KiddingMe
JoinedPosts by KiddingMe
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7
2015-10/30/BOE!
by Atlantis inif this has already been posted then just delete this post.
2015, 10/30/boe.. .. re: 2016 regional conventions .
click the green download button.. http://wwwb.fileflyer.com/view/e0nrcbh.
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KiddingMe
Thanks Atlantis! -
27
Hey everybody! Just droppin' in :)
by macys init feels so good to be free from the jdub cult!
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KiddingMe
Welcome macys! I read your bio... very interesting. I got baptized at 21 and didn't wake up about 2 years ago, which was almost 20 years later. I am so glad you got free at an early age and can enjoy the rest of your life!
Stick around, there's alot of support here. It's good to see you are furthering your education. I have children around your age and I'm sorry I didnt support and help prepare them for attaining full scholarships, but I'm trying to change things the best way possible now.
Thanks for sharing your story, it's very encouraging!
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15
Fighting about college
by cognac inmy nephew is a sweet, smart, thoughtful person.
he wants to go to college.. normally, a mom would be proud to have a son like this.. nope, not a friggin jw mom.
apparently, he's being selfish to both her and jehovah.
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KiddingMe
I'm sorry to hear that. How long before he graduates? Is there still time to reason with his mom?
I had to address this issue from many angles with my husband over our son's last year of high school before he was open to the idea of it. It was almost too late to start the application process for acceptance after graduation.
If there's time maybe she can open up to the idea of respecting his choice. As Cappytan stated, be there for him, he may need your support.
Sometimes it becomes more about the parent and how they feel it makes them look as a JW then what the child really wants. I had to keep emphasizing to my husband that it was our son's life and he had to live it as well as needed to be in a position to support a family without relying on us. I also said things like, everyone is not pioneer material.
I had to talk with my son privately and let him know that, no matter what anyone else has to say, that i respect and support his decision.
We even had family tell us that we made the wrong decision, and that Jehovah's holy spirit wouldnt be with him.
It just breaks my heart, the control this religion has people's personal lives.
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38
My First Birthday.....
by The Marvster ini awoken today and realised immidiately i'm 44 today... and after 3 years of being out, decided to acknowledge my birthday.... i'm off out to treat myself to a big hearty breakfast with cup of tea in the local weatherspoon's by the massive pond full of weird bird-life, later today i'm giving myself a gift of a 90 minute relaxation session in a float tank down by canary wharf in london.... only really have 2 close friends (it's a slow process trusting people agian) and they probably won't be able to see me today, but i'm sure i'll have a belated surprise from them both.... the first thing i did when i remembered was to rush to the computer, connect to the web and put on stevie wonder's 'happy birthday', as i listen to it, tears stream down my face... all those years of my life stolen ' but..... i'm free....'.
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KiddingMe
Happy Birthday! Enjoy! -
19
2015-2016-More BOEs just arrived!
by Atlantis inthese boes just arrived!.
.. re: global assistance arrangement for the 2016 service year .
http://wwwb.fileflyer.com/view/xnlm2ba.
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KiddingMe
Thanks Atlantis! -
9
Police: Teen killed in N.Y. church assault wanted out
by KiddingMe inhttp://www.cnn.com/2015/10/16/us/new-york-church-assault-case/index.html.
police: teen killed in n.y. church assault wanted out.
by ray sanchez, cnn.
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KiddingMe
Sorry, I messed up something trying to cut and paste the text from the article. I'm not sure how to fix. -
9
Police: Teen killed in N.Y. church assault wanted out
by KiddingMe inhttp://www.cnn.com/2015/10/16/us/new-york-church-assault-case/index.html.
police: teen killed in n.y. church assault wanted out.
by ray sanchez, cnn.
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KiddingMe
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/16/us/new-york-church-assault-case/index.html
Police: Teen killed in N.Y. church assault wanted out
By Ray Sanchez, CNN
Updated 1:48 PM ET, Fri October 16, 2015
Story highlights
- Teen who died in church assault wanted to leave congregation, investigator says
- Authorities say "counseling session" turns physical, resulting in teen's death
- He and his younger brother allegedly were beaten at a church in upstate New York
- Parents face manslaughter charges; four others are accused of second-degree assault
(CNN)The fatal beating of Lucas Leonard in the sanctuary of Word of Life Christian Church came after the teenager had "expressed a desire to leave" the secretive upstate New York church, New Hartford Police Chief Michael Inserra said Friday.
That wish, according to Inserra, apparently prompted a counseling session on the spiritual state of Lucas and his younger brother. During the sessions, the teens were beaten with a cord and Lucas suffered injuries so severe that emergency room doctors thought he had been shot, Inserra said.
On the day their parents, Bruce T. Leonard, 65, and Deborah R. Leonard, 59, are to appear in court on charges of first-degree manslaughter -- a Class B felony -- authorities disclosed a possible motive for a crime that has shaken a tiny village about 250 miles north of New York City. Four other church members were charged with second-degree assault, also a felony.
"The purpose of the counseling session obviously is a big part of this investigation," Inserra told reporters. "The victim expressed a desire to leave the church and this is what may have initiated the session. We still have not concluded why the session turned so violent."
