Hi Mel,
I was referring not only to the loss of Damien Herr but to a number of
other losses over the years, that, only in their post-mortem states,
did they extract a reaction from the communities. Another that comes
to mind is the girl from Columbine, an average nobody, who only caught
the community spotlight because "She said Yes,"..right before she died.
I object to this border-line exploitation of the loss of human life as
a launching pad for communal publicity initiatives. Whatever happened
to the appreciation for the living? What ever happened to community
parents appreciating their alive and well 'inside' and 'outside' alike
(what difference should this make to a parent anyway?) children who
live their day to day lives, work hard for themselves and/or their
families..grandchildren who grow faster by the day who will never
receive such attention from their 'community family members', until
what? They are dead and gone? Ah..then it serves a purpose..it serves
to tap into what seems to have become an almost capitolistic communal
spirit of pessimism, self-pity, and what ultimately amounts to
self-serving egocentricity...
I applaud you and your cohorts Mel for the heart and soul you have
devoted into preserving the true spirit of what is, in essence, a
beautiful heritage of well-intentioned community. The Prairie Journals
are excellent pieces of work of which you and all of its authors should
be proud.
I hope that the communities, both at a corporate level and at an
individual level, can open their hearts and minds to learn from all
that some of their former friends and children have to offer in the
ways of reconciliation, honest and uncensored thought and opinion,
forgiveness, and dynamic growth and development of mind and spirit.
Post by m***@juno.comUnless or until the abuse ends, the communities will remain spiritually challenged and inept.
Proactive awareness and change means that someone does not have to die
or suffer great calamity to extract a 'community jolt.'
You probably refer to the death of teenager, Damien Herr. In the wake
of his untimely death "outside", there was a call for parents to love
their teens more dearly.
From what I "hear" (mainly from England), Church Communities
International is trying to "learn more" about where they have hurt
their former children/members/associates. That they feel the need to
make these inquiries (seemingly by persons who know nothing about
individual circumstances; not being briefed ahead of time) is
astonishing....perhaps even a bit off-putting. Yet I welcome such
efforts, PROVIDED they are undertaken with sincerity. My home is open,
and so it my heart.
I keep thinking about the molestations issues the Catholic Church USA
has to deal with. Here too, money was paid out in hopes of quieting
criticism. Money was paid without admissions of guilt. Only later,
under intense legal pressure, did the CC "go public", and put proactive
program into place...and issue both private and public apologies.
The Bruderhof-turned-Church-Communities-International has yet to
embrace the idea that there is strength in weakness. They have long
talked aobut being upfront with their 'warts and all", yet they
continue to struggle dealing with past, abusive behavior. Perhaps,
believing themselves to be Spirit led, they can only turn away from
such behavior; never able to PUBLICLY acknowledge that it was not of
the Spirit's leading.
CCI claims to be a group of "individuals". They say that objectionable
behavior ought to be taken directly to the source. What they are still
unable to "see" is that individual behavior all too often has corporate
backing; the backing of a supposedly "united brotherhood". For
instance, how is it possible for the individual family member to make a
decision about how to relate to family members "outside", when the Bhof
individual is exposed to numerous deathbed sermons praising the
Bruderhof dead for breaking sacred contact with children? Hardy was
praised. Ben was praised and honored. George was praised and his letter
renounicing his child "outside" was publicly read! How can Bhof/ CCI
family members be truly free to make UNCOERCED decisions when their
former elder rails against evil K.I.T Leut?
My hope is that CCI will open it's doors to its former associates, and
that it will extend a warm, forgiving hand and open heart to those who
have unsettled issues. Further, I hope that they will make it possible
for those who so choose, to exit their way of life with minimal trauma.
Finally, I hope they will examine the wisdom of selectively practicing
the hard sayings of Jesus. It is on this count, I believe, that new
membership is dwindling.
Thank you for your comments, W4.
Mel