by onacruse 4 Replies latest jw friends
3-hour testimony, including considerable info about his JW background. His parents were in the audience. He talked about his deep devotion to the JWs, and his belief that his murdered family is now just "asleep."
http://www.koin.com/webnews/2003/20030326_longob.shtml
More testimony tomorrow.
Craig
Craig, thanks for the update, I was wondering today if any more news had come out about it.
Another local news station posting, somewhat more detailed:
i think thsi dude is just sick i dont think being jw had that much to do with it, its a weak excuse anyway
Azalo, I agree that there's no excuse for Longo's crimes. However, to the degree that we are products of our environment, to that degree our environment may provide reasons for our conduct.
For example, Longo got deeply in debt, which was a major factor causing his stress, which in turn opened the door to sociopathic decisions. Perhaps he was just an undisciplined spendthrift. But he was, as the testimony now shows, not just a JW, but a devout JW. Perhaps then, he was accumulating debt under the assumption (as many of us did), that the end was right around the corner and he would never have to repay that debt. Also, he testified that he dated his wife as per the usual JW procedure. Perhaps he was just a horny teenager hot to get sex as quickly as possible. Or, perhaps he later discovered that, had he gotten to know her better, they would never have married.
Again, these are in no way excuses, and I have no compassion for the man. But I am curious to see to what degree his being raised as a Witness proves relevant to his tragic homicidal outburst.
Craig
