The WTS prides itself as being a religious organization who strives without predjudice to keep wrongdoing from its congregations even though it has to use the theologically controversial method of expelling its criminals, that is, its ?shunning? procedure.
Principle it seems, is of the uncompromising variety within the WTS walls.
One the most sickening things that I ever read in WTS literature concerned the life history of a young Bethelite who before becoming a JW had lived an anti-social lifestyle. To illustrate just how much he had changed he illustrated his previous life by describing an incident of gang rape as now noted :
*** g90 7/22 19-20 Three Hours That Turned My Life Around *** .Even so, a sense of right and wrong exercised some restraints. For example, in my third year of high school, I had two buddies that I ran with, was on the basketball team with, did everything with?up until this one night when we came across a young woman. My two friends decided to rape her. She pleaded with them not to do this, but when they proceeded to do it, she became hysterical and screamed for them to kill her instead. In spite of her struggle, they raped her. Then they wanted me to join them in this outrage against her person. Sickened and repelled, I refused to share in their cowardly violation of her. They became very angry with me and ended up calling me vile names. Our friendship ended that night.Years later I realized that what I had experienced was another example of what the Bible said would happen: "Because you do not continue running with them in this course to the same low sink of debauchery, they are puzzled and go on speaking abusively of you."?1 Peter 4:4.
When I first read this account, it became clear to me that this young man had rationalized the part he played in this crime. As he did not actually rape this young girl, but merely stood by and watched while his friends did, he obviously felt himself to be innocent of this crime. Obviously under US Law he was guilty as an accomplice 1) for not attempting to stop the crime 2) Not reporting the crime.
I wrote to the WTS regarding my concerns as the kind of message this article was sending out to any criminals who became JW?s. Should he not leave Bethel and walk into the nearest Police Precinct and admit to the fact that he had not tried to stop, and had not then reported this heinous crime.?
After a few weeks the WTS wrote back to me quoting the Apostle Paul?s words from Corinthians which state, after listing some religiously criminal acts, ?This is what some of you were? and suggesting that this matter was actually a matter of conscience and they would not discuss the incident with this person.
I wrote back to them and asked what one should do in the case of murder. Their reply was quite interesting, they suggested this must be reported as it was a more serious crime. The politics of sin, or the sin of politics?
Of course I rested easy knowing that this young man who had not reported this crime or tried to prevent this rape was suitably punished by his own peers, whom if you remember, called him ?vile names? - poor sod. As to the woman involved, well let us face it, she is due to die at Armageddon shortly anyway, so God will extinguish the memories of her misery and every JW can live happily ever after.
HS
PS - I am having format problems, but I will survive...