Although I don't have first hand information, I'd bet my house that's where the settlement money came from.
It will be interesting to see if the per capita demanded suggested contribution goes up this year.
Pedophilia Summary
by LennyinBluemont 36 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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sir82
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DevonMcBride
Great summary. Thanks.
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Open mind
Great idea LennyinBluemont!
Here's what doesn't sound correct to me. But please straighten me out if I'm off base.
Item 1.
Watchtower HQ appointed men to positions of authority...provided the three year waiting period had been met.
3 year waiting period and then a self-confessed pedophile is reappointed to a position of authority? I don't think so. This is the kind of thing a loyal-dub lurker would love to latch onto to show how "the apostates" exaggerate everything.
Item 3.
The Society has implemented a policy whereby any alleged victim of child abuse who...(b.) goes to the authorities to report their experience, is routinely disfellowshipped if there were not two witnesses to the event.
I don't think there was ever a POLICY where a person claiming to have been abused was "routinely disfellowshiped" for going to the authorities. I have heard of INDIVIDUAL cases where local elders pressured victims not report it in order to "not bring reproach on Jehovah's Organization" and may have DFed someone who didn't comply. This may well have been winked at by Brooklyn for years, but that would probably be difficult to prove. A letter to BOE's went out roughly 7 years ago (give or take a couple years) clearly stating that victims should be informed that there would be NO REPERCUSSIONS from the Congregation if they report abuse to the authorities. It also said that this decision was the responsibility of the victim or victim's parents.
I think you're correct about talking it up around the congregation though. If there's not 2 witnesses, then the victim is supposed to shut up. Otherwise the victim will be DFed or announced "No Longer A Publisher" for slander.
Item 4.
each congregation is billed $4.50 per publisher
Others have already addressed this, but I'll nit pick a little more. Technically, the congregations aren't BILLED. The Borg "suggests" and the congregation decides whether they want to go along with the "suggestion". Of course we all know that the elders will do whatever Momma "suggests".
Please correct me where you think I'm wrong. But on an emotionally charged issue like this, I think it's really important that we have our facts straight. Which, I believe, is what you were looking for, right?
Thanks again for starting this thread.
Open Mind
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coffee_black
Great summary. Thank you for that. I have the cd too, and have read some of it... i get sick to my stomach if I read too much...so it's slow going.
Question.... I know Barbara had some plan for getting this out in media. Any progress or news on that front?
Coffee
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voltaire
Open Mind,
On point four: If you've been an elder you know what a foregone conclusion it is that the congregation is going to pay the insurance. I'm curious to hear what other elders/former elders have to say, but I would hazard a guess that if the society didn't get their check that the CO would make sure heads rolled. If a body of elders couldn't get the congregation to approve such a routine expense, there would be a major shakeup. If a brother, or brothers, made an attempt to debate such an expense during the time allotted for such resloutions he would be practically marked on the spot (not officially, but the brothers would be aghast and he wouldn't be getting invitations to dinner) and if he lobbied brothers to block such a resolution, which would require at least half the baptized brothers to vote against it, he would DFed. It's not a 'suggestion'. If I 'suggest' that you give me your wallet while I point a gun at your head it won't wash with the judge when I explain that I wasn't robbing you. The WT can kill you forever (otherwise known as disfellowshipping) and when they hold that over your head it's not a suggestion. So, I say it's a BILL, pure and simple. You pay or you're out.
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LennyinBluemont
Hmmmmm. . . .more interest.
Thanks so much for all who have commented and especially for those who took the time to clarify or raise questions. I agree that the last thing we want to do is speak without sound basis on such a serious matter. A few have raised questions regarding the three year rule. I know I saw mention of this at least a few times in the material and it was a big deal. For now, the only reference I can think of is the letter from the D.O. in California in 1994, where he petitioned the Society to change it. All those with the CD, it's time to search! I'm out of town from Thursday until next Sunday, so if you don't see any posts by me, be sure I will return. We'll be in New Orleans and are looking forward to breakfast with bigdreaux on Sunday. Anyone want to join us?
Lenny
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LennyinBluemont
Open Mind, thanks for your comments and concerns.
