DevonMcBride

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Posts by DevonMcBride

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  26

  New Awake blasts internet and newspapers.

  by integ in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the october 1st awake has a stern warning for "young ones" to stay away from witness websites.

  they could actually be apostates you are .

  talking to.

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  DevonMcBride

  I remember reading an interesting Awake article about peanuts. Written on a 5th grade level but it was still interesting.
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  20

  Latest news about Pro-JW group on Myspace

  by DevonMcBride in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the elders and the governing body are cracking down on jw myspace groups.

  here is the latest from the owner of one that i'm subbed to.. im sorry to all who just recently joined myspace but im deleting my account and if ne one wants to keep the group goin thats up to them... i dont know whats goin to happen if i delete my mysapce i dont know if the group will automatically get deleted.... .

  now for the reason im leaving is that my elders are saying that the po's met last week and the major issue with society now is the internet and myspace came up as one of the topics and for the elders to talk about this with the young adults and kids in the hall... the pretty much told us if u dont take urself off we will have to have a meeting with u about it... this is advice from not us the elders but from the governing body... sooo im not one to go agaisnt my elders even though i dont want to leave becasue i met some wonderful people and im soo greatful for that... if ne one wants to keep in touch with me here is my phone number... .

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  DevonMcBride

  So I went back to that Pro-JW site and you know what? All of the members swapped screennames so they can continue to discuss their wild get-togethers via Instant Message and e-mail. So the group will continue secretly without the Watchtower knowing. When the Society starts enforcing their rules, the Witnesses learn ways to get around it and not get caught.
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  20

  Latest news about Pro-JW group on Myspace

  by DevonMcBride in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the elders and the governing body are cracking down on jw myspace groups.

  here is the latest from the owner of one that i'm subbed to.. im sorry to all who just recently joined myspace but im deleting my account and if ne one wants to keep the group goin thats up to them... i dont know whats goin to happen if i delete my mysapce i dont know if the group will automatically get deleted.... .

  now for the reason im leaving is that my elders are saying that the po's met last week and the major issue with society now is the internet and myspace came up as one of the topics and for the elders to talk about this with the young adults and kids in the hall... the pretty much told us if u dont take urself off we will have to have a meeting with u about it... this is advice from not us the elders but from the governing body... sooo im not one to go agaisnt my elders even though i dont want to leave becasue i met some wonderful people and im soo greatful for that... if ne one wants to keep in touch with me here is my phone number... .

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  DevonMcBride

  The elders and the Governing Body are cracking down on JW myspace groups. Here is the latest from the owner of one that I'm subbed to.

  im sorry to all who just recently joined myspace but im deleting my account and if ne one wants to keep the group goin thats up to them... i dont know whats goin to happen if i delete my mysapce i dont know if the group will automatically get deleted...
  
  Now for the reason im leaving is that my elders are saying that the PO's met last week and the major issue with society now is the internet and myspace came up as one of the topics and for the elders to talk about this with the young adults and kids in the hall... the pretty much told us if u dont take urself off we will have to have a meeting with u about it... this is advice from not us the elders but from the governing body... sooo im not one to go agaisnt my elders even though i dont want to leave becasue i met some wonderful people and im soo greatful for that... if ne one wants to keep in touch with me here is my phone number...
  
  im goin to be deleting my account by the end of this week soo i send u all a loving farewell... huggs and kisses for all thanks for makin this group a very big family...
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  16

  What happened to the old Pro-JW forums, and when did they disappear?

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just did a search on google for pro-jw forums, there doesn't seem to be any.. i remember the old days, back in the 90's.... you had:.

  www.witnesses.net - closed around 2000. www.jwzone.org - closed around 2001 - are they still active but under a different name?.

  anyone remember any others?.

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  DevonMcBride

  I spoke too soon. Below was a topic posted today by the owner of one of the myspace JW groups I belong to.

  well my elders are all over myspace now and pretty much tellin JWs that we whouldnt be on here cause ur exposing urself to the world... they pretty much said that the bible said we should run from the world and with myspace its like we are running into it... they found that people are using myspace for the wrong reasons... some JWs with porn and demon stuff on there page. Even JWs that belong to sub groups such as the NPG's (non practicing gays)...
  
  
  i can sit here and say that myspace has helped me out in the truth alot with new friends and gettin away from my wordly association... has myspace helped ne one else out in nething...
  
  give me some opinions
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  1

  Another child abuse cover up by the Catholic Church

  by DevonMcBride in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  http://www.nbc10.com/news/5002108/detail.html da: top catholic officials covered up sex abuse of minors

  district attorney releases scathing report

  posted: 12:33 pm edt september 21, 2005 updated: 9:14 pm edt september 21, 2005

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  DevonMcBride

  http://www.nbc10.com/news/5002108/detail.html

  DA: Top Catholic Officials Covered Up Sex Abuse Of Minors

  District Attorney Releases Scathing Report

  POSTED: 12:33 pm EDT September 21, 2005 UPDATED: 9:14 pm EDT September 21, 2005

  PHILADELPHIA -- Editor's Note: Article Contains Graphic Content

  The leaders of the Philadelphia Archdiocese -- including two former Cardinals -- actively concealed sexual abuse by priests for decades, but no criminal charges can be brought against the church or its priests because of the constraints of state law, according to grand jury findings released Wednesday.

