Mill Hill Disfellowshippings

I personally dont but it would be great to have an update of the scandal

Can anyone find the posting from a few months ago and post the link for us?

-Aude.

I heard that it was 2 bethelites disfellowshipped, and a few others from around NE London. Definitely for apostacy.  I couldn't find out anymore details than that.

IIRC, their "apostasy" was advocating Jesus Christ as mediator for ALL people, not just 10,857 nibble-n-sippers.  One of them went on to do a blog about it...if I can find it, I'll post.

their "apostasy" was advocating Jesus Christ as mediator for ALL people,

Would love to see the blog :)

No doubt it says something like this.

1 Timothy 2:5 (English Standard Version)

Where is Mill Hill? Britain?

Sure is Sir

North West London about 13 miles north of down town

unrelated to this thread but this is the link to the Charity Commission Report into the pedophile scandal in the Mill Hill Congregation

http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/investigations/inquiryreports/lonmill.asp

Mill Hill is the Kingdom Hall attached to London bethel, so effectively the main congregation in the UK and other territories served by the London Branch

Thanks cantleave, jookbeard, and besty.

The charity commission report is stating that congregations ought to require a Criminal Records check on all volunteers who work with children and young people.

This is now a matter of law in the UK and includes all volunteers. This is going to give them a massive admin task of getting checks completed on elders and M/S. I wonder how many will fail the checks? Lets hope the agency requires this of all appointees in every congregation, it remains to be seen.

As a football coach and club secretary I know keeping up with the legal requirements for volunteer staff is a big challenge. I can see lots of potential here for problems for congregations in UK

35. In charities where the trustees (and others, including volunteers) have direct contact with users who are vulnerable (for example, by reason of their age or mental health), more vigorous background checks to ensure their suitability may be necessary.  All charity trustees have a duty of care and a duty to act solely in the interests of their charity. The Commission considers charity trustees risk being in breach of these duties if they fail without good reason to carry out appropriate CRB checks when they are entitled to do so. In some circumstances such failures may be viewed as evidence of misconduct and / or mismanagement in the administration of the charity.  It is also a criminal offence in some circumstances for someone to offer certain positions working with children to someone who is disqualified from doing so. A CRB check is a reliable way of knowing whether a person has convictions which mean he/she is disqualified from acting in certain positions with children in charities and/or whether there are factors which the trustees ought to take into account in assessing their suitability to be involved in the charity. 

Hi,

just a little clarification, they weren't elders in mill hill. They were in other congregations. There were 3 elders, and one servant, all serving in responsible positions at Bethel, 2 elders and the servant involved in what the Society laughably refers to as "confidential" work. All 4 were disfellowshipped for apostasy - the MS went first, then the three elders in due time, one of whom was a partaker of the emblems. All 4 were disfellowshipped for believing that the entirety of the ransom, including the new covenant, and the mediatorship and everything else in the bible, applied to everyone. I can tell you that none of them wanted to be disfellowshipped, but there was no choice really.

I know this because I was one of them. Hope that this has cleared up your questions.

Thanks so much for sharing that information Paulpollos, sorry for what you have had to go through, sounds like it must have been a difficult and horrible situation to be in. I hope you are all doing o.k now.

Much love, BorgHater xx

Welcome Paulapollos. Hope you are adjusting well to life on the outside?

If and when you feel ready it would be interesting to know more of your story. What was life like at the London branch?

best wishes, cofty (aka Bill Blyth former elder Berwick-on-Tweed)

Thanks, Paulapolllos. Sorry they teated you with disrespect. It is obvious from the Bible that the ransom and all that goes with it, is for everyone. BUT, they can't lose their "special" slave class designation, as that would throw much of what they teach out the window.

It is shocking how they make honest people out to be the devil's spawn by their use of the word "apostate". Nothing puts fear into a jw heart quite like that word. They purposely don't allow the reason for labeling people as apostates to be known because it might cause some to think for themselves.

Thanks Paulapollos for the clarification on this matter and hope the best for you.

Welcome Paulapollos! Sorry to hear about your rough treatment. Look forward to your contributions and hearing more of your story when you're comfortable.

I always found it difficult to accept why the WTS states that the Greek Scriptures apply mainly to the anointed, but the principles apply to all.  Glad that ones with more courage than me made a stand.

Hi,

certainly, if you have any questions about what happened, or Bethel, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer fairly!  Because we were all serving in the congregations, we were all giving public talks etc that were teaching what we all knew to be true, teaching falsehood, and telling people to work hard, like hamsters on a wheel, always feeling guilty for not being good enough, trying harder and harder, so trapped in a terrible cycle - when that wasn't part of the bible message?!

As for the courage - I really don't think it was that as such. Really, they asked, and kept the inquistion up aginst all of us, interviewing all our friends and associates, monitoring us etc, for a period of months (they recorded one of my public talks and made constant reference to it in my JC - i have it somewhere, will try to dig it out) - what can you do? Deny what you know to be true just so you can talk to your friends and family?  I know others have made that choice, and that is absolutely fine and right for them, because of their circumstances - but for me and the others at the time......well, it just got to the point where you have to decide - lie and deny your beliefs, or just tell the truth. I suppose we just did what we had to. There was no courage, believe me!