by lynnmelo 52 Replies latest jw friends
I know no one really knows what the content of the "news" is, but I don't even know what news you guys are waiting for. I've been reading some posts referencing "Barb" and "the news," so I wasn't wondering if someone could give me some background (I've looked a few pages back and can't find anything).
Thanks.
Hey, another thread about the BIG NEWS!!!
Lynn
what I've heard is this:
Its News, and its really BIG!
Pope
Okay, I get that no one really knows the news, but who's Barb?
Lynn
Barbara Anderson and her husband used to work at Bethel. Barbara had access to many of the files regarding the sexual abuse of children in congregations in the US and I think Canada.
She and her husband were the whistle blowers for going to the media after the WTS refused to change their policy on the mishandling of abuse cases. They were both DFed for going public
She is a very reliable source.
These threads are getting irritating.
sKally
Hi Lynn,
A couple of years back a huge scandal broke about a pattern of Child molestations being covered up by many, many local congregations around the world. Apparently when things like this came up local Elders would call headquarters and speak with a Legal Department representative who would advise the congregation elders NOT to report such incidents to the police. In many cases the victim was pressured or even threatened (with disfellowshipping) to keep quite about the matter so as not to "bring reproach on Jehovah's name" by calling the police after being raped.
As the scandal grew many JW's with first hand knowledge came forward and spoke out about the Watchtower Society's policies. Things culminated when the news program Dateline did a story on the Society and involvement in Child abuse issues. The program showed that the legal department advised no further action be taken unless there were two people that saw the molesting taking place. It also showed how victims were sometimes even disfellowshipped if they continued to speak out about their abusers. A few active JW's spoke on the Dateline program hoping to change the requirement of "two witnesses" to validate an abuse claim. Barbara Anderson was one such individual. She worked as a researcher at headquarters and had inside knowledge of this issue. She's the one who revealed that the Society tracks these incidents when they are reported by elders. According to her testimony the Society has list of 23,000 individuals that are implicated in Child abuse incidents.
Since then there have been many investigative news programs on the matter in various countries, showing essentially the same pattern as here in the US. It seems the Society was/is pretty intent on not bringing reproach on their publishing company Jehovah's name, even if it means silencing victims or requiring two witnesses to the abuse.
That's my understanding. She does post here though. Maybe you can ask her?
>> Barbara Anderson and her husband used to work at Bethel.
Bethel = World Headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses in Brooklyn, NY
(You probably knew, Lynn, but in case you weren't down wit the lingo...)
Dave
From what Barbara and others are saying, there is a not tiny group that already knows. And I would like to take this opportunity (on a smaller thread) to say how proud I am of Danny Haszard proving himself capable of keeping something utterly silent that could destroy the organization he loathes so much.
Mad props for DANNY!!
I think I may have connected a dot or two and come up with a Matisse. If the way my thoughts are running is in line with the real deal this may be the break in the hull of Constitutionalized protections for institutional religion—and tilting of the scales in favor of the individual—that a lot of religious people have been waiting for. It may eventually be much bigger news than for just JWs, but JWs will be in the mix. Oh, how I hope that is it. I have prayed it would come in my lifetime.
"We the people" need to grow some teeth and take back our individual rights!
AuldSoul
