Statement - Alyssa Moore, Linda Shelton's daughter Options

[tall73]

It is true that "brethren" are not to go to law against each other. However, the biblical precedent is clear that, if all the allegations are true, Danny should long ago have been disfellowshipped for his sexual misconduct and would therefore no longer be a "brother in the church."
Indeed!!!

For 3ABN to even request such a "hearing" is to attempt to intimidate her and thus re-abuse her.

Is there a direct correlation between going to law in a dispute and going to the authorities in a criminal case? The case in Corinth appears to be more of a civil law suit. They were taking matters to judges to decide when the church had authority to rule in such trivial cases.

God established the authorities to punish the wrongdoer, according to Romans 13, and the text already cited in Peter's epistle. We are not to take vengeance and are to leave it to God's justice. But the role of the goverment is to "bear the sword."

If someone is criminally abusing people (which can be established in court if so), then they need to be prosecuted in my view.

Once the criminal courts have found them guilty it is pretty easy for the local church to make a case for disfellowshipping.

At the same time the pastor and church do play a role. They play a pastoral role to all involved. And they may try to avoid a protracted case by seeing whether the person really is guilty and asking them to come forward if they are.

But to me God establishes the governing authorities for a reason, and there is no conflict in taking criminal matters to the government.

We leave final judgment to God. We forgive for the hurts caused to us. But we also recognize the penalties for sin in this life, and that people need protection from those who do harm. Therefore the government has a legitimate role in punishing the wrong doer.

The original purpose of Paul's letter was to encourage submission to the goverment. However, it clearly outlines its role as structured by God.

This post has been edited by tall73: Oct 19 2006, 01:15 PM

[tall73]

[color=#3366FF]1Co 6:1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?
1Co 6:2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?
1Co 6:3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!
1Co 6:4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?
1Co 6:5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers,
1Co 6:6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?
1Co 6:7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?
1Co 6:8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud--even your own brothers!

It appears that the issues in Corinth were primarily financial "defraudment" or disputes over money. That is a little different than sexual crimes, etc.

The church could settle a dispute and have restitution made. But they did not have authority to put to death, which was the work of the government.


This post has been edited by tall73: Oct 19 2006, 01:18 PM

[jodi]

Look at the tough time that Barbara Kerr had. Even if she was working closely with both Danny and Linda, she was confused. Things weren't as clear then as they seem now. Thank you so much for speaking out. I am so proud of you

Yes, Barbara did have a very hard time trying to figure out what Danny was all about initially - but soon his 'real colors' became apparant. I had personal experience with this man also and finally, wrote him a letter asking him if anything he ever said was, in fact, the truth, because I knew personally, everything he said about Barbara was nothing but lies. He never responded to my email to him.

I am glad that with the investigation nearing its completion, the truth will come out and it can't come too soon for this person. Danny has done alot of damage and hurt alot of people and it is time that he be held accountable to all. THAT is Biblical. Restitution is Biblical, and oh, how he needs to make restitution....I am counting the days, hours and minutes!!

[sonshineonme]

Look at the tough time that Barbara Kerr had. Even if she was working closely with both Danny and Linda, she was confused. Things weren't as clear then as they seem now. Thank you so much for speaking out. I am so proud of you

Yes, Barbara did have a very hard time trying to figure out what Danny was all about initially - but soon his 'real colors' became apparant. I had personal experience with this man also and finally, wrote him a letter asking him if anything he ever said was, in fact, the truth, because I knew personally, everything he said about Barbara was nothing but lies. He never responded to my email to him.

I am glad that with the investigation nearing its completion, the truth will come out and it can't come too soon for this person. Danny has done alot of damage and hurt alot of people and it is time that he be held accountable to all. THAT is Biblical. Restitution is Biblical, and oh, how he needs to make restitution....I am counting the days, hours and minutes!!

Remember to pray for those that may stand in place to hear the "truths", that they will do the right thing. I personally (and honestly) do not have faith in them, that is my issue (pray for me too ), but the most important thing to me is that God knows the truth, and that man will fail us time and time again, in the most dispicable ways even, so please pray that God's will be done and that justice can happen now too, not just when Jesus returns.

[Seraphim7]

Is there a direct correlation between going to law in a dispute and going to the authorities in a criminal case? The case in Corinth appears to be more of a civil law suit. They were taking matters to judges to decide when the church had authority to rule in such trivial cases.

God established the authorities to punish the wrongdoer, according to Romans 13, and the text already cited in Peter's epistle. We are not to take vengeance and are to leave it to God's justice. But the role of the goverment is to "bear the sword."

If someone is criminally abusing people (which can be established in court if so), then they need to be prosecuted in my view.

Once the criminal courts have found them guilty it is pretty easy for the local church to make a case for disfellowshipping.

At the same time the pastor and church do play a role. They play a pastoral role to all involved. And they may try to avoid a protracted case by seeing whether the person really is guilty and asking them to come forward if they are.

