Posts by Marvin Shilmer

236

Royal Commission live streamingstarting soon!

by possum in

august.

mon 3 (cont) fri 7 .

public hearing: case study 29 into jehovah's witnesses, sydney.

Marvin Shilmer

This guy being questioned right now is either a fool because he's utterly stupid or else he's a fool because someone at Watchtower has asked him to look like a fool and he's obeying the instruction.

Also, the 2010 Pay Attention elder book contains a real conundrum for elders. On one hand it stipulates categorically that "Elders will not criticize anyone (ANYONE!!!) who reports [child abuse] to the authorities." If that's true then elders can report child abuse to authorities and he wil not be criticized."--(parenthetical emphasis added)

53

Just wrote my DA letter....

by dubstepped in

jw
friends

my wife and i planned on fading but the elders now want a shepherding call and we are just done.

i know that many play the game to try to stay in, but i'm not a game player and neither is my wife.

our families already shun us because we reached out to a disfellowshipped family member.

Marvin Shilmer

So, what's the process? We send our letter to a few elders to make sure it is received. How long until they announce?
If you're decided to submit a letter of disassociation then I say go ahead and have some kind of fun with it.
You could send it to Watchtower and ask it to forward it to whoever is supposed to get it. In this case I'd make Watchtower's policy for dealing with child molestation front and center, and keep it simple and very, very factual and very, very precise. Then let Watchtower send your letter to local elders.
Alternately you could phone up one of Barbara Anderson's friends at Reveal (a media resource) and tell them you want to submit your letter of disassociation to them and have them deliver it to local elders for you. Either way, you'll have some fun doing what you want to do anyway.

37

Watershed moment???

by sparrowdown in

will this rc turn out to be the beginnings of a watershed time in wbts history?.

do you have any thoughts regarding this?.

Marvin Shilmer

Will this RC turn out to be the beginnings of a watershed time in WBTS history?
I doubt it, but it would be nice for Watchtower to introduce transparency into its whole religious system. If nothing else, I think the RC will introduce changes in Australia that will force Watchtower to improve its policy on allegation of child molestation so that victims are not further victimized and predators are reported to authorities to help protect all children from them.

33

Dr Applewhite and Conti's case

by Viva la Vida in

this is from conti's appeal veredict:.

monica applewhite, a clinical social worker and an expert on child sexual abuse, testified for defendants that watchtowers policy against disclosing private information .

very closely mirror[ed] the codes of ethics of the national association of social workers and the american counseling association.

Marvin Shilmer

I will be interested in what the judge decides in Louisiana.

My guess is that no one here will care one rat's butt what a judge in Louisiana concludes about allegations of Applewhite unless she continues on working for Watchtower. Even then, and to be perfectly honest, I have experience with lawyers and courts in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana and what comes from that area is not very helpful to me, particularly in civil matters.

The "whore" label is one that is used by the legal profession even when the testimony has nothing to do with religion.

I don't care if a lawyer uses the term. I care what I do, and when I see needless personalized demeaning I say something.

33

Dr Applewhite and Conti's case

by Viva la Vida in

this is from conti's appeal veredict:.

monica applewhite, a clinical social worker and an expert on child sexual abuse, testified for defendants that watchtowers policy against disclosing private information .

very closely mirror[ed] the codes of ethics of the national association of social workers and the american counseling association.

Marvin Shilmer

I think the reference to "prostitute" is misunderstood by you in this instance...

In Dr. Applewhite I see a woman who's not the expert I'd prefer for the work she did for Watchtower. On this forum I've seen accusations heaped upon her that insofar as I can tell are unevidenced (e.g., that she did something illegal or unethical in Louisiana, USA). Then I see her called a prostitute in relation to her work with Watchtower versus her religion of preference, which is Catholic. That's way too personal, and I don't think it's called for. I see participants piling on the wrong person, and some of it is no more than allegation.

33

Dr Applewhite and Conti's case

by Viva la Vida in

this is from conti's appeal veredict:.

monica applewhite, a clinical social worker and an expert on child sexual abuse, testified for defendants that watchtowers policy against disclosing private information .

very closely mirror[ed] the codes of ethics of the national association of social workers and the american counseling association.

Marvin Shilmer

What a prostitute, she's willing to take money and then say what ever the GB want her to say all the while the organization she's defending views her as a Catholic zombie just waiting to be destroyed at Armageddon.

I'm sorry but I find comments like that to be very sexist and needlessly demeaning. I don't think Applewhite is everything I'd expect of an expert witness, but I see no reason for comments such as this. None at all. We should take care not to become the thing we detest.

64

Dr Monica Applewhite!

by username in

i'm just listening to this so called doctors testimony.

where did the watchtower dig her up from.

her answers have mostly been maybe's and i think!.

Marvin Shilmer

Applewhite's own letter...

Where is this letter available to read?

64

Dr Monica Applewhite!

by username in

i'm just listening to this so called doctors testimony.

where did the watchtower dig her up from.

her answers have mostly been maybe's and i think!.

Marvin Shilmer

Marvin... point 27 and down. It clearly lays out the evidence. And clearly states Applewhite's response.

No disrespect intended, but that court filing is not evidence of anything other than a claim against Applewhite; it only represents allegations (claims) by the plaintiff. I see no evidence produced in this particular instance supporting an assertion that Applewhite was unprofessional, that she falsified reports, refused to correct false reports, or that she failed in her legal obligation to report cases of child abuse.

64

Dr Monica Applewhite!

by username in

i'm just listening to this so called doctors testimony.

where did the watchtower dig her up from.

her answers have mostly been maybe's and i think!.

Marvin Shilmer

I am astonished that her terms of reference as a consultant for the organization were limited to reviewing what the Watchtower published in its journals and other publications ...

Me too. In particular it demonstrates astonishing preferential treatment of Watchtower's position to presume what Watchtower publishes represents general sentiment held among rank-and-file membership. Talk about letting the fox guard the hen house!!!

64

Dr Monica Applewhite!

by username in

i'm just listening to this so called doctors testimony.

where did the watchtower dig her up from.

her answers have mostly been maybe's and i think!.

Marvin Shilmer

Marvin, this is the link to court document:...

I read all that, but I don't see evidence of falsified reports or refusal to correct reports. All I see in those documents is claims made by the plaintiff suing Applewhite. So what is the evidence that she conducted herself unprofessionally?