Appeal Letter 7-29-02

by silentlambs 34 Replies latest jw friends

  • silentlambs
    silentlambs

    7-29-02

    Draffenville Congregation of Jehovahs Witnesses

    Judicial Committee Elders of:

    Murray Congregation of Jehovahs Witnesses

    Central City Congregation of Jehovah Witnesses

    Any other congregations in which elders have been appointed to my judicial committee

    Dear Brothers,

    I wish to appeal the decision made to disfellowship me. The reason is because of an error in judgment due to the deceptive manner which the judicial committee operated in the face of my flat denial of any wrongdoing. I have not committed any sin against God or the organization. The judicial committee failed to produce any eye-witnesses to back up their allegations, thus they have no case against me.

    As you will note from previous correspondence over the course of the last 19 months I have endeavored to communicate extensively to the organization regarding the need to change WT policy when it comes to abuse and also to request apology and/or explanation for sanctions that have been directed against me by the Governing Body of Jehovahs Witnesses. I find it despicable that any elder would cooperate with such wicked actions at their direction. For your review I offer the following:

    1. Placing restrictions on me within the congregation without any charges of wrongdoing to make it appear to the congregation I had sinned in some way.
    2. Watchtower representatives giving numerous talks in which it is inferred I am a liar and all allegations are false on the deficiencies of WT policy regarding child abuse.
    3. WT Public Information distributing a video to media in which my father is coerced to call me a liar along with Earl Norman and JR Brown.
    4. Forbidden to have assignments on the Theocratic Ministry School and withdrawn as Watchtower reader to put forth the appearance to the congregation a judicial committee had offered sanction.
    5. Instructing the Draffenville Congregation to go door-to-door and tell the public that I am liar.
    6. Forbidding me to work with the congregation in field service.
    7. Instructing brothers and sisters in my congregation to treat me as disfellowshipped.
    8. Deceptive comments to the media to create an impression to the public that myself and other advocates have committed other "sins" against God. (a bald-faced lie)
    9. Pressuring fellow witnesses to stop working in my candle business due to negative comments by representatives of Watchtower leadership.
    10. Deceptively saying you cannot find a KM, personal literature orders and magazines when I have requested them.
    11. Elders informing me I was not welcome at meetings.
    12. Supporting the local child molester by awarding him privileges in the congregation.
    13. I made numerous requests in writing for assistance in resolving the above matters but the Governing Body instructed you to ignore my cry for help.

    As you brothers are well aware I base my comments on matters that I have dealt with personally, that is, actions I have seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears. If you happened to watch Dateline and BBC Panorama you of course can see on national television the truthfulness of my statements backed up with factual evidence from the abuse survivors themselves. If these programs were all lies as Watchtower has informed many brothers and sisters, why have they not moved to sue these programs to protect their good name? Jeff Steen is well aware that what I have stated locally is the truth as he participated in the investigation as well as telephone conversations to Service Department. Yet he sits on a judicial committee to disfellowship me? What kind of spiritual man does he prove himself to be?

    In a court of justice for a judgment to be fair and impartial certain protocols must be met. Within the Jehovah's Witness court certain protocol is outlined in the elder book, "Pay Attention to Yourselves and All the Flock". The judicial committee in following the directions of the Governing Body, failed to follow the written guidelines in the course of my hearing, therefore the judgment was unfair and partial. I offer the following examples:

    1. Arranging a hearing in writing and the judicial committee not showing up.
    2. Refusing to communicate answers to clarifying questions for the hearing by ignoring all correspondence.
    3. Failure to provide eye-witnesses to rebut my denial of any wrongdoing.
    4. Conducting a secret judicial hearing without informing me.
    5. Ignoring a second arranged in writing meeting without any communication.
    6. Repeated harassment by not following my respectful request to have all communication go through my attorney.
    7. Failure to provide description of the charges against me in the latest hearings.
    8. Failure of the chairman to provide correspondence to the accused as instructed in Flock book.
    9. By the actions of the committee I was denied my right to present witnesses in my behalf.
    10. Failure of the committee to provide suitable and convenient arrangements for the time of the hearing by using deception and short notice.

    I believe these actions of ignoring all protocol for this "kangaroo" hearing has been personally directed by the Governing Body in order to silence the call for proper actions to be ta in behalf of children. The local judicial committee has not acted for the sake of righteousness, but instead as men without morals or ethics who simply obey as instructed. It is a similar process followed when child molesters are exposed in the congregation as directed by the Governing Body.

    When these matters began I held hope that righteous men would rise up to protect the children in our organization. I hoped some of those men would be found on the Governing Body who would stand up and stop policies that allow children to be raped. In the course of the last nineteen months instead of proving themselves righteous the Governing Body has committed actions that prove them to be wicked men.

