Update on my JW Friend
Look here for the first episode.
This is kind of long but WELL WORTH THE READ!
Ok, so she comes over tonight and we start discussing the child abuse cover up. Last week, I was pretty sick when she came over but I was able to show her the video on the JW website by the LCSW who said that 18-20 years ago WE didn't understand the long term effects of pedophilia.
She told me that the woman in that video was crazy and that what she was "spewing out of her mouth" was ridiculous and came across as fake. Like she was making it up on the fly. She told me she researched child abuse articles on the WT CD and found several references that went back more than 18-20 years ago that explained the harm done to children by pedophiles.
I said the website says she is a doctor, but she isn't. Someone else in her office with the same last name is, but she is not. She made a puzzled face.
I asked her why she thought the WTB&TS felt the need to post this video on their official office of public information site when it is obvious that what she is trying to make people believe is not true. She just shook her head and said, "I don't know". So, I says, "Sounds to me like they are hoping that by having an official therapist say this, they can say, 'Look, we was fooled. We didn't know. We followed bad advice. Don't blame us'."
I said, it looks to me like the video has been seriously edited. Did you notice how it jumps a couple of times, like it might have been spliced together? She nodded and reiterated that it makes no sense, the video makes absolutely no sense.
Then we talked about disfellowshipping again. She AGREED that to allow a "repentant" pedophile to stay in the congregation was very damaging to the victim.
Then I hit her with the bomb.
I began by using very leading questions.
I asked her if the society was truly innocent, would they have paid off the victims and issued a gag order? She didn't know but AGREED that it didn't sound like it.
I asked her if she thought that the news media would report on something of this magnitude if they did not have the evidence to back it up? She said she did not think so.
I asked her if what the news media reported was false, would the WTB&TS just sit back and hope the story died out, or would they take some action to clear the name of God's one true organization? She felt that they would take action.
I asked her if the official watchtower statement released in October sounded like they were innocent of the cover up or did it sound like they were lying by omission and presenting false data to put a positive spin on the cover up. She said, "they have updated their statement". I did not know this. She then said they raised the number from 9 elders to 11. We both LAUGHED at the absurdity of this. I said, "Well then, I'm convinced. Let's talk about something else."
I said that by stating, or referring to, or lying that, it was only elders involved in the abuse cases was misleading because it was not only elders that perpetrated the abuse. She AGREED.
So I asked her if the information I found online about this issue would be automatically discounted because it came from a source outside of the society. She didn't say anything. I said "Let's be honest, no one currently inside of the organization would release this damaging information as a news release." She nodded.
I said that for this information to be considered valid, so valid that the WTB&TS settled out of court, that the person or persons who gained this knowledge must have had inside information. More than just knowledge of local incidents. Someone had to have known that this issue was a long standing issue, a global issue, and saw that the society was doing nothing, or next to nothing to correct the situation. Basically, the information came from people who are or were JWs. She looked at me and nodded very slowly.
I asked her if that fact would invalidate what has been exposed. She said no, I don't think so.
I said suppose there is a website, run by an ex-JW, a JW who was an elder for 20 years and was disfellowshipped for refusing to protect a pedophile, would that invalidate the information he presents on his web site. She asked me if this site was about just child abuse or was it negative about all aspects of the society. I said, just child abuse. He has never tried to tear down the society. His mission is to help the victims. She said what kind of information. I said lots of news videos from around the world. She slowly shook her head and said no.
Would the society allow this web site to continue running if what he presents on his site is false? She said I don't know, I think they would want to protect the organization that represents Jehovah's good name.
I said if he, an advocate for abused children, is not welcome in the WTB&TS what does that say about them as an organization? She didn't answer.
So, I asked her what if a person who used to work in the writing department, wrote many articles that you yourself have read and live by, learned of the sexual abuse issues and cover up, fought to get the society to take the matter in hand, witnessed the delay tactics and outright brushing under the rug of this, decided she couldn't affiliate herself with this organization and voluntarily walked away and was later disfellowshipped over this. Would this invalidate the information she has collected. She said no.
I asked her if she was willing to look at this information. She said ok. I whipped out my laptop! We spent about an hour on the silent lambs website! We looked at the Barbara Anderson cd site. She wrote down the URLs for these two sites!
Before she left, she told me she had a list of questions for the CO when he came to visit at the end of the month. She has requested time with him when he comes for his visit. She asked me to look over it and see if anything needed to be added. I suggested a few questions, 23,000 names not being released to the authorities being one of them. She added my questions to her list.
I can't wait to see how this turns out!