roots.

Among the most compelling findings is that 30% of pedophiles are left-handed or ambidextrous, triple the general rate. Because hand dominance is established through some combination of genetics and the environment of the womb, scientists see that association as a powerful indicator that something is different about pedophiles at birth.

"The only explanation is a physiological one," said James Cantor, a leader of the research.

Researchers have also determined that pedophiles are nearly an inch shorter on average than non-pedophiles and lag behind the average IQ by 10 points — discoveries that are consistent with developmental problems, whether before birth or in childhood.

In a 2008 study, Cantor's team conducted MRI brain scans on 65 pedophiles. Compared with men with criminal histories but no sex offenses, they had less white matter, the connective circuitry of the brain.

The evidence also points to what Cantor explained as "cross wiring": Seeing a child sets off the same neural response that men typically experience around an attractive woman.

More evidence of brain involvement comes from scattered examples of men with brain tumors or neurological diseases affecting inhibition.

In one case, a 40-year-old teacher in Virginia with no history of sexual deviance suddenly became interested in child pornography and was arrested for molesting his prepubescent stepdaughter.

The night before his sentencing, he showed up at an emergency room with a bad headache. An MRI revealed a tumor compressing his brain's right frontal lobe.

When the tumor was removed, his obsession faded, according to Dr. Russell Swerdlow, a neurologist on the case. A year later he again became sexually fixated on children. The tumor was growing back.

Swerdlow and others said the case suggests that the man's attraction to children may have always been present — the tumor simply took away the man's ability to control it.

Strong impulse control may help explain why some pedophiles never break the law.

Resisting desire

Most clinicians have given up on changing the sexual orientation of pedophiles in favor of teaching the how to resist their unacceptable desires.

Experts believe that pedophiles who also have a significant attraction to adults stand the best chance of staying out of trouble, because of their capacity for some sexual fulfillment that is legal. For others, injections of hormones to reduce sex drive are often recommended.

Most pedophiles, however, don't receive any attention until they've been arrested.

In an attempt to change that, sex researchers in Germany launched an unusual media campaign in 2005.

"You are not guilty because of your sexual desire, but you are responsible for your sexual behavior," said billboards urging them to contact the Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine in Berlin. "There is help! Don't become an offender!"

More than 1,700 men have responded to the print, television and online ads for Project Dunkelfeld — literally "dark field." As of August, 80 had completed a one-year program aimed at teaching them to control their impulses. Some received hormone shots. Compared to men still on the waiting list, those who received treatment were deemed less likely to molest children, according to an analysis of risk factors.

The German researchers promise patients confidentiality. About half of those assessed admitted to having already molested a child.

Though extolled by many researchers, the same program could not be conducted in the United States or many other countries, where clinicians and others are required by law to notify authorities if they suspect a child has been or could be harmed.

There have been some grass-roots efforts to bring pedophilia out of the shadows. Anton Schweighofer, a psychologist in British Columbia, said he recently referred one of his patients to Virtuous Pedophiles, an online support group for men who have never acted on their desires and want to keep it that way.

"I just don't want to get myself in trouble," said the man, a factory worker who spoke on the condition that he not be identified. "I really don't want to harm anybody."

For many pedophiles, a fundamental part of life will always be a shameful secret.

In his late teens, Christiano taught gymnastics and supervised hundreds of young girls. He fasted at work to distract himself from his erotic feelings.

"My hand never slipped," he said. "There were students I loved and adored. In a perfect world, I could sweep them off their feet and live happily ever after."

In this world, however, he has tried to commit suicide three times, he said.

In 1999, he stepped into a federal sting operation when he ordered pornography. He avoided prison but was permanently added to the Illinois sex offender registry.

Once lauded in the Chicago press for his promise as a dance choreographer, Christiano now lives off unemployment, help from his parents and low-paying jobs. He has lost apartments and jobs because of his felony.

