In other news, Jason Wynne shows off the 'stunning beaches' of Ireland 😉😉
https://twitter.com/JasonMWynne/status/1655128624305954818/photo/2
was a new boy
JoinedPosts by was a new boy
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It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
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The Suicide of Jason R: a rational battlecry
by inkling inok, here is a short introduction:.
worf has posted an email sent to him by someone who claims: to have testified.
in court in a case involving the illegal digging up of the body of a young bethelite .
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was a new boy
Diogenesisteran hour ago
New Boy I know you've mentioned a young suicide whilst you were at Bethel or shortly before?
Diogenesister 2 months ago
Was A new Boy Have you seen Prodigal Ali's (Formily Ali's Big Toe)recent video where she sings the praises of your book?
https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/4857651817611264/do-jehovahs-witnesses-maintain-database-sudden-deaths-within-bethel-families-around-world?page=2wrong New Boy
https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/users/4770/new%20boy/topics
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The Suicide of Jason R: a rational battlecry
by inkling inok, here is a short introduction:.
worf has posted an email sent to him by someone who claims: to have testified.
in court in a case involving the illegal digging up of the body of a young bethelite .
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was a new boy
In 70's Daniel Sydlik mentioned he used to cradle his then wife in his arms when she was a child. Which doesn't mean he wasn't bisexual.I do know he came down hard on homosexuality. About 1980 a bethelite told me he had gotten sick at his Kingdom Hall one evening, left the meeting and came back to bethel early. He walked in on his roommate getting it on with another bethelite.Next day he told Daniel Sydlik, 'We have homosexuals here.' Dan wanted to know immediately who it was. He wouldn't tell him, said he wanted the guy to turn himself in. Which he did a couple days later. -
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UK Supreme Court decides Watchtower not liable for elder raping 29 year old congregant
by Corney inbackground: https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5684019822854144/vicarious-liability-court-appeal-dismisses-appeal-from-religious-organisation-following-sexual-assault.
the judgment (unanimous): https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/docs/uksc-2021-0089-judgment.pdf.
press summary: https://www.supremecourt.uk/press-summary/uksc-2021-0089.html.
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was a new boy
Jehovah's Witnesses do not have to pay £62,000 in damages to woman raped by elder after they went out evangelising door-to-door, Supreme Court rules
- Mark Sewell, 53, from Barry, Cardiff abused three women and raped another
- In 2017 a High Court ordered the church to pay £62,000 for 'general damages'
By MATT POWELL
PUBLISHED: 13:48 EDT, 26 April 2023 | UPDATED: 13:56 EDT, 26 April 2023
A mother has lost £62,000 damages for being raped by a preacher after a church won a legal battle in the Supreme Court.
The worshipper was attacked by Jehovah's Witness elder Mark Sewell, near Cardiff more than 30 years ago.
Devastated, the victim told leaders of the church about the horrific incident - but an internal inquiry found her allegations 'not proven.'
Top Storiesby Daily Mail00:3101:00The Jehovah's Witness organisation has now won a Supreme Court appeal after a High Court judge ruled that a rape victim should get damages.
But Supreme Court justices on Wednesday ruled against her and concluded that the 'Jehovah's Witness organisation' was not 'vicariously liable'.
+4View galleryA worshipper was raped by Jehovah's Witness elder Mark Sewell, near Cardiff more than 30 years ago. She has now lost £62,000 damages after the church won a legal battle in the Supreme Court
+4View gallerySupreme Court justices on Wednesday ruled against the victim and concluded that the 'Jehovah's Witness organisation' was not 'vicariously liable'
TRENDINGTrustees of the Barry Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, part of the Jehovah's Witness organisation, had asked the Supreme Court to consider the case.
Five justices had considered arguments at a Supreme Court hearing in London in February.
They said, in a summary of their ruling, that they had to decide whether Court of Appeal judges 'wrongly' found that the Trustees of the Barry Congregation, part of the Jehovah's Witness organisation, were 'vicariously liable' for a rape committed by one of their elders.
Justices said they had unanimously allowed the appeal by the trustees and concluded that the 'Jehovah's Witness organisation is not vicariously liable for the rape'.