  Video: Cardinal Responds | DA Explains Grand Jury Focus | Extent Of Sexual Abuse | DA Recommends Changes To Law | NBC 10 Looks At Both Sides
  

  Lynne Abraham (L), Justin Rigali (R)

  In response, Philadelphia's cardinal apologized, but said the archdiocese has obeyed the law.

  Following the nation's longest-running grand jury probe into priest abuse, the scathing report documents assaults on children by more than 60 priests, and alleges that former Cardinals Anthony Bevilacqua and John Krol covered up the abuse.

  "This is a story that demonstrates a sick pattern of sexual predation, sexual seduction and indecency, rape, sodomy, abortion," District Attorney Lynne Abraham said.

  The grand jury produced a damning document, 417 pages long, alleging shocking cases of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia involving 63 priests, though more than 100 more were investigated.

  "I found (the report) to be incredibly biased and, in fact, anti-Catholic," diocese attorney William Sasso said. "There are numerous instances of this through the report."

  Diocese attorneys said they had been allowed to review rough versions of the report, but had not been given the final report.

  "To protect themselves from negative publicity or expensive lawsuits -- while keeping abusive priests active -- the cardinals and their aides hid the priests' crimes from parishioners, police and the general public," the report said.

  "What we're talking about is child rape, children as young as 10 or 11 years of age, both boys and girls were forcefully, illegally penetrated by grown clergymen," Abraham said.

  "We repudiate everything of sexual abuse and for the future, as in the past, we renew our efforts to see that children will be protected," Cardinal Justin Rigali said at a news conference Wednesday after acknowledging the "pain and suffering of the victims of clergy sexual abuse" and apologizing to them.

  Statute Of Limitations Prevents Prosecution

  State laws, including legal time limits, prevented prosecutors from filing charges, the report said. The grand jury also explored the possibility of charges against the archdiocese, but said the organization can't be prosecuted because it is an unincorporated association rather than a corporation.

  "Archdiocese leaders have endangered and harmed children in parishes and schools by keeping known abusers in ministry and transferring discovered abusers to assignments where parents and potential victims are unaware of the priests' sexual (problems)," the report said.

  Sasso said that the report does not mention the diocese's efforts to fix the problems, including outreaches to the district attorney's office, which he said were not answered.

  Among the efforts to help victims, Rigali pointed to the establishment of a victims' assistance coordinators program to provide help for victims who call (215) 587-3880 to report sexual abuse of a minor.

  The report names 63 priests "whose abusive behavior was well-documented in archdiocese files and by witnesses who testified" before the grand jury.

  Grand Jury Investigation Lasts Three Years

  Abraham convened the grand jury investigation in April 2002 amid a nationwide scandal following the disclosure of widespread abuse in the Boston Archdiocese. In the Philadelphia area, church officials have said that 44 priests had been "credibly" accused of sexual assaults since the 1950s but only one priest in the archdiocese has been indicted.

  "The evidence is clear. This reaches the top -- the very top of our archdiocese," Abraham said at a news conference. "Regrettably, the perpetrators of these crimes and the people that protected them will never face the penalties they deserve."

  "We believe that anyone who has sexually abused a minor, he can be forgiven by God, but the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will not reinsert this person in ministry in any way, no place, zero tolerance," Rigali said. "Now, there are some priests who are indeed repentant and we do have a program whereby they do devote them themselves to a lifetime of prayer and penance, and that's quite independent of any ministry."

  DA Calls For Change In Pennsylvania Law

  Abraham called for changes in Pennsylvania law that would help to ensure that sexual abuse by priests could not be "so successfully hidden and kept from public scrutiny and criminal prosecution."

  Among the recommendations the district attorney's office asked for include:

• Craft legislation that would abolish the statute of limitations for sexual offenses against children.
• Expand the offense of endangering the welfare of children to ensure that it covers reckless conduct and the conduct of those who directly employ people who take care of children.
• Hold unincorporated associations -- such as the archdiocese -- to the same standards as corporations for crimes committed against children that are sexual in nature.
• Enlarge the statute of limitations on civil suits involving child sexual assault.

  Read The Reports

• Philadelphia District Attorney's Office: Grand Jury Reports
• Philadelphia Archdiocese Response

  To read the PDF reports, you must have Adobe Acrobat. Click here to download a free version of the program.