Family members took Lucas, 19, by car Monday afternoon to a hospital in nearby Utica, where he was pronounced dead.
Lucas' 17-year-old brother, Christopher, was hospitalized in serious condition after suffering blunt-force trauma injuries during the same church session, police said. It's unclear why Christopher was beaten.
The younger brother, who had to be drawn out by authorities from a hiding area in the church, is alert and cooperating with investigators, Inserra said.
The assaults occurred after a Sunday-night service at the church. The so-called counseling session turned violent for some reason and the teens were repeatedly beaten through the night, according to the police chief.
Lucas was taken to a hospital on Monday after church members found he wasn't breathing, police said. At the hospital, Bruce Leonard accused the victim of molesting children as a possible justification for his injuries -- an allegation that Inserra said is unfounded.
6 photos: Church members arrested after teen's deathShow Caption4 of 66 photos: Church members arrested after teen's deathShow Caption5 of 66 photos: Church members arrested after teen's deathShow Caption6 of 66 photos: Church members arrested after teen's deathShow Caption1 of 66 photos: Church members arrested after teen's deathShow Caption2 of 66 photos: Church members arrested after teen's deathShow Caption3 of 66 photos: Church members arrested after teen's deathShow Caption4 of 66 photos: Church members arrested after teen's deathShow Caption5 of 66 photos: Church members arrested after teen's deathShow Caption6 of 66 photos: Church members arrested after teen's deathShow Caption1 of 66 photos: Church members arrested after teen's deathShow Caption2 of 66 photos: Church members arrested after teen's deathShow Caption3 of 6After the assaults, seven children at the church were turned over to local child welfare authorities.
"These children were interviewed at length ... and they were examined by medical professionals," Inserra said. "There's absolutely no indication of any sexual abuse to any of these children."
Inserra added, "There is no evidence these brothers did anything. They are, at this point, true victims."
An autopsy showed Lucas suffered multiple contusions from blunt force trauma to the torso and extremities, authorities said. A combination of the injuries plus the duration of assault contributed to his death. The beatings included blows to the genital area of the teens.
Inserra said doctors took an injury to Lucas' groin area to be "a gunshot wound, an entry wound."
The Leonards were each ordered held on $100,000 bail at arraignment Wednesday.
Don Gerace, attorney for Bruce Leonard, has entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of his client, whom he said has no criminal history and has lived in the community more than two decades. Leonard has been a church member for eight years.
"In the state of New York he is charged with manslaughter in the first degree, which requires intent to cause serious bodily injury and I do not believe there was any intent," Gerace said this week.
Deborah Leonard's attorney, Devin Garramone, said his client had a stent put in due to a heart condition and requires constant medical attention.
"I cannot imagine my client had anything to do with these injuries, especially in the condition she is in," he said.
Bail for the other four church members was set Wednesday at $50,000 each.
Inserra identified them as as Joseph Irwin, David Morey, Linda Morey and Sarah Ferguson, who is the mother of four of the children in the care of child welfare authorities.
A former Word of Life church member, who asked not to be identified, said she was a babysitter for the teenage brothers and was shocked by the beatings.
The church, which began in 1984, has about five families, or about 35 members, including children, according to the former member. She described the congregation as a "makeshift family" that had been together for 25 years.
"We weren't originally isolated from the community," she said.
Over time, there was friction between the church and a neighboring community, she said.
"We put up the hedges," she said.
"Then the neighbors got angry because they couldn't see what's going on anymore."
But the ex-member denied reports the church is a cult.
"I realize this situation makes it look like this," she said, "but if you listen to the teachings, they are accurate to the Bible."
Responding to a reporter's question, Inserra said he had no information about whether the group is a cult.
Inserra said police had been called to the church on a handful of occasions after church member complaints about noise and disorderly conduct.
The Utica School District has employed Bruce Leonard as a teaching assistant since 2007, Proctor High School Principal Steven Falchi told CNN. He has been at Proctor High School in Utica since 2010, Falchi said.
Leonard works with a certified teacher and other teaching assistants in the special education department, Falchi said. He works with "severely and profoundly disabled students," Falchi said.
"We were very shocked to learn the news," said Falchi, adding he was not aware of previous complaints or disciplinary action against Leonard. "He was a hard worker and was exceptionally compassionate about his work with our students. It came as quite a shock."
Lucas Leonard and his younger brother were home-schooled, according to Ronald Wheelock, superintendent for Sauquoit Valley Central School District.
The school district's involvement with the teens was limited, with the parents sending the district curriculum proposals at the beginning of the year, Wheelock said.
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35
Hey! Wanted to say Hi!
by Miss Worldly inhey!
i've been hanging around her for a while.
this is the third attempt at my 'hello'.
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KiddingMe
Miss Wordly, Welcome! -
101
My mom passed away yesterday....
by minimus inthank you all for your sincere encouragement during these last few weeks.
finally, she is at peace.
i was with her , holding her hand when she died.
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KiddingMe
I'm so sorry for your loss, my condolences to you and your family. -
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KiddingMe
Hi ULFBERHT! Welcome!