Item 1: Barbara has an entire section in her book, entitled, "The Three Year Rule". It runs from pages 33 to 38 and makes the following citations, with quotations:
Organization Book, version 1972, page 170, paragraph 2 (if a man had committed a "serious wrong" but two or three years had passed and he seemed to have Jehovah’s blessing and the esteem of the congregation, he could remain in his position, or be appointed.)
October 72 KM Question Box (OR book reiterated and clarified)
November 1991 KM School (72 KM policy reiterated)
1995 WT outline for CO meeting with BOE
Letter from Red Bluff North Congregation, CA to Service Dept, where this policy is referred to
1994 Letter from D.O. Donald Amy to Service Dept. which suggests changing this "three year rule" policy regarding a case of pedophilia (which remained unchanged at least until 2000)
Major lawsuits were filed in 2003. At the 2005 KM School the policy officially changed.
You need Barb's CD.
Item 2: This was an easy one.
Item 3: I have read of many cases where the victim goes to the authorities and is then DF’d. See Silent Lambs, where there is much evidence of this practice, not just in the U.S., but several other countries. All participants in the Dateline program were summarily DF’d a week before the broadcast. You’re correct, there may be no "policy" in writing, but is it just coincidence that so many cases have been handled this way? In a number of different countries? Or is it "unwritten" policy? How many cases are you aware of, pre-2003 when the big lawsuits began, where someone went to the authorities and were NOT disfellowshipped? On Silentlambs alone there are probably more than 100 documented cases with names, dates and locations of people who WERE.
It's kind of like back in 1976 when the elders didn't like it that I objected to them forcing me to administer the magazine dept contrary to the Society's instructions. I didn't buck them. Just asked for another assignment. Result? I was deleted. Little did I know then that there was an unwritten rule that I had to wait 5 years before I could be recommended again. Even elders in the congregation I later moved to told me this was the case. Sure enough, 5 years later (in another congregation) I was re-appointed. So I guess what I'm saying is, any of us who have been elders for any significant period of time, know, especially in the 70's and 80's, there were certain unwritten rules that were followed so steadfastly, that in my mind they amounted to "policy". These were promulgated from nowhere else but Brooklyn. But you make a good point. Perhaps this point should be dropped. Other thoughts?
Item 4: I think this was a matter of semantics, as someone else commented. But I think you are right, it should be re-worded. Perhaps it could read, "Each congregation customarily pays an annual premium to the Society for the Kingdom Hall Assistance Arrangement, based upon a formula adopted by the Society of $4.50 per publisher." Barbara’s information shows that settlements to victims of abuse ARE being paid from this fund. I too remember these resolutions every year. I never remember a discussion. It was announced, hands were raised and the check was cut.
There is no provision for excerpting copies from Barbara’s CD, and I can’t take the time to re-type everything she has published, nor do I have the right. For those who want to see for themselves, I suggest they order the CD. Then those of us who are researching what is there can make reference to the page numbers.
Other ideas?
Lenny
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skeeter1
Great News! Wow!!!
Can we scan a copy of the insurance document for the lurkers to see? Is it ok?
Skeeter
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WT=watchtrouble
Thanks for that
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LennyinBluemont
As for any of the 5,000 pages of court documents on Barb's CD, these are in the public domain and so they can be shared freely. Since everything is in pdf land, you will need to print out the pages you want, scan them and then post them. Barb is encouraging us to do just that. She WANTS this information out on the net, and this is the ideal forum to do it. Here's where the power of this forum comes in. Since there are so many of us, we can share the load. There are 13 different case files on the CD. Why not sign up to research and document a particular case? Then a thread could be started for each case, complete with scans and archived in the best of section. It would be nice to have 5 or 10 folks on each case to be sure nothing important is missed. Are we really grateful for all the work others did breaking the UN story? Here's our chance to make a contribution. These are lengthy files. We need people to comb through them and point us to the details of special interest, and index them.
As for Barb's book, you should properly seek her permission before reproducing any significant portion, although I'm sure brief quotes are OK.
Question.... I know Barbara had some plan for getting this out in media. Any progress or news on that front?
Barb is discreetly keeping this matter quiet for now. All I can say is, there is a good chance Christmas is coming early this year boys and girls! Watch this space.
Yours for Truth, Justice and the American Way.