"PEDO PIECE OF GARBAGE," read one of many emails he received after an activist group posted a notice about his case online.

His mother, Jennifer Christiano, said that as far back as she could remember, he had always been different from other boys — an odd and creative soul who loved to perform and seemed to worship his female classmates.

"I can't tell you how hard it is," she said. "He's my only child. He'll never truly be happy. He'll never have someone he can truly love and who can love him back."

[email protected]

5

The Guardian: How the Vatican built a secret property empire using Mussolini's millions

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/21/vatican-secret-property-empire-mussolini/printhow the vatican built a secret property empire using mussolini's millionspapacy used offshore tax havens to create 500m international portfolio, featuring real estate in uk, france and switzerland.

david leigh, jean francois tanda and jessica benhamouthe guardian, monday 21 january 2013 15.23 est behind pope benedict xvi is a porfolio of property that includes commercial premises on london's new bond street.

photograph: alessandra benedetti/corbisfew passing london tourists would ever guess that the premises of bulgari, the upmarket jewellers in new bond street, had anything to do with the pope.

AndersonsInfo

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/21/vatican-secret-property-empire-mussolini/print

How the Vatican built a secret property empire using Mussolini's millions

Papacy used offshore tax havens to create £500m international portfolio, featuring real estate in UK, France and Switzerland

David Leigh, Jean François Tanda and Jessica Benhamou
The Guardian, Monday 21 January 2013 15.23 EST

Behind Pope Benedict XVI is a porfolio of property that includes commercial premises on London's New Bond Street. Photograph: Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis

Few passing London tourists would ever guess that the premises of Bulgari, the upmarket jewellers in New Bond Street, had anything to do with the pope. Nor indeed the nearby headquarters of the wealthy investment bank Altium Capital, on the corner of St James's Square and Pall Mall.

But these office blocks in one of London's most expensive districts are part of a surprising secret commercial property empire owned by the Vatican .

Behind a disguised offshore company structure, the church's international portfolio has been built up over the years, using cash originally handed over by Mussolini in return for papal recognition of the Italian fascist regime in 1929.

Since then the international value of Mussolini's nest-egg has mounted until it now exceeds £500m. In 2006, at the height of the recent property bubble, the Vatican spent £15m of those funds to buy 30 St James's Square. Other UK properties are at 168 New Bond Street and in the city of Coventry. It also owns blocks of flats in Paris and Switzerland.

The surprising aspect for some will be the lengths to which the Vatican has gone to preserve secrecy about the Mussolini millions. The St James's Square office block was bought by a company called British Grolux Investments Ltd, which also holds the other UK properties. Published registers at Companies House do not disclose the company's true ownership, nor make any mention of the Vatican.

Instead, they list two nominee shareholders, both prominent Catholic bankers: John Varley, recently chief executive of Barclays Bank, and Robin Herbert, formerly of the Leopold Joseph merchant bank. Letters were sent from the Guardian to each of them asking whom they act for. They went unanswered. British company law allows the true beneficial ownership of companies to be concealed behind nominees in this way.

The company secretary, John Jenkins, a Reading accountant, was equally uninformative. He told us the firm was owned by a trust but refused to identify it on grounds of confidentiality. He told us after taking instructions: "I confirm that I am not authorised by my client to provide any information."

Research in old archives, however, reveals more of the truth. Companies House files disclose that British Grolux Investments inherited its entire property portfolio after a reorganisation in 1999 from two predecessor companies called British Grolux Ltd and Cheylesmore Estates. The shares of those firms were in turn held by a company based at the address of the JP Morgan bank in New York. Ultimate control is recorded as being exercised by a Swiss company, Profima SA.

British wartime records from the National Archives in Kew complete the picture. They confirm Profima SA as the Vatican's own holding company, accused at the time of "engaging in activities contrary to Allied interests". Files from officials at Britain's Ministry of Economic Warfare at the end of the war criticised the pope's financier, Bernardino Nogara, who controlled the investment of more than £50m cash from the Mussolini windfall.

