Bill Gothard, Institutes in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), Lawsuit, Sex Abuse, Rape, Sexual Grooming
Many of you are probably aware of the recent amendments to the sexual abuse lawsuit against Institutes in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), the group being sued by women who are claiming that Bill Gothard sexually abused and groomed them.
A major development is the addition of plaintiffs, Bill Gothard has finally been added to the lawsuit, and there are now charges of sexual molestation, including rape.
The story has already received quite a bit of media attention:
New charges allege religious leader, who has ties to the Duggars, sexually abused women – Washington Post
More Women Sue Bill Gothard and IBLP, Alleging Sexual Abuse – Christianity Today
Bill Gothard, Christian counseling ministry leader with ties to TLC’s Duggar family, target of sexual assault lawsuit by 10 women – New York Daily News
New charges allege Illinois-based religious leader, with ties to the Duggars, sexually abused women – Chicago Tribune
I received an e-mail from an attorney who works with David Gibbs III, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, along with the lawsuit (complaint).
The entire complaint can be found at the following link. Please be advised that this lawsuit goes into detail of the alleged sexual abuse.
IBLP Bill Gothard Amended Complaint Sex Abuse Rape
Along with the complaint, Gibbs and his attorney also offered the following information which I believe is very helpful in understanding the lawsuit, and so you can find the paragraphs more easily.
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From the Office of Attorney David C. Gibbs III
A brief outline/synopsis of the Amended Complaint vs. the original Complaint:
There are five new Plaintiffs, Jane Doe II, Melody Fedoriw, Jane Doe III, Jamie Deering, and Ruth Copley Burger.
For all ten of the Plaintiffs, the five new and the five existing Plaintiffs, there are now four counts for each Plaintiff: Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress (NIED), Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress (IIED), Willful & Wanton Conduct (this is essentially gross negligence), and Civil Conspiracy. The claims are listed in that order for each Plaintiff.
For each Plaintiff, in the NIED count (counts I,V,IX, XIII, XVII, etc.), you will find a description of the facts of that Plaintiff’s case – their story – what happened to them. Those facts are then used as the basis of each of the counts for that Plaintiff. The original Complaint had very few facts by design.
You will also see that the Amended Complaint included two exhibits. Exhibit A is an affidavit that Bill Gothard signed. It supports much – certainly not all, but much – of what is said in the Amended Complaint. The Amended Complaint also contains a second Exhibit, Exhibit B. The Amended Complaint indicates that this is a statement that Bill Gothard authored apologizing for his sexual harassment/abuse of the victims, including our Plaintiffs.
As I said above, in the original Complaint, we pled hardly any facts. One of the reasons for this is that we were trying to keep the door to settlement open. The impact of the information contained in this Amended Complaint could be significant. Before making this public, we wanted to give IBLP every chance to settle this case. IBLP has consistently refused to even talk about settlement and their attorneys insisted on more facts, so we gave them what they requested.
It is interesting that now that the Amended Complaint has been filed, IBLP posted a statement including the following: “The Institute takes very seriously any allegations of this nature, and above all else, is interested in determining the truth. We therefore welcome the structure and integrity of the court process as a means for determining the truth with respect to these allegations.” It was IBLP’s previous position that there was no truth to these allegations. There was nothing to talk about. That was the point of the investigation they completed back in 2014. They claimed there was nothing criminal. Now, IBLP is finally ready to “determin[] the truth with respect to these allegations.” (http://iblp.org/news/plaintiffs-refile-lawsuit) I think we are finally beginning to make progress.
A brief synopsis of the facts stated for each Plaintiff:
Gretchen Wilkinson – the Amended Complaint states: she was sexually molested and harassed by Bill Gothard. (See paragraphs 40 – 50.)
Jane Doe – the Amended Complaint states: she was a victim of incest and severe physical and psychological abuse at home. Despite the fact that she repeatedly came to Bill Gothard and IBLP for help, she was told to “let go of her bitterness, “to let go of her rights,” and to “stop being rebellious.” Because she was adopted, Bill Gothard advised her family to disowner her, which they did. Because she was medically fragile, this had a devastating effect on her health. (See paragraphs 72 to 93.)
Jane Doe II – the Amended Complaint states: she was also a victim of incest. She was also trafficked by her father. When she brought these concerns to Gothard and other IBLP staff, they refused to help. At paragraphs 131 – 133, you will see that Gothard actually had sex with Jane Doe II, after she came to him for help regarding her sexual abuse. At paragraphs 122 – 125 of the Amended Complaint, you will see that Jane Doe II was raped by Kenneth Copley, a “Biblical Counselor” at IBLP’s Indianapolis Training Center. (See paragraphs 117 – 141.)
