Would this be any use to the Royal Commission?

freddo

I believe this shows how the org. doesn't want to be held accountable to secular legal authorities.

In the 1991 Green Elders Handbook (used between 1991 and 2010) there is a blank page (page 143) and at one elders school we were instructed to write six expressions that "should not be used on S77 + S79 forms (DF and DA forms)".

1) Anything alluding to or naming one of the Society's legal advisers.

2) Any mention of the legal desk.

3) Any comments referring to direction from the Society.

4) Any comments mentioning anyone other than the committee itself as a possible influence in the decision reached.

5) Any comment that might suggest someone with a critical eye that the committee did not reach its decision on its own but instead somehow yielded to the influence of an outside party.

6) Any comments indicating the elders mishandled the case or committed any error in the investigation or the judicial committee process.

I have in my possession two elders handbooks with these exact words written in each in different handwriting.

OneEyedJoe

It certainly would go towards establishing that they have a clear pattern of secrecy in an effort to keep up appearances. Giving instructions like that is absolutely unethical. It's a clear attempt to prevent any inconvenient truth from making it into the records and is effectively preemptive evidence tampering.

umbertoecho

freddo, I there some way of scanning those parts and emailing them? We all know that the GB or WTBTS is keen to distance itself from anything that could lead them to be accountable and cost them money.....And since the Commission will go on for quite a long time, it will be very valuable to have this sort of info to hand on.

Perhaps you could PM me. Of course if your' not comfortable with that I understand. Yet it's so important to have all the relevant documents to hand next time the RC has it's review of the WTBTS policies.

They will keep it on record you know.

umbertoecho

Freddo,

This is such a good idea. I think it would be excellent for all who are inclined to save these types of documents. I know that I keep a nice fat file on research and documents that I have found. I also keep some of the old books in incase the WT tries to refute certain teachings.............Then out it comes and I thumb through to the page and give it to them.............I hate it when someone won't own up to being in the wrong or having some capacity to alter wrong actions...............I truly loath it when someone denies ever having said or written something.

respectful_observer

Based on their level of preparedness, I'd be surprised if they're not at least generally aware.

It would be interesting to see the RC ask Jackson about that practice.

"What was the organization's intent on not documenting:

1) Anything alluding to or naming one of the Society's legal advisers.

2) Any mention of the legal desk.

3) Any comments referring to direction from the Society"

"Why would elders ever need to consult the legal desk, the Society's legal advisers or direction for the Society during a judicial case?" (Assuming its messy matters)

"If the matter is of such an important nature where the elders require guidance, why would they be specifically directed to exclude such a material fact in their records that they were in fact influenced by others outside the committee?"

"Does the Governing Body approve either the printed version of the book, or the additional word-for-word statements the elders are directed to write in their own hand?"

"Were the elders told to hand write these entries word-for-word?"

"If it was so critical to have these entries word-for-word, were those statements ever included in future printed versions of the book"? No? Why not? Isn't it true that the intent was to provide legal separation, legal protection, a 'legal firewall' to the Society...plausible deniability, if you will, with regard to those handwritten words. In other words, if the Society didn't print it, a court can't prove that it came from the Society."

Sorry, I can go on and on with this "handwritten word-for-word" stuff they continue down to this day.

Village Idiot

Since you have two of the same I highly suggest that you mail Mr. Angus Stewart a copy ASAP. Expedited mail to from the United Sates to Australia costs about $90 and it will take 3-5 days to get there. Mr. Jackson is, I understand, supposed to appear at the Royal Commission this Friday.

sir82

Can you "prove" that elders were instructed to write that in their books by direction of the WTS?

The WTS was quite cagey with that. I remember the elders school when it was announced to write that in there. They read it and read it and re-read it and read it again, ve-e-e-e-ery slowly, so everyone could write down the exact words.

Wouldn't have been easier to just print off a piece of paper for each elder?

Of course! But by submitting "oral law", they now have "plausible deniability".

"Oh we most certainly never instructed elders about that! If a few elders happened to write that in their books, well, we can't control what some people write in their personal copies. Must been some rogue CO who told them to do that - we'd never do such a thing."

When they want to, they can be extraordinarily cunning.

DesirousOfChange

Since you have two of the same I highly suggest that you mail Mr. Angus Stewart a copy ASAP.

Scan it. Email it. Then send the hard copies via expedited mail if he so asks.

JMHO

Doc

Axelspeed

sir82: Wouldn't have been easier to just print off a piece of paper for each elder?

Lol. I remember that meeting vividly as I had just been recently appointed elder and getting the spanking brand new book. As I was writing those phrases (And they slowly repeated them word for word just as at your meeting) I remember thinking, "WTH, isn't this like ...a brand new book?? Why am I writing so much on blank pages when they could have just printed it in?? And what's with the extra wide margins?" But even as I wrote it, deep inside I knew something didn't feel right.

It's hard to believe I was ever such a sheep. Ugh!

freddo

.

Would this be any use to the Royal Commission?

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