Great job, great article, great video of nationwide evening news!
What really got my goat was this line:
[...]
In reporting states, the [WT's Child Abuse Telememo] form instructs officials to advise local elders "to make an anonymous phone report from a neutral location, such as a phone booth.”
[...]
HOW UTTERLY COWARDLY IS THAT? As so-called "shepherds of the flock" they should march right down to the police station with the pervert in tow. And most certainly they should accompany the VICTIM if that person is in their congregation and wants to report, since they are supposedly the SHEPHERDS of the victim. Oh brother. What spineless and UNGODLY cowardly advice, telling them to sneak around to a phone booth, call anonymously, etc.
For any JWs reading this, how "safe" would you feel around so-called "shepherds of the flock" during "Armageddon" if they act like that NOW? And even more pathetic is the ORG that hands out such "weak-knee'd" advice, added to the fact the "elders" actually accept that advice, listen to it, and follow it!
Any person with any dignity and self-respect would do the right thing, following their God-Given-Conscience rather than a spineless cowardly "org" that is in no way looking out for the flocks' best interests, but strictly THEIR OWN ("Don't sue us and take our $$$$! So rat 'em out ANONYMOUSLY via a dark alley phonebooth!")
Pfffffffffffff!
/ag
Barb's response to the WT's Media email and site
by Dogpatch 24 Replies latest jw friends
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abbagail
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LennyinBluemont
Yes, the anonymous phone call from a pay phone booth to me was one of the juicier tidbits from Barb's research. This apparently was the stock answer from the Legal Dept when elders from "reporting states" inquired. Talk about "doing things in the darkness"!! Such policy is clearly intended to shield the organization, and consequently the pedophile, from nosy law enforcement detectives uncovering "the rest of the story" while being able to claim they were "in compliance" with local laws. Yes, the letter, not the spirit. And as we all know, it's the "letter of the law" that the WT is most concerned about. And all this to the absolute detriment of the victim, as well as future victims. They thumb their nose at civil society and circle the wagons. I nominate Barbara for sainthood. If the X-JW "movement" ever wanted a spokesperson, we couldn't do any better than our girl.
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sweetstuff
It's sickening, their response is such an obvious deflection of the facts its not even funny. I personally know of a particularly disgusting case, a great friend of mine was sexually molested by her father, an elder at the time, during her early pre-teen to teen years. As an adult, she went to the elders and to the authorities. The elders refused to cooperate with the police. Saying it was confidential right of the congregation elders to not disclose and they had been advised to not get involved, yeah, I wonder by who??? Any guesses?? So, the elders came to meet with my friend, who was pretty much inactive at this point and her husband was present with her, they actually had the nerve to ask her if she had instigated any of the occurances, if she "enjoyed" it!!! Quoting that a young woman can be sexually entrapping to an older man and they "needed to be very clear on what exactly happened". Her husband kicked them out at that point, now I know this to be fact, because he secretly recorded the session, I heard it firsthand.
So, they publicly reproved her father ( no details on why, of course), which is hilarious because when the victim sued him for emotional damages, he phoned her up and said, this isn't right, what I did was a "minor mistake" and I have repented to the elders, the whole family knows now, (because she told them) haven't I paid enough?? Repentant my A$$!!!! He knew the game, played it, got a slap on the wrist and she was shunned by her entire family for bringing all this out and causing the family so much shame. Her own mother defended her father and said that if she used this as an "excuse" to leave Jehovah, she would be dead to them.
Fast forward a few years later...she is still shunned by her entire family while good ole daddy is in good standing in the hall, going door to door, repentant servant of Jehovah that he is.
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wha happened?
I hate this political crapola that goes on in the hall. Nothing to victims and just saving face. Honestly, I have wanted to avoid disassociating myself to make it easier on my wife but I just may do it now.
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nomoreguilt
I have a confesion to make.Not to any elder, lest of course I am called on the carpet for it the next time I am called in to answer for some indiscretion or flip comment I have made about some fine upstanding JW. I will confess though that I have been remiss in not having spoke up sooner about all the indescretions that I have observed over the last 30 years of my life as a JW. I have often thought of writing a book about all those poor souls that came under the scrutiny of the Elders. True , people make choices in their lives and then have to live with the outcome. But when the WTBTS publicly chastised and condemned the Catholic church for their inaction towards child molesters, and are now themselves in the GUN sights of the world media, shame on THEM!!!! I , myself am no longer an active JW, nor do I identify myself as one any longer. But, personnally, can you imagine the nerve it will take now to go and knock on someones door and identify yourself as one of JW"s?? I still have family in the Truth and am dying to hear about the local fall-out from all of this. But, as we all know, many will follow like little Lemmings and follow the company line, won't they? Walk the walk and talk the talk or ELSE! But as we all know, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and molests chidren, It's not a DUCK!!!
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Sunnygal41
She has shown herself courageous and at her own expense, personally and financially.
impeccably said, Wednesday! i'd love to hear their answer/response to your question.........
Terri
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juni
I couldn't agree more w/Barbara's words.
And also w/what others have posted from their experiences. It's the same method of handling other types of criminal behavior in the congregations. They want it to go unreported so that, "Jehovah's name is not smeared" when in reality it is a manmade organization that is wanting to protect its reputation.
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moshe
manmade organization that is wanting to protect its reputation.
and it's vast holdings of real estate, stocks and bonds.
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Doubting Bro
I find the WTS response extremely lame. Also, if they're doing such a great job, why decline comment for the NBC story?? They are right on one point, there have not been enough lawsuits over this issue. I hope that every single person who has been harmed by the WTS stupid policies and lack of action by both local elders and Bethel files a lawsuit aginst the elders personally involved and the WTS. I told my wife last night that I thought this was the tip of the iceberg. I hope that the floodgates open.