Melody Fedoriw – the Amended Complaint states: she was sexually molested by Bill Gothard at IBLP headquarters in 2012 at the age of 15. She made a report to the Hinsdale, Illinois Police Department. The conduct was classified as a misdemeanor and was not prosecuted, because the criminal statute of limitations had passed by the time the report was made and the matter was investigated. An associate of Bill Gothard’s had made a FOIA request for the police report back in 2014. (See paragraphs 166 through 180.)
Charis Barker – the Amended Complaint states: she was sexually harassed by Bill Gothard at IBLP headquarter for an 18 month period, beginning when she was 18 years old. The details of his behavior toward Ms. Barker a very similar to the ways he sexually harassed many of his other victims. (See paragraphs 203 – 223.)
Rachel Frost – the Amended Complaint states: she was sexually harassed by Bill Gothard at IBLP headquarters while she was a minor and then while she was an adult. This continued over approximately a three-year period. (See paragraphs 248 – 280.)
Rachel Lees – the Amended Complaint states: she was sexually harassed by Bill Gothard at IBLP headquarters when she was twenty years old for approximately one year. (Paragraphs 305 – 325.)
Jane Doe III – the Amended Complaint states: she was sexually harassed by Bill Gothard at IBLP headquarters when she was 18 years old. Gothard had invited Jane Doe III to come to headquarters for counseling due to difficulties in her relationship with her father. He really had no interest in counseling Jane Doe III. He used this opportunity to try to separate her from her mother, so he could have her at headquarters alone. When Jane Doe III posted her experiences to the Recovering Grace website, Gothard verbally assaulted her for three weeks, until she agree to take the posts down. Jane Doe III made a number of attempts to bring Gothard’s conduct to the IBLP Board’s attention. She even went to CLA directly, to make sure they were aware of Gothard’s conduct for purposes of their “investigation,” but she was ignored. (Paragraphs 351 – 372.)
Jamie Deering was one of the younger victims. The Amended Complaint states: Gothard invited her to come to headquarters – alone – at the age of 14. Gothard sexually abused Ms. Deering, including inappropriate touching while she was a minor. Gothard also refused to help Ms. Deering when she attempted to contact him, as a result of physical abuse that she was suffering at home. (See paragraphs 396-416.)
Ruth Copley Burger is the adopted daughter of former IBLP “Biblical Counselor” Kenneth Copley. The Amended Complaint states: Copley repeatedly sexually molested and abused Ms. Burger. This occurred while Ms. Burger was living at the IBLP Indianapolis Training Center. Copley would use Training Center rooms – outside his residence – as the site of some of Ms. Burger’s abuse. He had a history of sexual misconduct before he was hired by IBLP and was ultimately terminated by IBLP due to sexual misconduct. Copley also raped Jane Doe II. (See paragraphs 441 – 459.)
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While the original lawsuit alluded to primarily sexual grooming, the difference now is there are clear indications in the lawsuit of sexual molestation and criminal activity. I took a couple of screen shots showing specific details (trigger warning):
Please pray for the brave ladies who have come forward. This is certainly an emotional time for them, having waited all these years.
Spiritual Sounding Board 
Reblogged this on Speakingtruthinlove's Blog.
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Just letting you know that this link is not working:
“IBLP Bill Gothard Amended Complaint Sex Abuse Rape”
Click on that link at the top of your post takes me to a page that says something like, “sorry this content cannot be found”
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Thank you, Daisy. I’ll check it.
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“At paragraphs 131 – 133, you will see that Gothard actually had sex with Jane Doe II, after she came to him for help regarding her sexual abuse.”
Using the words “had sex” instead of rape makes the offense seem less severe. Let’s call it what it is. He raped her.
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This is so much worse than what we previously knew. It was heartbreaking before but the extent of the evil that was done is making me physically ill. Those poor girls! I believe them and I hope they can rebuild their lives.
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Prison! Gothard and crew need to go to prison after forfeiting every penny they own to the victims. Making them eunuchs wouldn’t be a bad move either. Wicked, evil men who are headed for hell.
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Good point, Jessica. I have a hunch that if he thought about that wording twice, he would have changed that wording. I just got off the phone with Gibbs (before seeing your comment) and he definitely believes it was rape.
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I’m so glad to see this lawsuit evolving with more plaintiffs joining the case. Most importantly, I’m thrilled to pieces that Gothard himself is being named in the suit. He’s a sick, twisted, evil piece of dogshit, and his entire organization deserves to be permanently burned to the ground and forever consigned to the footnotes of embarrassing cult history.
