A Message To All The Lurkers

Anitar

In recent weeks, I have seen several posters that some call the JW "lurkers," meaning the witnesses who read the articles of this site, and are perhaps questioning what the Watchtower has been teaching them, yet are still very defensive of the Watchtower's actions. As a result, I have seen and participated in several heated debates. It seems the main criticism of us is that we focus too much on the "negative," that we dig up the past too much, and worst of all, that we have nothing to really complain about, other than the personal vendettas some of us have against the Watchtower.

Well, since I always want to be open minded no matter how much I am frustrated, I will now address the so called lurkers. You come to this website and occasionally post your unflinching support of the Watchtower and its interpretation of the bible. One might get the feeling from reading such posts that you are a very faithful witness and should therefore be commended for your loyalty. I would never dispute this. However, you would not be on this website if you were not questioning in some way what you say you believe in. It is therefore logical to say that there is an inconsistency somewhere. So the question is, why are you here?

I will attempt to show you something you had not considered before, and I apologize in advance for talking too much. Another criticism of us is that we take Watchtower and Bible quotes out of context, or we combine unrelated articles to prove a biased point of our own. In an attempt to disprove this, I'll take as an example a frequently discussed topic: child abuse.

Now, I think regardless of the organization, one cannot in good conscience say that child abuse is a good thing. There has recently been a case of a Jehovah's Witness child abuser captured in California. Here is the link:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/11/122752/1.ashx

Now, of course, there are individual child abusers in every organization in the world, both secular and religious, the Watchtower is no exception. However, it is how the organization deals with such offenders that show who they really are. And what does the Watchtower do? They boast that they have no clergy class, yet they use the "clergy penitent privilege" to defend the accused. Now one might say that they have to defend themselves somehow, but why don't they simply tell the truth, since they don't see themselves as doing anything wrong, and they don't recognize the courts authority above them? Well, somewhere between the eight-by-eleven jail cell and the electronic ankle bracelet, they just might recognize the authority.

Here is my main point for discussion. I found it quite surprising, given the recent events in the courthouses across America, that advertised on the front page of the Watchtower’s official website is none other than the topic of child sexual abuse! See for yourself and feel free to read all the related articles on their site:

http://www.watchtower.org/

http://www.watchtower.org/e/19931008a/article_01.htm

When I started writing this post, the topic was on the front page. For some reason, they have now taken it down. It should be noted that their website has no discussion board, no email, and all the articles are nothing but duplications of their magazines, so nothing is new. I found, and no doubt some will be quite astonished, that to put such an article on their website was quite hypocritical even by their standards. Here is a quote:

"An Urgent Problem: Assaults on children are often cloaked in secrecy, so much so that they have been called perhaps the most unreported of crimes. Even so, such crimes have evidently spiraled upward in recent decades."

Interesting. So how do they defend their "two witnesses" rule? If they know child abuse is done in secret, how can there be two witnesses to the crime? The article shows that they draw conclusions from superficial observation rather than imperial evidence. They use a crude oversimplification of biblical principles in order to justify their extreme xenophobia and general dislike of everything outside of their organization. In the following articles, "How Can We Protect Our Children," and "Prevention in the Home," they clearly state that the abuser is usually someone you know or live with. They also go into great detail about the pain and suffering a victim goes through, while using careful wording to never mention what to do if the abuser is a Jehovah’s Witness. See this quote regarding worldly victims:

“Their whole future is at stake. They do not have the resources that adults have. Trauma can scar and shape them adversely for life. They are the ones who need and deserve tender treatment.—Compare Genesis 33:13, 14.

Parents must therefore make every reasonable effort to protect their children! Many responsible parents choose to seek out professional help for an abused child. Just as you would with a medical doctor, make sure that any such professional will respect your religious views.# Help your child rebuild his or her shattered self-esteem through a steady outpouring of parental love.”

Reading these articles a JW might come to ask oneself what to do if the abuser and the victim were another JW. The Watchtower has an answer for that too, just a very ambiguous one. Whereas before, they were talking about the effects on the worldly victims of child abuse, here’s what they have to say to members of their own congregation with the same problem:

http://www.watchtower.org/e/19951101a/article_01.htm
"Repressed Memories"

In recent years some have been "brokenhearted" for reasons that others find difficult to understand. They are adults who, on the basis of what have been described as "repressed memories," say that they were sexually abused when they were children.* Some have no thought of having been molested until, unexpectedly, they experience flashbacks and "memories" of an adult (or adults) abusing them when they were young. Do any in the Christian congregation have such disturbing thoughts? In a few lands, yes, and these dedicated ones may experience deep distress, anger, guilt, shame, or loneliness. Like David they may feel isolated from God and cry out: "Why, O Jehovah, do you keep standing afar off? Why do you keep yourself hid in times of distress?"—Psalm 10:1.