They have not named the woman - she is referred to as 'Mrs B' in the ruling - and said she could not be identified in media reports of the case.
But they have named the man who raped her as Mark Sewell.
He had raped her at his home after they had been out 'evangelising together', justices said.
They said Sewell had been convicted of raping Mrs B - and of indecently assaulting two other people.
+4View gallerySewell was jailed for 14 years at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court after being found guilty of rape and indecently assaulting three other women
+4View galleryTrustees of the Barry Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, part of the Jehovah's Witness organisation, asked the Supreme Court to consider the case
MORE TRENDING'In 2017, Mrs B brought a claim for damages against the worldwide governing body of the Jehovah's Witnesses, Watchtower and Bible Tract Society of Pennsylvania, and the Trustees of the (Barry) Congregation,' said justices in the summary of their ruling.
'She claimed that they were responsible in law, or, "vicariously liable", for the rape, because of the nature of their relationship with Mr Sewell and because of the connection between that relationship and the commission of the rape.'
A High Court judge had 'found them vicariously liable for the rape' and awarded Mrs B £62,000 'general damages', justices said.
Court of Appeal judges had upheld that decision.
Justices said they had unanimously allowed an appeal by the Barry trustees and concluded that the 'Jehovah's Witness organisation is not vicariously liable for the rape'
The victim, who is no longer a Jehovah’s Witness, said she suffered from depression following the attack near Cardiff.
She previously said there had not been a 'proper' internal inquiry and leaders were 'vicariously liable' for the rape.
Sewell was jailed for 14 years at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court after being found guilty of rape and indecently assaulting three other women.
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Dalai Lama asking boy to suck his tongue after kissing the child on his lips.
by ExBethelitenowPIMA inthe dalai lama has apologised after footage showed him asking a boy if he wanted to suck the tibetan spiritual leader's tongue.. .
his office said he wanted to apologise to the child and his family "for the hurt his words may have caused".. .
the video also shows the dalai lama kissing the child on his lips.. soon after the pope alleged peodo activity .
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was a new boy
The Dalai Lama ‘Incident’: How Not To Respond To A Troubling Sexual Situation With A Child
Religion Unplugged believes in a diversity of well-reasoned and well-researched opinions. This piece reflects the views of the author and does not necessarily represent those of Religion Unplugged, its staff and contributors.
(OPINION) Last week, millions of believers and nonbelievers across the globe were shocked when a video went viral showing the Dalai Lama asking a boy to suck his tongue.
It’s been described as a “playful” exchange. We’re not so sure. The more appropriate word might well be “creepy.”
In education circles, an incident like this is often called a teachable moment. But the real lessons to be learned from this video could be titled “How NOT to respond to possible child sexual abuse” Or “How NOT to respond to a troubling sexual situation with a child.”
For more than three decades, I've been monitoring clergy sexual abuse. I’ve seen all kinds of responses to abuse reports and suspicions by accused men and their supporters. The reactions of the Dalai Lama’s spokesperson and admirers are every bit as troubling as his hug, kiss and request of the boy itself.
If you know, like or admire someone whose actions around kids is causing concern, here are some of the ways you should NOT respond:
Don’t suggest or imply that the child took the initiative
The terse, four sentence “apology” release issued by the Dalai Lama’s office begins with “a young boy asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug.”
Right off the bat, it is the boy who is described as essentially taking the initiative. At worst, this could be seen as a subtle form of victim blaming: “The kid shouldn’t have done that; what was he thinking?” At best, it is irrelevant. It makes no difference who approached whom or who made the first contact.
It is the adult’s responsibility — always — to set and keep boundaries. And the adult must be held responsible — always — for what he does, no matter who takes the first step.
Don’t emphasize words like ‘playful’ or ‘innocent’
You may feel it’s not accurate to call a man kissing a boy on the lips “abuse.” But we submit it’s not accurate to call it “playful” either.
To do so minimizes the adult’s questionable actions and behavior and accepts the adult’s questionable framing.
