Posts by ESTEE

74

Barbara Anderson's Comments from her CD compilation now online!

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

barbara anderson's comments from her cd compilation:.

secrets of pedophilia in an american religionjehovah's witnesses in crisis.

update 1/17/08: barbara anderson has released her nearly 100-page commentary found on the cd, secrets of pedophilia in an american religion, jehovah's witnesses in crisis, for general distribution.

ESTEE

One thing that bothered me is when the elders gave talks saying how qualified they are. The elders quoted a scripture, "All scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, reproving, for setting things straight, that the man of God is fully competent, completely equipped for every good work."---2 Tim 3:16. The application made to that scripture sounded something like, "Because elders read the bible, they are the only help you need. Elders are more qualified than any 'worldly' therapist."

Because members were not allowed to look "outside" the organization for help, they were actually prevented from getting any real and meaningful help. The elders' kind of help allowed the abuse to continue---and sometimes the abuse got worse. If a child reported the abuse, the abuser would then be confronted by some elder, and then the abuser would go and beat his victim---on top of the other abuses already inflicted.

It would be nice if the legal system understood how badly this "elder-line-of-defence" against perpetrators fails the victims. It actually prevents or interferes with the victims getting any real help. For example, victims need to be removed from an unsafe home. The victim needs to be relocated to a "safe" home out of reach of the perpetrator.

Thank you Barbara. This thread is so vitally important.

btt

ESTEE

103

Mr. Flipper Talks with Bethel Legal Service Desk Rep About JW Child Abuse

by flipper in

well - i had been wanting to do this for a long time , to question a legal department representative at bethel about the child abuse settlements and jw child abuse, since last year when the news came out about it.

especially since my dad , an elder for years was never aware of it and has on his own taken steps to see that families with children are informed if a former pedophile is in their congregation.

i was curious as to what the current views and policies in place are .

ESTEE

Does anyone know Alice's "story"? Obviously this person is in a great deal of pain...overly emotional...

ESTEE

103

Mr. Flipper Talks with Bethel Legal Service Desk Rep About JW Child Abuse

by flipper in

well - i had been wanting to do this for a long time , to question a legal department representative at bethel about the child abuse settlements and jw child abuse, since last year when the news came out about it.

especially since my dad , an elder for years was never aware of it and has on his own taken steps to see that families with children are informed if a former pedophile is in their congregation.

i was curious as to what the current views and policies in place are .

ESTEE

Hi Mr. Flipper,

I'm glad to see this thread got resurrected.

From my past experience with abuse, if someone who knows about, and then covers up abuse, they become an "enabler." This means they are enabling the abuse to occur again. The WT is an "enabler" in the sense that they are protecting the perpetrator and not protecting the victim. Actually, it is more than not protecting...it is further victimizing the victim.

Based on my dad's choice of religion, I'd say he found a religion that would enable his abusive behaviour to carry on in the name of his FEAR-inspiring abusive god, Jehovah.

Alice, have you ever been raped?

Let me ask you, if what I say about enabling and victimizing is true, and if you have a loving heart, what is the truth here?...Does that make the JWs a morally sick or a morally healthy religion?

ESTEE

107

which are the strong points of the WT?

by marcopolo in

jw
friends

can someone say me ?.

ESTEE

Strong points?...there were strong points?

Okay, okay...I sure learned my bible, having read it no less than four times. I still can quote those scriptures. Everyone who knows me asks questions if it is bible-related. No one can take that away from meeee! Even if the JWs say they can...they can't. They lied about that, too!

ESTEE

67

Growing Up With Violence

by compound complex in

it was not a light slam of flesh and bone against a slanting wall of the derelict cabin.. animal rage set its talons upon an unsuspecting, trusting child and sent her hurtling into the air and, upon impact with the splintery cedar paneling, edging downward, painfully downward by a stop-go motion that could hardly be described as sliding.

landed in a shocked but still breathing heap, she lay quiet until the beast left its lair.

once out the ill-hung door and into the labyrinthine wood that all but put the tiny speck of four rotting walls safely off the map, mommy went to work.

ESTEE

Hi CoCo,

I'm so sorry to hear that the kind man we know to be CoCo was violently abused as a child. Your descriptions are soooo visual! So wonderful to read your writings, CoCo. Thanks for sharing with us.

I, too, was a victim of violence while growing up---by my big bully father who drank. Yet, he was a Jehovah's Witness in good standing.

Writing about the experiences is a process that I find very healing. I have a 350-page autobiographical manuscript of my life. It's not finished yet. Still needs polishing.

PSacramento wrote:

only thing that breaks the circle of hate and violence is Love.

Thanks for sharing those words. After years and years of therapy, I know these words are true, that violence begets violence, and the only way to heal the violence is with love.

Love to all who suffered this way

ESTEE

32

Does anyone remebr the "Rooming Work"

by exwhyzee in

jw
friends

when a convention was to be held in your city and it was believed there weren't enough hotel rooms available or at least affordable ones, the witnesses living in that city were asked to go out into the territory and ask people if they had a room or rooms someone attending the convention could use.

you could report your time doing this as part of your ministry.

i could never bring myself (14 or 15) to do this....it just seemed too weird for a kid to go to a house and ask the householder for a room but many kids in the hall did this.

ESTEE

Hi exwhyzee,

I believe I remember on the rooming forms they asked what race the householder was and the race of the individual needing a room. That's probably what didn't sit right with your Father Estee.

Yes, that was it! I completely forgot till you mentioned. Now I recall how he yelled around the house for days saying, "I thought there was no such thing as colours in Jebooger's organization!" and stuff like that---in his heavy accent.

ESTEE

27

Another JW in the news

by TweetieBird in

jw
friends

http://www.news-journalonline.com/breakingnews/2010/06/man-follows-wife-with-tracking-device-slashes-new-boyfriend.html.

i know this guy and he is one of the meekest, mildest guys i ever knew.

he just stepped down as an elder recently to work on his family life.

ESTEE

Too bad the article does not say the man was a JW ex-elder. That extra information always makes for a great news story!

Thanks for sharing, TweetieBird...

ESTEE

32

Does anyone remebr the "Rooming Work"

by exwhyzee in

jw
friends

when a convention was to be held in your city and it was believed there weren't enough hotel rooms available or at least affordable ones, the witnesses living in that city were asked to go out into the territory and ask people if they had a room or rooms someone attending the convention could use.

you could report your time doing this as part of your ministry.

i could never bring myself (14 or 15) to do this....it just seemed too weird for a kid to go to a house and ask the householder for a room but many kids in the hall did this.

ESTEE

Hi exwhyzee,

I see you are quite new to the forum...so welcome! Good people here, eh? ...Yup, I'm Canadian!

I remember the Rooming thingy. I was very young, and remember that my dad applied for our large family with about five or six kids (at the time). But because he refused to answer one question on the application form, they refused to help us. It was kind of a "discriminatory" question, and my dad took exception to it. I remember my dad being very upset by the arrogant way he was treated. Anyway, we went without rooming. Our whole family slept in our 1/2 ton truck on a country road. Two in the front seat and the rest of us sandwiched into the back of the truck. We parked off the Trans-Canada highway and listened to the long trains going past all night long..toooot-toooot. I hardly slept. I was about ten years old at the time, but I remember clearly this event.

But your story beats mine by a country mile. If I had to sleep in a smokey environment, I would have had a migraine headache the next day. I can't tolerate smoke.

And, on top of that, FLEAS????? That is just tooooooicky...

Yup, Jehoover shuuuuuure takes care of his people...

Love

ESTEE

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