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Saturday, July 05, 2008
 
ISF has head in the sand
Location: BlogsRoy Stemman's blog    
Posted by: Roy Stemman 2/24/2008 5:39 PM
Whatever the views of the ISF Executive Committee on Garth Willey’s resignation (see our News story), the Spiritualist movement as a whole surely takes a very dim view of the fact that they have not removed Mervyn Johnson from membership of the federation.

That was the main concern raised by Garth Willey and it seems to be a reasonable one. How does the ISF expect to achieve “strength through unity” (see story) when it offers no justification for allowing a convicted rapist to remain an ISF member?

Let us not forget that the dreadful crime of which he has been convicted was committed in the name of Spiritualism, while he was giving healing and apparently entranced by a spirit doctor.

Declaring that it “does not wish to ... have printed under the name of the ISF any media reports concerning him” is a laughable head-in-the-sand posture that will not succeed.  It’s an extension, in fact, of its general lack of openness.

If it wants to bury this sad episode once and for all, the only way is to remove Mervyn Johnson from membership while he serves his time in prison.  The situation can be reviewed when he regains his freedom and if he chooses to reapply for membership.

The ISF has been doing a good job of encouraging global understanding of Spiritualism for decades and I hope it continues to do so well into the future. But it really needs to be seen as a little more “street-wise” as far as the realities of this world are concerned.

Mervyn Johnson’s actions damaged a number of victims and I have no doubt that the spiritual law of cause and effect, as well as the Swedish justice system, played its part in putting him behind bars.

Individually, many ISF members may feel able to forgive him. But the ISF surely has a responsibility to its membership to distance itself from those whose behaviour brings the federation or the movement as a whole into disrepute.

And that is something it has clearly not yet done.
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