    In the illustration of the Faithful and Discreet Slave it is interesting to note the comment made in Luke 12: 43-45;

    "Happy is THAT slave, if his master on arriving finds him doing so! 44. I tell you truthfully, He will appoint him over all his belongings. 45. But if ever THAT slave should say in his heart, My master is delays in coming, and should start to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk."

    You see brothers in the illustration the slave is one man with an option, to be good or to be wicked. The Governing Body as appointed leaders of the FDS has instituted actions that have "beat" the children of this organization. When anyone speaks out about this, they are "beaten" by the threat and use of disfellowshipping as a way to silence proper action in behalf of children. " THAT slave" has become evil when it hurts children. Since 1992 the Governing Body was clearly informed by a written report to each member, that children are being raped as a result of negligence in WT Policy. With great wickedness and 23,000 child molesters later, to this day they have refused to act. My June letter to the Service Committee requested a solution to this by following theocratic guidelines within organizational arrangement on September 27 th . Result? The Governing Body appoints a judicial committee to disfellowship me ignoring all protocols for doing so. Do you really believe you can have Jehovahs spirit and follow the bidding of wicked men? If I am wrong in this reasoning I invite you brothers to prove otherwise.

    This proceeding has to date been completely partial, unfair, deceptive, and unjust. Will you as an appeal committee stand for righteousness? I await your communication for a hearing. I also request sufficient time to bring eye-witnesses and agree to face any witnesses who may wish to testify against me. Please provide a weekend time frame and a specific meeting time in writing to my attorney.

    Very truly yours,

    silentlambs

    Edited by - silentlambs on 29 July 2002 17:24:54

  • SUSCARRA
    SUSCARRA

    There you go again, being kind, humble and gett'n down to the real nitty gritty. I can't wait to see their response(if there is one).

    I wonder what the prayers of those elders who DFD Bill are like now. Wow!!!

    Good work Bill, we are always thinking about you and SILENTLAMBS.

    Remember the 'oldie goldie' song.......DON'T MESS WITH BILL....maybe that can be your theme song. Use the song for your background music on your answer machine, etc. But, you're too bashful for that, huh.

    Way to go Bill!

    SUSCARRA

  • Carmel
    Carmel

    Just one question Bill...do you really want back in? Ya just gotta wonder what kind of person that is aware of all the fecal factor with the Society and still wants to be part of it. Some how, me thinks you may protest too much.. Am I wrong?

    the caveman

  • ozziepost
    ozziepost

    Just one question Bill...do you really want back in?

    Bill is taking part in a "theatrical spectacle" both to the nations but also to those who claim a special position over Jesus' flock, namely the WTBTS. So, in presenting a well-structured and fluent letter of appeal, Bill is placing before both honest- and deceptive-hearted ones the issues.

    God bless, Bill

    Cheers, Ozzie

  • Siddhashunyata
    Siddhashunyata

    Bill, its hard to believe that someone on the Governing Body hasn't seen that protecting children has priority over forgiving "repentent" molesters. You are on the side of the children. They,at best, are on the side of a possible repentent sinner. What becomes apparant is that they refuse to understand that you are responding to your conscience just as they are responding to theirs. What other course could you follow? What is sad is that they do not respect your conscience . To know this about the Governing Body should strike fear into the hearts of all sincere Jehovah's Witnesses. Look how far they are willing to go to crush you. Your appeal is courageous and they again have an opportunity to act honorably. It would be heart warming if they would invite you meet with them, giving these issues the attention they deserve with a view to making peace. It would be an appropriate time for them to take the lead and show the world a thing of "Beauty". Your appeal gives them that opportunity.

  • abbagail
    abbagail

    LOL!!! to Soscarra on the "Don't Mess With Bill" song! I remember it well, was it the 5th Dimension? Tooooo Funny! :-) A little humor is GOOD at a time like this!

    Caveman, I cannot speak for BB, but I would think he must still want to be in the org or why bother with the letters? Also, it would seem to me he could be more effective in helping those lambs who are IN AND OUT of the org if he was STILL IN. As we all know, when one is OUT/DF'd, they are "dead" in the eyes of the average JW, so how can a DF'd person be "believed" in the eyes of the JW who is still in? I guess you could say it's the PRINCIPLE of the thing. Besides slandering BB and the personal unkindness they have shown, being DF may mess up his credibility on behalf of the lambs in the eyes of not only the active JW but also the world in general. See what I mean? Also, a major GOAL of SL, I think, was to (hopefully) effectively communicate with the WTS (who said something to the effect of, "We welcome dialogue and comments from our members...") but if BB is DF'd, they will never meet with him at the Silent Lambs March on the WTS set for 9-27-02. (Of course, that is probably EXACTLY the reason they went ahead and kangaroo'd him unjustly, so that they will NOT have to talk to him on 9-27-02, which is a CRYING SHAME!!!) Just MHO...