I’m still waiting for someone to come forward with charges of rape and/or abuse that fall within the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution. Knowing what I know about how the Gothard cult works, I am certain that a) multiple such cases exist, and b) the parents of the victims have shamed and abused the victims into silence out of their irrational worship of Gothard’s heretical dogma. I am fervently hoping and praying that some of these families snap out of it and encourage their daughters to step forward with their stories.
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I second what Jeff Crippen said:
Prison! Gothard and crew need to go to prison after forfeiting every penny they own to the victims. Making them eunuchs wouldn’t be a bad move either. Wicked, evil men who are headed for hell.
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Also, you’ve just gotta love Gothard’s quoted flat denial of every allegation. What an idiot. If this case goes to trial, his denial is now public record and the jury will flay him. He’s hung himself.
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The dirty B scandal deepens by the day.
If he goes to jail (one can only hope and pray)…
I’m sure there will be many men just like him who will love to get to ‘know him’ in the Genesis 19 sense. (sorry if you’ve just eaten)
May there be a wonderful harvest of reaping for this chap and those who ignored the abuse.
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It is too bad these cases take so darn long in the courts – he’ll be dead before being sentenced!
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I’m with Marsha here. Tremendously sad to see that what really went on is far nastier than one would have inferred by reading “Recovering Grace” and their accounts. Gothard is very lucky that the victims, or family members of the victims, didn’t settle things out of court, if you catch my drift.
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My heart breaks for the many victims (and perhaps others) who trusted Gothard and those within the Institute leadership. To whom will such a victim turn when she has been betrayed by those whom she trusted to protect her? I pray not only that justice is done for these victims, but that the contemporary church begins to take a much closer look at those in leadership when such allegations are made, to pull back the curtain, pursue the truth and address such violations with a swift and righteous fervor! Providing cover for these predators within the body is unacceptable.
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Praying for the victims. Can’t imagine what they are being subjected to after enduring such evil and then coming forward with the truth? We all know that victims will be victimized over and over again. “Lord. Protect these precious souls.”
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I hope this case blows up enough to publically expose the toxic nature of patriarchal, obedience centered Christian organizations. There are still many parents who believe “obedience to authority” is key in raising Godly children. Anyone who approaches these families “in the name of Christ” is automatically embraced.
Unfortunately, some parents would rather “sacrifice” their child’s innocence before admitting that a man of God would harm their child. Gothard was clever in that he seemed to target young women from troubled families. Predators find children from “troubled families” easier to groom and manipulate.
JA, thank you for following this case. Parents have to wake up to the fact that 1) there are people that go In to ministry solely to have access to children and teen-agers, 2) obedience to authority is not the Gospel message and 3) exposing these predators publically is not going to “destroy God’s witness to the world” (a big excuse used to protect a ministry’s reputation).
God is God and nothing can thwart his purposes. I pray for healing and justice for all the victims named and unnamed.
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Ann said: “Unfortunately, some parents would rather “sacrifice” their child’s innocence before admitting that a man of God would harm their child.”
This reminds me of the movie Spotlight in regard to the Catholic Church child sex abuse cases in Boston. Many parents and people living in the community of Boston did not have it in them to believe that those “men of God” could ever do such a horrific act. Men like Gothard come off as being nice, kind, caring, and compassionate, but it’s all a predatory act.
These women are brave! I can only hope that there are some men who knew them at IBLP, and by chance knew what Gothard was doing, that would stand up and say that they support them. The fact that Gothard is still influential is sickening.
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Is Alfred still denying that BG is guilty over on discoveringgrace?
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I followed a link from heresyintheheartland on Gothard’s nonpology,
http://heresyintheheartland.blogspot.com/2014/07/when-apologies-make-it-worse.html
And found some real gems:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/07/hobby-lobby-bill-gothard-institute-basic-life-principles
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And this one here:
http://midwestoutreach.org/issues-of-concern-bill-gothard-and-the-bible-a-report/
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While I’m glad this is happening.
What happened was far worse than many of us knew.
Sending love and healing to the victims.
Thank you for being brave.
I wish words could express what I feel right now.
I just hope they know that many of us would be willing to support them via a gofundme or a donation fund set up at a bank, so they can heal and receive any therapy they may need.
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Eva, I’m sure Alfred will defend BG until his dying day. But to answer your question, I really haven’t checked that site. It gets me worked up.
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Further evidence of Gothard’s nonpology and his sham at seeking forgiveness. I hope more women come forward.
Gothard– the Bill Cosby of Evangelicalism.
