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DJB Wednesday, August 20, 2008
@ 10:16 AM
Watchtower Policies!!!
The governing body needs to change their Watchtower Policies on how to handle Child Abuse!!! I believe a lack of understanding about the effects of abuse on the victim but also the long term effects they need to realize!!! They don't seem to understand that they don't understand. That is why we need to continue to be a thorn in their side until they make the changes we demand as we understand for the most part the dynamics of abuse...which they do not or will not acknowledge. They need to protect the children and they are not right now. I believe they have grieved God's holy spirit and do not have his blessing right now. It is just like in Israel when they lost God's blessing when Achan and his family were guilty of stealing. The whole nation lost God's blessing and suffered for it. To gain back Jehovah's blessing they had to find the wrongdoer and deal with him to gain back Jehovah's blessing. The same today they must do as we ask and deal with the child abusers and remove them from their midst just in the case of Achan and his family!!! DJB

man711 Tuesday, August 19, 2008
@ 7:16 AM

"AND 9 TIMES OUT OF 10 THEY HAVE A SEX OFFENDER WITH THEM " Sorry, but that is just blatant lie!

J.D.L Monday, August 18, 2008
@ 7:54 PM
Thanks for the Support
To All Of You , Keep up the good work. Molesters must be Dealt with and Stopped--Especially under The Guise as a Sheep, When in fact they Wolves. My Daughter is now 33 Yrs. She is a writer and has written a Book Concerning this and what happened later on in life, it is not published and has been on Radio with her Comic Book,She is also a Model and will be in A Movie Being Filmed in Canada. She has been in Movies. Also Involved in The Fashion Industry. The person who Touched her is A Old Man , Who has a lot of heath Issues.My Daughter is also Involved with Human Rights.She believes in Personal freedom.Myself after a failed Marriage due to this, I am Still a believer in God , respecting others . My Ex wife and I are free, of mind draining captivity.Some J.W.s talk to us, most do not. May the Great Spirit, The Lord bless all of you.

If only Sunday, August 17, 2008
@ 1:10 AM
To LL
I'm truly so happy to hear how your family has been supported through the nightmare you have gone through. I know first hand how it feels when someone you trust could betray you in the worst way! I only wish we could have had the same support you have had. We instead have felt as though we have done something wrong by coming forward. The ex-elder who molested our child has been convicted in a court of law and yet he remains a so called "brother". Instead of receiving encouragement and support we have been forgotten.. it almost seems as if they hope we don't go back to the meetings. I guess if they see us it's a reminder of how they have failed and continue to fail us. I will continue to pray for change when it comes to child molestation. Hopefully soon all victim's will be treated as such no matter if their father is an elder, ms or publisher.

j spell Saturday, August 16, 2008
@ 11:03 PM
j.w. at the door
I WILL NOT ALLOW A J.W. TO COME TO MY HOUSE. IN THE FIRST PLACE IT IS RUDE TO COME TO MY DOOR TO TRY TO CHANGE MY RELIGION, AND 9 TIMES OUT OF 10 THEY HAVE A SEX OFFENDER WITH THEM THAT THEY ARE HIDING IN THEIR CHURCH. THEIR CHILDREN HAVE TO HAVE SEX WITH THEIR BROTHERS, THEIR FATHERS, THEIR GRANDFATHERS, THEIR NEIGHBORS, THE ELDERS, AND IF THEY COMPLAIN TO ANYONE THEIR OWN MOTHERS WILL NOT SPEAK TO THEM. HOW CAN THEY CALL THIS RELIGION IN ANY FORM..THE DEVILS BRIGADE WOULD BE MORE THE CORRECT IDENTIFICATION. THEY ARE A DISGRACE TO THE WORLD. NO WONDER MICHAEL TURNED OUT TO BE A CHILD MOLESTER. HIS FAMILY ARE ALL J.W'S.

Joseph Morabito Friday, August 15, 2008
@ 10:26 PM
Slight correction
I had not seen the email from my mother regarding Silent Lambs... she said she had never heard of it.

Joseph Morabito Friday, August 15, 2008
@ 9:44 PM

My mother has been all over the board in her JW career. She was on private reproof for, of all things, using bad language for awhile in the 90's. Where I stopped attending without any fanfare, my brother broke away by writing a letter of resignation. Her relationship with him has been extremely unloving (My brother at the time was only 22). I can't imagine how she rationalizes having an apostate, my ex wife, in her home (she's 1000 miles away so the visits are overnight) yet won't interact with her flesh and blood. I'm not a fan of JWs, but I am reasonable enough to understand that my mother is and or would be just a wacko no matter what brand of religion she were to adhere to. BTW She didn't respond to my inquiry as to her opinion of Silent Lambs.

Friday, August 15, 2008
@ 4:00 PM
To man711
Hi, you mentioned that LL's situation may have been different if her husband had not been an elder, in the "clergy class", but, DJL was an elder, also, and when his daughter was molested by an elder, the other elders were not willing to do anything about it. I wish these cases always ended up like yours did! I wonder if it just varies from congregation to congregation and the particular sense of integrity and honesty the elders have in different congregations. I am happy for you, sad for DJL.

Friday, August 15, 2008
@ 3:50 PM
To Joseph Morabito
Hi, it IS a funny thing that your mother keeps is touch with your ex-wife who cheated on you and who became a Mormon! That is just so strange, considering she pretty much doesn't contact her own sons. It's hard to understand people sometimes, isn't it? I wonder why her 'elder' husband doesn't seem to mind her staying in touch with her former daughter-in-law under the circumstances.

Friday, August 15, 2008
@ 3:42 PM
To M.A.N.
Hi, I have found myself thinking about your saying you were head of the house, but the situation about your daughter transcended that. It's so true. It is such a traumatic thing that children need to talk with whom they are most comfortable. Sharing such a horrible incident may be beyond coping with when it comes to talking with a parent regarding it. And, speaking of head of household stuff, sometimes there seems to be confusion about that sometimes. I was in a donut shop a few years ago, and this woman asked her husband if she could get a donut. For the love of Mike! For permission to get a DONUT! He nodded his head yes, apparently not realizing how ridiculous the situation was, and she went and got her donut. Sheesh. I think it is a mild form of abuse when a woman's husband treats her as if she were his child, his little girl, not as if she is an adult. I think that when some women get married they hand over their adulthood, they give up being grownups and let their husbands assume a ludicrous kind of power and control over them. I have seen other incidents like this, where the woman or girlfriend is put in the position of being like a child to the man. I think this is so sad! Some husbands are literally condescending and patronizing to their wives, who are adults, after all! I feel bad for these women. And some are not wives. They are girlfriends. Marriage is a partnership, not a parent/child relationship. The husband may be the head of the house, but he needs to understand that this does not make him a dictator. Not to his wife, not to his children. There needs to be mutual respect among everyone involved. How can any wife be happy when she is "controlled" over every little thing?! A donut!!! Oh, good grief!!!

man711 Thursday, August 14, 2008
@ 6:55 PM
TO LL
It was encouraging to read of the decisive action in your sons case. However imagine the reaction if your husband was not an elder. If you are not in the "clergy class" there is total inaction and disbelief in anything you say to elders.

Joseph Morabito Thursday, August 14, 2008
@ 3:25 PM

Wow, I had no idea about any of these charges and allegations. My mother started taking us to the Kingdom hall in 1977. I got baptized in 1986-7. By the middle of 1988 (age 23) it didn't make sense to me so I just stopped going to meetings. My mother has become more and more staunch a believer and has very little to do with her three sons and says it's religious persecution on our part. Funny thing is she still keeps regular contact with my ex wife, who cheated on her son then left the JW's to become a Mormon (isn't that the funniest thing ever?) Did I mention that her husband, my stepdad, is an Elder? I'll have to ask her about silent lambs. Personally I never heard of anything along these lines happening where I attended meetings, but I can see how it happened and then once it did how and why it got swept under the rug.

Thursday, August 14, 2008
@ 2:20 PM
To LL
Wow! What a positive and encouraging experience you and your family had with the elders! I am so glad your son got the support he needed and that everything turned out so well. I wish it was always that way in the congregations. That the victims are believed and given protection instead of the abusers! At last something was done right!! Thanks for sharing your story with all of us here, and I hope your son is doing really well! That all of you in your family are.

LL Thursday, August 14, 2008
@ 11:33 AM
Molestation By A MS
Just for the record,let me share a very positive experience. A few years ago My son was molested by a Ministerial servant in the cong,that we trusted. My husband is an Elder,and he was his assistant. When my son told us,the brothers met with him,believed every word he said. Immediately they told the brother the accusation which he admitted,and told him not to even come into the parking lot of the kingdom hall.He was removed immediately,and disfellowshipped a week later. The brother on the case also testified in court to the confession,so my son would not have to testify. He was convicted of sexual assault,put in jail and remains on the sex offender list for an unspecified period of time. This is an example of loyalty,not betrayal,I hope some will find this encouraging. Always speak out against sexual abuse whether it's an overseer,or a relative. They need to reap what they sow! In this case a prison sentence.

kh TEXAS Tuesday, August 12, 2008
@ 2:42 PM
lost sheep
DEAR SIR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS WEB SITE. I WAS BAPTIZED IN 1973 AND LEFT IN 1987. I HAVE WITNESSED WHAT YOU HAVE SAID. THE TEXAS LAWS STATE THAT CHILD ABUSE MUST BE REPORTED TO THE POLICE. I EMAILED MY SISTER WHO IS STILL IN THE SOCIETY ABOUT THIS, AND SHE SAID IT IS UP TO THE FAMILIES TO REPORT IT. HOW BACK IN THE DARK AGES ARE THEY? JEHOVAH'S WORD MAKES IT VERY CLEAR NOT TO HIDE ANY THING UNCLEAN UNLESS JUDGMENT COMES BACK ON YOU. HOW CAN THEY JUSTIFY THIS. THEY ARE NOT A LAW UNTO THEMSELVES. GOD SAYS WE MUST OBEY THE LAWS OF THE LAND IF THEY DO NOT INTERFERE WITH GOD'S LAWS. I'VE BEEN OUT FOR A LONG TIME BUT I STILL LOVE JEHOVAH AND HIS SON JESUS CHRIST, MY LORD AND SAVIOUR. I HAVE BEEN HANGING ON NOT KNOWING WHERE TO GO TO WORSHIP JEHOVAH. BUT I GOT UP THIS MORNING AND READ ALL OF EZEKIEL 38: AND I FOUND MY ANSWER. GOD IS GOING TO TAKE AWAY THE POWER OF THE ONES WHO USE HIS NAME AND DO NOT STAND UP FOR THE GOOD. AND HE WILL GIVE IT TO THE LOST SHEEP, THAT THE SOCIETY DID NOT PROTECT AND TAKE CARE OF. AND THEY WILL BE HIS PEOPLE. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

