Update on Royal Commission

by umbertoecho 40 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  hoser

  My question is how did the police get the list? Is there a member at bethel that knows ttatt and gave them that info?
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  Splash

  If 30% of these 1000+ known abusers have since died, that leaves about 700, not counting all those who are not on any list.

  Incidentally 700 is roughly the number of congregations in Australia, so on average there's an abuser in every congregation.

  *** w13 11/15 p. 14 par. 17 How Can We Maintain “a Waiting Attitude”? ***
  "Now is the time to return to our heavenly Father’s loving arms and to the congregation—the only safe haven in these last days."

  
  
• 

  Vidiot

  TheListener - "I hope so much this breaks into the american mainstream news."

  Then link, "Like", and hashtag the shit out of it.
• 

  Vidiot

  hoser - "My question is how did the police get the list? Is there a member at bethel that knows ttatt and gave them that info?"

  That'd be my guess.

  Whistleblowers.

  God bless 'em.
• 

  TheListener

  vidiot, I am, I am.
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  Tornintwo

  They got the documents with a summons, this from the opening submissions paper:

  1. Watchtower Australia produced some 5,000 documents pursuant to summonses issued by the Royal Commission on 4 and 28 February 2015. Those documents include 1,006 case files relating to allegations of child sexual abuse made against members of the Jehovah’s Witness Church in Australia since 1950 – each file for a different alleged perpetrator of child sexual abuse

  wondering of the bethelites in other countries have got the shredders out? But that would look even worse, wouldn't it?
• 

  Vidiot

  TheListener - "I am, I am."

  If you're God, I wanna pony!
• 

  Vidiot

  tornintwo - "...wondering of the bethelites in other countries have got the shredders out? But that would look even worse, wouldn't it?"

  Screwed if they do, buggered if they don't.

  They seem to have taken a lesson from the American court case where they refused to provide the info; the WTS lost that contest harder and faster than an Amish octegenarian at a gaming convention.

  x

  I can't help but wonder what Lorenz Riebling and the other JW- and WT-connected businessmen who back up the Org are thinking about all this...
• 

  steve2

  I wonder if this will lead to the organization being legally compelled to "adjust" its understanding of the 2 witness rule? So much for Jehovah leading the GB to the brighter light - in this case it would be secular authorities.

  Who'd have thought, huh?!
• 

  Vidiot

  @ steve2...

  They told Irwin Zalkin that "they will never change it". Frankly, I believe it.

  x

  From what I can see, the WTS is drawing a line in the sand on just about the worst thing they could possibly do it on (IMO), but from their POV, they have no choice; their beliefs and policies (and by now, beliefs are policies, and policies are beliefs) are simply too entrenched.

  Plus (thanks to the media), the issue has become too high-profile; if they did, too many rank-and-filers would know that they'd capitulated/compromised to the demands of "Satan's System" (regardless of whether it was the ethical thing to do or not), not to mention that it would be tantamount to admitting they were wrong, and authoritarian regimes would rather piss glass than do that.

  x

  At this point, I suspect that they'd rather lose their tax-exempt status than budge.