But to me God establishes the governing authorities for a reason, and there is no conflict in taking criminal matters to the government.

We leave final judgment to God. We forgive for the hurts caused to us. But we also recognize the penalties for sin in this life, and that people need protection from those who do harm. Therefore the government has a legitimate role in punishing the wrong doer.

The original purpose of Paul's letter was to encourage submission to the goverment. However, it clearly outlines its role as structured by God.

Well said...

[Rosyroi]

Somebody help me here, but I believe 3abn started in the mid-80's? That gives us 20+ years of stuff to talk about. Danny started 3abn with Linda as his wife. Whatever happen with his frist wife is out of scope.

Wow! my memory isen't as bad as I thought it was. I thought that was what one of the Admin stated in another post. I just don't remember where I saw it.

[SoulEspresso]

I can't believe I hadn't read this thread before, though I'd seen allusions to the information.

I'm ashamed to be an employee of this denomination. I can understand them not making this stuff public, for their own sake and Alyssa's -- but in God's name why hasn't the denomination publicly disassociated itself from 3ABN? Even if this were the only issue it would be enough.

[mozart]

i recommend that he be sentenced to life doing ALL the "clean up" after Barbara and Linda's new cooking show.

Look at the tough time that Barbara Kerr had. Even if she was working closely with both Danny and Linda, she was confused. Things weren't as clear then as they seem now. Thank you so much for speaking out. I am so proud of you

Yes, Barbara did have a very hard time trying to figure out what Danny was all about initially - but soon his 'real colors' became apparant. I had personal experience with this man also and finally, wrote him a letter asking him if anything he ever said was, in fact, the truth, because I knew personally, everything he said about Barbara was nothing but lies. He never responded to my email to him.

I am glad that with the investigation nearing its completion, the truth will come out and it can't come too soon for this person. Danny has done alot of damage and hurt alot of people and it is time that he be held accountable to all. THAT is Biblical. Restitution is Biblical, and oh, how he needs to make restitution....I am counting the days, hours and minutes!!

[watchbird]

I can't believe I hadn't read this thread before, though I'd seen allusions to the information.

I'm ashamed to be an employee of this denomination. I can understand them not making this stuff public, for their own sake and Alyssa's -- but in God's name why hasn't the denomination publicly disassociated itself from 3ABN? Even if this were the only issue it would be enough.

This is what a lot of us have been saying for nearly three years now. The answer is extremely complex. Keep roaming the forum... you will doubtless find other threads that may surprise you and that you can bump to the top. You may even find a few that are locked so that you can't bump them to the top. In that case all you can do is to give the url of either the thread or some particular post in the thread to which you wish to draw our attention.

I'm not sure if this thread drew attention to the "through locked doors" vingette that was posted... I believe in one of the "history" threads. But if you can find it... that throws some interesting light on this particular topic.

Thank you for bringing this one to the top. And please know that it did indeed have some effect on many in "high places" even though not the complete effect that we would like to have seen. Still, as with other things in this saga, we have learned that each delay brings new revelations... thus in retrospect we can see God's hand holding back the final acts of the drama until all has been sufficiently revealed.

If you noticed the dates... the Statement which began this thread was dated July 7, 2006, yet the thread was not begun until October 4, 2006. The reason for this time lag is partially explained in post #9, where I gave a bit of the history of this document before it ever reached the BSDA forum.

In this post I referenced another thread that I had begun on August 13, 2006, "3abn Presents "the Battle..." Don't Miss It. which was the two hour special, "The Battle Is The Lord's", starring Danny Shelton , John Lomacang, Mollie Steinson, Moses Primo, Shelley Quin, and Walter Thompson. This was the program in which they attempted to do "damage control" in regard to the Statement by Alyssa.

You may wish to bump that one to the top also.

This post has been edited by watchbird: May 6 2007, 07:01 PM

[Treniece]

Maybe DS has somewhat of a split personality, meaning he is able to cloak on a garb of spirituality that seems so genuine irrespective of the fact that he has major personality faults.

[Daryl Fawcett]

I just noticed that this is the only post that source ever made here at BSDA.

Why is it that the only post this source ever made was a letter that should never have been posted here in the first place, as it had been done without the writer's permission?

What motivated this person to post this?

Seems kind of suspicious to me!!!

This post has been edited by Daryl Fawcett: Dec 31 2007, 02:57 PM

[Artiste]

Since I am assuming that you are neither a pastor nor a church leader.... which we loosely translated as either Conference administrators or lay leaders, especially if they were in abuse counseling professions.... then you should not have received one. And it is quite possible that all who are in that category have not yet received a copy.... it is a very large task to send them out.
You are so correct. That being the case, it would seem to me that the best route to take from here.... "go with the flow" as Calvin says.... will be to give a certain and clear "ring" to the bell.

