Bing bing bing! At last we have a rare, specific response to what I was trying to discuss. (Sorry if I wasn't clear.)
Do we tend to excuse "the people down here," but angrily condemn "the people up there"?
I can excuse 'the people down here' for trying to live their lives as best they can and sometimes getting it wrong.
The 'people up there', on the other hand, put themselves up there. They want to have authority over those below, and with great power comes great responsibility. In the WT case, the Governing Body has positioned themselves as God's voice on earth, and are eager to tell everyone how they should live.
They want the authority - and when they get it wrong and create a system that starts hurting people - they should be held responsible for it.
This is the best example so far of what I find to be the case. I was just waiting for someone to say "with great power comes great responsibility." But I will suggest that--while there is much truth in this concept--it is also used as a deflection in a situation such as this. The woman who chose not to report this recent case of pedophilia was fully aware of the consequences of her actions. She, having been a victim of molestation as a child herself, knows well the sick, sad ramifications of child abuse. She is aware that this person will likely do it again to some other child. So to suggest that she's just "getting it wrong," is to suggest that she doesn't really understand the consequences--when in fact she does.
And, yes, if we want to discuss how wrong it is for ANY organization to put themselves in the position the WTS has, we can do that. We can talk about them having to accept responsibility for everything they do. But it does NOT excuse those who are not in a position of authority when they fail to do EXACTLY those things we will condemn an organization for. And it is hypocritical of us to look past the behavior of individuals in this regard--while angrily denouncing organizations for the same thing.
The reason why the WTS is wrong for not reporting is, among other things, they are failing to do their part to halt the ugly cycle of pedophilia, despite their having the ability to do so. But a mentally competent parent--aware of the consequences--is in PRECISELY the same position when pedophilia is visited upon them. They have "put themselves up there" in a sense too, haven't they? They have chosen to be parents and have accepted the authority and responsibility that comes with it. And they TOO have failed to do their part in helping to halt the cycle of child molestation.