    Here's a lineup of the scoundrel Governing Bugs, if anyone wants to fire off a letter to them!

    Write to each of them indvidiually, c/o WTBTS, 124 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201. And as BB wrote in another thread, it wouldn't hurt to put a friendly handwritten return address on the envelope/letter so they think it is "fan mail," and to also enclose a dollar since then surely they will open it and read it! :-)

    Carey W. Barber (1905-) ...he is called to the Brooklyn Bethel, to be a Governing Body member in the autumn of 1977. Source: w82 11/15 10-14 (French).

    John E. Barr (1913-) In September 1977 is called to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses and from then on lives in the headquarters of the organization, in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.
    Source: w87 7/1 26-31 (French).

    Milton G. Henschel (1920-) On December 30, 1992 was selected to be the successor of Frederick W. Franz (who had died a week before, when he was 99 years old) in the Presidency of the Watchtower. Henschel was president of the Watchtower until October 7, 2000, when there was a reorganization in the leadership and Don Adams (not a Governing Body member) became the new President of the Watchtower. Sources: w77 7/1 394; yb80 112; w89 6/15 22; w89 9/1 26; w93 3/15 31 (French). -- Grits wonders: What is Henschel's status now? Is he dead?

    Samuel F. Herd (?-) On October 2, 1999, Samuel Herd was appointed to the Governing Body. He is the only Afro-American in the Governing Body. Source: w2000 1/1 29.

    Theodore Jaracz (1925-) On November 28, 1974, he was appointed to the Governing Body. Sources: w75 5/1 284; w77 2/1 95; w96 6/1 25; yb83 103-105 (French).

    M. Stephen Lett (?-) On October 2, 1999 was appointed to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. Source: w2000 1/1 29.

    Gerrit Lsch (1940-) On July 1, 1994 he was appointed to the Governing Body.
    Source: w94 11/1 29 (French).

    Guy H. Pierce (?-) On October 2, 1999, Guy Pierce was appointed to the Governing Body. Source: w2000 1/1 29.

    Albert D. Schroeder (1911-) On December 18, 1974 Schroeder was appointed to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. Sources: w83 3/1 10-17; w85 12/1 26 (French).

    David H. Splane (?-) In 1998 he was appointed "helper" of the Writing Committee.
    On October 2, 1999 he was appointed to the Governing Body. Source: w2000 1/1 29.

    Daniel Sydlik (1919-) On November 28, 1974, he was appointed to the Governing Body. Source: w85 6/1 21-26 (French).

    DECEASED GB Members
    Karl F. Klein (1906-2001) On November 28, 1974, he was appointed to the Governing Body. Died January 3, 2001. Source: w85 5/1 20-27 (French).

    Lyman A. Swingle (1910-2001) On October 1, 1945 Swingle was elected to the Directors Board of the Watchtower. Around 1984 he was appointed secretary-treasurer of the Watch Tower Society of Pennsylvania and Watch Tower Society of New York. Died March 14, 2001. Sources: w84 5/15 24; jv91; yb81 188 (French).

    GB Names/Info retrieved from: < http://www.geocities.com/osarsif/gb.htm>;

  • siegswife
    siegswife
    Some how, me thinks you may protest too much.. Am I wrong?

    Why shouldn't Bill protest his good name being smeared? I think you're wrong.

    I believe he's fighting for the principle of the thing at this point. Besides that, he probably feels that there are many well intentioned people in the org that he doesn't want to lose association with because of the kangaroo court proceedings.

    I'm sure there are many reasons why he would take this course. I would if I were in his shoes.

    Lea

  • Sam Beli
    Sam Beli

    Carmel said: "Some how, me thinks you may protest too much.. Am I wrong?"

    Yes, you are wrong. Bill is giving the GB one more chance to repent for their wicked ways, turn around and cleanup the vile mess within the JW community.

    Bill is setting the fine example that many JWs expect from their Brooklyn leaders. Will the GB wakeup, repent, and turn around? Unlikely, but lets see what happens.

  • Double Edge
    Double Edge

    Great letter...it's too bad all the congregations can't get copies....(or can they).

  • ISP
    ISP

    Good letter Bill.But it will get no where. I think in cases like these you have to be able to go to a higher secular authority when things are clearly so wrong. I think with cults like the WTS, the governments tend to leave alone.

    ISP

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit