An Interesting thought

[Rachel]

Today I was reading my paper.  Now for those of you who do not know, about 15 miles outside of SLO is the CMC - California Men's Colony State Prison.  It houses one of the Mason Family, a man named Bruce Davis.  

Bruce Davis went up for parole for his 21st time this last week and for the 21st time was denied parole.  This despite the fact that he has a nearly spotless prison record of good behavior with no disciplinary  problems, has earned a doctrate in religion, warns all who write him asking about Manson of the insanity of the man's philosophical ideal, is 59, has a nine year old daughter and a wife and claims to just want to live in Grover Beach and watch his daughter grow up.

The parole board commended him on his behavior while incarcerated but said, "It is understood that you cannot change the events that took place, but nonetheless, it was some ugly events that took place in 1969."  

Davis was convicted of the murders of Gary Hinman and Donald "Shorty Shea in LA.  Those murders took place after the murders of  of Sharon Tate and the LaBiancas.  Davis claims he did not actually participate in the murders though he admitted to driving Manson to Hinman's home and being present when Shea was killed.  He also admitted that he did nothing to stop the murders.

Amazing that more then 30 years later a man is still being held responsible for what he did well under the influence of a self proclaimed "leader".  

While this is not an exact corrolation to the leadership in the assembly, I did find a few things interresting.  

In the real world, you are held responsible for the being part of the actual crime if you are responsible for having knowlege of, hiding of or any participation in the crime.  The leading brothers in SLO, as well as Mark Miller, Tim Geftakys, Dan Notti, Greg Holder, and others who knew about the abuses and hid it or ignored it fit the discription for being held responsible for the knowledge of, the hiding of or any participation in the crime of wife and child abuse.  

I also found it interesting that, in the real world, there is a holding of responsiblity long after you have fruits of a change in your life, of what we have called "repentance".  

I also found it interesting that, in the real world, age nor distance in years from the crime will absolve you of the crime.

While I know that my mother was never killed (fortunately) and so there was not a murder.  I think we need to realize the seriousness of what has gone on here.  In the real world, what has happened in our midst is criminal.  There is no allowing for people trying to excuse responsbility with talk of the need for the victim to forgive or a minimizing of their part in the criminal activity.  Criminal action has occured and been hidden and propetuated by accomplises in the form of leadership being accessories to the crimes.  I am not talking just about what happened to my mother but to all the people, and the children who were victimized and found no real help from the leadership.  In the real world, telling the abuser to repent and possibly suggesting counselling is not providing substantial help to victims.  

Those of you in leadership did not go home with that family to stand in the way when the abuse started again.  Well, how could we, you say.  Well, you could have provided the option of safe place for the victim until there was evidence of a real change in the abuser.  If you did not have the resources to provide real help you could have turned to the authorities who had more resources, while still staying in contact with the victim to make sure they were ok.  However, that would have meant a public admission of problems in a group that prided itself on being superior.  It would have tarnished the image.

This whole situation is very serious.  We have been numbed to the seriousness of it over years of talk of the responsiblity to forgive.  While I am not dismissing the need to forgive (see my post on forgiveness), I think we should wonder that we are not more inspired to action by the horror of the events that have taken place.  We should wonder that any of those in leadership who had any knowledge of abuse are still arrogant enough to assume that they should continue to lead in any fashion.  They should flee that place of leadership, even if it means leaving the assembly to attend another place where they have never been recognized as a leaders and therefore no one will still defer to them in that manner.  

What has happened is a horror but history will repeat itself if we do not take decisive action on an individual level.  If we do so on an individual level it will ripple out through every assembly, through all we know.  

[David Mauldin]

Racheal Did you see the movie "The Long Runner?"  It was about an Inuet tribe of Eskimos. The plot has to do with lwrongs committed by family members which escelate into some pretty serious sins.  At the end of the story the leader of the tribe encourages forgivness but then baneshes 4 members from the community.  All I could think of was "Jesus can forgive but there are still consequences!"

[Rudy]

In the same strain as Verne - let's be nice, "throw the dog a
bone", do some repentance - "have" leading brothers step down,
have a "delete key" party .... They'll take the incriminating evidence
off of the website, then business as usual. Oh, and before I forget,
make sure all of the sheep get rid of their computers.

[Peacefulg]

Sad to think that these men still have not came to you and your mother, and your brother and sister for forgiveness.

G

[editor]

In the same strain as Verne - let's be nice, "throw the dog a
bone", do some repentance - "have" leading brothers step down,
have a "delete key" party .... They'll take the incriminating evidence
off of the website, then business as usual. Oh, and before I forget,
make sure all of the sheep get rid of their computers.

Hi Rudy

Ever hear of the trojan horse?
Did you ever think you would see this day?  Have faith in God.  It was not the website, articles, etc.  God used all that, but He is not limited to it.  

Don't worry.

Brent

[4Him]

Friends,
The ball is rolling.  Things are not going to return to bidness as usual.  Too many eyes have been opened, even w/in the groups.  The Lord is able, you can trust him to execute corrective judgment.  Those who are His are evident.  Those who are willfully disobedient are evident as well.  Let God be true and every man a liar.  Do not lose heart!

[Rudy]

Editor,

What me worry ?  

Like you said: Trojan horse.

R

[Kimberley Tobin]

John - Did you forget the restraining order?  OOPS

[Toni Fuller]

Restraining order???  Just a piece of paper most of the time.  How many people have died and had one??  Unless you have a body guard by your side 24/7  anything can happen.  John Malone-haven't seen or heard from you & your family for yeeeears!!  Good to see you.  I'm sure you remember me, Toni, St. Louis assy.  Anyways,  I agree that I'm shocked David hasn't been arrested and put in jail??  We do have to pay the consequence in life when you do wrong, or am I just making that up??  Maybe if you know the right people you get excluded??

[Rachel]

Just to clarify,

I posted my thoughts on the article to reinforce the seriousness of the Leadership's lying and supressing of the abuse for three decades.  They prevented help coming to or the seeking of help for the victims of the abuse.  In doing that they were part of a criminal act.  If my mother had died as a result of the abuse, they could have been charged as accessories to a murder because her dealth would have been as a result of criminal activity.  I just wanted to stress the seriousness of the situation.  I still have found a lot of arrogance on the part of the leadership in thinking that they could remain in any form of leadership, either official or unofficial.  They need to take responsiblity and part of that would be making sure that they do not try to lead after they have been so corrupt neither remain in a place where people will defer to them because of their previous leadership position.

They need to realize the enormity of what they have done.  They were LUCKY that my mother never died and they were never pulled into a court of law to repay society for what they have done.

[Toni Fuller]

Rachel,  I truly feel that just because the LB's are in fellowship, doesn't exclude them from the consequences of the law.  RE: being held accountable for surpressing what was happening and also being accomplices during the whole process.  Just because you keep your mouth shut, doesn't allow you to plead innocent when you have full knowledge of something.  I'm praying for healing for your family.  Lord bless you!!  Toni