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I am now up to around pages 19 – 21 of the PDF Julie Anne linked us to at the top of the page, which works now, thank you for fixing that, Julie Anne:
(the PDF)
The sexual abuse is bad enough, but according to this section of the pdf (starting around p 19), Gothard taught that adopted kids may be demonic, should be forced to earn their keep in their adopted family, and should probably be returned to the state/ orphanage.
I’m trying to keep my language clean, but this really makes me angry – Gothard is not just a deviant concerning the sexual abuse, but a total ——- (insert naughty word of your choice there — for his views about adoptive kids.
It kind of reminds me of Pat Robertson’s views on adopted kids (this is a video on You Tube):
Pat Robertson’s Advice: Don’t Adopt Children
I would think Christians would feel protective or whatever towards orphans, not treat them like they are damaged goods.
Another atrocious thing I’ve seen a time or two skimming over the PDF (up to page 21 so far) are the number of times Gothard blames the victims, by telling them “stop being bitter” and so on. What a slime ball.
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BeenThereDoneThat wrote (quoting another page),
As someone who’s never married, I scratch my head at this sort of thing for different reasons, one of which: Christians over-think marriage and marital roles, and it’s so unnecessary and strange.
And the ones who obsess about marriage don’t seem to think through adult singleness (you would Gothard would since he never married, but most material I’ve seen from him revolved around married people).
If he’s not going to sign a hammer or chisel or whatever tool function to a single adult, can I pick my own inanimate object to be? Can I pattern myself after the top hat playing piece from Monopoly?
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“Gothard– the Bill Cosby of Evangelicalism.”
David Gibbs said as much to me today.
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Dear Brave Ladies,
I am so proud of you. I can’t imagine how difficult this has been for you and how difficult it is to bring this forward now. But I am rejoicing in your strength and resolve. You will make the world a better place for those who come after you. Without selfless, brave people like you, abuse is allowed to continue and grow worse in the darkness.
Please take good care of yourselves and know that I, and I know many, will be praying for you and upholding you in Christ.
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Gothard probably thought he was free and clear with the first filing directed only at the board. I hope now that he is named in the 2nd lawsuit I hope even more women will come forward.
It’s clear his “teachings” were “green lights” to men they could abuse women in all realms and think they’d get away with it.
I hope Anna Duggar and her parents pay close attention to these women and get herself far away from Josh and his family. Jim Bob & Michelle seem hopelessly attached to Gothard and his crazy principles.
Wonder if Gothard is whipping out his “law booklets” to prepare his own defense?!
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I’ve been reading Alfred Corduan’s “Discovering Grace” website, and holy bat guano. Bloody hell. That guy has his head jammed so far up Bill’s ass that it’s a wonder he hasn’t suffocated.
Honestly, I hope Bill ends up in jail just so I can shove Alfred’s face in it. What a nutcase.
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Here’s a characteristic comment from Alfred’s website:
“I rebuke that lawsuit in the Name of Jesus Christ. I command the evil forces behind it to stop. I command the lawsuit to cease in the Name of Jesus Christ. I come against it and tear it down. May it fall to pieces in the Name of Jesus Christ. I command it to go away, cease, not to prosper or be succesfull in the Name of Jesus Christ. I come against it. I tear it down. Cease in the Name of Jesus Christ. Come to nothing against my brother. May the court and judges show Bill favor. This lawsuit is not above the Name of Jesus Christ. I render it powerless. I command the people behind it to stop their activity in the Name of Jesus Christ. May this attempt stop in the court system and the lawsuit disappear, May it no longer exist in the Name of Jesus Christ. I command the demonic spirit to cease their activity in the lives of the people who started it. May be be done Almighty God in Jesus Name.”
http://www.discoveringgrace.com/did-he-do-it/#comment-892
Yeah, no. If God exists, lady, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
As for me, it is my fervent prayer that God will bring justice to Bill Gothard’s victims. It is my fervent prayer that Gothard will live long enough to see his foul work burned to ashes and his name a curse on every tongue, as it should be. It is my fervent prayer that Gothard will be brought down on criminal charges and spend the rest of his life in prison, humiliated and exposed as the false teacher he has been his entire life. In the name of God Almighty I pray these things.
Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
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Dash:
Yikes… I didn’t know whether to chuckle or cringe reading that commenter’s nutty prayer against the lawsuit. Especially phrases like:
“This lawsuit is not above the Name of Jesus Christ. I render it powerless. I command the people behind it to stop their activity in the Name of Jesus Christ.”
I think she might as well be saying, “Abracadabra! I speak and it is so!! Abracadabra!!” (Sorry, HUG!)
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@Dash
Sounds almost like an imprecatory prayer to me. These victims are being controlled by demons? What a nut job.
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What will it take before Christians learn that following a religious leader instead of following Jesus is a recipe for disaster? Paul warned us in the Bible and we have two millennia of horrible examples we should have learned from.
