[OBW]

Interesting that this topic should be "live" at this moment. Only yesterday my dad reminded me of the time back in 2006 that I had noted to him (and my mom who was still alive then) concerning Philip Lee's doings and the fall-out from that, noting that I had said something about them not having any idea about it. I spent just a few minutes to lay out the sequence of events, mainly in Anaheim, the involvement of BP and RG, among others in the ensuing turmoil, and the writing of the book of lies, FOTPR. He acknowledged that he had a copy of it. I made it clear that it was a fabrication designed to keep anyone who actually heard about the conflict from discovering what had really gone on.

The unfortunate thing, at least for now, is that my dad merely shook his head in disgust and noted something like "people really seem to do some evil things." I added that the mere writing of FOTPR, for me, put Lee into a category in which he should have been disqualified from ministry immediately (I made no comment about before that time). My dad made no protest.

But then he mentioned something about BM, who had been an elder in Houston, then Arlington and Irving, all while working for the LSM, only to be pushed out quietly for infidelity, later marrying another elder's wife. He knew this (not of the infidelity at the time), but not what had happened before BM left Irving. I had the opportunity to fill him in on the history based on the record in TOG and Hope's additional testimony concerning the handling of BM's expulsion. I think his eyes were opened just a little to the kind of manipulation that went on. He noted that he had once asked PD, another elder (I think in Houston for at least a time, if not to this day) about what happened to BM and was told "it was in fellowship." That was considered an unsatisfactory and "weasel" response, but he knew he would get no more.

So, starting back in 1977, a time when all of the turmoil for John and Jane began, BM had a problem. He was then shuffled to Arlington. I moved to Arlington in July, 1977 and BM had just been moved there. Then when Irving came along, he was moved there. At some level, this is sort of like moving those predator priests around by the RCC.

And it is evidence that there was a kind of control going on. Even I had no idea that it was going on. I couldn't have said that I saw any of it. But it was real.

I now wonder if the attack on Jane and on others in Austin at the same time was an effort in throwing smoke grenades about a "rebellion" to keep the problems with an important member of the LSM team under the radar while they got him moved out to hide the problem and hope it would go away.

One other note. I took just a couple of minutes to spell out the sequence of events from Memorial Day weekend, 1977, through to the divorce and remarriage of the Austin elder's wife to BM many years later, pointing to the common theme in the Houston and Austin cases, the difference in the support of the husbands for their wives, and the fact that Jane was almost the only one trying to salvage this elder's marriage. My dad could only shake his head.

He has a few things to consider now. It may take some time. And he may decide that church is church and sinners are sinners and just keep on where he is. But can only be with a different view of the whole thing.