Many aspects of these "memories" are not well understood by mental-health professionals. Still, such "memories" can affect the spirituality of dedicated Christians. So we look with confidence to God's Word for guidance in handling them. The Bible provides "discernment in all things." (2 Timothy 2:7; 3:16) It also helps all concerned to put faith in Jehovah, "the Father of tender mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation."—2 Corinthians 1:3, 4.
Did It Really Happen?

In the world, there is much controversy as to what these "memories" are and to what extent they represent things that actually happened. Jehovah's Witnesses are "no part of the world" and take no part in this controversy. (John 17:16) According to published reports, "memories" have sometimes proved to be accurate. For example, after insurance adjuster Frank Fitzpatrick "remembered" being molested by a certain priest, almost one hundred others came forward to claim that they too had been abused by the same priest. The priest reportedly admitted to the abuse.

It is noteworthy, however, that a number of individuals have been unable to corroborate their "memories." Some afflicted in this way have had vivid recollections of a certain individual committing abuse or of the abuse being committed in a specific place. Later, though, legitimate evidence to the contrary made it clear that these "remembered" details could not be true.”

Just look at how they talk to you. They patronize the reader and assume that you’re lying or seeking attention. Notice how many times they use quotes around the word memories, as if you weren’t really abused, and how they tell you that it can easily be solved by praying more. This seems a far cry from their earlier statements of the deep physical and mental scars of child abuse.

And why do worldly victims have “horrifying, lifelong physical and mental scars,” while the Jehovah’s Witness victims simply have “memories?” This seems quite illogical. Aren’t the JW’s God’s chosen people? If a JW molests a child, certainly his punishment would be considerably more severe because he’s supposed to “know better?” On the same token, shouldn’t a JW child be treated with more care and respect than a worldly child because they have been betrayed by their Christian brothers? But no, they’re told in not-so-subtle terms that they’re imagining things, and they simply have a “stricken spirit.”

I wish to clarify that not only did the Watchtower itself write these articles; they put them together on their own website. This is not the work of “apostates,” nor are we taking it out of context. It is almost impossible for a JW to read these articles and not see the discrepancy in the policies of child abuse outside and inside the Watchtower.

In conclusion, I do not disrespect Jehovah’s Witnesses, nor do I want to destroy their faith in God. I just want them to reconsider their loyalty to an organization and examine it from an objective point of view. If you still find it to be the truth, than none of this matters and you will have lost nothing. In light of all this, you might still argue that despite its flaws, at least the Watchtower is constantly bible orientated, and is warning the earth of its impending “doom.” However, I have come to learn that the bureaucratic mentality is the only constant of the Watchtower.

Peace everyone,

Anitar

daystar

bttt

lovelylil

Great post Anitar, I hope people really think about the points you made. Lilly

nonamegiven

Woah, I need a nap!

I'm a df'd JW and am here because I have always questioned many, many things and am not investigating these things. Funny, I never heard of any child abuse in the organization but knew there had to be some.

Sad, very sad.

LongHairGal

Anitar:

That is a very good post and something I have thought about but never articulated. The inconsistencies of the things they print never ceased to amaze me. I call it "talking out of both sides of your mouth". The face they present to the public and what actually goes on are two different things. With regard to child abuse, the only way to actually know first hand what the truth would be is to have it happen to one of your children and then see. But, I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

As far as their "two witness policy" is concerned, I feel this relates to other crimes and not this. How any honest minded elder could not see this eludes me. I think they do see and and they are just "going along".

I hope there is a special place in hell for anybody who thinks the reputation of their organization or religion is more important.

moshe

I just talked to a former JW today who was active back in the 60's. He told me he remembered a brother who was privately disciplined and had to sit in the back row for a year because he got caught with an underage girl in the KH. This was a grown man. This pedophile stuff has a long history at the KH. The police were never called to avoid defaming the KH.

sf

**gratefully applaudes the post**

I wish to clarify that not only did the Watchtower itself write these articles; they put them together on their own website. This is not the work of “apostates,” nor are we taking it out of context. It is almost impossible for a JW to read these articles and not see the discrepancy in the policies of child abuse outside and inside the Watchtower.

In conclusion, I do not disrespect Jehovah’s Witnesses, nor do I want to destroy their faith in God. I just want them to reconsider their loyalty to an organization and examine it from an objective point of view. If you still find it to be the truth, than none of this matters and you will have lost nothing. In light of all this, you might still argue that despite its flaws, at least the Watchtower is constantly bible orientated, and is warning the earth of its impending “doom.” However, I have come to learn that the bureaucratic mentality is the only constant of the Watchtower.
Peace everyone,

I agree, on many levels.

Let's try to keep this one at the top.

sKally

A Message To All The Lurkers

Anitar

daystar

lovelylil

nonamegiven

LongHairGal

moshe

sf

Sam87

daystar

jstalin

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