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From the comment posted by @Dash (taken from Alfred’s website)
“May the court and judges show Bill favor. This lawsuit is not above the Name of Jesus Christ.”
Well, guess what, lady!?
Bill is NOT above the law of the land!
Alfred better tell his kids to start looking for new jobs.
Because this lawsuit is going to be the straw that breaks the IBLP’s back.
Deservedly so. It’s teachings and leadership has ruined countless lives.
The false prophet is nothing but a rapist and the fellow leadership participated in the cover-up of serious crimes.
One of them a MD (Paine) who did not report sexual abuse. Which Doctors are required to do.
I am very glad that the lawsuit also calls out HQ’s true motive behind moving to Big Sandy.
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If he goes to jail (one can only hope and pray)…
That depends on the statute of limitations in the state(s) where the alleged rape and molestations occurred. It’s possible Bill Gothard could escape criminal prosecution if time has run out. Even if it hasn’t, I seriously doubt the courts would incarcerate a man already in his 80’s. However, the stigma of a conviction and having to register as a sex offender would likely put an end to his public ministry. (Not that Bill Gothard has any business being in public ministry at this point.)
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Amazing, does all this commanding business work ? I hope it does….
I hereby command all the worlds Gummy Bears to march to my freezer. I order all IRS audits ( especially mine ) to cease ! I command the PowerBall to reach 1.3 billion and for my ticket to win.
Do people really believe they have this kind of wham bam name it & claim it power ? I mean come on, this is weird. Like they have watched the movie BIG one thousand times too many.
I wonder when the creeps that have defended this lying , molesting pervert (for what reason I do NOT understand ) will admit they were conned. I wonder if he is charged, convicted and sent to prison, will they still defend the maggot? My grandfather ( Church of God pastor/regional overseer ) told me before be died, ” legalism gets nasty by its very nature, and the really legalistic types are the ones that always have a bunch of secret, gross stuff”. He dealt with the deacons with girlfriends on the side, the pastor with a sex dungeon in his basement that liked to beat young girls, the choir director that was a swinger, and my favorite this guy that was always filing “church court” charges on everyone. Skip church three times in a row and you get a letter from him. He did that for years. Then his wife divorced him and moved out of state. He finally got her excommunicated from the church she joined after leaving the church of God. It took years but he got her disciplined. Then the young man renting his basement came to my grandfather and told of coming home early from work and catching brother holier than thou in a formal ball gown, huge wig and heels. He wanted to borrow the pick up to move his stuff to storage immediately and needed help loading his stuff. My grandfather made some calls and had a army of guys move the kid out very rapidly. The holier than thou Princess left the church. His ex-wife was sick of his adultry with OTHER MEN and it turns out that is why she had left the marriage. She was victimized by her husband’s perversion and then by her new church.
I hope to God the same fate doesn’t engulf the women exposing Billy the perv.
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“If he goes to jail (one can only hope and pray)…”
Well, this is a civil case, so there will be no jail time for Bill, even if he loses the case. Authorities would have to bring criminal charges against him first in a separate trial.
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Julie Anne commented, “Well, this is a civil case, so there will be no jail time for Bill, even if he loses the case. Authorities would have to bring criminal charges against him first in a separate trial.” …ugh! Well, then, let’s hope and pray that criminal charges would come forth.
This is making me feel sick as I think of the countless victims and the families who have been lied to by IBLP. Our very small local church and their school recommended IBLP’s resources and we traveled hours to attend one of the seminars. I can remember feeling uneasy after seeing ‘Bill’ and even those running “the show”. Now I know why.
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So disappointed to see one local homeschool group still recommending IBLP as a homeschool resource ☹ (as well as Vision Forum????).
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I am feeling quite ill, by some of the comment here that imply that parents who subjected their children to IBLP/ATI were willing sacrificing their children, as we were caught up into this cult trap. I assure you that our 15 years in the organizations, we had questions, but prayed always for God to provide the money, or the wisdom, or the strength, to pursue the paths that would help us raise our children to be Mighty in Spirit. That was the goal, not to worship bg, but we were earnestly wanting to raise children to “raise up a standard” and be a light unto the world. Some comments sound like the parents had evil intents. I am so grateful my children have accepted our apologies and are joining us in unraveling the lies we wee fed in this evil cult.
I know I am very sensitive, but it does seem that some are judging the parents, who are also victimized and abused in the horrible mess. We trusted these leaders and paid sacrificial amounts of money to attend seminars, conferences, and training centers. I wish that money had gone into a college fund for our kids.
Perhaps my lens is too critical still.