M.A.N. Sunday, August 10, 2008
@ 7:11 PM
Re: DJL
I wanted to say that you made a good point about girls telling their parents about abuse, especially their father. We found out when our daughter told a 25 year old sister that she was close with. My daughter was 13 years old then. The sister told my wife. Then she called an elder on Sat. but he didn't call the police until Monday. This makes me sure he called Bethel just like Bill Bowen did when he was asking how to handle this situation. First, that elder should have called the police right away. NJ was a reporting state according to my latest info. WE should have called the cops. I wanted everyone to see that all of us can become so brain-washed that we automatically go into "tell the elders" mode. Not only do they not help, they do immeasurable harm. They traumatize the victim and shield the pedophile. Now he can molest again. My point is that we fathers don't find things out as soon as we should. I might have been the head of the house, but this transcends that. This is raw and bleeding emotional damage. A girl's mother is easier to talk to. This is going to stop very soon. I hope to offer counseling in person to those in my area. Florida HATES pedophiles. They get life in prison if they touch a child. I've tried to avoid violence because it won't help anyone to heal. But I am sad that some JW's think they are the "morality police" for the world. One last point and this might interest the person who asked about the 8 men who went to prison around WW One. In the 1930's or 1940's, a brother in Maine was out preaching. He somehow got into a fight with the householder and shot him dead. I understood it to be a case of rage, NOT self-defense. The CO who told us the story in 1980 said that the entire area and a large part of the state wouldn't listen to any JW for a long time. It was FORTY YEARS before the incident died down and new people became interested. The big question: WHY WOULD A JW CARRY A PISTOL OUT IN FIELD SERVICE??? His answer? Self-defense. What ever happened to "trust in Jehovah to fix the pedophile issue"? Why didn't the brother just take any raps he got, even if he was killed. Aren't JW's supposed to trust on Jehovah to protect them? Well, this is long, but I hope I gave people a few things to think about. This all ties in with my point about credibility and trust. We all agreed not to bash the WT about doctrine and I go along with that. I'm not going to argue here with anyone about the Trinity, whether we all go to Heaven or whether women should be elders too. I hope you all see that I'm trying to undermine their policies and that's the point. As Bill said, "We don't hate JW's, we just demand the WT handle this properly." M.A.N.

M.A.N. Sunday, August 10, 2008
@ 5:34 PM
To DJL
I'm sorry for what happened. I'm not surprised at the elders. You were one yourself, so you well know the idiocy that they put forth as "Bible truths". I had an elder come to my door 4 months ago and he started his spiel. I cut him off and said JW's were child molesters. He said that all religions have them. I said, no, I'm an author and have researched the WT for over ten years. I looked at court papers, spoke with reporters and newspaper editors, the works. He asked, "Are you suggesting that we abandon 'theocratic arrangements' for handling abuse?? He said it really snotty. I told him he never HAD theocratic anything, since he didn't have the truth. His face was priceless. He then said the cops didn't care about it like the elders. What a pig!!! Here in Florida, they would love to lock him up just for saying that. He said elders took care of sin and we should wait on Jehovah. I said "how do you know that Silent Lambs and people like me aren't Jehovah now doing something?" He wouldn't hear of it. I told him "you don't have the truth, the Bible said in the OT that ONE witness could convict a molester, and that I didn't believe in God anyway, so it's a moot point. I said it's a CRIME and cops handle crime, not you men who barely graduated high school. Then his claws came out but I cut him off with "I have a degree in Psych, you don't. I've done the research, you won't look at it since you think it's from the Devil. You believing that the Devil would help hunt down pedophiles and help us "apostates" shows you have serious mental problems, as well as moral ones. Jesus said righteous was shown by works, and your works STINK!! By now he was livid. It's sad that these human beings have such power to hurt children by trying to protect the molesters.

Thursday, August 7, 2008
@ 2:07 PM
To D.J.L.
I am so sorry about what happened to your daughter! Fourteen years old! What a horrible thing for an elder to do! I am sorry your daughter didn't want to talk about it, but she must have been so humiliated by this guy's actions. She had nothing to be humiliated about. HE did!! His actions, his behavior beyond understanding! Pedophilia may be a sickness, but there has to be a part of the pedophile that comprehends that molestation of children is a gross sin. Especially by people who are representative (supposedly) of Christianity. I hope your daughter is doing well now and that she will talk about it with someone. She might not feel comfortable discussing it with her parents, particularly her father, but she might find it very helpful and beneficial to talk about her terrible experience with the so-called elder with a good counselor. I don't know how long ago this happened, but if you even halfway witnessed it, maybe you could report it to the police. What this guy did to your child must be dealt with! It is too bad, and oh, so sad, that the elder's children committed incest among themselves! The fact that they grew up to have high positions in the 'religion' is appalling considering the possibilities of the damage they could (and maybe ARE!) inflicting on innocent, unsuspecting children! They've been groomed to be pedophiles. And so the insanity continues. Sick and disgusting. All the poor victims!!

