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| Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse? No - we consider it conditioning for leadership in Holy Mother WELS. |
"My years [at Luther Prep, Watertown] there were terrible and filled with pain. As an adult I now see many glaring situations that would have been appropriate to call law enforcement, speak to a trusted adult, and likely file lawsuits against the school, the Wisconsin Evangelical Synod, and the individuals charged with the care and well being of the students that boarded and attended there."
For those who do not know, the WELS prep schools - Michigan Lutheran Seminary in Saginaw, MI and Luther Prep in Watertown, WI - are considered the training high schools for teachers and pastors in the abusive sect.
At each level - prep, college, and seminary - abuse is protected and promoted. This behavior is so institutionalized that objecting is considered a crime, leading to ostracism by shunning and administrative action. WELS promotes bullying, verbal and physical abuse, because the leaders came through that system and loved it.
If a future pastor dislikes (!) the secretive hazing ritual once called GA and later called HB, the synod never forgives them. When I phoned the president of Northwestern College in Watertown (now merged into MLC) about a pastor objecting, he said, "X didn't like GA." That statement was delivered from events decades before, and it was meant as totaling discounting anything said about and against hazing. And no, the president did not want to meet to discuss it, period!
A Synod of Lies, Deceit, and Smirking about Evil
The most important aspect of WELS abuse is the sanctimonious denial of anything being wrong. Everyone is expected to lie and say, "Oh, he or she is just exaggerating. I am there all the time and I see nothing like that."
The pastors love it when their sons phone home and say, "They are going to cancel GA this year!" That deceit is used every year. The same students were told to wear good clothes and bring their girlfriends to Bone Crusher, where their clothes were ruined and they were humiliated in various ways. "Just having fun."
WELS considers evil "being tough." The result is a dying, abusive sect where those who know the most avoid the system altogether.
I attended Bone Crusher and heard the various obscene names applied to younger students. On the other hand, an athlete (by their standards) was treated as divine and flattered beyond belief. At GA they did their best to frighten their initiates into thinking the "hards" were out to get them. Leaders of the synod and faculty attend to revive their old memories and laugh at the deception.
Another part of WELS sect dishonesty is their beloved WELS Grapevine, a rumor machine that anonymously generates slander against anyone who is judged out of line. The clergy who endure the fun and games of broken bones, humiliations, and diving in raw sewage are deathly afraid of being on the wrong side of "The Grapevine". That is what they call it. "I heard on The Grapevine that..."
That is why WELS leaders are deathly afraid of anyone telling the truth about the many scandals and felonies covered up (often not fast enough) by those in charge. The shun button is not just pushed but slammed with both fists. That is why my sources vary from year to year. When everyone is afraid to talk, the one person who gives away the truth is going to be identified and punished. One hilarious example was everyone looking for "Legion." Another one was Synod President Gurgle trying to find out who gave me the synod statistics, which were public knowledge.
Gurgle wanted to know who told me that an adulterous pastor was promoted to Mission Counselor. Adultery and alcoholism are protected by the synod. Drunks promote drunks. ?Adulterers promote adulterers. The ELS helps with a quick transfer (which they deny). District Presidents swap no-good-niks, and Alaska is a good place to make crimes and misdemeanors forgotten.
Future DP Patterson wanted to know who was forwarding his parish newsletter. That took some time, and I had fun with simply quoting what he and Gurgle said.
Exaggeration? One person said, "If my extended family knew I contacted you, I would be shunned by every single one of them. They think WELS is perfect."
Get an Attorney
The WELS liars want someone on the warpath to sit down with them or "write a letter." Or meet with some people. The only purpose is to kill the story and drag the offended through the mud.
They have settled many lawsuits but never tell their members. They even lied to the court about having "no knowledge of sexual offenses in the WELS clergy." The judge made them eat that claim in court, because he had a list of names and places provided through the injured party's attorney - and a source.
Do not obey any instructions from WELS leaders about solving an issue. Talk to an attorney and communicate only through an attorney.
There are good and faithful WELS pastors. However, the system is corrupt, dishonest, adulterous, and always three sheets to the wind.
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| Objective Justification, the only dogma of WELS, gives them a license to pronounce the unrepentant forgiven, as Schroeder did with Hochmuth. |