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Deb,
Your point is well taken. Gothard was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I know that the parents who followed Gothard had good intentions. We had good intentions when we went to the seminars and sent our children to their seminars. We all wanted to do better than our parents had done, to raise godly children, to have godly influence and direction, etc. I truly believe that parents and children were victims of this man.
There were a couple of weird Gothard rules that prevented me from wanting our family to join ATI: men shouldn’t grow beards and his teachings on adoption. I thought he was whacked. Oh, and also women wearing dresses. So, I made the choice to not get involved with ATI, but I easily could have. There was always a nagging sense that I was missing out by not being a part of ATI, but my brain was conflicted. I didn’t understand why there was this conflict. Well, it didn’t matter much because we later got involved in another cult and abusive pastor.
All that to say is I hear you, Deb, and I’m so glad to know that you and your children are recovering from this cult, that your children are understanding and have forgiven you. So many families are reeling from the bad teachings, damaged relationships, etc. He left so much carnage!
Keep speaking out for parents!
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Deb – I agree that we should be careful about lumping everyone into one camp as if we “all” idolized BG. I don’t think you are being oversensitive at all. After home schooling three children I now find myself with a totally broken home and very likely a divorce. The adult children have chosen the wide road. Thankfully your children can see that as a parent you were also a victim. Mine are not at all the same. I have been treated very rudely and despised because my devotion to God remains steadfast. If they were to discover the outcome of BG; they would sneer at me the next time they came into town. And we weren’t even totally on board with the IBLP group.
Deb – I repeat, “you are not being overly sensitive”. Let us continue to pray for victims, the families; … all of us who will be mocked because of “wolves”.
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Excellent comment, healinginhim. Thank you.
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A very painful reminder to never follow a so called leader. And to question authority.. And to be in Bible Study and study God’s word alone. And to eschew ” Christian books”. These books are just interpreting God’s word for you. The Holy Spirit can interpret The Word for you. Be in fellowship but NEVER let someone else be your spiritual authority.
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Leslie, I couldn’t agree more. Once I decided to go ‘Bible alone’, life gets less complicated and the winds of doctrine die down.
You see all the traditions and junk that gets tacked onto the ‘gospel’ which often is works based anyway.
Scott, I’m with you on the gummy bears.
Do people actually believe these women are lying about being touched up by Bill?
So many messages of “keep your chin up Bill” etc.
It’s as is they elevate him to Jesus status. Completely incapable of sinning.
There are no words.
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@JessicaV:
I wonder if Got Hard’s rationale for this was “she was already spoiled, so that makes it OK” and/or “You can’t really rape a whore.” In addition to the obvious “I AM God’s Anointed Elect — I Can Do No Wrong!”
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@JulieAnne:
No; like so many of God’s Anointed(TM), he was a feral junkyard dog in heat.
Wolves have more class than that.
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@Scott1253:
Probably never. Indeed, as he goes down there will be those who will circle the wagons, double down, and defend him to the death. Because anything else would mean admitting to themselves that they were wrong.
The key to a successful con is “sunk costs”, to get the marks/mugus emotionally involved as well as financially to the point they can’t back out. Even when they know they’re being taken to the cleaners. Because backing out means admitting to everyone (including themselves) that they fell for it.
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@Scott1253:
Ritual Magick. Let the Sorcerer speak the Incantation Just Right and the Spiritual Beings/Forces are bound to the Sorcerer’s will by his MIghty Magick.
“ABRACADABRA” — slurred Aramaic for “I Speak and IT IS SO.”
Even if the Magick of The Secret comes with a Christianese coat of paint with God and Christ as the Summoned and Bound Entities doing the Will of the Sorcerer.
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@Serving Kids in Japan (preferably not as sushi):
“Let the Sorcerer name the Spirit and Speak the Incantation to summon and bind the Spirit to His will. And send that Familiar Spirit against the enemies of the Sorcerer…”
(No, I’m not Aliester Crowley II. Just a fan of classic fantasy fiction, including a lot of Manly Wade Wellman’s “contemporary supernatural” pulp fiction.)
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LOL!! XD
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Debi Pearl had this to say (about a year-and-a-half ago) about those who were glad that IBLP and Gothard’s malfeasance were being brought to light:
http://www.donotlink.com/framed?832288
I wonder what she has to say now that they’re being sued…
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Debi and Michael Pearl are psychopaths who beat their children, of course they’re going to come to Gothard’s defense. Those people are all nuts.
And frankly, every time I see the word “bitterness” I roll my eyes and ignore the rest of the argument. People have a right to be furious with injustice, and to pursue a reckoning no matter how long it takes to bring it to account. Considering that Gothard and the Pearls are walking around still alive and still breathing, I’d say all the people they’ve affected negatively have collectively shown remarkable restraint. Debi Pearl can shut the f**k up, nobody cares what she has to say.