The sad, simple truth is that no one knows the Dalai Lama’s intent. To assume it was playful or innocent is to give the grown-up the benefit of the doubt.
The benefit of the doubt in situations like this always goes to the child.
Don’t assume since it was done in public it’s harmless
Predators often test the waters by overstepping boundaries in front of other adults. They may aggressively tickle a girl or wrestle with a boy or engage in what he may later call “just horseplay.” If he’s not told to stop or if he gets no negative response, then he may believe he can gradually move ahead to more aggressive touching or more.
Don’t overemphasize supposed cultural differences
Obviously, different nationalities, ethnic groups and religious denominations have different ways of doing and saying things. It’s important to be cognizant and respectful of these differences.
In most places, a grown-up hugging a child who isn’t their own is acceptable, especially if the child initiates the contact. In most places, a grown-up kissing a child who isn’t their own on the cheek is also acceptable. But an adult kissing a child on the lips is usually less acceptable. And not to put too fine a point on it: We know of no culture in which it’s OK for an adult to say “suck on my tongue” to a child.
Again, if there’s doubt, we err on the side of the potentially victimized, not the potential victimizer.
Don’t ascribe ill motives to those who publicize the incident
It’s true that the Dalai Lama is both a religious and a political figure. And it goes without saying that his political opponents will try to capitalize on this moment to undermine his power and advance their own.
Those two facts, however, are irrelevant. What matters are his actions, not who discloses those actions or what their motives might or might not be.
Democrats highlight the rape allegations against Donald Trump. Republicans highlight Bill Clinton’s sexual misconduct. And none of that impacts the truth in either case.
Don’t use the passive voice
“He regrets the incident,” reads the Dalai Lama’s actual apology. Again, the suggestion here, intended or not, is that something just happened. The reality is that an adult did something to a child. No incident just happened. This is hurtful and minimizing language.
Don’t minimize what actually took place
Technically, the Dalai Lama’s office is correct: There was “an incident.”
But really, “incidents” is a better word. First, an adult hugged a child. Then the adult kissed him on the cheek. Then the adult kissed him on the lips. Then the adult said, “Suck my tongue.” Then the adult hugged the child again.
Don’t take our word for it. Listen to this fuller description of what happened from The Guardian newspaper: “The Dalai Lama kept hold of the boy, saying ‘I think here also’ and then planted a kiss on his lips. ‘And suck my tongue,’ the Dalai Lama then said, sticking out his tongue, forehead to forehead with the student. The boy quickly stuck out his own tongue and went to move away while the Dalai Lama laughed and pulled the boy in for another hug, as the audience laughed.” Later, the spiritual leader gave him “a final hug.”
The formal apology, however, mentioned — vaguely and only briefly — an incident, which makes it sound like it was a quick one-off kind of encounter when it seems to be more than that.
And that apology was for the Dalai Lama’s words, neglecting to mention his actual deeds.
Don’t misinterpret the victim’s reaction
One Buddhist blogger writes, “The boy’s and his mother’s comments afterward were joyful.”
That may be accurate. Or not. But it’s irrelevant.
The two could have simply been in shock, unsure of what just happened or how to react to it. Have we learned nothing from years of rape victims being blamed because they didn’t respond to the trauma in ways we assume they would or should respond?
“She didn’t seem that upset.” “She didn’t seem angry at the guy” “She was quiet, not freaking out the way I’d expect a victim to act, “She finished her shift and didn’t rush home after the boss supposedly attacked her.” “She didn’t block the man from her social media until days after the party.” “If that had happened to me, I’d be screaming and hollering.”
Don’t be critical of the timing of disclosures like this
Another Buddhist wrote of “the strange timing of this disclosure.”
Again, the focus needs to be on what an adult did to a child, not when that adult’s actions surfaced or were disclosed.
And if we as a society are to keep kids safer, we must learn to welcome abuse revelations regardless of whether they happen immediately or decades later.
For more than 30 years, David Clohessy was the national director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. He was sexually abused as a youngster by his parish priest.
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'I have great freeness of speech toward you.' 🤐 But remember, Saint Paul never wrote that at Bethel.😉
by was a new boy in'i have great freeness of speech toward you.'.
