Hi Dunsscot:
You said:
"... the contentions of Silentlambs seem like much "sound and fury" that in truth signify nothing."
Child molestation is something serious. Many civil lawsuits and criminal prosecutions are taking place around the country against JW molesters. At issue is not so much the scope of the problem --- as it seems about the same ratios among non-JW groups --- but the ancient Watch Tower policy that parallels the old Roman Catholic policies of covering over the problem to keep the church looking good.
You continued,
"I am of course referring to the supposed Dateline show and the claims made about some members of the GB of Jehovah's Witnesses."
The Dateline show is real. I too have spoken to them about another case. But the discussion about certain GB members is only in the discovery stages right now. Some may take comments about this discovery effort and talk as though it were fact, but so far I have not seen any of that on this forum. The discovery may not result in any evidence and the discussion will have to cease. But, if it results in solid evidence, then this will no doubt add to the issue.
You continued,
"I find it absolutely amazing that some folks (certain opposers of JWs) are so quick to accept basically anything that other adversaries of Jehovah's Witnesses articulate. With zero proof, Silentlambs suggests that certain GB members were/are possibly child molesters. I'm waiting for the falsifiable/verifiable proof from "Silentlambs," however."
Again, this is in discovery stages. But, people, being what we are, it is something that cannot be controlled. I recall that JWs will take some information from the Society, unproven allegations, and accept it as fact and then spread the information. The Watch Tower religion has no room to complain. In many cases it takes years for ex-JWs to unlearn this Watch Tower habit of feeding on false information and learning to be skeptical and require, yes demand, facts. So, your point is well taken, and before any GB member be dissected in public, some facts should be in evidence. But, as I see it now, we are only in the discovery and investigation stages.
You continued,
"Secondly, while I continue to hear the loud "drumbeats" on this list accompanying the many cases of alleged child molestation that JWs are supposedly covering up, I still await statistics and verifiable/ falsifiable data."
Facts will be released in accordance to their scheduled dates. But, as I noted above, there are already factual cases in the courts if you need to review these. New Jersey, Colorado, Texas, Kansas, and Maine are among the many cases now working their way through the courts. I will make specific citations if you need.
You continued,
"I will not deny that there may indeed be cases of pederasty in the organization, just as wife-swapping and a number of other disgusting practices occur. But I wonder how many children have actually been molested in the organization."
I conducted a Poll of known child molesters among JWs and former JWs on this board and extrapolated this across about 11,500 JW congregations in the USA. The numbers of JW molesters would be about 5,000+ in the USA. This is about 1/2 percent of the JW population which compares closely to the rest of the world. While numbers vary according to which study you read, pedophiles molest many more children than they are convicted for. The estimates based on several studies run from an average of 70 victims per molester, to 150 victims, to as high as 300 victims. Each statistic has been validated, but are based on differing criteria. If we assume the lowest average of 70 victims, and divide it in two to be conservative and to allow for statistical errors and presume that JWs are better than the rest of the world --- which I don't agree with --- then the average used would be 35 victims. Taking the projected 5,000 JW molesters, this would translate into about 175,000 victims. Keep in mind that many victims are not necessarily JW children. Molesters generally don't make religious distinctions. Their perverted sexual desires go beyond such things.
You continued,
"(The policy for handling such cases is another issue.)"
You make a wise comment here ... and I highly appreciate your recognition of this, because it is the policy that is at the core of the whole problem ... a policy that causes harm, and thus many more victims than if the Society would simply follow the lead of the Catholic Church, day care centers, public schools, Boy Scouts, and many other religious organizations that have had to implement better policies to curb and report this abuse.
You continued,
"For while folks like the good people on this list may love hyping up a story that is devoid of evidence, I've learned that emotional reactions and "common sense" can often deceive us, if we are not careful. Sometimes we need quantifiable data to bring some sanity back to the discussion. So Duns looks forward to a time when the signifiers that are presently signifying nothing will cease being posted on this board."
I think that the majority on this board and others like it are, for the most part, responsible reasonable adults who use good common sense, and recognize the need not to hype things up. Keep in mind that the vast majority on these boards are older experienced ex-JWs who have 10, 20 or more year as JWs and understand the religion very well. Many of us were Elders and faced many similar situations that SilentLambs has faced as far as conforming to WTS policy in dealing with JW pedophiles. So, when we see many other share these experiences, and they match our own, we know we are not alone and that there are a lot of facts, or at least knowledge, though we cannot publish the details on this forum. I myself have turned information over to another media outlet to notify the State of California of JW pedophiles I personally know of in that state that went unreported. The State of California has abolished the Statute of limitations on reporting and filing civil and criminal charges against pedophiles. I will report the results when I learn of them and have been given the green light to do so.
You concluded by saying, "I can dream, can't I? :-)" Yep ... you can dream all you want, you have my blessings. - Amazing