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Oh, Hug you just crack me up! Headless Unicorn Guy
JANUARY 10, 2016 @ 9:56 AM
@Serving Kids in Japan (preferably not as sushi):
Hahahaha HUG. Love ya Serving Kids in Japan.
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So glad that BG has been outted. We knew it was coming. More to follow. I am just wondering how many abuse cases will one day come to the surface at my exNeoCal church that subscribed to all of this abusive nonsense. Patriarchy, etc.
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“Take your workbooks and turn with Me
To the chapter on Authority;
Do you top the chain of command?
Rule your family with an Iron Hand?
Because a good wife learns to cower
Beneath the Umbrella of POWER
Under cover of Heaven’s Gate
I. MANIPULATE.”
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@Dash:
Maybe I’ve been reading too much Manly Wade Wellman, but this is what I heard in that comment:
Let the Sorcerer speak the Incantation properly, naming the Spirit to be summoned and bound to the Sorcerer’s will. Let the Sorcerer then send that bound Spirit to curse and destroy the Sorcerer’s enemies…
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Just read through this article at Homeschoolers Anonymous:
http://homeschoolersanonymous.org/2016/01/09/a-summary-of-allegations-against-bill-gothard-and-iblp/
Sickening.
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DG’s imprecatory prayer reminds me of nothing so much as what I heard as a young Christian who hung out with charismatic believers as they rebuked demons and the Devil. This is somewhat odd in light of Gothard’s status as an icon among cessationists.
(but what is new–there are a lot of things that are odd about Gothardism)
Regarding what could happen to Gothard, you bet that statutes of limitations are going to be hotly debated if it comes to trial. However, it’s an uphill battle for the defendants, since the statute can start ticking either when the offensive act is committed, or when the person experiences the consequences of that offensive act. When it’s a child victim (below 18), the statutes of limitations become even more lenient, and that for both civil and criminal acts, if I read Illinois law correctly on the subject.
So yes, criminal charges would have to be filed, but I’d be surprised if DG3 hadn’t received a note from at least one local DA in Chicagoland or Yooperland already. No other predictions from me except that absent repentance on IBLP’s side and a settling with full apology out of court, it’s going to be pretty darned ugly.
Pray for that, folks.
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Coming from a non Christian family I find it interesting that BG’s legs are still intact.
If I were a victim, my Dad wouldn’t wait for authorities to catch up with him.
Christian or not… if my daughter told me some guru like BG had been fiddling with her…
I’d like to think I’d ensure he wouldn’t be able to fiddle ever again.
It’d be worth the jail time.
(for the team)
The victims’ Dad’s should balls up and teach him a lesson he won’t forget.
(verbal lesson, naturally). 🙂
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And frankly, every time I see the word “bitterness” I roll my eyes and ignore the rest of the argument.
No kidding, Dash, all the “bitterness” strategy is is a means of silencing all opposition. It’s a strategy used by abusers and their enablers, a way of shutting the mind. What gets me about it is, some apparently perverted predator takes advantage of dozens (perhaps hundreds) of young eager-to-please girls sexually and destroys their innocence and perhaps forecloses the possibility of many of them ever having joy in their faith, and then people step in to call them or their defenders “bitter”? So I guess in the Pearls’ world, you get to slap someone in the face, then when they protest, accuse them of bitterness. Sick stuff there, fake faith makes monsters of people.
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As for me, it is my fervent prayer that God will bring justice to Bill Gothard’s victims.
_______________________________________________________________
Dash,
Jesus was kind of in to that justice thing too, kin of gave His life for it, was always going after the predators who used the name of God to hurt people, suggested millstones around necks and watery graves for the people who mislead and hurt little ones. You’re in good company.
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Life with Porpoise said: “If I were a victim, my Dad wouldn’t wait for authorities to catch up with him”.
Yup. My first thought was, “man, you would not want to see MY father at your door, BG, cause that would be the LAST thing you see!” (And he WAS a Christian. Who looked out for his young’un).
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It strikes me that perhaps Gothard’s view of Matthew 18–more or less you can’t confront anyone unless your heart is pure–might be at least a semi-bulwark against angry IBLP fathers settling the matter out of court. An un-Biblical bulwark, mind you, but one he’s been carefully building for a while.
And if I were a juror, I’d sure have trouble convicting the father of a rape victim for an assault on a rapist, that’s for sure.