Robin Thursday, August 7, 2008
@ 1:19 PM
to DJL-
I feel for everyone that has gone through such an ordeal. I too was molested like your daughter by an elder. The man eventually killed himself because he had other issues going on in his life. I use to think it was a very unusual situation with the JW but now I know differently. This seems to be a common problem and is not at all handled like it should. What gets me really upset is the Issue of the AWAKE that came out last NOV. about "Protecting Your Children". What the heck they talking about?????? Its not a joke but it is such a laughable situation how they deal with issues.

D.J.L. Wednesday, August 6, 2008
@ 7:12 PM
Earl and Others
To all of you I like your Courage, My Daughter At 14 yrs , Was sexually touched by a visiting Elder. I saw this out of the corner of my eye , I did catch this quite briefly , my daughter didn't want talk about this. I was an Elder at the time. Since then I have left the Witnesses. Later my Daughter left home, and my wife saying I didn't do anything about, when I confronted Him He said he wasn't in my home then, The other Elders would not Act on this. Later I leaned there was incest between his Kids. One became and still is a Missionary, and the Went to Toronto Bethel And became an Elder. His other Son at 14 yrs used to molest Little Boys after the Book Study.He later Became a M.S.

ME Wednesday, August 6, 2008
@ 3:27 PM

Did any of you guys read the article Bill just posted on the main page here? The one out of Venezuela? Now that's real fanaticism!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008
@ 2:36 PM
To L. Smith
Hi, I am so glad that you have been free now for three years! That freedom is like a great big breath of fresh air, isn't it? It is so incredible that JW policies are so concerned about "the rights of the pedophiles", but not the victims' rights! Huh?! Where are the JWs heads that they are buying into this hideous nonsense?! It is beyond comprehension. I am just glad that there are people like you you have stepped back and though "whoa, there's something wrong with this picture here!" Good for you and others with the common sense that you have!! I hope you are enjoying much happiness in your freedom in life, in your freedom of thought and feelings, and your freedom to express them. 'Bully' for you!!:-)

M.A.N. Wednesday, August 6, 2008
@ 9:21 AM
Re: prison terms years ago
I don't have all the books handy, but around 1914-1919, there were 7 men from Bethel and one more (he had an Italian name) who were thrown in jail. I believe it was in Atlanta, GA. They even use those dates to fulfill some prophecy about the two men lying in the street who rose and did something great. As I said, I haven't read this in a long while. Rutherford wrote a book called "Finished Mystery" that attacked war, the nations, and the USA. This was during World War One, and it wasn't appreciated by the gov't. I think they agreed to take out a few pages of the more critical stuff, but in the end, they went to jail. The reason I mentioned that the 8th person was Italian is because in our cong. in NJ, HIS SISTER, who lived into her 90's, had been there for years. Her maiden name was DiCecca (not sure of the spelling). She died in 1984 during Christmas. I was her book study conductor. She used to tell us stories of going door to door in Italy and having stones thrown at them. Anyway, it's said that Rutherford suffered damage to his lungs from the climate and never forgave the gov't. If you have the WT CD you can research it. I'm sure there is a lot there. Oh, the WT also said God was punishing them from 1914 to 1919 because they didn't remain "pure and neutral" in politics. Give me a break. It was a treat to her the sister talk since she was the guy's real sister and knew the story. M.A.N.

L.Smith Tuesday, August 5, 2008
@ 4:50 PM
Free for 3 years now
Thanks to JW policies on harboring and protecting the "rights" of pedophiles, I was able to step back far enough and see more clearly the "more important things". The number one being Love. It is often mentioned in JW speak, but is clearly missing when it comes to individuals feelings and points of view. Imagine not being able to express an idea for fear of being "marked" or labeled. I am thankful everyday to the friend who helped me open my eyes. (Thanks Clog).

MLC Tuesday, August 5, 2008
@ 12:16 PM

I have always felt that the covering up of pedophiles and other things that the elders knew about was pretty bad but it has got so much worse. There was 2 situations that I dont know what happened but it took years for something to transpire and for them to me dealt with in the congregation. That was at least 10 plus years ago. thank You for helping all those who need help. Marie

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