steve2 said-
Adam, the question of the Watchtower's significant and negative impact on people is an entirely separate question from the violent actions a few individuals carry out who have suffered that impact.
Yes, that was the original conclusion you stated, which you're now repeating. Beg the question, and lead with your conclusions much?
Or are you saying that anyone who has had a strict religious upbringing should be excused for their interpersonal violence and instead blame their upbringing?
"Excused"? 'Straw-man much?
No, I'm saying that it's only one of many mitigating factors which likely WILL be considered when the case goes to trail (or more likely, at the sentencing phase). Knowing the climate of cover-up of sexual abuse in JWs (eg 2 Witness Rule), and with a JW minority sister with an attractive young daughter, I won't exactly be shocked if an investigation reveals this girl was abused by someone in a position of authority in the KH, but the abuser was able to suppress the charges made by the victim and the daughter blamed the mother for not standing up for her. No evidence of that, AFAIK (and you can just imagine the paper shredder's in the KH getting pretty hot the day after she committed the murder, to avoid bringing "dishonor to Jehovah's organization"). Just saying, such a scenario wouldn't be that far out of the realm of possibilities to explain her behavior (I saw some comments elsewhere about this being somewhat a recent development in her personality, but who knows).
Anyone who blames their upbringing - or any other external factor - for deliberately crossing the line into violence needs to take a good hard look at themselves that they allowed themselves to act in such a dysregulated way towards others.
Straw-manning again? I didn't say that such environmental factors justify a "oh, the poor baby; let her go FREE!" approach, just that her environment IS a factor: you push someone enough, and sometimes they snap. You and I don't know what the reality of her environment and her state of mind was at the time, so it's pointless to quibble over it now, but better to wait on the investiagtion and trial when all the facts are heard.
Oh, and you might take a good hard look in the mirror to ask why you're so strongly biased, feeling the compulsion to protect existing power structures in such a knee-jerk manner, even before knowing all the facts of the case. Why are you so threatened by the suggestion of children who might snap after being sexually-abused?
You discredit the vast untold numbers of people who have suffered under the Watchtowers unloving policies by and who have not resorted to interpersonal violence often under lots of provocation.
"Discredit them", LOL?
The greater insult to young victims of a high-control group like the JWs is to tolerate a status-quo mind-set, where they're allowed to perpetrate their actions for a few more decades, and continue playing the "blame the victims" games what JWs do so well; worse to not investigate the factors where the adults MAY have contributed to raising psychologically-damaged and scarred humans in toxic environments, where surprise! Some of them DO snap.
The world is full of people only too happy to blame external factors for their violence. Thank goodness there are statutory secular laws that seek to hold people accountable for their violent behaviour.
True, they're called sociopaths.
And what a shame that high-control groups like the JWs are able to operate with little governmental restraint, due to powerful religious special-interest lobbying groups and the widespread support of theistic fantasies amongst the general population. Freedom of worship seems to be the freedom to raise brainwashed minds by feeding them 2,500 yr old paternalistic and misogynistic rules of the Ancient Hebrews, and then acting surprised when you discover that ancient legal codes aren't such a GOOD idea after all (eg 2 Witness rule).
Adam
