Ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses to protest sex abuse scandals at Pa. convention

by David Gambacorta, Posted: 2 hours ago

Chessa Manion insists she's not looking for revenge, or to spark an ugly confrontation, when she heads to Berks County this weekend.

The plan that she and a group of former Jehovah's Witnesses have cobbled together is fairly simple: They'll gather in front of the Reading Santander Arena on Sunday with signs and artwork, and try to catch the eyes of some current followers of the millenarian religion who will be streaming into the building for a convention that's expected to draw thousands from Pennsylvania and Maryland congregations.

For some of the ex-Witnesses, it'll be a chance to share painful experiences that they tried to bury for years — in Manion's case, the rape that she suffered as a 5-year-old at the hands of a teenage Witness in a small Illinois town in 1994. Others hope to encourage active Witnesses to question the organization's leaders, who have responded to a growing number of child sex abuse cases around the world with denials and instructions to destroy records that could prove harmful in litigation.

DesirousOfChange

Hey WATCHTOWER! You better start smuggling all that money down in the Cayman's!

The lawyers can all see the bulls-eye on your back!

lastmanstanding

Desirous, they are smuggling it. Every time the missionaries are brought home to the US or Canada, their luggage is loaded up with cash for the return trip.

... this from the mouth of a CO

Dagney

Some missionaries regularly stayed with me when they came to CA. I remember having to buy holiday and birthday paper to wrap some of their purchases they wanted to sneak back into the country. It was another time back then, before 9/11, so customs was so strict. They would just tell customs they were gifts for their kids or someone and it worked.

former2free

So sad and terrible what happened to her. I hope she is able to get through to some and show them how harmful being in the organization is. I have been keeping up to date with the UK protest and it has had some success. I hope they put videos on YouTube for all to see and get this organization out in the open even more and expose their hypocrisy and lies.

Sigfrid Mallozzi

Former2free, what happened to Barbara?

Brokeback Watchtower

She was disfellowshipped after Dateline(2001) did an expose on the WT and she appeared on it both her and her husband, and now their children shun them. She worked in the writing department at Bethel and was privy to some very sensitive information and goings on at the bethel writing department, she was also a researcher for the Proclaimer's book, on the history of the WT.

She probably would be categorized by the Governing Body as a #1 most dangerous apostate because all her past association with them back in the day.

former2free

Sigfrid I’m not sure what your question is regards to. Is it based on brokebacks comment or do you mean something else altogether?

former2free

Brokeback I had the pleasure of speaking with her a few weeks ago and she was the original person to start questioning the child abuse policies. I know the society is scared of her and rightly so especially with her intimate inside knowledge of the organization. I am so happy she is doing what she’s doing and exposing them and unmasking this organization for what it is.

Vidiot

"...question the organization's leaders, who have responded to a growing number of child sex abuse cases around the world with denials and instructions to destroy records that could prove harmful in litigation..."

This, IMO, is the most damning sentence in the article.

Article: Philadelphia Inquirer - Ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses to protest sex abuse scandals at Pa. convention

AndersonsInfo

Ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses to protest sex abuse scandals at Pa. convention

DesirousOfChange

lastmanstanding

Dagney

former2free

Sigfrid Mallozzi

Brokeback Watchtower

former2free

former2free

Vidiot

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