For starters, let's look at some of the history of the sending of this statement. It was, as I have noted, to be distributed only by email, and it was to always be accompanied by the cover letter with which it was originally sent. It was channeled through Johann, with him sending out the first waves, and others who received it sending it on to others who fit the criteria specified. That first wave included several of the top leaders of our church as well as some of the primary persons involved in the 3abn saga for the last two plus years.

It was first distributed shortly before the ASI Conference this summer, and came to Danny's attention at that time. His reaction was to first of all claim that Alyssa didn't really do it of her own initiative, that he had talked to her since the statement came out, and that it meant nothing.... in reality he and Alyssa were very "close friends". Some who heard his reaction at ASI checked with Alyssa and found that there was no truth in what Danny was saying, and in fact Danny did not even have Alyssa's current phone numbers.

At about the same time, or shortly thereafter, Alyssa made notarized copies of her statement and mailed them in hard copy to selected top church officers. This, I am told, created such a great stir in the GC waters that it sent 3abn into a "circle the wagons" mode, which was made obvious in their "3ABN Today LIVE" two hour special which was shown multiple times the weekend of August 11-13.

Note that we have previously discussed this on BSDA under the thread entitled, "3abn Presents "the Battle ..." Don't Miss It, Special program rerun times...." where we noted that Shelly Quinn's sermon in particular was best understood by those of us who knew of the statement made by Alyssa. See http://www.blacksda.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10422

At present, I am told that 3abn is demanding a "hearing" with Alyssa.... something that some of us feel is a rather inhumane way for her to go, and are hoping that she will refuse. Something as difficult for her to handle as this has to be, certainly should be handled in a counseling atmosphere rather than an adversarial one. But this is one of those things which are currently residing under the "we have to wait and see" rubric .... trusting that God has supplied her with wise and kind counselors.... both legal and psychological.... so that she is having all the help necessary to move through whatever lies ahead in this area.

Others are, I am sure, much more acquainted with the details of what it must have been like growing up as a step-daughter in the Danny Shelton household, with Melody and Danny's relationship as the closest "model" on which to build her concepts of what a father/daughter relationship should "look like". I hope that they will give us some insights into that.

Others who are reading here are trained counselors.... I hope they will now speak up and discuss in a general and professional way the hurdles and phases of healing that someone who has undergone experiences like this have to face and go through.

We have already heard from Barbara Kerr, who seemingly was the first to learn what had happened and pass it on to Linda.... who until that time had not known of it. She shared something of the way she learned about it with us in the thread pinned at the top of the menu, entitled, "Open Letter To Bsda, This letter was send to me from Barbara Kerr to publish here" . You'll find her comments on this near the end of her original letter. While I am sure there is still much that she knows that she will not share with us because of the delicate and personal nature of the information, I do hope Barb will come back and help us in our understanding of what has and is going on in this area.

May we be especially kind and loving in our discussion of this topic is my prayer today.

I just reread this explanation of the train of events...as well as Calvin's original mention of clearing the post with "source".

What suspicions might you have, Daryl?


************************************************************

[Artiste]

Here is Alyssa's original letter:

July 7, 2006
This is a formal statement which is long overdue. I did not disclose this information when the events occurred because I did not want to hurt my mother. I did not want to cause trouble with 3 ABN, and I was too embarrassed to talk about it. Now that some time has passed and circumstances have changed I feel the need to share this information. I want to spare others from being exposed to the same treatment that I have experienced.

1) The repeated inappropriate actions from my ex-stepfather, Danny Shelton, occurred in the summer of the year 2000.

2) I had been away at school for some years. I was happy to be returning home to attend a local University.

3) My mother always went to bed rather early. Her bedroom was upstairs and my bedroom was downstairs. Danny started coming into my room getting into my bed and rubbing my back. He seemed to “accidentally” get too low. I told him I did not want a back rub. He ignored me. This happened repeatedly.

4) I began locking my bedroom door every night. Sometimes he would come to the door and knock again and again. I did not answer. He then repeatedly unlocked my bedroom door and
came into my room. He would then get into my bed. I was not comfortable with this but I was so tired I still fell asleep. I awoke sometimes with his hands in inappropriate places. He would say “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought it was your Mom.” He told me not to tell my Mom. I told him to stay out of my room. He still came. I started sleep on the living room couch so that he could not lie beside me.

5) I felt threatened and very uncomfortable with these things, so I made arrangements to move out.

Signed,



_______________
Alyssa Moore (daughter of Linda Shelton )

[PrincessDrRe]

[calvin]

I just noticed that this is the only post that source ever made here at BSDA.

Why is it that the only post this source ever made was a letter that should never have been posted here in the first place, as it had been done without the writer's permission?

What motivated this person to post this?

Seems kind of suspicious to me!!!

People have legitimate reasons to post anonymously, without it, there would be no Sister, FHB, Appletree, and others who have made 3abn such an interesting discussion for many . Now I know who source is, they had this letter of interest related to 3abn and asked my permission to publish it here. I GAVE THE PERMISSION. This letter had been published widely in Adventist circles before it was published here. Not that I really owe anyone an explanation.