Nogara's "shady activities" were detailed in intercepted 1945 cable traffic from the Vatican to a contact in Geneva, according to the British, who discussed whether to blacklist Profima as a result. "Nogara, a Roman lawyer, is the Vatican financial agent and Profima SA in Lausanne is the Swiss holding company for certain Vatican interests." They believed Nogara was trying to transfer shares of two Vatican-owned French property firms to the Swiss company, to prevent the French government blacklisting them as enemy assets.

Earlier in the war, in 1943, the British accused Nogara of similar "dirty work", by shifting Italian bank shares into Profima's hands in order to "whitewash" them and present the bank as being controlled by Swiss neutrals. This was described as "manipulation" of Vatican finances to serve "extraneous political ends".

The Mussolini money was dramatically important to the Vatican's finances. John Pollard, a Cambridge historian, says in Money and the Rise of the Modern Papacy: "The papacy was now financially secure. It would never be poor again."

From the outset, Nogara was innovative in investing the cash. In 1931 records show he founded an offshore company in Luxembourg to hold the continental European property assets he was buying. It was called Groupement Financier Luxembourgeois, hence Grolux. Luxembourg was one of the first countries to set up tax-haven company structures in 1929. The UK end, called British Grolux, was incorporated the following year.

When war broke out, with the prospect of a German invasion, the Luxembourg operation and ostensible control of the British Grolux operation were moved to the US and to neutral Switzerland.

The Mussolini investments in Britain are currently controlled, along with its other European holdings and a currency trading arm, by a papal official in Rome, Paolo Mennini, who is in effect the pope's merchant banker. Mennini heads a special unit inside the Vatican called the extraordinary division of APSA – Amministrazione del Patrimonio della Sede Apostolica – which handles the so-called "patrimony of the Holy See".

According to a report last year from the Council of Europe, which surveyed the Vatican's financial controls, the assets of Mennini's special unit now exceed €680m (£570m).

While secrecy about the Fascist origins of the papacy's wealth might have been understandable in wartime, what is less clear is why the Vatican subsequently continued to maintain secrecy about its holdings in Britain, even after its financial structure was reorganised in 1999.

The Guardian asked the Vatican's representative in London, the papal nuncio, archbishop Antonio Mennini, why the papacy continued with such secrecy over the identity of its property investments in London. We also asked what the pope spent the income on. True to its tradition of silence on the subject, the Roman Catholic church's spokesman said that the nuncio had no comment.

28

I wrote a review for Anthony Mathenia's new book, Paradise Earth: Day Zero

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

http://www.anthonymathenia.com/barbara-anderson-reviews-paradise-earth-day-zero/.

we know that the publishing of mathenia's new book, paradise earth: day zero was announced here on jwn some weeks ago.

we sincerely hope that many of you reading this post have read part one of this three-part series already.

AndersonsInfo

One thing for sure, the spike in Amazon sales for Anthony's book proves that this website definitely reaches a wide audience. Thanks once again Simon for JWN.

28

I wrote a review for Anthony Mathenia's new book, Paradise Earth: Day Zero

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

http://www.anthonymathenia.com/barbara-anderson-reviews-paradise-earth-day-zero/.

we know that the publishing of mathenia's new book, paradise earth: day zero was announced here on jwn some weeks ago.

we sincerely hope that many of you reading this post have read part one of this three-part series already.

AndersonsInfo

We're pleased that endorsing/advertising Anthony's book has been welcomed on JWN. Thanks renderme/Janet for your recommendation. It sure is a must read. Hurry up Anthony and finish Part 2.

The Andersons

28

I wrote a review for Anthony Mathenia's new book, Paradise Earth: Day Zero

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

http://www.anthonymathenia.com/barbara-anderson-reviews-paradise-earth-day-zero/.

we know that the publishing of mathenia's new book, paradise earth: day zero was announced here on jwn some weeks ago.

we sincerely hope that many of you reading this post have read part one of this three-part series already.

