Are child molesters calling at your door?
Do Jehovah's Witnesses approve, condone, and encourage accused, confessed, and convicted child molesters to call door to door on unknowing potential victims in the witnessing work? The answer to the above questions is yes on both accounts. Jehovah’s Witnesses for well over one hundred years have proclaimed the end of the world through the door-to-door face-to-face offering of Watchtower literature. While this work could be considered a noble cause to help mankind learn the bible, what happens if a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses molests a child and is repentant? Are they encouraged to continue the house-to-house work? In a word YES! All Jehovah’s Witnesses are taught from birth the end of time will culminate with the battle of Armageddon, all who do not participate in the door-to-door work will be killed by God at that time. If you are a Jehovah’s Witness child molester are you excused from this duty to God? The answer is no, according to church doctrine.
The question would have to be, what ramification does this present to the American public as well as the rest of the world when it comes to the worldwide ministry of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The answers would be as follows:
1. Anytime a Jehovah’s Witness knocks at your door there is a possibility he/she could be a child molester.
2. If a Jehovah’s Witness offers you a bible study, there is a possibility the conductor or the person who comes with them could be a child molester.
3. If a Jehovah’s Witness child molester comes to your door and makes contact with your child he could later find an opportunity to know where to find his/her next potential victim.
4. If two Jehovah’s Witnesses come to you door, one or both could be child molesters.
5. Jehovah’s Witnesses will find themselves in an uncomfortable position with the rest of the world if they continue to hide the fact they allow repentant child molesters to go door-to-door.
6. People do not want accused child molesters calling at their home, that is if a Jehovah’s Witness says he/she did not molest a child yet the child remains steadfast in the accusation.
7. The public cannot trust the word of Jehovah’s Witnesses when they say, “There are no pedophiles in my congregation.” Jehovah’s Witnesses are not informed when a pedophile is in their church.
The above issues create a problem for Jehovah’s Witnesses that challenges them to the core of their doctrine. The challenge would be if God kills you for not going door-to-door, how could you allow a Jehovah’s Witness child molester to not do so? You are taking away his/her everlasting life. On the other hand will the rest of the world accept the Jehovah’s Witness position that child molesters must be allowed to call at your home because they think God will kill them for not doing so? To the Jehovah’s Witness child molester it is death or preaching door-to-door. To the outsider it is accepting possible Jehovah’s Witness child molesters at the door or do not call at my home.
How have Jehovah’s Witnesses chosen to react when challenged on a Policy that could be harmful to children? In the Paducah Sun of Paducah Kentucky when interviewed by a reporter in January of this year, a spokesman for the Jehovah’s Witnesses stated, “I’m comfortable with our policy….’we do not change for anyone.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses everywhere must ask themselves if they will be comfortable going door-to-door and defending their right to allow unknown child molesters to participate in their work. Can they really afford to “not change for anyone” if everyone else rejects church policy?
The administrative arm of Jehovah’s Witnesses known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society will be forced to address this issue. How will they do so? One answer might be to forbid convicted child molesters to participate in the witnessing work. But would that take care of the problem?
What about confessed child molesters who have never been reported to the police? It appears there could be several hundred if not thousands within the organization. In most cases the congregation have no knowledge of their presence in their local groups. Should these individuals be identified and then also be forbidden to work door-to-door? If this additional step was taken would the problem be fully addressed at that point?
According to statistics 90% of child molester lie when confronted with an accusation. What about all the accused child molesters who have lied about what they have done? Should they be identified to protect those who do not know of what they have been accused? Would you be comfortable with an accused child molester who denied the charge calling at your home?
To clarify the thinking here, how would a company treat the described situations when it came to a person representing their company being in charge of meeting the public? In other words, if a company knew a person had been accused of child molestation but not convicted, would they want to take the liability risk? I think if you check with corporate America you will find that they would not want to be placed in this position.
Let’s add another twist. Jehovah’s Witnesses allow child molesters to serve in positions of leadership if it was a long time ago and the church feels they can be trusted. Do you trust the church to make this judgment on who calls at your door? As a Jehovah’s Witness are you comfortable with a repentant, long time ago child molester being unknown and having a leadership role in your church? Do you want to have him in your home or assist him in having access to the homes of others in your community? On the other hand, if as an elder a rule is made that forbids you to go in the door-to-door work how could you serve as an elder and not do the work you are charged to ask the rest of the congregation to do?
What if alternative witnessing methods are offered? Would you want a child molester calling on the telephone? Approaching you at Wal-Mart or the mall informally? Sending you information in the mail? Standing on the street corner with literature? If you were not allowed to know if they had been accused, confessed or convicted of child molestation? Presently, if Jehovah’s Witnesses call on you, this is what is happening in your local communities.
The basis of religion is to offer forgiveness and give individuals a second chance. The same principles should be extended to those who molest children. Does forgiveness mean we offer the perpetrator unknowing potential victims to see if they really are going to do right? Perhaps a better choice would be allowing persons to be informed first, then to make that decision themselves.
Jehovah’s Witnesses have a problem that challenges their organization to the core of their doctrine. Will they continue to hide child molesters and endorse witnessing to the unknowing public? Will they take action to stop child molesters from going door-to-door with the belief it condemns the pedophile to death at the end of the world?
What will the public think of the “image” of Jehovah’s Witnesses if they were to find they have the same attitude toward murderers or other criminal acts committed by their members? The facts show this has happened and continues among Jehovah’s Witnesses who call at your door.
My name is Bill Bowen, I write this information as a concerned member of Jehovah’s Witnesses for over 43 years. After serving as an elder for many years and performing many managerial and administrative positions within the organization, I recently resigned as an elder in protest of this policy that hides child molesters from everyone. The evidence shows this policy of Jehovah’s Witnesses has hurt many children and will continue to be a danger until this organization wakes up by doing what is morally and ethically right in the interests in the innocent. I encourage Jehovah’s Witnesses and the public to unite, and demand Watchtower to change their policy. By doing so you protect not only the children within but also your children.