PRESS RELEASE 8-12-02

by silentlambs 18 Replies latest jw friends

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  silentlambs

  PRESS RELEASE

  Monday, August, 12

  Contact:

  William H. Bowen: KY 270-527-5350, silentlambs.org

  Barbara Anderson: TN 931-455-6910

  "Whistleblowers" Silenced by Church Tribunal

  Bowen Denied Right To Present Evidence

  At 1:30 PM today, Dan McMullen of Princeton, KY , Chairman of the Appeal Committee for Jehovahs Witnesses against William H. Bowen informed his attorney Rush Hunt of Madisonville, that the decision to disfellowship was upheld. The announcement will be made at the Draffenville congregation of Jehovahs Witnesses in Benton, KY , on Thursday, August 15 th .

  "They produced no eye-witnesses and used a letter I wrote to the home office as the only evidence against me. The letter leveled formal charges against the Governing Body (leadership) of Jehovahs Witnesses for committing crimes against children." Bowen states, "I offered to provide written documentation and testimony from eye-witnesses at the "silentlambs march" in on September 27 th of this year. But they refused to look at any evidence or eye-witness testimony.

  Bowen is the founder of silentlambs ,( www.silentlambs.org 877-wtabuse) a support group for abuse survivors among Jehovahs Witnesses.

  Barbara Anderson 62, of Normandy Tenn, was disfellowshipped on July 25 th for speaking out about child abuse as well as her husband Joe. " My son called me Friday and disowned both of us as his parents." Barbara laments, "We will n ever see our grandson again."

  Sheila Bowen, wife of William H. Bowen, read a letter to the appeal Committee which concluded with the comment, "I am ashamed and embarrassed for the public to know that I was ever one of Jehovahs Witnesses."

  Jehovahs Witnesses have one million members in the and over fifteen million attend services around the world. It is their goal to call at every home in at least once a year.

  Edited by - silentlambs on 12 August 2002 19:22:12

  Edited by - silentlambs on 12 August 2002 20:14:30
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  COMF

  Bill, you know I'm proud of your work in this field and I fully support what you are doing. I don't want you to get the idea that I'm nitpicking; not at all. I just read, always, with an awareness of good form, and I noticed something that I think needs to be changed. Of course, if it's too late, then it's too late; but for the record:

  Barbara Anderson 62, of Norm TN, was disfellowshipped on July 25 th for speaking out about child abuse as well as her husband Joe.

  Sounds like Barbara was disfellowshipped for speaking out about, among other things, her husband Joe. Maybe it would read more clearly as something like,

  Barbara Anderson, 62, of Norm, TN, was disfellowshipped on July 25th for speaking out about child abuse; her husband Joe was later disfellowshipped as well.

  Blessings on your work and a "howdy" to Ranchette,
  COMF
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  LuckyLucy

  Whatever!!!!Comf....what have u done lately..except taking up space.
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  Mulan

  I hadn't heard about Joe and Barbara's son. I was hoping he would be more open minded. I guess they trained him well. So sad.

  Good letter Bill.
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  minimus

  I've heard Witnesses say that they agree with much of what Bill Bowen and company have to say but that they shouldn't have gone to the media concerning their views.To the typical JW, any person that speaks against the Society is not waiting on Jehovah God. So even if they agree with the views of these individuals, they will never support the way they got things out in the open and sad to say, that must include their relatives.
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  Grunt

  It takes a hero to do what so many have done on this board and what Bill and Barbara and spouses have had the courage to do in a public forum, to stand up for truth for the sake of the defenseless and at great cost to yourself. To all of you, there are no braver people than you. The cult you have exposed does hold hostages and they will make them "dead" to you if you draw their fire, as you have done. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for having the integrity and selfless courage to stand up for children you don't know even at the cost of those you do. Maybe, just maybe, your stand will cause those you love to honestly look at the situation, after the first kneejerk reaction to the choice of "my parents or Jehovah." I fervently hope so. You deserve accolades, not pain. Standing up to an authority figure that you have served and that those you love unquestioningly obey is not easy and invites the kind of retaliation that you are enduring.
  Ray Franz drew public scrutiny to this cult over personal conscience issues and the lies he saw being perpetrated on the everyday Witness from a power they wrongly attributed a form of divine guidance to. His books helped many, many, people to see this bunch for what they are and to free themselves from its influence.
  All of you have drawn public attention to a horrible crime being perpetrated, ignored and swept under the rug by members and the leadership of this same cult. Perhaps many, many, more people and maybe even a government or two will look closely at what you have exposed and even more will be protected if not freed because of what you have done. Thanks is not enough to say, but it is all I know. Thanks from myself and thanks on behalf of the kids whose tormentors might now be detected and turned in to the law. You have done a GOOD thing.

  Grunt
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  COMF

  LuckyLucy, I want to hear more from you on this, but not in Bill's thread. Please respond to the link below.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=34438&site=3
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  bikerchic

  Grunt well said!

  It takes a hero to do what so many have done on this board and what Bill and Barbara and spouses have had the courage to do in a public forum, to stand up for truth for the sake of the defenseless and at great cost to yourself. To all of you, there are no braver people than you. The cult you have exposed does hold hostages and they will make them "dead" to you if you draw their fire, as you have done. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for having the integrity and selfless courage to stand up for children you don't know even at the cost of those you do.

  I just recieved this in an email and I liked what it said about heros: - that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

  It gives me chills to think of all that Bill and Barbara have done for the sake of so many, they are truely shining examples of what I was always told christian love should be like. I to would like to thank them for all they have done as well. They have done a GOOD thing!

  bc << wants to add my moral support to the Silentlambs cause
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  Liberated

  Minimus: Going to the media wasn't the problem. Ray Franz didn't, Peter Gregorson didn't. How did the jw's you spoke with hear about it to be able to agree or disagree? To the wts and to most jw's there is NO ACCEPTABLE WAY to point out the shortcomings, errors, detestable policies, and lies of the Organization, because in their minds the WTS = GOD. When they finally realize they have swallowed a lie, they will be the ones 'publishing' the truth about the wts.

  Grunt: I couldn't add a word. Well said, indeed

  Libby
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  Solace

  I miss so many important threads since I'm not online very much during the week. I really appreciate the updates.

  Thank you.