AndersonsInfo

http://www.anthonymathenia.com/barbara-anderson-reviews-paradise-earth-day-zero/

We know that the publishing of Mathenia's new book, Paradise Earth: Day Zero was announced here on JWN some weeks ago. We sincerely hope that many of you reading this post have read Part One of this three-part series already. We were so thoroughly engrossed when reading this book that we doubt if someone yelled "fire" it would have caused us to move from where we sat spell-bound while reading this fictional, but oh, so true, story.

Please don't come on this thread and scold us for using this discussion board to endorse a book. Of course, that's exactly what we're doing but this is the only way that we can think of to introduce you to an outstanding story that rang so true with us and should do so for most JWs and XJWs. (There's always those former JWs who are not interested in this type of story, but for those who love a good read about JWs, here's one for you.)

Anthony Mathenia has no idea that we started this thread. Please put your mind at ease as he didn't ask for an endorsement on this board or any other board. If Simon or any of the mods are dissatisfied by our using this board to push a book, please remove this thread.

If anybody desires to read Anthony's book and can't afford the small price asked, we believe that Anthony will make it possible for you to read it through other means. You can also PM us and we'll see what we can arrange. FYI, here's Anthony's website, www.anthonymathenia.com.

Barbara and Joe Anderson

We're not the only ones who liked PE: DZ, here's what others said about it on Amazon:

By Shane Crash "Shane Crash" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews This review is from: Paradise Earth: Day Zero (Kindle Edition)

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of Anthony Mathenia's new novel, Paradise Earth: Day Zero. The novel is a deconstruction of the Jehovah Witness faith, set at the onset of an apocalypse event. Day Zero is the first volume of a forthcoming trilogy. Although the disastrous events are global, the story is pleasantly small in scope. The Jehovah congregants hole up in the kingdom hall for shelter, lending to the evocative humanization of the group.

The catastrophe is viewed through the eyes of one central character. The man remains nameless throughout the story, but the narrative flows in such a way that backstory reveals itself as the event progresses. Wielded correctly, this form of exposition can work brilliantly, and Anthony pulls it off without missing a beat.

Even more fascinating than the blizzard fireballs of doom raining down from the heavens is the progression of the character's rationalization of humanity's impending destruction. The continual onslaught of horror and death take a toll, leading the character from blind faith to a horrified skepticism. We're able to see through the man's recollection that these events are not the first time his faith has forced him to credit the divine for an unimaginable atrocity. The man's memory reveals just how dangerous an imagined `pious duty' can be for human beings.
As an ex-evangelical I know all too well of the sensationalized pseudo-theology of doomsday and Armageddon. I remember fondly asking a pastor, "how the hell anyone could believe such bollocks?" To which he replied, "youth is a dangerous time in any life. Often times our brains are filled with lies, and most people are afraid to empty their heads when they get older."

Many faiths throughout the world have their own prophesied version of the end of all things. As an ex-Jehovah's witness, Anthony's firsthand experience of the faith lends itself well to the difficult task of conveying sympathetic characters in what would otherwise seem inhumane, barbaric, and irrational to an outsider. However monstrous, the central group's lack of compassion for the dead and dying is understandable, albeit disheartening. Anthony uses his insider knowledge to craft an interesting array of characters within the sheltered group.

The hierarchy and patriarchy of the religion is evidenced as the church elders bully the congregants into submission. The congregation is in constant fear of being cast out and shunned by the church elders. And the reader is forced to watch in disgust as their submission leads to horror and death. The commentary on fear mongering and hierarchy is unraveled via story craft, and it also struck me with its parallels to evangelicalism. The story rolls out a sympathetic treatise on the Jehovah Witness faith, but I would venture to say that it could just as easily apply to the majority of systematic faith groups. My study of religious anthropology has shown me that at the heart of even the smallest faith groups is a system of hierarchy and in most cases, patriarchy.

Furthermore, via story craft, Mathenia manages to brilliantly comment on the vice of blind obedience and unquestioning faith. Mathenia observes: the problem with expectations is that in the end we don't always get what we hope for. Mathenia says that we may anticipate the effect of a dream realized, but we don't know that our expectations of a dream realized will mirror reality.

One might expect the group of congregants to be overly pious, and they are to an extent, but what struck me is how similar they are in nature to the nonreligious. They're selfish, violent, and greedy. They share all the traits that make human beings what we are, and they may have given it a name, (sin), and they may fancy themselves set apart, but their humanity resides within them. These traits: lust, greed, envy, and anger are often the source of great evil, but they also lend themselves to empathy and compassion. They are the source of our humanity, and to try and rid the world of them is folly. The problem with perfection is that it's unknowable, and yet, it's all around us.

Day Zero is an incredible start to the Paradise Earth trilogy. Mathenia has crafted a cautionary tale, but more than that he has crafted a human journey from indoctrination and fear - to freedom and compassion. He's a gem of a writer and I highly recommend purchasing this novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful 5.0 out of 5 stars Paradise earth, January 1, 2013 By Jackie - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase (What's this?) This review is from: Paradise Earth: Day Zero (Paperback) I read Paradise earth in one afternoon and have reread it again. There was so very much I could identify in the things you wrote. Only a person who has been a Witness can really know about such things. When is the second book coming out, I am so excited. My heart went out the df'd brother, he wasn;t even treated as a human who also had needs. Rachel's funeral was like my mother's funeral. They spoke a little about her and then went on to preach a sermon. I am still enjoying "happiness", don't ever stop writing. People have no idea what goes on with Jehovah's Witnesses, their story has to be told. Thank you Anthony.

4.0 out of 5 stars armageddon, January 15, 2013 By Breezie - See all my reviews This review is from: Paradise Earth: Day Zero (Kindle Edition) Anyone waiting for Armageddon will relate. You will identify with the caracters in this book. Look forward reading book two.

5.0 out of 5 stars The logical end., January 13, 2013 By LeAnn - See all my reviews This review is from: Paradise Earth: Day Zero (Kindle Edition) Anthony Mathenia's Paradise Earth takes the message Jehovah's Wittnesses preach at your door of armaggedon and a paradise earth and brings you down a path leading to it's logical end. The characters realisticly protray members of the religion and how they would react too finally facing their long aticipated end of the world. The book weaves in issues facing practically every congregation of Jehovah's Wittnesses in a way that even a person unfamilar with the inner workings of the religion will be facinated. For those who are or have been members, Mathenia's ability to grab a group of people and make you feel like you have known them all your life, will have you recalling details of your own experience as a witness, long past the time it took you to read his novel.

5.0 out of 5 stars Enraptured Doom, January 12, 2013 By James Wymore - See all my reviews This review is from: Paradise Earth: Day Zero (Kindle Edition) What will people do when pushed beyond their limits? Anthony Mathenia's apocalyptical book delves into the dark actions of the truly desperate. Featuring a distraught Jehovah's Witness experiencing the pivotal event predicted by their religion, Day Zero stares into the shadows cast by imperfect humans blocking the light of perfection.

Powerful and moving, we experience the emotions of one man as he watches a group of believers cross from the world as we know it into the promised Paradise Earth. Although it is the first of a trilogy, this volume delivers a powerful ending. Not a fan of cliff-hangers, I appreciated the climax. Not only does it take the character to the next level, but it left me in haunted contemplation. The language is masterful and artistic. The scenes are compelling, and hold the reader enraptured. This reading experience easily stands up to any great book.

See a longer review at [...]

4.0 out of 5 stars Come for the apocalypse, stay for a moving story!, January 7, 2013 By Jared Hamline (O'fallon, MO) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase (What's this?) This review is from: Paradise Earth: Day Zero (Paperback) One of my favorite cautionary tales I read sometime back was Sinclair's "The Jungle".It didn't have the effect the author was aiming for. Sinclair wanted to show what industrial life and living conditions were doing to the poor and immigrants, but wound up sparking the fire that forged the creation of the FDA. Upton even said, "I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach."
But, I don't believe that is the case with Anthony Mathenia's "Paradise Earth". It is very apparent that the book is very much about the apocalypse, but I wasn't counting on was how very human and un-Hollywood-Disaster-Film it was. The main character, though flawed and cowardly at times, is one you can sympathize with. By the end of th book, you are left with some questions, but that's what a good author does with a series. He keeps you wanting more and I do. Bring on "PE:D2"!

5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible, disturbing and provovative, January 5, 2013 By Thea Gregory - See all my reviews This review is from: Paradise Earth: Day Zero (Kindle Edition) End-of-the-world scenarios are a dime-a-dozen. From your everyday zombie apocalypse to a giant meteor smashing the Earth, it's all been done. But, what if an event that is suspiciously like the Jehovah's Witnesses' prophesies came to pass? Smart, believable, and certainly blasphemous to our door-to-door friends, Mathenia's Paradise Earth hits hard and hits home. I read it in four hours, without putting it down.

The first chapter won me over. Its darkness and utter despair pulled me in--the imagery and emotion of it was like a punch to the gut. I needed to know what happened. After that, I was held captive by the storytelling. The narrative follows an unnamed brother throughout the early stages of the apocalypse. The dissection of his faith and the loosening boundaries in his mind between past and present are fascinating. Much of the character's back story is explained via flashback, which makes it seem as though two stories are being woven together.

In the end, all he has left is his naked faith.

As far as religious-themed books go, this one is presented in a way that both the religious and non-religious can take enjoyment in. Perhaps not for the same reasons, but I can see it as being interesting to either perspective. It's not preachy and does not seek to give the heavy-handed treatment to the reader. You're left to draw your own conclusions, much like the main character has to. I greatly enjoyed the Zombie Bible for similar reasons, so if you're familiar with Litore's work then you'll have an understanding of the treatment faith has.

I was given a copy for purposes of posting an honest review.

5.0 out of 5 stars For Destruction Ice Is Also Great, January 4, 2013 By T. Brasel "Bibliophile" (Southern Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME) This review is from: Paradise Earth: Day Zero (Paperback) I read Anthony Mathenia's novel, "Paradise Earth: Day Zero," in one sitting, finding it to be one of those books that clings and lingers with the reader. It is a harrowing, all-too human story: we follow an unnamed narrator as he attempts to follow the many seemingly contradictory tenets of his religion, the "True Religion," and finds himself living through a horrifying apocalypse.

What is interesting to me, as someone who has no connection to the Jehovah's Witnesses, is how universal this story is. Another reviewer has stated that unless you have been a witness, you won't fully understand the novel, and I can respect that. However, you don't have to have been raised in that religion to recognize the hypocrisy and judgment that the narrator experiences (and occasionally doles out). Mathenia has created characters in "Paradise Earth" who are recognizable in any walk of life.

Despite the horrors depicted in the book (and there are many), this is ultimately a story about redemption. In addition to the aforementioned human flaws, we also witness the genuine love that the narrator has for his brothers and sisters in the congregation. The narrator comes to recognize the different atrocities humans commit against one another, and bumps up against the questions: If he survives and makes it to Jehovah's Paradise Earth, will he be worthy? And will Paradise be worth all the pain? Mathenia has pulled off a trick here in crafting a dark story with such an uplifting message. Readers will find themselves haunted by the story, as I have.

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
- Robert Frost

http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Earth-Zero-Anthony-Mathenia/product-reviews/1620071436/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1