This won't end the Watch Tower Society. ... But, I'm pleased that they have to pay. I sat on a very complex case where a man sexually abused his daughter. The wife was complicit. It was nasty, emotionally draining and upsetting. I think we handled it fairly well, given the restrictions placed on elder bodies. The silly laws of this state and the firm word of the District Overseer prevented from calling the police. The decision from the District Overseer was that we could not proceed against the blameworthy mother, nor could we call the police on our own. That is the one thing I regret. I protested, but unfortunately did nothing more. Our laws have changed, and today I would get on the phone and call CPS. We got the daughter out of the house. She declined to call the authorities.
I can think of other cases handled very poorly. Those elders and the Society when they abetted them should pay, and pay hugely. If "The Society" puts untrained men in the position of counselors, then they are responsible for their failings. You elders and ex-elders out there: Did you ever feel adequately trained? In what way? Kingdom Ministry School is a joke. It does not train elders effectively or in those areas where they need it. When someone asked me if I would say that "theocratic training" was the equivalent of college, I laughed. It's not. It's not even close.
Jehovah's Witnesses will never be much more than a cult made up of the under-educated, unthinking, and self-centered until they provide real education to those they place in authority. I know this isn't a fix-all. It would be an effective first step. Those old guys who call themselves the Governing Body need to more clearly define the purpose of a judicial committee in scriptural terms. And for the sake of the brothers, make clear that a congregation elder or elder body does not stand in the place of secular authority. You do not lose your civil rights when you walk through the Kingdom Hall door unless you voluntarily surrender them. And what fool would do that?
My heart aches for those hurt by stupid elders. Ultimately the responsibility rests on the Governing Body. I want a new one! Made up of educated, spiritual men who aren't mysteries in their personal lives.