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Wow to those who call evil good and good evil, who call bitter sweet and sweet bitter. Where does it say in the bible we are to sue others for evil they do to us? It doesn’t! We are to overcome evil with good and in doing so God will see us and reward us. You do wrong! If they don’t love me, they won’t keep my commandments. If they do love God, they will keep His commanents.
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Well, at least Anonymous has established that Gothard doesn’t love God. For my part I am glad there is at least one attorney out there who is attempting to do good for Gothard’s victims. I am also glad that there are victims out there who are willing to come forward to do the good of attempting to keep Gothard from doing even more harm to other victims.
I contend that anybody who would attempt to keep others from stopping Gothard is doing harm, maybe even evil.
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Oh pick me!
“Where does it say in the bible we are to sue others for evil they do to us?”
I can’t find it so you will have to tell me?
Where does it say it is acceptable to sexually molest young interns?
I hope that the money these girls will get from the case will send a strong message to IBLP that sexual abuse is wicked and they will not get away with it.
How dare you point to the Scriptures and suggest it’s wrong for these girls to get compensation for their abuse.
Victim blaming! Indeed!! How wicked to call good evil and evil good.
The Bible is clear, a brother should not take another brother to court.
In this case we have a man accused of not loving God or his SISTERS (not brothers- let’s keep things ‘biblical’) by sexually fiddling with them.
So let’s not be hasty to assume he is a brother after all.
We were warned false teachers and deceitful workers would come.
I am quietly confident Jesus would be pleased for these young girls to do just as they are doing so JUSTICE will be done.
Your mentality makes me feel sick and reminds me why I no longer associate with Christianity the religion.
Jesus is Lord and Saviour. You religious people use the Scriptures to abuse people.
Shame on you.
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Do not be overcome with evil but overcome evil with good.
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“The Bible is clear, a brother should not take another brother to court.”
Actually, the passage refers to not taking each other to court over “trivial” matters.
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“Do not be overcome with evil but overcome evil with good.”
Seeking justice for wrongs is “good”
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“The key to a successful con is “sunk costs”, to get the marks/mugus emotionally involved as well as financially to the point they can’t back out. Even when they know they’re being taken to the cleaners. Because backing out means admitting to everyone (including themselves) that they fell for it”
Bingo. Many mega churches operate like this. A successful professional is never going to admit they were conned for years by mega church celebs. Except the wise ones who warn others. But they are rare.
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“Some comments sound like the parents had evil intents. I am so grateful my children have accepted our apologies and are joining us in unraveling the lies we wee fed in this evil cult.”
I had never heard of Gothard until blogging. But please understand that many of us were involved in some aspect of the “Christian Industrial Complex” that did much damage to our lives/children. You are not alone in making such devastating decisions thinking it was for good.
These cons play off on what is good and decent about you. It is a con with Jesus lipstick. In order to not be taken in one must be skeptical and even cynical to a certain degree. They play off this. These are master cons who use Jesus for personal gain. Read up on manipulation and group think.
And now you are doing the right thing by unraveling the lies with your children. That will be an education that will serve them well alk their lives!
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“Let the Sorcerer speak the Incantation properly, naming the Spirit to be summoned and bound to the Sorcerer’s will. Let the Sorcerer then send that bound Spirit to curse and destroy the Sorcerer’s enemies…
”
Hee hee. Since I am way more pious (wink wink), I was thinking more along the lines of Matthew 7 and those doing all sorts of lofty things in Jesus’ name like casting out demons, etc. Jesus’ response? “I never knew you”.
But abracadabra works, too. :o)
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“In order to not be taken in one must be skeptical and even cynical to a certain degree. They play off this. These are master cons who use Jesus for personal gain. Read up on manipulation and group think.”
And interestingly enough, the very first thing they teach you is “Be skeptical of everything but ME. I am God’s anointed, you MUST do as I say, but all those other teachers are deceivers in the name of Satan.” That’s Gothard to a T.
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“And interestingly enough, the very first thing they teach you is “Be skeptical of everything but ME. I am God’s anointed, you MUST do as I say, but all those other teachers are deceivers in the name of Satan.” That’s Gothard to a T”.
Dash, this is the whole of CHRISTENDOM to a T!!
“Prove all things, hold fast that which is good… Except what your Pastor says”.
This is my reality. As I’ve been working through religion (Christianity) and questioning one doctrine at a time you see how scared people get (especially those reliant on your bum being in their Sunday seat) when you “prove all things”.
Each system relies on adherents not questioning things. The minute you do, you’re ‘divisive’ and shown the door.
I thank the Lord He desires worshippers to seek Him in Spirit and Truth in ‘the closet’, so to speak.
No need to join myself to some cultish organisation which makes money off teaching lies in Jesus’ name.
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