What a Fine Witness

Gretchen956

I have a co-worker that came from the same small hometown I did. Small world, we both ended up about 450 miles away from there working for the same place. Shortly after Tracy started working with me I walked with her to the coffee shop on break and got to chitty chatting. I said something about being from Libby Montana. She said, oh no you aren't. Not too many people from Libby.

Anyway, turns out that Tracy only knew of one Witness child when she was growing up. I don't know how old she was at the time, sounded like maybe early grade school. Her best friend was a witness, her mom was a witness, dad was not. Her best friend was molested by one of the elders there in the congregation, I'm thinking this was sometime in the 70s, since she graduated in 85. She said this child and her mother disappeared one night in the middle of the night, when mom found out, to get away from the elders there. I don't know any more of the story and Tracy said she never saw her again in her life, and she has always wondered what happened to her.

Now fast forward to this week. I'm wrapping up at work, I'm a short-timer so I'm leaving in two weeks to move out of state. Tracy and some others were going for coffee so I decided to go along. She said she was talking to some friends from northern Idaho, I'm not sure of the town, but there aren't too many, I think it may have been Bonner's Ferry or Moye Springs.. anyway, they told her of a family that lived there, dad and mom were into alcohol and drugs. One day mom died and dad decided he couldn't take care of his two kids any longer. So he gave them to a family he thought could take better care of them. You guessed it, a local elder and his wife.

Tracy said that as soon as she heard they were witnesses she guessed what came next. The new "father" started in abusing this girl, she was about 6. She endured it for the next 10 years and finally ran away when she was 16 to live with her barely of age sister somewhere in California.

Now here is a person, totally unconnected with the witnesses. Would have had no reason to think ill of the religion. But the only thing she knows about witnesses is related to child abuse.

This is a long story, I'm ranting, really, if you are still reading this thanks. I just have to say what a fine job the witnesses are doing getting jehovers name out in front of the world before the big A comes.

Sherry

BlackPearl

Another abuse story,...amazing. Not sure what to think anymore about the "elders", other than maybe they're blissfully protected from prying eyes when abusing kids. I know that may sound stupid, but how are these kids going to get any protection if their own "loving elders" are supposed to be taking care of them? I just don't get this.

Gretchen956

Well here's my precious opinion for what it's worth. They have an organization structured in such a way as to make this easy on the abuser. They can be accused, but unless there are two or more witnesses, their word is belived over the victim. The organization is set up to automatically take the male's word over females and kids, and they protect their own more than any thin blue line (cops).

Are they all bad? No, I would not even suggest such a thing. But I would suggest that the good ones are turning a blind eye to this. Its far easier to believe that they could not appoint a BAD elder, after all, they think they are spirit directed in that decision. So they overlook a lot, to the detriment of their congregations. At the least willful neglect, at the worst, spiritual and physical abuse.

The scary part of it is, this is never going to stop.

Sherry

luna2

Pretty sick...and I was so damn stupid that I didn't have a clue the entire time I was in. This could have happened to my kids. Guess it was good that we were on the fringes and didn't associate with many elders.

A fabulous "witness" to the world.

codeblue

I agree with you Gretchen. It is pretty sad that all she knows about JW's are their child pedophile problem.

The JW's argue there are pedophiles in EVERY religion...but they claim to have "pure worship". "Pure worship" should NEVER be tainted with pedophiles and child abuse.

That's what woke me up to the JW hypocrisy.

juni

Thanks for sharing the story Sherry. It is a small world. What a sad account.

Juni

MinisterAmos

I would say that every Witness child is emotionally abused in some way. Unfortunately most folks fail to clarify the type of abuse they mean.

Not so many are sexually abused, but I'm sure the percentages rival worldly folks

Gretchen956

This abuse was molestation. Sorry I wasn't clearer.

Sherry

aSphereisnotaCircle

It’s amazing how the witness’s are convinced they have a sterling reputation with the world,

They actually think that they impress worldly people left and right.

They seem to be oblivious to what the world really thinks of them.......

Jringe01

I don't know of any sexual abuse in the congregations I attended however bthere was physical abuse

I was tutoring the eldest child of an elder and I was quite "in" with the whole family. One day after I had finished a session with the lad i was invited to stay for supper. The second child had done something..or performed poorly somewhere and he and his father got into a huge row over it. In the end the elder took his second child outside and beat him with a stick. When they came back to the dinner table I opened my mouth and got a harsh, sharp but brief tongue lashing in return. I could tell his wife didn't approve but she didn't pour gas on the fire so to speak.

To this day i regret that I didn't get up and walk out.

What a Fine Witness

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