2 corinthians 7:4. i had snuck into bethel with absolute perfect timing, had been taught that armageddon was likely coming either in 1974 or 1975, probably in sept. or oct. .
n h knorr invited me by letter, asking me to show up monday august 12, or was it the 19th?.
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to them 'freeness of speech' means the the glib recitation of the party line.
I'd miss breakfast every so often, but would hate to miss Ray Franz's comments, as he was basically the only GB member that didn't sound like he was reading something out of the Watchtower.
He actually could think and speak outside the box.
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'I have great freeness of speech toward you.' 🤐 But remember, Saint Paul never wrote that at Bethel.😉
by was a new boy in'i have great freeness of speech toward you.'.
2 corinthians 7:4. i had snuck into bethel with absolute perfect timing, had been taught that armageddon was likely coming either in 1974 or 1975, probably in sept. or oct. .
n h knorr invited me by letter, asking me to show up monday august 12, or was it the 19th?.
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was a new boy
Correction -picture of Me asking, "Why are you leaving?"
is wrong. Should be:picture of a brother like Me, 49 years ago, (full-blown naïve and ultra gullible) asking, "Why are you leaving?" -
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Big trouble on the war front 11 - 12 September!
by Chook inthe guy with the most advanced ai computer models dating back centuries has no no imput , these are are data chosen dates.
these are advanced to the point of governments trying to source the codes.
i've seen this guys history of predictions and he probably owns the worlds finest ancient coin collections in private hands.
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'QUESTION: You have suggested that we will end up at war with China, Russia, North Korea, and even Iran simultaneously. How does Socrates conclude such an event that perhaps never happened in the past?
ANSWER: ... Socrates has correlated everything. I am sad to report that we are looking at a global uprising. This time, it will be our pretend democracies that are no different than authoritarian monarchies that meet their demise post-2032.'
https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/civil-unrest/the-contagion-of-war/
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'I have great freeness of speech toward you.' 🤐 But remember, Saint Paul never wrote that at Bethel.😉
by was a new boy in'i have great freeness of speech toward you.'.
2 corinthians 7:4. i had snuck into bethel with absolute perfect timing, had been taught that armageddon was likely coming either in 1974 or 1975, probably in sept. or oct. .
n h knorr invited me by letter, asking me to show up monday august 12, or was it the 19th?.
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was a new boy
A whole lotta hemming and hawing. The only approved answer is, 'wife is pregnant'. He couldn't say, 'We woke up'. He couldn't tell me the reason. The silence was intense. Bethel Elders didn't have freeness of speech!It's a Big lie, Jehovah's Witnesses -
'OVER six million people in 235 lands enjoy what the Bible calls “freeness of speech.” -
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'I have great freeness of speech toward you.' 🤐 But remember, Saint Paul never wrote that at Bethel.😉
by was a new boy in'i have great freeness of speech toward you.'.
2 corinthians 7:4. i had snuck into bethel with absolute perfect timing, had been taught that armageddon was likely coming either in 1974 or 1975, probably in sept. or oct. .
n h knorr invited me by letter, asking me to show up monday august 12, or was it the 19th?.
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was a new boy
'I have great freeness of speech toward you.'
2 Corinthians 7:4
I had snuck into Bethel with absolute perfect timing, had been taught that Armageddon was likely coming either in 1974 or 1975, probably in Sept. or Oct.N H Knorr invited me by letter, asking me to show up Monday August 12, or was it the 19th?How did that ever happen? Four or five years earlier, I had come to the conclusion that Bethelites were the strangest people on the planet!I didn't have freeness of speech in my congregation, in the Great Appalachian Valley, north of FL. courtesy of direct orders from the Elder body six months before arriving at Bethel.Certainly there'd be freeness of speech at 'the House of God'.During the summer, it's vacation, assembly time, so it was open seating till Sept. September started assigned seating, I sat next to the table head, across from his wife.First Bethel Lesson:After a couple days, the Bethel Elder tells me before breakfast, with just the three of us there, that they'll be leaving Bethel shortly.picture of Me asking, "Why are you leaving?"
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